(left) The UMD Bulldogs roll into Magness this weekend having lost 5 out of their last 6 gamesFrom: Rocky Mountain News
by Pat Rooney
The University of Denver can use the postseason as a chance to regroup and begin anew. But to reach the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final Five for the first time in three years, the Pioneers will have to reverse a trend against one of the teams that has caused them recent postseason misery.
Since DU won a second consecutive national championship in 2005, it has been knocked out of the WCHA playoffs in consecutive years at home - losing a three-game series to Minnesota Duluth in 2006 and getting swept last year by Wisconsin.
Minnesota Duluth again will visit Magness Arena for a best-of- three first-round series that begins Friday. With DU at the sixth spot in the PairWise rankings, its footing in the NCAA tournament picture is solid. But the Bulldogs, ranked 15th in the PairWise, are on the bubble.
"(Reaching the Final Five) was a goal of ours to start the season. It was one of our top goals, and that hasn't changed," DU coach George Gwozdecky said. "To be able to advance to the Final Five would mean a lot to our confidence to have the ability to move on in the national tournament as well."
Like DU, the Bulldogs have struggled offensively of late, scoring only two goals in a five-game losing streak they broke with a 3- 2 win Saturday at Minnesota. DU split a series at home against Duluth in October.
"I think many of the series are going to be great battles and I think we're going to have to be prepared to go all three games," Gwozdecky said. "In a short series like this, you have to prepare like that mentally."
HIGH PRAISE
While their teams pile up heavy penalty minutes whenever they meet, Gwozdecky and Colorado College coach Scott Owens share a healthy respect for the opposing program. Gwozdecky was complimentary after CC completed a sweep of DU on Saturday.
"There is no question in my mind CC is, by far, the premier team in this league," he said. "When you start looking down the levels and you start separating the seeds, there is very little different after that, and the national polls show that. There will be some great matchups."
Since DU won a second consecutive national championship in 2005, it has been knocked out of the WCHA playoffs in consecutive years at home - losing a three-game series to Minnesota Duluth in 2006 and getting swept last year by Wisconsin.
Minnesota Duluth again will visit Magness Arena for a best-of- three first-round series that begins Friday. With DU at the sixth spot in the PairWise rankings, its footing in the NCAA tournament picture is solid. But the Bulldogs, ranked 15th in the PairWise, are on the bubble.
"(Reaching the Final Five) was a goal of ours to start the season. It was one of our top goals, and that hasn't changed," DU coach George Gwozdecky said. "To be able to advance to the Final Five would mean a lot to our confidence to have the ability to move on in the national tournament as well."
Like DU, the Bulldogs have struggled offensively of late, scoring only two goals in a five-game losing streak they broke with a 3- 2 win Saturday at Minnesota. DU split a series at home against Duluth in October.
"I think many of the series are going to be great battles and I think we're going to have to be prepared to go all three games," Gwozdecky said. "In a short series like this, you have to prepare like that mentally."
HIGH PRAISE
While their teams pile up heavy penalty minutes whenever they meet, Gwozdecky and Colorado College coach Scott Owens share a healthy respect for the opposing program. Gwozdecky was complimentary after CC completed a sweep of DU on Saturday.
"There is no question in my mind CC is, by far, the premier team in this league," he said. "When you start looking down the levels and you start separating the seeds, there is very little different after that, and the national polls show that. There will be some great matchups."
3 comments:
DU should expect a dogfight this weekend. (Pardon the pun). UMD will be battling for its postseason lives. Currently tied for 14th in the PWR, the Bulldogs will be playing to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Pios should win this series. Top to bottom they are a better team. But with both teams struggling to score goals these could be low-scoring tight contests. Hopefully we see some shut down defense from DU and get some timely scoring. I feel as though with a bounce here or there the gates will open and the goals will come.
A Final Five appearance would definitely help ease the sting of this past weekend.
I think DU needs to get back to basics in the post season - trapping, cycling, moving feet, clearing the zone up the boards, blocking shots, forechecking, backchecking generating shots on goal and going to the net. If they do those things, they'll be successful. If they don't, it will be golf season soon.
Seems fitting that the team we get, the team that started this trend of our fall from glory comes back to our house for a WCHA Playoff rematch this weekend.
2 things can happen...
We can either redeem ourselves for our pathetic play last weekend and from losing the series two years ago. Make the WCHA Final Five and have a NCAA spot solidified.
Or we can choke like we have the past two years, become an embarrassment and create the chance of missing the tournament again.
It's up to Pios to choose what they want. If it were me I'd be getting a fire burning in that locker room form the embarrassments over the past playoff series and last weekend. I want to see grit, drive and passion brought back... the type of passion we saw at the beginning of the season.
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