LetsGoDU

DU Still In Mix For NCAA Playoffs

From: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers
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Despite remaining in position to qualify for the NCAA Tournament - the 16-team field they failed to join a year ago - the University of Denver Pioneers already have lost more conference games than last season.
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DU finished 17-8-3 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association last season, tied with Wisconsin for second place. The Pioneers ended 21-15-3 overall after going 3-5 in nonleague games and 1-2 in WCHA playoff games.

Denver, coming off a 2-1 loss and 4-4 tie at Michigan Tech over the weekend, is in third place in the WCHA at 12-9-3, a point ahead of Colorado College but having played two more league games than the Tigers.

The fact DU is only three games above .500 in the WCHA but firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture - tied with Clarkson for sixth in the Pairwise Rankings - is a reflection of the WCHA's balance and DU's 8-2 nonconference record.

For the first time since the 1994-95 season, every WCHA team has at least 10 wins overall. That means losing to any WCHA foe doesn't hurt as much in the Pairwise Rankings (PWR), which mimic the method used by the NCAA selection committee.

The PWR also views DU (20-11-3 overall) positively in nonconference play. The Pioneers have won seven consecutive nonconference games.

"This year, we've won the more challenging games, including most of our nonconference games," DU coach George Gwozdecky said. "The quality wins are the things that stand out, because those are the ones that get you in (the NCAA Tournament)."

The Pioneers are idle this weekend. They return Feb. 23 to begin a two-game WCHA series against North Dakota at Magness Arena. DU then ends the regular season in a home-and-home series against CC.

Father's perspective

DU senior co-captain J.D. Corbin, who has missed the past 30 games with leg and ankle injuries, likely will be ready to return for the North Dakota series. The question is, should the speedy forward from Littleton instead take a medical redshirt and come back next season as a fifth-year senior?

Corbin, 21, said he wants to graduate with his class after shooting for a third NCAA crown together. His father, Mike, said there are other reasons his son should forget about redshirting.

"This DU team this year has a lot of talent and great goaltending," Mike Corbin said. "I think J.D. should return and give his team any advantage that will help them get the title."