Colorado College was 11th in both national rankings released Monday, climbing a spot in the USCHO.com poll and falling a place in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.

The USCHO.com poll puts Minnesota-Duluth first and Minnesota second, while the USA Today poll has Minnesota in the top position, followed by Minnesota-Duluth. Both polls have Boston University third, Merrimack fourth and Boston College fifth. Denver is 13th in both polls, and North Dakota improved a position to 17th in the USCHO.com poll.

The Tigers (14-9-1, 11-7 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) head into a home-and-home series this weekend against Denver (15-8-3, 10-5-3) tied for fourth in the WCHA with North Dakota. They trail Minnesota by eight points, Minnesota-Duluth by three and Denver by one with 10 games left – Minnesota and North Dakota have each played two more games than the rest. The top six teams host the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Just as important, CC is 17th in the PairWise rankings used to predict the 16-team NCAA Tournament field, meaning if the season ended today, the Tigers wouldn’t make it. They split the first half of their season series against Denver, so they need three points – a win and a tie – to reclaim the Gold Pan, which the Pioneers have owned the past two seasons. CC expects Saturday’s game to sell out Tuesday, with about 100 tickets left for purchase.

ALSO: Former CC goaltender Chris Kawano has scored his reality TV debut, appearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the MTV show “Made,” in which he helps a high school girl learn how to play his position. Click HERE for a preview, including comments from Kawano.

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com. Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazettehockey. Google+: Brian Gomez. YouTube: Colorado College Hockey, Covered by The Gazette. For the CC homepage, visit www.gazette.com/sections/sports/collegehockey. For the CC blog, visit http://collegehockey.freedomblogging.com.