(above) DU Senior Brian Gifford talks about his four years at DU
Showing posts with label Gifford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gifford. Show all posts
DU 2 MTU 1 Final
The University of Denver defeated Michigan Tech 2-1 on Friday Night in a hard fought game to close in on their quest for the Final Five. Even though DU outshot MTU 40-20, Techplayed a close checking, tight game. Josh Robinson, the Tech goalie, was outstanding limiting DU to just 2 goals.
Jesse Martin put DU on the board at the 37 second mark of the 1st period. Assists were given to Anthony Maiani and Kyle Ostrow. On a weird play in which Marc Cheverie was screened, Carl Nielsen backhanded a puck towards the net and it trickled in to tie the game at one at the 15:31 mark.
Brian Gifford got the game winner and put DU up 2-1 at the 15:45 mark of the second with assists to Drew Shore and Chris Knowlton. There was no scoring in the 3rd period. DU is still #1 in Pairwise but it is oh so close with Miami.
Jesse Martin put DU on the board at the 37 second mark of the 1st period. Assists were given to Anthony Maiani and Kyle Ostrow. On a weird play in which Marc Cheverie was screened, Carl Nielsen backhanded a puck towards the net and it trickled in to tie the game at one at the 15:31 mark.
Brian Gifford got the game winner and put DU up 2-1 at the 15:45 mark of the second with assists to Drew Shore and Chris Knowlton. There was no scoring in the 3rd period. DU is still #1 in Pairwise but it is oh so close with Miami.
DU Today Video Profile: Matt Glasser
(above) Matt Glasser talks about his four years at DU
Last Week DU Today Blog profiled DU Seniors Rhett Rakhshani & Tyler Ruegsegger. This week Matt Glasser, Brian Gifford (tomorrow) and Cody Brookwell (Sunday) are featured. Next week Brandon Vossberg will round out the Senior Class.
Victory Moves DU Within One Win Of MacNaughton
(above) John Lee, Brian Gifford & Branddon Vossberg clean out the trash in front of ChevyFrom: Mankato Free Press
by Shane Frederick
What’s the difference between No. 1 in the country and ninth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association?
“I feel like we’re right there,” Minnesota State forward Rylan Galiardi said after Minnesota State’s 3-1 loss to top-ranked Denver on Friday. “It was there for us to take. I gotta hand it to (Denver). The difference between us and them, is they’ve learned how to win.”
The difference before a crowd of 3,723 at the Verizon Wireless Center was also having the nation’s best goaltender and having a group of all-conference-caliber players who could cash in on special teams.
Pioneers goalie Marc Cheverie stopped 28 shots, and Denver’s top line of Rhett Rakhshani, Tyler Ruegsegger and Joe Colborne had a hand in all three goals. Two of the Pioneers’ goals came on the power play, and the other one came during a delayed penalty. Rakhshani, the WCHA’s scoring leader, finished with three assists.
Minnesota State outshot Denver 29-20, and the game was tied 1-1 until Colborne’s redirection at 6:51 of the third period.
“It tells you the margin for success and no success in this league is so thin,” said Denver coach George Gwozdecky, whose team can clinch the WCHA championship with a win tonight.
Zach Harrison scored the Mavericks’ lone goal, tying the game at 11:19 of the second period on a pretty play from Galiardi and Mike Louwerse.
Minnesota State freshman goaltender Phil Cook made 17 saves. There wasn’t much he could do about any of the goals.
Denver opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period when Ruegsegger tried to make a back-door pass through the crease but hit MSU defenseman Channing Boe. The puck took an unfortunate carom and popped into the net behind Cook.
During a delayed penalty in the third period, Colborne broke the tie when he tipped defenseman William Wrenn’s shot between Cook’s pads. Less than four minutes later, Denver defenseman Matt Donovan snuck down low and buried a cross-crease pass from Ruegsegger during a power play for a 3-1 lead.
“I thought we played a good hockey game with the exception of special teams,” Mavericks coach Troy Jutting said. “We got beat on special teams.
“I thought we played a smart game. I thought our effort was good. Defensively, we played very good hockey, and offensively, we created some things for ourselves.”
