Tweets From Around PioNation

 Fox News story on DU Mascot Debacle

DU 3 - Wisconsin 1 FINAL

The University of Denver scored three third period goals to defeat Wisconsin on Saturday night.  DU had been shut out for five consecutive periods by the Badgers before exploding in the Third.

Early in the game, Drew Shore was given a game misconduct penalty and the Pioneers facing a do-or-die game without their leading scorer and Co-Captain for the final 50 minutes.

Nate Dewhurst gave DU a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes to play in the final stanza.  It was a greasy goal with a scrum in front of the Wisconsin goalie.

Justin Schultz answered for the Badgers with a goal two minutes later to knot the score at 1-1.

The Goal Czar was set up with a beautiful pass from Jason Zucker to score the game-winning-goal with six minutes to play.  Zucker's play was all the more remarkable since he had left the ice minutes before, limping noticeably after colliding awkwardly into the boards.  After a visit to the locker room he reappeared and set up the game winner.

Nick Shore scored an empty netter with a minute left.

DU is now tied at #12 in the Pairwise Rankings.  DU will play the deciding game on Sunday night at Magness Arena.

Pairwise Rankings
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Boxscore

Denver Post Game Recap

More Tweets From Around PioNation

Twitter: Tough Week Of Practice On The Agenda

(above) Practice ought to be interesting this week

It's Finally.....GAME DAY

(above) DU Hockey is back

The University of Denver hockey team takes the ice against the U.S. National Development Under-18 Team tonight. Its only an exhibition game, but there are interesting subplots that DU hockey fans can keep an eye on.

1). Goaltending - Will the coaches rotate Adam Murray and Sam Brittain for half a game or will each goaltender play one entire game this weekend? Either way, these two DU players will be under the microscope this weekend.

2). Freshman - Three early NHL Draft picks will take the ice and Nick Shore is sure to be selected by an NHL team next season. Throw in David Makowski, who was the best defenseman in the USHL last season and three other Freshmen and you have a stellar recruiting class. DU's best recruiting class ever? We shall see.

3). Power Play - In recent seasons Coach Gwozdecky has gone with four forwards on the first power play unit. With Freshman Beau Bennett emerging as a power play specialist in the BCHL last season, DU may be temped to try it again.

4). Lineup - In recent seasons, the exhibition game lineup was a fairly accurate representation of how DU started the season. Its always interesting to see how the Freshman players are sprinkled through the lines. Will they play together like Rakhshani, Ruegsegger and Trotter did in 2006 or interspersed with experienced veteran players?

5). Development - As players get older and bigger, they assume more leadership and playing time responsibilities. What DU player has improved the most in the offseason? Candidates include Adam Murray, Paul Phillips, Drew Shore, Nate Dewhurst, Chris Knowlton and William Wrenn. Its no coincidence that all of these players were 18 years old when they enrolled at DU. Generally the younger you enter college, the bigger upside potential you have.

6). Forwards - DU legends Rhett Rakhshani, Tyler Ruegsegger and Joe Colborne have moved on. With vacancies come opportunities. Who will seize the day and see the biggest improvement in points? Drew Shore is going to see more ice time, more power play opportunities and have slicker wingers this season. Senior Anthony Maiani may have shot to become an elite college player this season and burst on the scene nationally.

7). Defense - DU has seven defensmen who could start for virtually any other college program. Matt Donovan may only be a Sophomore, but the New York Islanders are hot on his heels. Look for him to turn pro after the season.

8). Special Teams - We talked about the power play, but juggling the lineup and creating mismatches is an art form. Coach Gwozdecky is one of the best in-game coaches in college hockey. With the TV timeouts and the imbalance in recruiting among various programs, mismatches on the ice win or lose more games than most realize.

9). DU Recruits - Its pretty rare that college hockey fans get to see two future players play for an opponent. Tonight forward Zac Larraza and defenseman Matt Van Voorhis will suit up for the USNDT. It should be a fun opportunity to see how these future Pioneers handle themselves on the ice.

