DU Looks To Close Out First Half Of Season

From: Rocky Mountain News
by Pat Rooney

Finish strong.

That is the mantra that has been bantering around the University of Denver locker room this past week.

After stating his preseason goal was to make sure the influx of more than a dozen freshmen on the team went smoothly, coach George Gwozdecky has watched his Pioneers surge to a No. 4 national ranking behind balanced scoring and the stingy goaltending of senior Peter Mannino.

With wins in eight of its past 10 games, including a sweep at St. Cloud State last week, DU is in an admirable position as it approaches the halfway point of the season.

But much of that work will be undone if the Pioneers stumble in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series that begins tonight at last-place Alaska Anchorage.

"It's a really tough place to play," junior defenseman J.P. Testwuide said. "You go in there and you're a little bit more tired than you usually are with the long flight. You definitely have to be prepared. It gets dark at 3 in the afternoon. It's definitely a change. If you're not prepared, it definitely can have an effect on you. It will be a battle, just like every series in the WCHA."

If the Pioneers can take care of business against the Seawolves, who have won only two of their past 20 games against DU, they will carry a mountain of momentum into a well-deserved lull in the schedule.

After Saturday's game, the 18th game in the team's 36-game regular-season schedule, the Pioneers will break for the holidays and enjoy a bye next weekend. They are scheduled to reconvene in Denver on Christmas to begin preparations for the Denver Cup, which begins Dec. 28.

After the tournament, DU will have another bye before beginning the stretch run with a WCHA series at home against Wisconsin.

The Pioneers will play only two games in almost four weeks before hosting the Badgers and beginning a second-half schedule that includes tough road series at North Dakota and Michigan Tech, in addition to a demanding match at Air Force and a season-closing home-and-home series with No. 3 Colorado College.

"We know how challenging (Anchorage) is going to be," Gwozdecky said. "We know the kind of team they are and the kind of team they have built."