Cheverie, who leads the WCHA in save percentage and goals-against average, stopped Galiardi on two great scoring chances. In the first period, Galiardi walked the puck across the goalmouth and tried to score at the far post only to be turned away by an alert Cheverie. In the third period, the goalie turned aside Galiardi’s redirection try with his left pad during a power play.
“I thought that Mankato had us on our heels,” Gwozdecky said. “They created some chances down low and we got mixed up in our coverages. (Cheverie) made some great saves. …
“We were a tad more opportunistic than they were.”
The Mavericks finished 0 for 4 with the man advantage.
“It was just them bending and not breaking and us not capitalizing,” Galiardi said.
Early this season, Minnesota State lost 4-3 and tied 4-4 at Denver.
“We’re better now than we were then,” Galiardi said. “Denver’s the No. 1 team in the country. We’re neck and neck with them. It would be easy to just sit and say that they’re better than us. But the tough things is, I can’t say that.”
“I feel like we’re right there,” Minnesota State forward Rylan Galiardi said after Minnesota State’s 3-1 loss to top-ranked Denver on Friday. “It was there for us to take. I gotta hand it to (Denver). The difference between us and them, is they’ve learned how to win.”
The difference before a crowd of 3,723 at the Verizon Wireless Center was also having the nation’s best goaltender and having a group of all-conference-caliber players who could cash in on special teams.
Pioneers goalie Marc Cheverie stopped 28 shots, and Denver’s top line of Rhett Rakhshani, Tyler Ruegsegger and Joe Colborne had a hand in all three goals. Two of the Pioneers’ goals came on the power play, and the other one came during a delayed penalty. Rakhshani, the WCHA’s scoring leader, finished with three assists.
Minnesota State outshot Denver 29-20, and the game was tied 1-1 until Colborne’s redirection at 6:51 of the third period.
“It tells you the margin for success and no success in this league is so thin,” said Denver coach George Gwozdecky, whose team can clinch the WCHA championship with a win tonight.
Zach Harrison scored the Mavericks’ lone goal, tying the game at 11:19 of the second period on a pretty play from Galiardi and Mike Louwerse.
Minnesota State freshman goaltender Phil Cook made 17 saves. There wasn’t much he could do about any of the goals.
Denver opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period when Ruegsegger tried to make a back-door pass through the crease but hit MSU defenseman Channing Boe. The puck took an unfortunate carom and popped into the net behind Cook.
During a delayed penalty in the third period, Colborne broke the tie when he tipped defenseman William Wrenn’s shot between Cook’s pads. Less than four minutes later, Denver defenseman Matt Donovan snuck down low and buried a cross-crease pass from Ruegsegger during a power play for a 3-1 lead.
“I thought we played a good hockey game with the exception of special teams,” Mavericks coach Troy Jutting said. “We got beat on special teams.
“I thought we played a smart game. I thought our effort was good. Defensively, we played very good hockey, and offensively, we created some things for ourselves.”
Cheverie, who leads the WCHA in save percentage and goals-against average, stopped Galiardi on two great scoring chances. In the first period, Galiardi walked the puck across the goalmouth and tried to score at the far post only to be turned away by an alert Cheverie. In the third period, the goalie turned aside Galiardi’s redirection try with his left pad during a power play.
“I thought that Mankato had us on our heels,” Gwozdecky said. “They created some chances down low and we got mixed up in our coverages. (Cheverie) made some great saves. …
“We were a tad more opportunistic than they were.”
The Mavericks finished 0 for 4 with the man advantage.
“It was just them bending and not breaking and us not capitalizing,” Galiardi said.
Early this season, Minnesota State lost 4-3 and tied 4-4 at Denver.
“We’re better now than we were then,” Galiardi said. “Denver’s the No. 1 team in the country. We’re neck and neck with them. It would be easy to just sit and say that they’re better than us. But the tough things is, I can’t say that.”
DU 5 MN 1 Final
(above) Gophers are road kill for the Chevy"I think they're the best team we've played this year."- Minnesota coach Don Lucia
The University of Denver completed a historic sweep of the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5-1 on Saturday night. For the first time in the school's history, DU swept the University of Minnesota in a 4-game season series. With their earlier 4 game sweep of the University of North Dakota, DU went 8-0-0 against two of the biggest powerhouses in college hockey. DU is now all alone in 1st place in the WCHA.