10). Future NHLers - Of all the teams that DU plays this season, in all likelihood, no opponent will feature as many future NHL players as the USNDT. Sure they may be five years away from playing in the NHL, but fans will be given an opportunity to see some of the best young talent in the United States. Enjoy.

News & Notes From Around PioNation

One can't help but notice that while Coach Gwozdecky is trying to renegotiate his current contract with DU, his two proteges signed contract extensions with their respective schools. Enrico Blasi at Miami University and Seth Appert at RPI. And one of Enrico's assistants at Miami just named the head coach at Western Michigan. The family tree is growing.

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More post season honors for DU skiers. Senior Nordic skier Antje Maempel, and sophomore alpine skiers Leif Kristian Haugen and Lindsay Cone were named Collegiate Skiers of the Year by Ski Racing magazine. DU skiers swept three of the four awards. Maempel, who won the NCAA individual titles in both the classical and freestyle races for the second consecutive year, was named Women’s Nordic Collegiate Skier of the Year. Haugen, who won the 2010 NCAA individual title in men’s giant slalom, was named Men's Collegiate Alpine Skier of the Year. Haugen represented Norway at the Vancouver Olympic Games, finishing 28th in giant slalom. Cone won the Women's Collegiate Skier of the Year award after finishing second in both slalom and giant slalom at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American First Team honors in both events.

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Goaltender Marc Cheverie earned his second consecutive Most Valuable Player honor, while senior captain Rhett Rakhshani was named Most Inspirational Player as the University of Denver celebrated its 54th Annual Hockey Awards Evening at the Cable Center. Matt Donovan earned the Barry Sharp Memorial Award as top freshman, while Nate Dewhurst and Chris Nutini shared the Murray Armstrong Award as most improved players. Matt Glasser earned the Dr. Ken Bredesen Award for sportsmanship and shared the Dr. Art Mason Award for top scholar-athlete with Tyler Ruegsegger. Barandon Vossberg earned the Bob Martin Memorial Award for community service for the fourth consecutive season.

DU's Projected Lineup On Opening Night

The exhibition game on Sunday night should clear up some of the offseason questions about DU's lineup. There certainly hasn't been a lot of scuttlebutt coming out of the Captain's practices and with only a couple of practices under the watchful eyes of the full coaching staff, nobody may have all the answers yet.

We'll take a stab at the five biggest questions surrounding DU's upcoming campaign.

DU has four front-line centers that figure to play on the Top three lines. Does incoming Freshman Drew Shore move to wing, to play on Colborne's line?

Who grabs the elusive sixth defenseman spot between Ryder, Nutini and incoming Freshman Paul Phillips? Traditionally Gwozdecky has gone with the scholarship athlete early in the season, in this case Phillips, but Nutini & Ryder are experienced WCHA performers. It will probably be by committee until further notice.

Can Nate Dewhurst supplant Brandon Vossberg in the lineup? Vossberg has proven to be the ultimate warrior for DU and won't go quietly into the night. Dewhurst brings speed and ability, Vossberg brings heart and determination.

How effective and how many starts will incoming Freshman Adam Murray get in goal? A clue might be the playing time on Sunday night. If Chevy & Murray get close to 30 minutes each, Murray might be in line to get 10 starts as a Freshman. If it goes 40-20 to Cheverie, Gwozdecky may be planning on riding the Chevy most of the season.

Who will be the biggest surprise this season? The candidates appear to be Shawn Ostrow, Adam Murray, Nate Dewhurst, Paul Phillips and perhaps Brian Gifford or Matt Glasser having a "breakout season." We'll go with Shawn Ostrow, but we picked Lars Paulgaard last season and he only appeared in a couple of games.

