Two Front Page Articles About DU-CC Series

(above) DU's homegrown heroes receive a little facetime in the Denver Post today

The front pages of the Colorado Springs Gazette and Denver Post sports sections had fantastic articles today about college hockey.

The Gazette focused on the matchup tonight between #14 ranked Colorado College and #2 ranked DU.  The Post looked at the Colorado Thunderbirds hockey development program and the inroads that have been made in youth hockey in Colorado in recent years.

Gazette: Gold Pan Match-up

Post: In-state Pipeline to DU

Jr. Pioneers Win Tier II National Championship

 

 (above) Jr. Pioneers win the title

Jr. Pioneer Stats & Standings

Photo Album

The Denver Jr. Pioneers remained undefeated and won the 2012 Tier II Under-12 National Championships in Reston, Virginia on Sunday morning against the previously undefeated Anaheim Wildcats 6-2.

The Denver Jr. Pioneers, based in the Ritchie Center on the campus of the University of Denver, defeated the Boulder Bison 2-1 on Friday to end the Round Robin phase of the tournament as the #1 seed in their group.

On Saturday morning they crushed the Tampa Bay Scorpions 8-4 in the Quarterfinals of the Tournament.  Later Saturday evening they defeated the Ramapo Saints from New Jersey 4-2 to advance to the USA Hockey Tier II Championship game.

The USA Hockey National Championship capped a remarkable season for the Colorado based team.  They finished in second place at the World Pee-Wee Tier II Championships in Quebec City earlier this year.

Denver Jr. Pioneers 6 - St. Lawrence Thunder 1

Jr. Pioneer Stats & Standings

Day two of the 2012 Tier II Under 12 National Championships saw the Denver Jr Pioneers defeat St. Lawrence 6-1 in Reston, Virginia. 

The Denver Jr. Pioneers, based in the Ritchie Center on the campus of the University of Denver, will face the Under-12 Boulder Bison tomorrow in the final game of the round robin stage of the tournament.

Jr. Pioneers In Virgina For USA Championships

(above) An alert LetsGoDU reader snapped this photo

The 2012 Tier II Under 12 National Championships begin today in Reston, Virginia.  The Denver Jr. Pioneers, based in the Ritchie Center on the campus of the University of Denver, are participating.  Earlier this year the team finished second at the Tier II World Championships in Quebec City.

Good luck to the boys this week.

Jr. Pioneers Back In Quebec Intl Hockey Tourney

(above) The boys in Quebec

Updates Via Team's Facebook Page

For the second year in a row, the Jr. Pioneers pee-wee hockey team advanced to the Quebec International Hockey Tournament in Quebec City.  Playing under the name Colorado Jr. Avalanche, after winning the regionals, the team is off to a 2-0-0 start.

On Friday night, fans can watch the third game of the tournament live on the big screen at Crimson & Gold Tavern near DU at 7:15 PM.

The Quebec City International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is the largest ice hockey tournament in the world. Over 2,000 youth players (11-12 y.o. boys & girls) from over 16 countries compete annually. Held every February at the 15,000 seat Colisee Pepsi, it unofficially serves as the pee-wee World Championships.

Players who have competed in this tournament when they were younger include Wayne Gretzkey, Paul Stastny, Patrick Roy and Peter Senja.

Chambers Blog Profiles Colorado Thunderbirds

One of the top youth hockey programs in North America calls Denver home.  The Colorado Thunderbirds based out of Big Bear Ice Arena on East Lowry Blvd., feature a variety of programs for players from 11-18 years of age.

In 2010 the T-birds Under 16 team won a national championship. In the next few seasons, players from that team will be dotting college hockey lineups from Denver to New Hampshire and points in-between.

At least nine former Colorado Thunderbirds played college hockey this past season.  Another 16 T-birds have committed to U.S. universities in future seasons.  The program is overseen by former Pioneer star Angelo Ricci, who has assembled one of the best youth hockey programs in the U.S. in just a few short years.

Mike Chambers Blog breaks down who is heading to which colleges.  He also profiles future DU recruits Daniel Doremus, Josiah Didier, Tyler Pham and Brad Hawkinson.

Jr. Pioneers At Tier II National Championships

(above) The Jr. Pioneers are representing Colorado in San Jose this week

When the University of Denver started four Coloradans against North Dakota in the NCAA Regional Championships in Green Bay last weekend it signaled how far Colorado youth hockey has come in recent years.