Joe Colborne led the way with a hat trick. He had goals in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods. He put DU on the board at the 18:58 mark of the first period on the power play. His first goal was assisted by Rhett Rakhshani and Patrick Wiercioch.
Anthony Maiani gave DU a 2-0 lead at the 1:07 mark of the 2nd period with assists to Brandon Vossberg and Kyle Ostrow. Joe Colborne got his 2nd goal on the power play at the 12:39 mark of the period again with assists to Rakhshani and Wiercioch to give DU the 3-0 lead.
Joe Colborne completed his hat trick at the 2:16 mark of the 3rd period on an unassisted shorthanded goal to make it DU 4-0. Brian Gifford got his first goal of the season to make it 5-0 DU at the 17:31 mark of the final period. Chris Knowlton and John Ryder had assist on Gifford's goal.
Marc Cheverie's bid for a shutout was thwarted at the 19:21 mark of the period when Tony Lucia tipped a Mike Carman shot for a power play goal with an additional assist to Nick Leddy. This was DU's 20th win of the season and they are 20-6-4.
Marc Cheverie's bid for a shutout was thwarted at the 19:21 mark of the period when Tony Lucia tipped a Mike Carman shot for a power play goal with an additional assist to Nick Leddy. This was DU's 20th win of the season and they are 20-6-4.
First Star: Joe Colborne (Denver)
Second Star: Marc Cheverie (Denver)
Third Star: Patrick Wiercioch (Denver)
News & Notes From Around Pioneer Nation
The University of Wisconsin received a verbal commitment from 16-year-old winger Nick Kerdiles, from Irvine, California. Kerdiles, one of the top 1994-born prospects in North America, will enroll at Wisconsin in 2012, after two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Kerdiles took unofficial campus visits to DU and Michigan. Michigan offered him a scholarship, DU had not offered him one at the time of his commitment.
According to DU's Game Notes, Jesse Martin (shoulder) and William Wrenn (hip) are doubtful this weekend with injuries. Martin has missed the last three games, while Wrenn has missed the last four. Brian Gifford (upper body) is questionable after he missed last weekend's nonconference sweep. We're guessing that Gifford will play this weekend, Martin should return in another week or two and Wrenn could be on the shelf for a while.
According to DU's Game Notes, Jesse Martin (shoulder) and William Wrenn (hip) are doubtful this weekend with injuries. Martin has missed the last three games, while Wrenn has missed the last four. Brian Gifford (upper body) is questionable after he missed last weekend's nonconference sweep. We're guessing that Gifford will play this weekend, Martin should return in another week or two and Wrenn could be on the shelf for a while.
DU's games can be viewed nationwide this weekend if you have the "FCS Sportspack "from your cable or dish provider. FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN North and FCS Atlantic are televising the games at 7:30 PM MT on Friday, 7:00 PM MT on Saturday. Saturday night's game on FCS Atlantic is being joined in progress one hour after the game starts. Friday night game will be seen fully live.
"From Boonetown to Motown" Champion sweatshirts can be purchased pre-game at Jordan's Bistro on Friday & Saturday night from 5-7 PM. They're selling briskly, so check out the article below about reserving a particular size.
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
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
DU Roster Littered With NHL Draftees
DU's 2009-10 Roster will feature a program record 13 players that have been drafted by NHL teams. DU players have been drafted in every round of the NHL Draft.
The University of North Dakota will have 15 players on its Roster next season who have been drafted, but none in the 1st Round.
The University of North Dakota will have 15 players on its Roster next season who have been drafted, but none in the 1st Round.
1st Round - Colborne (BOS)
2nd Round - Wrenn (SJS), Shore (FLA), Wiercioch (OTT)
3rd Round - Gifford (PIT)
4th Round - Donovan (NYI), Rakhshani (NYI)
5th Round - Lee (FLA)
6th Round - Ruegsegger (TOR)
7th Round - Glasser (EDM), Martin (ATL), Cheverie (FLA), Phillips (CHI)
Denver Traps Badgers In WCHA Semi-Finals
(above) DU celebrates the win over WisconsinST. PAUL, MN. - The University of Denver hockey team was missing two of their best players, Tyler Ruegsegger & Tyler Bozak, but DU rolled to one of their most convincing victories of the season. The afternoon game at the Xcel Center's WCHA semi-finals featured DU's stifling defense and transition game featuring timely goals by Brian Gifford, Kyle Ostrow & Patrick Wiercioch.
