LetsGoDU

Ruegsegger Hot

(left) DU goalie Glenn Fisher, who improved to 3-1, makes a pad save on a shot by RPI's Jonathan Ornelas in the first period. (Photo: AP/David Zalubowski)

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From: Denver Post

By Mike Chambers

Fittingly, Tyler Ruegsegger saved homecoming for the University of Denver hockey team.

Ruegsegger, a freshman center from Lakewood, had a goal and an assist Saturday night at Magness Arena to lead the 11th-ranked Pioneers to a 5-1 victory and a two-game nonleague split with RPI.

DU senior goalie Glenn Fisher (21 saves) and freshman wing Brock Trotter (three assists) also had big games against the Engineers and rookie coach Seth Appert, the former DU assistant who registered his first career win Friday against his mentor, DU's George Gwozdecky.

Trotter and Ruegsegger assisted on Andrew Thomas' game-winning goal at 19:16 of the second period, giving DU a 2-1 lead. Ruegsegger scored 3:45 into the third on a wrist shot from the left circle, and Adrian Veideman (power play) and Steven Cook (empty net) added goals to turn a tight game into a rout.

Ruegsegger, 18, was celebrating a different kind of Denver homecoming Saturday before a crowd of 6,183, DU's 37th consecutive regular-season sellout. He is the first Colorado native to earn a scholarship at DU straight out of high school. He played four years at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minn., before joining the program he idolized while playing youth hockey in Littleton.

"It was a great experience; I obviously have a lot of family here," said Ruegsegger, whose seven points is second on the team behind Trotter (eight). "For the first weekend I had a wonderful time, and the team only got better."

Appert, whose team (1-1-1) limited DU (3-3) to three goals for five of the first six periods in the series, helped sign Ruegsegger and isn't surprised he's already one of DU's top players.

"Outside of this weekend I'm rooting for (DU) every game the rest of the year, and to see what some of their young kids are doing is impressive," Appert said. "What's so impressive about Tyler is his competitive spirit and the fact he's coming right out of prep-school hockey.

"His stick skill is very good and his skating has improved tremendously, and that's a testament to how hard he works and trains."

Another Appert signee, Fisher (3-1) is turning heads, too, and appears close to beating out junior Peter Mannino (0-2) for the No. 1 job.

"He has the hot hand right now," Gwozdecky said of Fisher, "and if things remain as they are, Glenn would probably get the start Friday night (at Minnesota-Duluth)."