LetsGoDU

Hey WCHA Fan, Look Who's In First Place

(Left) Its a three team race in the WCHA for the MacNaughton. Guess which one of these guys is the Badgers?

Box Score

When DU was going through the motions at the Denver Cup, known hereabouts as the New Years Eve Massacre, I wonder if Gwoz was thinking, "This is just the wakeup call we need to win the MacNaughton again."

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With DU's 5-3 win over UAA last night DU is in a three-way tie with Minnesota and Wisconsin. The win extended DU's road winning streak to eight games, the most in school history since the 1959-60 team won nine consecutive contests. That was Murray's second championship team that rolled to a 27-4-3 record. I can't figure out how the 30-1-1 team the following season didn't win 8 straight on the road, but oh well.

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Five different players scored as the No. 13 Denver Pioneers completed their third consecutive road sweep with a 5-3 win over Alaska Anchorage in WCHA at Sullivan Arena. Andrew Thomas (Bow, N.H.), Paul Stastny (St. Louis, Mo.), Adrian Veideman (Sicamous, B.C.), Mike Handza (Glenshaw, Pa.) and Geoff Paukovich (Englewood, Colo.) scored goals for DU. Peter Mannino (Farmington Hills, Mich.) earned the win with 12 saves, while Gabe Gauthier (Buena Park, Calif.), Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska) and J.D. Corbin (Littleton, Colo.) added two assists each.

DU jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period. Thomas ripped home his first goal of the season from the high slot just 1 minute and 22 seconds into the contest and Stastny buried a beautiful feed from Carle from the low slot at 15:21. The Pioneers dominated the period by outshooting Alaska Anchorage 15-3. DU held the Seawolves without a shot for more than the first 11 minutes of the contest.

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UAA cut the DU lead to 2-1 when Ales Parez slid a goal through the five-hole of Mannino. Veideman quickly answered for DU with a great effort on a wrap-around goal on the right post at 7:14. Brent McMann's rebound goal at 17:57 made it 3-2 after two periods. The Pioneers owned an 18-8 shot advantage heading to the final stanza.

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Handza gave DU a two-goal cushion at 4:09, but Alaska Anchorage took advantage of a four-minute power play and scored at 7:59. Recent goal scoring sensation Geoff Paukovich iced the game with a re-direct on a Gauthier shot on the power play at 9:46. UAA went on a power play for the final 1 minute and 39 seconds and pulled goaltender John DeCaro for the final 1:20, but didn't score.

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Denver Lineup

Same as Friday Night except Mannino in Goal (see below)