The 3-0 victory came despite DU playing a defensive first strategy and giving up a significant shot advantage to the Badgers. Courageous shot blocking, keeping Wisconsin away from the goal crease and Marc Cheverie's timely goaltending was the difference.
DU now improves to 7-0-0 all-time in Xcel Center Final 5's. The Pioneers will face the winner of tonight's North Dakota vs. Minnesota Duluth game. Saturday night's WCHA Championship game will be televised by FSN-Rocky Mountain at 6 PM MDT.
At least a few of DU's Bracketologists will be keeping track of the AHA playoff game between Rochester Institute of Technology-Mercyhurst game. A Mercyhurst victory will assure DU of a #1 seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
The 3-0 victory came despite DU playing a defensive first strategy and giving up a significant shot advantage to the Badgers. Courageous shot blocking, keeping Wisconsin away from the goal crease and Marc Cheverie's timely goaltending was the difference.
DU now improves to 7-0-0 all-time in Xcel Center Final 5's. The Pioneers will face the winner of tonight's North Dakota vs. Minnesota Duluth game. Saturday night's WCHA Championship game will be televised by FSN-Rocky Mountain at 6 PM MDT.
At least a few of DU's Bracketologists will be keeping track of the AHA playoff game between Rochester Institute of Technology-Mercyhurst game. A Mercyhurst victory will assure DU of a #1 seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Box Score
Pairwise Rankings
Denver Post game recap
USCHO.com game recap
Milwaukee Sentinal-Journal game recap
DU 4 - WI 3 OT - Do You Believe In Miracles?
(above) When Brian Gifford found himself all alone after a beautiful pass from Tyler Ruegsegger in overtime.....
(above) He skated towards Connolly & slotted a backhander past his right shoulder
(above) There was joy in Denver as he buried the puck"Obviously, we were pleased with the win, but darn it, we're capable of playing so much better. Wisconsin is a heck of a team and played a heck of a game."
-George Gwozdecky
Joe Colborne scored another dramatic goal in the waning seconds to tie the game at three with just 14 seconds remaining in regulation. Then to top it off Brian Gifford scored the game winner in the first minute of overtime. It was the biggest win of the season for a Pioneer team that never does things the easy way.
In a game DU had no business tying, much less winning, the Denver Pioneers committed highway robbery in the Kohl Center on Friday night. Denver was badly outshot, outplayed and outhustled for much of the game, but timely goals, heroic effort and blind luck trumped all.
In a game DU had no business tying, much less winning, the Denver Pioneers committed highway robbery in the Kohl Center on Friday night. Denver was badly outshot, outplayed and outhustled for much of the game, but timely goals, heroic effort and blind luck trumped all.
Box Score
WCHA Standings
Pairwise Rankings
Rocky Mountain News game recap
USCHO game recap
Chicago Tribune game recap
Wisconsin State Journal game recap
Photo Gallery
Brian Gifford Symbolizes Teamwork First Ethic
Click picture to enlargeMoorhead, Minnesota's Brian Gifford has become a steady defensive shutdown forward in DU's arsenal of attack. Moorhead is fast becoming a recruiting hotbed for the University of Denver. Grab the picture above or right click on it and "set as desktop background" and have the most aggressive computer in the office.
DU Rolls To Series Sweep Over Michigan Tech
(above) J.P. Testwuide defends on Saturday night against Tech“You have to give Denver credit,” said MTU coach Jamie Russell. “That is one talented hockey team.”The University of Denver rolled to a 6-1 victory on Saturday night in Houghton, Michigan. Every line scored for DU tonight for the first time this season. The numbers are just mind blowing. DU outscored Michigan Tech 12-1 on the weekend.
Joe Colborne had a shorthanded goal and two assists for his first three point night in college hockey. Colborne has 10 points during DU's five-game winning streak.
