From: Rocky Mountain News by Pat Rooney
(left) Coach Owens was spotting purchasing a copy of "Hockey Drills for Passing & Receiving" by George Gwozdecky at Barnes & Noble in the Springs on Monday morning
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A resurgence by DU's dormant power-play units certainly will help finally land that coveted No. 3 seed, which allows teams to avoid the play-in game at the WCHA Final Five.
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The Pioneers' split against North Dakota was enough to maintain third place and keep DU ensconced in the NCAA tournament picture heading into its regular-season closing home-and-home series this week against Front Range rival Colorado College.
DU, which has encountered sporadic trouble on the power play throughout the season, went 0- for-11 with a man advantage against North Dakota and has scored only three power-play goals in 31 opportunities during the past five games.
"If I can critique any part of our game, the No. 1 area that we struggle with and has to be more effective is the power play," DU coach George Gwozdecky said.
"When you get down to this time of year, the majority of games will be decided on special teams."
DU cannot finish better than third but could finish as low as fifth. CC has endured a tailspin that includes four consecutive losses and a six-game winless streak and is fighting for home ice in the first round of the WCHA tournament. The Tigers remain desperate to solidify their stature on the NCAA bubble.
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Notes: With the return of senior forward J.D. Corbin from a four-month layoff, Gwozdecky moved sophomore Patrick Mullen from forward to defense against the Fighting Sioux. Given DU's tenuous depth along the blue line, Mullen might remain there the rest of the season.
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