Forwards
Rakhshani (15g, 22a) - Ruegsegger (15g, 11a) - Maiani (11g, 30a)
K. Ostrow (14g, 14a) - Colborne (10g, 21a) - Shore (Fr.)
Salazar (15g, 10a) - Martin (10g, 13a) - S. Ostrow (Fr.)
Gifford (4g, 8a) - Glasser (4g, 3a) - Vossberg (4g, 2a)
[Dewhurst (0g, 1a), Knowlton (Fr.)]
Jackson (3g, 9a) Injured

Defensemen
Wiercioch (12g, 23a) - Lee (0g, 5a)
Donovan (Fr.) - Brookwell (0g, 3a)
Ryder (0g, 6a) - Wrenn (Fr.)
[Nutini (0g, 3a), Phillips (Fr.), Cook (0g, 0a), Brehm (0g, 0a)]

Goaltenders
Chevy (2.34 gaa, .921 sv%)
[Murray (Fr.), Paulgaard (1.61, .917 sv%)]

1st PP
Rakhshani, Colborne, Maiani
Wiercioch, Ruegsegger

2nd PP
K. Ostrow, Shore, Salazar
Donovan, Martin

1st PK
Colborne, K. Ostrow
Wiercioch, Lee

2nd PK
Martin, Vossberg
Donovan, Wrenn

Dewhurst May Replace Rakhshani Tonight

(above) Rhett Rakhshani will be a game time decision against St. Cloud tonight

From Denver Post
by Mike Chambers

The last time the University of Denver played at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn., Pioneers forward Rhett Rakhshani played like an NHL star.

On Dec. 8, 2007, Rakhshani produced a natural hat trick in the final six minutes of the game, lifting DU to a 3-2 victory and two-game series sweep over St. Cloud State.

Today, Rakhshani is back in St. Cloud, but his encore performance is uncertain. [read rest of article]

LetsGoDU Super Recruiting Rankings®

(above) Freshman Luke "The Goal Czar" Salazar is LetsGoDU's Top Recruit in the nation

Photo Credit: Andy Cross

LetsGoDU Top 10 Super Recruiting Rankings ®

Inside College Hockey ranked the top incoming recruiting classes last week, but as usual their flawed methodology was hindered by "eastern bias."

Luke Salazar of the University of Denver is our choice for "Top Recruit in the Nation." Salazar becomes the first walk-on student athlete to be ranked #1 in our poll, scoring two goals and chipping in with an assist against Notre Dame on Saturday night.

Forwards
1 Luke Salazar - DU
2 Joe Colborne - DU
3 Nate Dewhurst - DU
4 Jordan Schroeder - Minnesota
5 Jack Connolly - Minnesota Duluth
6 Derek Stepan - Wisconsin
7 David Toews - North Dakota
8 Brett Hextall - North Dakota
Tied for Last Jason Traitoire - North Dakota
Tied for Last Nick Dineen - CC
Tied for Last David Civitarese - CC
Tied for Last Tim Hall - CC

Defensemen
1 Patrick Wiercioch - DU
2 John Lee - DU
3 Aaron Ness - Minnesota
4 Jake Gardiner - Wisconsin
5 Brady Lamb - Minnesota Duluth
6 Corey Fienhage - North Dakota
7 Ben Blood - North Dakota
8 Eric Springer - Wisconsin
Tied for Last Ted Behrend - CC
Tied for Last Art Bidwill - CC
Tied for Last Gabe Guentzel - CC

2008-09 Denver Hockey Roster

The DU website has the 2008-09 roster online. There are 26 rostered players. The incoming freshmen are listed as follows:

#5 John Lee
#12 Joe Colborne
#18 Luke Salazar
#37 Nate Dewhurst

Last season Jesse Martin wore #12 and this coming season he will don #14. Joe Colborne wore #12 with Camrose last year and will continue to do so at DU. All of the other returning players will wear the same numbers as last season.

Official 2008-09 Roster

Novotny Placed On Protected List By USHL Team

(above) This week Stepan Novotny was placed on the "Protected List" by the Indiana Ice for next season

Last month the University of Denver announced the signing of four recruits to National Letters of Intent; David Carle (Anchorage, Alaska), Joe Colborne (Calgary, Alberta), Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) and Stepan Novotny (Prague, Czech Republic). One other player, John Lee signed his Letter of Intent last season.

