LetsGoDU

NCAA in no rush to play like NHL

From: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers

(left) DU plays Minnesota Duluth this weekend at Magness Arena

From a penalties standpoint, attending a University of Denver hockey game one night and an Avalanche game the next is like watching two different sports.

The NCAA still allows many of the hooks and holds the NHL has barred.

Although the 2005 NHL crackdown on obstruction penalties occurred a year after the NCAA tightened its rules, the NCAA is in no hurry to revise its rules to match the new NHL standard.

"We tightened up the obstruction penalties before the NHL, and certainly the NHL has gone beyond that - and way past us," said Bruce McLeod, commissioner of the Denver-based Western Collegiate Hockey Association. "We haven't done it in a quantum jump like the NHL, and I think we'll probably continue with that. Some people think the NHL has gone too far, and others love the way it is. We'll just have to wait and see."

A hooking minor in the NHL typically is called if a defending player's stick touches a puck-controlling opposing player from the waist up. In the NCAA, hooking typically is called only if a player falls because of being hooked. Holding and interference calls differ in the same manner.

"We're probably going to try to find a little bit of the middle ground at some point," McLeod said. "We'll wait and see how it continues to go in the NHL. If they probably stick with it, I wouldn't doubt that we will head towards their standard."

DU on defense

Two weeks after sophomore T.J. Fast quit the team, DU could be short on trusted defensemen. The Pioneers, who played without injured freshman Cody Brookwell last weekend, went with five defensemen and 13 forwards in Saturday's 2-0 victory over No. 4 St. Cloud State.

Sophomore Julian Marcuzzi was a healthy scratch, and junior Zach Blom played sparingly.

Brookwell, who suffered a knee injury Jan. 20 at Minnesota, might return in this weekend's two- game series against Minnesota- Duluth. If the big blue-liner can't play, Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky won't hesitate to go with five again.

"I thought our defense played very well," Gwozdecky said after DU pinned St. Cloud State with just its second loss in its past 21 games. "The big three - (Chris) Butler, (Adrian) Veideman and (Andrew) Thomas - were very strong. They got a lot of ice time and played very smart."

Freshman Keith Seabrook also plays regularly and captains the No. 2 power play. DU also could put sophomore wing J.P. Testwuide on the blue line, where he played most of last season.

Postseason picture

DU, fifth in the all-important Pairwise Rankings (PWR), remains in terrific shape to play in the NCAA Tournament's West Regional at the Pepsi Center. But Colorado College is on the bad end of the bubble in making the 16-team field. The Tigers, who host Wisconsin for a two-game set this weekend, are 14th in the PWR with the .003 bonus. After automatic bids are given to the six conference tournament champions, only the top 12 or 13 PWR teams will receive at-large berths.