DU has outscored their last five opponents 26-3 in this era of defensive hockey. The five-game winning streak is taking on epic proportions.
Box Score
WCHA Standings
DenverPioneers.com game recap
USCHO.com game recap
Rocky Mountain News game recap
This Week In Mike Chamber's Blog
DU Freshman Tyler Bozak is 22 years old, so its no surprise that he might leave at the end of the season if the NHL comes knocking.
Does Hollywood script this stuff? Anthony Maiani's parents and sister were involved in a car accident on their way to St. Paul to see the Final Five. Maiani finds out about the accident just before the game...(rest of the story)
More Testwuide brother rivalry info.
Brian Gifford is out this week again with the ankle injury.
This Week In Mike Chamber's Blog
Our favorite college hockey scribe has been quite busy in his blog.He has an article on Air Force and the possibility that Eric Ehn could return for the playoffs. Needless to say Scotty Owens is lobbying for Air Force to remain in the Springs for the NCAA's. Nice try Scotty.
Three Colorado teams will make the NCAA Tournament this season. I think Chambers wants Governor Ritter to change the state slogan to the "State of Hockey."
Chambers has the lowdown on Brian Gifford's injury and his (fingers crossed) return in time for the NCAA's.
Finally, former Pioneer Nick Larson is opening a Total Hockey Academy in Westminster. Check it out.
Recaps Of The Friday Night Victory
Photo Credit: Jack Dempsey / Associated Press
The Denver Post covered the victory and mentioned Brian Gifford's ankle injury that caused him to miss last nights game.
The Rocky Mountain News talked about DU's offensive explosion. DU forward Dustin Jackson explained, "Especially for the young guys, it was nice to get out there and get a lead. The past few weeks, we've been having chances, we just didn't bury them. The difference (Friday) was that we beared down and scored. It's good to see, especially in the playoffs."
USCHO.com had a nice article and the following quote from Scott Sandelin, “I wish I could explain our start. They were more ready, and it certainly showed. It’s tough to play catch-up hockey.”
The Rocky Mountain News talked about DU's offensive explosion. DU forward Dustin Jackson explained, "Especially for the young guys, it was nice to get out there and get a lead. The past few weeks, we've been having chances, we just didn't bury them. The difference (Friday) was that we beared down and scored. It's good to see, especially in the playoffs."
USCHO.com had a nice article and the following quote from Scott Sandelin, “I wish I could explain our start. They were more ready, and it certainly showed. It’s tough to play catch-up hockey.”
How Sweep It Is - DU Takes 4 Points From UAA
From Candace Horgan at USCHO
DENVER (Feb. 23) — One week after an emotionally devastating sweep at the hands of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, the No. 8 Denver Pioneers came out with a strong team effort and swept the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, clinching home ice for the WCHA playoffs with a 3-1 win in front of 6,031 fans at Magness Arena.
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“One of the things we try to do every year is get home ice for the playoffs,” said Pioneers’ coach George Gwozdecky. “We still have a ways to go though. I think it was a good step forward for us, to get two almost must wins, and I’m really pleased and proud with how our team responded.”
The Seawolves came out strong, looking to establish momentum early and get the Pioneers in a more defensive position. The Seawolves got the first power play of the game, though they couldn’t convert, and held the Pioneers without a shot for the first five minutes.
The Pioneers didn’t get any shots until they went on a power play, and, like Friday night, the special teams quickly capitalized. The Pioneers cycled the puck well and got off several good shots. Patrick Mullen made a great play to keep the puck in the zone, outracing a Seawolves’ player to a puck near the blue line, and moments later Mullen fired a shot on net that handcuffed Seawolves’ goalie Jon Olthuis. Olthuis gave up a rebound and couldn’t get back to his feet before Rhett Rakhshani crashed the net, picked up the rebound and fired it in at the 6:00 minute mark of the period.
“I think that was pretty big,” said Rakhshani. “It’s always pretty big to get the first goal of the game just for momentum. They were coming pretty hard and the momentum kind of shifted after that.”
