(above) Peter Mannino was a Freshman when he backstoped DU in the National Championship game against North Dakotaby Brad Elliott Schlossman
ST. PAUL — The recent rivalry all started three years ago in a game similar to today’s matchup.
It was UND and Denver, playing in a Friday afternoon, Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five semifinal in the Xcel Energy Center.
That’s when Denver’s Geoff Paukovich sent Sioux defenseman Robbie Bina into the boards with a devastating hit that left Bina with a broken neck.
Three years later, Bina is healthy again and performing well for the Sioux. But the rivalry hasn’t died down much.
There have been a few incidents this season that have made sure of that.
T.J. Oshie took a cross-check to the back this season in Denver, causing the star forward to miss parts of that series. He didn’t fully recover from the injury for a month.
Then, when the Pioneers came to Grand Forks in February, there were two incidents in the second period of a 4-1 Sioux win that saw four 10-minute misconducts and two game disqualifications handed out.
Kyle Radke bloodied Denver’s Brandon Vossberg with a few punches to the face and Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky later criticized Radke for punching Vossberg while the Denver forward was on the ice.
The end result of that game was 122 penalty minutes and three suspensions.
“It’s going to be heated after the series (in Grand Forks) with us sweeping them and the events that happened at the end of the second period and throughout the game,” UND forward Brad Miller said. “That was one of the series that I didn’t dress. In those types of games, when you’ve got your teammates sticking up for each other, it sucks sitting out.”
Sioux players said that it is highly unlikely anybody will drop their gloves today, though, because nobody can afford to take the mandatory one-game suspension for fighting in the playoffs. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be intense.
“Emotions will be running high,” UND’s Ryan Duncan said. “It will definitely be a physical, intense battle.”
“Definitely, there will be a lot of hitting out there,” Oshie said.
Denver Adjusts
When the Pioneers came to Ralph Engelstad Arena for the mid-February series, they were reeling.
They just lost their leading scorer, sophomore Brock Trotter, to the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs. And their fourth-leading scorer, sophomore Tyler Ruegsegger, was sidelined with an abdominal injury.
The result of the series — 5-4 and 4-1 wins by UND — added further frustrations for Denver, which completed a 2-6-1 stretch.
“We made some crucial mistakes and some weaknesses were really exposed,” Gwozdecky said of the series in Grand Forks. “We’ve worked on them since.
“We’ve had to adjust our playing philosophy since mid-January and reaffirm the roles of many of our players. That was probably a big reason why we struggled in that period of the season.”
Denver, the third seed in the tournament, beat Minnesota-Duluth by scores of 6-3 and 1-0 in the first round. The Pioneers were the only WCHA team to win a first-round series without having to go to overtime.
It took until Friday night of that series for a Pioneer to finally pass Trotter’s point total. Freshman Tyler Bozak did it with a two-goal night. It came 14 games after the Manitoba native left school.
“They have major speed and skill up front,” Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway said. “They thrive on turnovers and odd-man rushes. They’ll make you pay.”
It was UND and Denver, playing in a Friday afternoon, Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five semifinal in the Xcel Energy Center.
That’s when Denver’s Geoff Paukovich sent Sioux defenseman Robbie Bina into the boards with a devastating hit that left Bina with a broken neck.
Three years later, Bina is healthy again and performing well for the Sioux. But the rivalry hasn’t died down much.
There have been a few incidents this season that have made sure of that.
T.J. Oshie took a cross-check to the back this season in Denver, causing the star forward to miss parts of that series. He didn’t fully recover from the injury for a month.
Then, when the Pioneers came to Grand Forks in February, there were two incidents in the second period of a 4-1 Sioux win that saw four 10-minute misconducts and two game disqualifications handed out.
Kyle Radke bloodied Denver’s Brandon Vossberg with a few punches to the face and Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky later criticized Radke for punching Vossberg while the Denver forward was on the ice.
The end result of that game was 122 penalty minutes and three suspensions.
“It’s going to be heated after the series (in Grand Forks) with us sweeping them and the events that happened at the end of the second period and throughout the game,” UND forward Brad Miller said. “That was one of the series that I didn’t dress. In those types of games, when you’ve got your teammates sticking up for each other, it sucks sitting out.”
Sioux players said that it is highly unlikely anybody will drop their gloves today, though, because nobody can afford to take the mandatory one-game suspension for fighting in the playoffs. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be intense.
“Emotions will be running high,” UND’s Ryan Duncan said. “It will definitely be a physical, intense battle.”
“Definitely, there will be a lot of hitting out there,” Oshie said.
Denver Adjusts
When the Pioneers came to Ralph Engelstad Arena for the mid-February series, they were reeling.
They just lost their leading scorer, sophomore Brock Trotter, to the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs. And their fourth-leading scorer, sophomore Tyler Ruegsegger, was sidelined with an abdominal injury.
The result of the series — 5-4 and 4-1 wins by UND — added further frustrations for Denver, which completed a 2-6-1 stretch.
“We made some crucial mistakes and some weaknesses were really exposed,” Gwozdecky said of the series in Grand Forks. “We’ve worked on them since.
“We’ve had to adjust our playing philosophy since mid-January and reaffirm the roles of many of our players. That was probably a big reason why we struggled in that period of the season.”
Denver, the third seed in the tournament, beat Minnesota-Duluth by scores of 6-3 and 1-0 in the first round. The Pioneers were the only WCHA team to win a first-round series without having to go to overtime.
It took until Friday night of that series for a Pioneer to finally pass Trotter’s point total. Freshman Tyler Bozak did it with a two-goal night. It came 14 games after the Manitoba native left school.
“They have major speed and skill up front,” Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway said. “They thrive on turnovers and odd-man rushes. They’ll make you pay.”
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