National champion DU Pioneers to open next season at Notre Dame.

A season-opening series at Notre Dame and two games in Beantown against the Boston University Terriers and Boston College Eagles highlight the University of Denver hockey team’s 2017-18 nonconference schedule.

The Pioneers, who this month won their eighth national title, will open their 24-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference slate Nov. 3 at Western Michigan. DU has 18 home games and 16 on the road, with key NCHC series against North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth and in-state rival Colorado College at Magness Arena.

Last season, the Pioneers had only two regularseason games apiece against North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth. They lost to North Dakota at the NCHA Frozen Faceoff in Minneapolis but beat Duluth in the NCAA Frozen Four championship game in Chicago. Next season, DU will have only one twogame NCHC series, this time against Western Michigan and Nebraska Omaha.

DU’s Oct. 13 opener at Notre Dame will be a rematch of the April 6 Frozen Four semifinal, in which the Pioneers breezed to a 6-1 victory. The Pioneers and Fighting Irish — who will switch from Hockey East to the Big Ten next season — will also meet Oct. 14 in South Bend, Ind.

Denver’s home opener is the following week against Lake Superior State of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. DU then travels to Boston to play the Terriers and Eagles on Oct. 27-28.

The Pioneers also have nonconference games, each at home, against Dartmouth (Dec. 15-16), Merrimack (Dec. 29) and Air Force (Dec. 30).

The Pioneers play six of their first eight games on the road before beginning a four-game homestand in consecutive series against St. Cloud State and North Dakota.