Buoyed by the goal, Denver started to carry the play more, but were unable to build on their lead. When the Seawolves did generate an offensive chance, they seemed determined to crash Mannino as often as possible, knocking him after the whistle and drawing the ire of the Pioneers’ defensemen.
Defenseman J.P. Testwuide put the Pioneers up 2-0 at 7:58 of the second. With the Pioneers forechecking strongly, Dustin Jackson carried the puck through the high slot and passed it to Testwuide at the right point, who one-timed a slap shot high glove side past a screened Olthuis. The puck appeared to hit the Seawolves’ Mat Robinson on the way in.
The Seawolves finally got on the board at 11:39 when Tommy Grant picked up a rebound of a Jared Tuton shot low in the right circle, took a step towards the net, and slid it past Mannino’s right pad into the far corner.
“You measure out the quality scoring chances, they’re even,” said Seawolves’ coach Dave Shyiak. “I thought we had chances, but it’s been our story all year long, not converting or capitalizing. I thought there were plays to be made.”
A late goal by Matt Glasser gave the Pioneers the two-goal lead going into the third. Glasser took a pass from Brian Gifford near the red line and put on a burst of speed to get by a diving Shane Lovdahl at the blue line, looked off for a pass through the slot to Chris Butler, then fired a shot five-hole past Olthuis at 18:12.
“It was a great play by Brian there to get the puck to me,” said Glasser. “I think I lost it at the blue line to tell you the truth. I thought they were going to catch up to me, and then going in, me and Butler, I was thinking pass the whole time until the last second, and just decided to shoot it.”
“That goal tonight was huge,” said Gwozdecky of Glasser’s play. “He looked off the goaltender and defenseman real well. Chris Butler jumped up in the play and activated it and forced that defenseman to back off. Matt made a great shot. At that point, prior to the goal, they definitely had some momentum going in their favor, and to get us that two-goal cushion was huge.”
Olthuis managed to keep the Seawolves within two moments later when he stopped Anthony Maiani on a breakaway.
Both teams had some good chances in the third period, but the goaltenders played strong. Olthuis robbed Brandon Vossberg from point-blank range on back-to-back shots, while Mannino stood tall in the final few minutes and controlled his rebounds, preventing the Seawolves from getting closer.
“I think we can really just be more concerned with our play and improving certain areas that all teams need to do at this time of year, and getting the proper rest,” said Gwozdecky.
UND 4 DU 1 Final Saturday Night
(above) Denver's Cody Brookwell takes down North Dakota's Matt Watkins during the second period Saturday nightPhoto Credit: John Stennes, The Grand Forks Herald
From: Denver Post
by Virg Foss
Possum Hollow, N.D. — University of Denver hockey coach George Gwozdecky will be looking for answers after North Dakota put an exclamation point on the Pioneers' struggles of late.
The Fighting Sioux moved into a first-place tie with idle Colorado College in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association on Saturday night with a 4-1 win over DU.
It completed a weekend sweep for North Dakota (19-8-2, 16-7-1 WCHA) and ran its unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1), the nation's longest.
Denver mustered just 17 shots on goal Saturday after managing only 18 on Friday, when the Pioneers blew a 4-1 lead in the second period and lost 5-4.
Sophomore center Brian Gifford scored Denver's only goal Saturday, at 13:14 of the second period, after the Sioux had built a 3-0 lead.
The Pioneers were held to nine shots on net in the first two periods.
"Our top two lines really struggled to generate chances," Gwozdecky said. "Part of it was that I thought North Dakota did a great job of forechecking us and really taking us out of a lot of transition. Our defensemen as a group really struggled against North Dakota's pressure."
It was the second time in three weeks the Pioneers have been swept on the road.
The Pioneers have been without Tyler Ruegsegger (abdominal injury) the past four games and lost leading scorer Brock Trotter (who signed with the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 7) for the season.
Between the two, they accounted for 23 of Denver's 80 goals (29 percent). Minus both players, the Pioneers have been held to 10 goals the past four games.
"Any time you take two of your top players out of your lineup, it's going to affect you," Gwoz-decky said. "If you take (Ryan) Duncan and (T.J.) Oshie out of their lineup, it's probably going to affect them. They were pretty good this weekend."
They are North Dakota's top two scorers.