Today we learned that Stepan Novotny has been placed on the "Protected List" by the Indiana Ice and presumably would play for the Ice next season. With DU returning 11 forwards next season, one would expect Novotny to see more playing time in the USHL and would increase his stock for the 2009 NHL Draft by remaining in Indiana. At this time nothing has been confirmed one way or the other regarding Novotny's status for next season.

Novotny tallied 11 points on four goals and seven assists for the Indiana Ice of the USHL. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward added one game-winning goal for the Ice, who captured the East division regular-season title with a 39-15-6 record.

Mike Chamber's Blog Update

Some juicy nuggets in Mike Chambers Blog this week.

• DU received signed Letters Of Intent from Joe Colborne, Nate Dewhurst and Stepan Novotny.
• He also has more details of the Elmira Jackals bus crash.
• Finally he has some connections between Tyler Ruegsegger, Marc Cheverie and Sidney Crosby.
  

DU's Current Recruiting Classes

2008
F Nate Dewhurst (Des Moines, USHL) - Signed LOI
F Joe Colborne (Camrose, AJHL) -Signed LOI
D John Lee (Waterloo, USHL) -Signed LOI
F Stepan Novotny (Shattuck-St. Marys, MnHS) - Signed LOI

2009
D William Wrenn (U.S. Under-17)
D Matt Donovan (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
D Paul Phillips (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
G Adam Murray (U.S. under-17)
F Drew Shore (U.S. Under-17)

WCHA Blog Helps Track DU's USHL Recruits

(above) DU 2009 recruit Paul Phillips (#7) defends in a USHL game

Each week WCHA Blog releases a spreadsheet keeping track of every WCHA recruit playing in the USHL and their updated statistics. DU has four recruits playing in the USHL this season.

Matt Donovan (2009 Recruit) - Defenseman
Cedar Rapids (USHL)
12 Games Played
2 Goals, 5 assists (+6)

Nate Dewhurst (2008 Recruit) - Forward
Des Moines (USHL)
10 Games Played
3 goals, 0 assists (-1)

John Lee (2008 Recruit) - Defenseman
Waterloo (USHL)
10 Games Played
1 goal, 1 assist (-2)

Paul Phillips (2009 Recruit) - Defenseman
Cedar Rapids
11 Games Played
1 goal, 1 assist (+4)

DU Receives Commitment From Czech Recruit

According to Chris Hiesenberg's website DU has received a verbal commitment from Stepan Novotny who hails from Prague, Czech Republic. According to Hiesenberg, Notovny will be attending DU as a 2008 recruit.

Novotny is a 6'1 190 lbs. forward who played for H.C. Sparta Pahra in Europe. Currently, he is attending Shattuck St. Mary's boarding school in Faribault, MN. So far this season he has 8 goals and 21 assists in 22 games.

Novotny is described as a "big physical forward who has a scoring touch and great puck handling skills." (The kind of player that might be drafted in the first three rounds in the 2009 NHL Draft).

This past summer Novotny played for the Czech Republic Under-18 team and faced two DU recruits, Nate Dewhurst and Matt Donovan, who were playing for Team USA in the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

Western College Hockey Blog had this to say about Notovny:

Stepan Novotny also seems to be developing quite well. His skating looked much better than it did at this time last year. His combination of size and skill kind of reminds me of Andreas Nodl (SCSU). He just needs to work on getting better at finishing.

Denver head coach George Gwozdecky was on-hand to watch Novotny play last Saturday at the Nike/Bauer National Invitational Tournament in New Hope, Minnesota, and apparently the coach liked what he saw.

Novotny is starting to drew a lot of attention at the Nike/Bauer NIT. He looked way bigger than 6'1". I don't think he'll necessarily be a superstar at the college level, but he should be a pretty good player.

