From: Rocky Mountain Newsby Pat Rooney
(left) Dave Hakstol's "one finger salute" to referee Don Adams two weeks ago, means that Hak can't be in Englestadt Arena two hours before to two hours after this weekend's contests against the Pioneers
Sophomore defenseman Cody Brookwell processed the question for a moment, almost smirking when he considered what a game might be like for the University of Denver hockey team if it had to compete without coach George Gwozdecky barking orders from the bench.
Brookwell and his teammates know losing their leader would be a huge setback, and it is a shortcoming DU hopes to take advantage of this weekend.
The Pioneers begin a critical Western Collegiate Hockey Association series tonight at North Dakota, with the teams in a dogfight in the league standings and the PairWise rankings.
While DU attempts to continue the momentum it gathered in a slump-busting tie and victory against Minnesota last week, North Dakota will be without coach Dave Hakstol, who will serve a two-game suspension for his actions during a confrontation with an official in the Fighting Sioux's most recent game Feb. 2 against Minnesota. Hakstol can't be in the arena or have contact with players or coaches two hours before or two hours after each game.
"(Coach Gwozdecky) always is a big factor on our team. He always has something good to say to us, something positive," Brookwell said. "It definitely would be a little awkward with him not there. Our assistant coaches would definitely fill that role, but I don't think it could be the same. It could definitely be a factor."
DU rebounded from a stretch of four losses in five games with its performance against Minnesota and also bounced back from the loss of former leading scorer Brock Trotter, who signed with the Montreal Canadiens a day before the first game against the Golden Gophers.
The Pioneers, though, will be facing a North Dakota team that is playing its best hockey. The Fighting Sioux are unbeaten in their past nine games and had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a tie against the Golden Gophers on Feb. 2.
North Dakota is in second place in the WCHA, four points behind league-leading Colorado College and two ahead of the third-place Pioneers. DU holds a slight advantage in the PairWise, ranking fifth to North Dakota's sixth.
"I think the challenge this weekend is having everyone come locked in and ready to go," Brookwell said. "I think that's one of the most important parts of our team - everyone playing their roles. If everyone does that, we should be successful. It was really urgent for us to get back on track last week, and everyone came ready to play. It was good to see us play that way."
Brookwell and his teammates know losing their leader would be a huge setback, and it is a shortcoming DU hopes to take advantage of this weekend.
The Pioneers begin a critical Western Collegiate Hockey Association series tonight at North Dakota, with the teams in a dogfight in the league standings and the PairWise rankings.
While DU attempts to continue the momentum it gathered in a slump-busting tie and victory against Minnesota last week, North Dakota will be without coach Dave Hakstol, who will serve a two-game suspension for his actions during a confrontation with an official in the Fighting Sioux's most recent game Feb. 2 against Minnesota. Hakstol can't be in the arena or have contact with players or coaches two hours before or two hours after each game.
"(Coach Gwozdecky) always is a big factor on our team. He always has something good to say to us, something positive," Brookwell said. "It definitely would be a little awkward with him not there. Our assistant coaches would definitely fill that role, but I don't think it could be the same. It could definitely be a factor."
DU rebounded from a stretch of four losses in five games with its performance against Minnesota and also bounced back from the loss of former leading scorer Brock Trotter, who signed with the Montreal Canadiens a day before the first game against the Golden Gophers.
The Pioneers, though, will be facing a North Dakota team that is playing its best hockey. The Fighting Sioux are unbeaten in their past nine games and had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a tie against the Golden Gophers on Feb. 2.
North Dakota is in second place in the WCHA, four points behind league-leading Colorado College and two ahead of the third-place Pioneers. DU holds a slight advantage in the PairWise, ranking fifth to North Dakota's sixth.
"I think the challenge this weekend is having everyone come locked in and ready to go," Brookwell said. "I think that's one of the most important parts of our team - everyone playing their roles. If everyone does that, we should be successful. It was really urgent for us to get back on track last week, and everyone came ready to play. It was good to see us play that way."
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