This week the Junior Pioneers, who train and develop their hockey skills at DU's Ritchie Center are out in San Jose, California at the Tier II Under 12 National Championships (PeeWee).  They are competing against 34 other state champions at the Sharks Ice facility.

The Jr. Pioneers team is 2-1-0 thus far in the tournament defeating the Central Connecticut Capitals 5-0 on Wednesday and the Chicago Blues in an OT shootout on Thursday.  On Friday they lost 2-1 to Hershey, PA in a shootout in the final game of the Round Robin Stage.

On Saturday they will face the host team the San Jose Jr. Sharks in the Quarterfinal knockout stage of the tournament.

Former Avs Stanley Cup winning player Mike Ricci addressed the players in the Opening Ceremonies of the Tournament.

Junior Pioneers Win Colorado Championship

(above) The Colorado State champs are off to San Jose to play in Nationals

Tournament Stats

Fresh off their successful trip to Quebec, the Denver Jr. Pioneers PWAA team has won the Colorado state title (12 & under), the first in the team's history at Magness and is off to the USA Hockey National Championships in San Jose (Mar 30-Apr 3rd). 

Defenseman Tyler Poon scored the game winner in Overtime last night at Magness Arena against the Arapahoe Warriors. Forwards Brian Hawkinson and Ryan Korinek led all scorers in the state playoffs with 11 points in the teams 5 playoff games.

The team will face the Central Connecticut Capitals, the Chicago Blues and the Hershey Bears in first rounds of round robin play in San Jose.

Jr. Pioneers Return Home From Quebec Tourney

(above) The Jr. Pioneers line-up in the former home of the NHL Quebec Nordiques

Quebec Tournament Website

Junior Pioneers Website

The Quebec City International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is the largest ice hockey tournament in the world. Over 2,000 youth players (11-12 y.o. boys & girls) from over 16 countries compete annually. Held every February at the 15,000 seat Colisee Pepsi, it unofficially serves as the pee-wee World Championships.

The Junior Pioneers team from Denver had a very successful tournament. The team finished with an impressive 8-1 record, making it to the quarterfinals. They played four games in the winners bracket at the Colisée Pepsi.

Also representing Colorado hockey at the Tournament were the Colorado Thunderbirds pee-wee team and the Boulder Bison rebranded as the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche also made it the the quarterfinals. Their record was 7-1-2 [results], losing only to the eventual champion.

The players stayed with local families, played pond hockey, pin traded, visited the Valcartier snow park and experienced all the tournament had to offer. Proudly wearing the Crimson and Gold, they represented Colorado with pride and poise. The boys returned safely to Denver this weekend with a lifetime of memories.

In all likelihood a few players from these teams will suit up for the University of Denver six to eight years from now. For instance one of the players on the Jr. Pioneers is Brian Hawkinson the younger brother of 2013 DU recruit Brad Hawkinson. Ryan Korinek was the team's leading scorer with 2 goals and an assist in four games.

Players who have competed in this tournament in their youth include Wayne Gretzkey, Paul Stastny, Patrick Roy and Peter Senja.

Jr Pioneers Represent Denver In Quebec Tourney

(above) The Denver Junior Pioneers (11-12 y.o. team) after winning an outdoor exhibition match against a youth team from Quebec

The Quebec City International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is the largest ice hockey tournament in the world. 2,300 youth players (11-12 y.o) from over 16 countries compete annually. Held every February at the 15,000 seat Colisée Pepsi, it unofficially serves as the pee-wee World Championships.

This year the Junior Pioneers team from Denver are off to a great start. The Junior Pioneers are 2-0 in tournament play defeating Austria and Lachenaie Chevaliers (Montreal) and will face Campus DPR Noroits (Quebec) on Friday morning.

The team is undefeated in exhibition play defeating Chaudiere (Quebec) in an outdoor game [see photo above] and Wendy's Avalanche from New Jersey. The team plays the San Jose Jr. Sharks and Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany) in exhibition play before returning to regular play in the Collisee on Friday.

In all probability a few players from this team will play for the University of Denver some day.

Players who have competed in this tournament when they were younger include Wayne Gretzkey, Paul Stastny, Patrick Roy and Peter Senja.