(above) DU Alum Kevin Ulanski hopes to lead the Colorado Eagles to a championship this seasonFrom: Denver Post
by Terry Frei
LOVELAND — Left wing Kevin Ulanski, an assistant captain for back-to-back national championship teams at the University of Denver in 2004 and 2005, and defenseman Scott Polaski, who played for rival Colorado College at the same time, have become friends as Colorado Eagles teammates.
If you know anything at all about the Gold Pan rivalry, you know that was no sure thing.
"At first I was a little bit skeptical because it was such a huge rivalry," Polaski said with a laugh Friday night at the Budweiser Events Center. "But now that I've gotten to know him, I know they're good guys too. I love to play with him now."
Ulanski and Polaski have a lot in common.
They're both 26 and in their fourth full professional seasons after playing four years of NCAA hockey. They accept reality: Their chances of reaching the NHL are minuscule, and although both have made appearances at the sport's Triple-A level, the American Hockey League, they now embrace playing for the CHL Eagles as an optimum minor-league existence.
They're also going after a championship together.
Polaski had a goal in the Eagles' 5-4 overtime win against the Texas Brahmas in Game 2 of the Ray Miron President's Cup Finals on Friday. Tied 1-1, the series continues today with Game 3 in North Richland Hills, Texas.
A Colorado Springs native, Polaski stayed home to go to CC, and he spent part of his stay with the Tigers on a line with diminutive stars Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich, both now playing in the AHL.
After leaving DU, Ulanski made several stops in the ECHL and United Hockey League while wedging in 53 AHL games with Albany and Milwaukee. The native of Madison, Wis., signed with the Eagles before this season, and he had 24 goals in 63 games for Colorado in 2008-09 and has added five goals in 12 playoff games during the Eagles' run.
"I love the area," Ulanski said. "I spent four good years in college here, and I was looking to get back. When this opportunity jumped out at me, I had to take it. This is an awesome place to settle down, and I'm glad to be back.
"My daughter and her mother had moved to Denver from Madison, so that gives me a chance to be close to my daughter. I know a lot of people around here, and it's like a second home to Madison for me."
The Eagles have five players in their 30s, unusual in a league that allots four "veteran" spots per team. Ulanski isn't planning to emulate star winger Greg Pankewicz, still going strong at 38, but he hopes to keep playing for a few years before moving into the business world.
"I'd definitely like to finish my career here," Ulanski said. "And then when a job comes around, I'd like to stay in the Denver area. I was a finance-marketing major. It might be hard to get into that right now, but I'd also like to stay involved in hockey somehow. I'm not positive about what I'd like to do yet, but I've got my eyes open."
Considering the average salary is barely $500 a week in the CHL, this isn't a way to get wealthy or bankroll a future business venture. CHL teams pay living expenses, though, and offer other perks and connections. The major lure is virtually universal.
"We're playing because we love the game," Ulanski said. "It's an opportunity to keep playing."
by Terry Frei
LOVELAND — Left wing Kevin Ulanski, an assistant captain for back-to-back national championship teams at the University of Denver in 2004 and 2005, and defenseman Scott Polaski, who played for rival Colorado College at the same time, have become friends as Colorado Eagles teammates.
If you know anything at all about the Gold Pan rivalry, you know that was no sure thing.
"At first I was a little bit skeptical because it was such a huge rivalry," Polaski said with a laugh Friday night at the Budweiser Events Center. "But now that I've gotten to know him, I know they're good guys too. I love to play with him now."
Ulanski and Polaski have a lot in common.
They're both 26 and in their fourth full professional seasons after playing four years of NCAA hockey. They accept reality: Their chances of reaching the NHL are minuscule, and although both have made appearances at the sport's Triple-A level, the American Hockey League, they now embrace playing for the CHL Eagles as an optimum minor-league existence.
They're also going after a championship together.
Polaski had a goal in the Eagles' 5-4 overtime win against the Texas Brahmas in Game 2 of the Ray Miron President's Cup Finals on Friday. Tied 1-1, the series continues today with Game 3 in North Richland Hills, Texas.
A Colorado Springs native, Polaski stayed home to go to CC, and he spent part of his stay with the Tigers on a line with diminutive stars Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich, both now playing in the AHL.
After leaving DU, Ulanski made several stops in the ECHL and United Hockey League while wedging in 53 AHL games with Albany and Milwaukee. The native of Madison, Wis., signed with the Eagles before this season, and he had 24 goals in 63 games for Colorado in 2008-09 and has added five goals in 12 playoff games during the Eagles' run.
"I love the area," Ulanski said. "I spent four good years in college here, and I was looking to get back. When this opportunity jumped out at me, I had to take it. This is an awesome place to settle down, and I'm glad to be back.
"My daughter and her mother had moved to Denver from Madison, so that gives me a chance to be close to my daughter. I know a lot of people around here, and it's like a second home to Madison for me."
The Eagles have five players in their 30s, unusual in a league that allots four "veteran" spots per team. Ulanski isn't planning to emulate star winger Greg Pankewicz, still going strong at 38, but he hopes to keep playing for a few years before moving into the business world.
"I'd definitely like to finish my career here," Ulanski said. "And then when a job comes around, I'd like to stay in the Denver area. I was a finance-marketing major. It might be hard to get into that right now, but I'd also like to stay involved in hockey somehow. I'm not positive about what I'd like to do yet, but I've got my eyes open."
Considering the average salary is barely $500 a week in the CHL, this isn't a way to get wealthy or bankroll a future business venture. CHL teams pay living expenses, though, and offer other perks and connections. The major lure is virtually universal.
"We're playing because we love the game," Ulanski said. "It's an opportunity to keep playing."
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