DU's Current Recruiting Classes

2008
F Nate Dewhurst (Des Moines, USHL)
F Joe Colborne (Camrose, AJHL)
D John Lee (Waterloo, USHL) (SIGNED)
F Stepan Novotny (Shattuck-St. Marys, MnHS)

2009
D William Wrenn (U.S. Under-17)
D Matt Donovan (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
D Paul Phillips (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
G Adam Murray (U.S. under-17)
F Drew Shore (U.S. Under-17)

Nate Dewhurst Arriving At DU In 2008

Mike Chambers has written in his Denver Post blog that Nate Dewhurst will be coming to DU in the Fall of 2008, not 2009.

I confirmed that U.S. under-17 defenseman William Wrenn has committed to Denver for the 2009 class, joining three others that will play next season in junior-A or the USNDT before joining the Pios.

I also learned forward Nate Dewhurst, who plays for Des Moines of the USHL, is tabbed to join DU NEXT FALL, not in 2009.

I can’t disclose my sources at this time, but trust me, they’re rock solid.

Here’s how the next two full-scholarship classes are shaping up:

2008
F Nate Dewhurst (Des Moines, USHL)
F Joe Colborne (Camrose, AJHL)
D John Lee (Waterloo, USHL) (SIGNED)

2009
D William Wrenn (U.S. under-17)
D Matt Donovan (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
D Paul Phillips (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
G Adam Murray (U.S. under-17)
Added today: F Drew Shore (U.S. Under-17)

He did not include forward Drew Shore, also from the U.S. Under-17 team, who made a verbal commitment earlier this week for 2009.

Great stuff by Mike in finding this out.

USA Under 18s End Tourney With A Win
DU Recruits Head Back Home

HODONIN, Czech Republic – Two DU recruits that will arrive at DU in 2009 ended the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament having gained valuable international experience. Nate Dewhurst finished the tournament with three goals while Matt Donovan contributed from the blueline. Their U.S. Under-18 Select Team defeated the Czech Republic, 6-5, in the finale of the at Hodonin Arena. With the win, Team USA earned a fifth-place finish in the tournament.

“We were pleased with how the team really gelled together as this tournament went on,” said Roger Grill, head coach of Team USA. “We were disappointed with how we started, but the guys really pulled together and I am excited about the way we finished.”
.
After neither team was able to break the deadlock in overtime, the game had to be decided by a shoot out. Hjelle stopped all three Czech shooters he faced, including a glove save on Stepan Novotny on the Czech Republic’s second attempt. After McRae and Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) were unable to score, it came down to Murray with the final attempt before the shoot out would go to a sudden death format. Murray streaked in on Sedlacek and fired a wrist shot under the outstretched glove hand of the Czech netminder and into the net to give Team USA the 6-5 victory.

DU Recruit's Two Goals Pace USA Victory
Nate Dewhurst Named Player Of The Game

PIESTANY, Slovakia - DU recruit Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) who is slated to arrive at DU in 2009, was named Player Of The Game on Thursday. Dewhurst scored twice to help the U.S. Under-18 Select Team defeat co-hosts Slovakia, 5-3, in its third game of the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament at Zimny Stadium. Dewhurst now has three goals in the tournament.

“I think we played a good, solid and consistent game tonight,” said Roger Grillo (North Kingstown, R.I.), head coach of Team USA. “I was really happy with our effort and the energy and speed of the game. We’ll look to build off of that and carry it over into Saturday’s game.”

Team USA struck first at the 7:19 mark of the first period when defenseman Aaron Ness' wrist shot from the blue line got past Slovakian netminder Marek Ciliak. Dewhurst extended Team USA’s lead to 2-0 when he tapped in a rebound off of a shot from Mike Cichy (UND recruit) at 17:11.

In the second stanza, after Slovakia cut Team USA’s lead in half at 6:27, Mark Goggin followed a rebound and slid the puck past an outstretched Ciliak. Dewhurst notched his second tally of the game at 16:57 to give Team USA a 4-1 advantage heading into the final period.

