The Denver Pioneers will step onto the ice Friday night in a situation they haven’t faced in quite some time. They’re going to have the opportunity to prove that they can put a loss behind them and use it as a learning experience.

Last weekend, Denver dropped its first home game of the season, also ending an 11-game unbeaten streak in the process — a streak that stretched back to Dec. 11.

While nowhere near as glamorous, the Pioneers (21-6-1, 14-4-0 National Collegiate Hockey Conference) do have a modest three-game winning streak they can extend when they hit the road Friday and Saturday nights at Western Michigan (19-7-1, 11-6-1) for the first two games in a five-game stretch of road battles.

The stiffest test of Denver’s key six-game stretch will be waiting in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“It’s obviously a huge weekend at Western Michigan coming up, it’s going to be great hockey,” Pioneers coach David Carle said after last week’s series with Minnesota Duluth.

“Another really good test for our team. We were excited about this six-game stretch. We knew we’d be pushed to the limit, and we have been, and that’s going to continue, obviously, over the next two games against a really good Western team.”

The Pioneers (No. 3 in both the USCHO.com poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll) might miss their fans, especially after enjoying the friendly confines of Magness Arena to the tune of a (14-1-1) record — including being undefeated in the first 15 of those home games — but the road hasn’t been all that unkind to the Pioneers. Denver’s three-game road win streak has come against inferior competition. The Pioneers know that and expect a much different challenge from the Broncos(No. 6/5).

Carle knew this current stretch — a sweep of St. Cloud State, a split with Minnesota Duluth and the upcoming series at Western Michigan — was going to determine the strength of his squad. Losing last week for the first time in this calendar year could help the Pioneers.

“It’s everything we talked about in the stretch,” Carle said. “It’s playoff hockey, it’s that time of year. It’s healthy for our team to play quality opponents — tight checking, we have to adjust to not as much time and space. Those are the takeaways. It’s a learning lesson. We have to use this adversity, and a bump in the road is an opportunity to learn and grow.”

Denver continues to have the inside track on the conference crown, holding a two-point lead over North Dakota. Western Michigan is third, seven points behind the Pioneers. A sweep for the Broncos would pull them to within one of Denver, giving the Broncos even more motivation.

The Pioneers will be trying to stay in first and to show they can put a loss behind them.

“It’s all how we use it,” Carle said. “I’m confident in the group to use it in the right way.”

• Denver at Western Michigan, Friday, 5 p.m., 1600 AM, NCHC.tv
• Denver at Western Michigan, Friday, 5 p.m., 104.3 FM, NCHC.tv