Slovakia’s Marek Lison one-timed a shot past Team USA goaltender Brady Hjelle at 1:56 of the third frame to cut the deficit to two goals. Tyler Myers (Houston, Texas) extended the U.S. lead when his backhand pass deflected off a Slovakian defenseman and fluttered over Ciliak’s right shoulder at 4:45. Slovakia netted a power-play goal at 17:24 to account for the 5-3 final.

The U.S. Under-18 Select Team will face off against the Czech Republic at 9 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday (Aug. 18) in Hodonin, Czech Republic, in the fifth-place game of the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

USA Under 18's Fall to Finns 5-3
DU Recruits Held Scoreless

From: USA Hockey's Website

PIESTANY, Slovakia – Despite Philip McRae’s two-goal effort, the U.S. Under-18 Select Team fell to Finland, 5-3, here today in its second game of the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka at Zimny Stadium. DU recruits Nate Dewhurst and Matt Donovan failed to score.

The U.S. Under-18 Select Team returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Slovakia at 1 p.m. EDT at Zimny Stadium in Piestany, Slovakia.

USA Under 18's Drop First Game To Russia
DU Recruit Nate Dewhurst Scores PP Goal

From: USA Hockey Website

DU recruit Nate Dewhurst (on right) scored a power play goal today against Russia's Under-18 Team

PIESTANY, Slovakia – The U.S. Under-18 Select Team fell to Russia, 5-3, here today in the opening game of the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka at Zimny Stadium. DU recruit Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) managed to score a power play goal in the third period but it was no match for the Russians who tallied four power-play goals in the win.

Dewhurst's goal made it a 4-2 game when he notched a power-play goal with just 24 seconds remaining on the man advantage at 10:55. With traffic in front of the net, Alistratov dove for the puck, but Dewhurst got to it first and put the puck into the open net.

“We started a little flat, but got better as the game went on,” said Team USA Head Coach Roger Grillo. “While it was disappointing to lose the game, there were a lot of positives that we can take into the next game and the rest of the tournament.”

The U.S. Under-18 Select team returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Finland at 9 a.m. EDT at Zimny Stadium in Piestany, Slovakia.

NOTES: Skip Vallee, the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, spoke to the team in the locker room after watching the game. Vallee, originally from Vermont, played hockey at Williams College (Mass.)...There was no word on how Matt Donovan (DU's other recruit on the team) fared.

USA Under 18's Win Tournament Tune-up
DU Recruit Nate Dewhurst Leads Charge

From: USA Hockey

(left) Nate Dewhurst scored a power play goal in an exhibition game on Sunday

UHERSKY BROD, Czech Republic -- DU Recruit Nate Dewhurst scored a powerplay goal to help lead the U.S. Under-18 Select Team to a 5-4 victory over the Czech Republic on Sunday in a tune-up for the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka. The annual tournament will run from August 14-18 in Piestany, Slovakia and Hodonin, Czech Republic.

“It was a perfect exhibition game,” said Team USA Head Coach Roger Grillo, who is the head men’s ice hockey coach at Brown University. “The guys played hard and got better as the game went on. They adapted well and didn’t let a little adversity get them off track - they stayed focused on their goal, which was to win the game.

The first four goals of the game went back and forth between the two teams, with the Czechs striking first at the 4:38 mark of the opening frame. Team USA’s Philip McRae was next to get on the score sheet at 7:41, followed by another Czech tally at 9:18 and Mattson’s first of the game at 9:34. Courtesy of a Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) power-play goal at 14:04 that broke the back-and-forth scoring pattern, the United States took a 3-2 lead heading into the second period.

In the early part of period two, the Czech Republic was able to gain a 4-3 lead on back-to-back goals at 26:43 and 27:40. However, Team USA bounced back again, as David Warsofsky put one in the back of the net at 16:33 for a 4-4 score.

The lone goal of the final stanza came from Mattson at 16:47 to seal the victory for Team USA.

The United States will open play in the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka on Tuesday (Aug. 14) at 9 a.m. EDT versus Russia at Zimny Stadium in Piestany, Slovakia.