Duncan had a goal and three assists in Friday's win for the Sioux, and Oshie had a goal.
The Pioneers remain sixth in the PairWise rankings, which mimic the process the NCAA uses to select its 16-team tournament field. North Dakota moved into a tie for second in those rankings with New Hampshire.
The Fighting Sioux moved into a first-place tie with idle Colorado College in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association on Saturday night with a 4-1 win over DU.
It completed a weekend sweep for North Dakota (19-8-2, 16-7-1 WCHA) and ran its unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1), the nation's longest.
Denver mustered just 17 shots on goal Saturday after managing only 18 on Friday, when the Pioneers blew a 4-1 lead in the second period and lost 5-4.
Sophomore center Brian Gifford scored Denver's only goal Saturday, at 13:14 of the second period, after the Sioux had built a 3-0 lead.
The Pioneers were held to nine shots on net in the first two periods.
"Our top two lines really struggled to generate chances," Gwozdecky said. "Part of it was that I thought North Dakota did a great job of forechecking us and really taking us out of a lot of transition. Our defensemen as a group really struggled against North Dakota's pressure."
It was the second time in three weeks the Pioneers have been swept on the road.
The Pioneers have been without Tyler Ruegsegger (abdominal injury) the past four games and lost leading scorer Brock Trotter (who signed with the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 7) for the season.
Between the two, they accounted for 23 of Denver's 80 goals (29 percent). Minus both players, the Pioneers have been held to 10 goals the past four games.
"Any time you take two of your top players out of your lineup, it's going to affect you," Gwoz-decky said. "If you take (Ryan) Duncan and (T.J.) Oshie out of their lineup, it's probably going to affect them. They were pretty good this weekend."
They are North Dakota's top two scorers.
Duncan had a goal and three assists in Friday's win for the Sioux, and Oshie had a goal.
The Pioneers remain sixth in the PairWise rankings, which mimic the process the NCAA uses to select its 16-team tournament field. North Dakota moved into a tie for second in those rankings with New Hampshire.
Saturday - Denver 4 Minnesota 1
(above) Minnesota's Ben Gordon (13) and several DU players, including Jesse Martin (12), scramble for the puck in front of Pioneers goalie Peter Mannino on SaturdayPhoto Credit: John Prieto, The Denver Post
From: DU Website
DENVER – Tyler Bozak and Rhett Rakhshani recorded a goal and an assist apiece and senior netminder Peter Mannino made 30 saves as DU topped the University of Minnesota by a 4-1 count tonight in front of 6,097 fans at Magness Arena.
Mannino, who moved his record to 18-8-1 on the season, allowed only one goal in each regular-season meeting with Minnesota this year as the Pioneers improved to 3-0-1 against the Gophers.
“Peter had a huge weekend when we needed it from him. Like the true competitor he is, he responded,” Denver head coach George Gwozdecky said. “We also had great play tonight from Bozak’s line. We needed both him and Rakhshani to shine, and they did.”
Matt Glasser gave the Pioneers a boost heading into the first intermission when he beat Minnesota netminder Alex Kangas (24 saves) with 17.1 seconds remaining in the opening period. After Dustin Jackson (Omaha, Neb.) won a battle along the boards, Glasser scooped up the puck and fired a low shot from the right circle that slipped through Kangas’ legs.
The Pioneers added a pair of goals in the second period to stretch their lead to 3-0.
Bozak made it a two-goal game at 10:26 when he blasted a feed from Rakhshani past Kangas’ stick side, while Rakhshani notched a goal of his own at 12:34 when he redirected a Chris Butler shot from the point.
Minnesota’s David Fischer ended Mannino’s shutout bid with 3:56 remaining in the game on a low shot from the top of the right faceoff circle, but Brian Gifford (Moorhead, Minn.) added an empty-net goal at 18:24 to seal the game.
Minnesota outshot DU by a 31-28 margin. The Pioneers finished 1-for-3 on the power play while holding the Gophers scoreless in five opportunities with a man-advantage.
Notes: The Pioneers are fifth in the latest PairWise Rankings...Bozak has recorded a goal in each of the last three games and has four tallies in DU’s last five contests overall...Rakhshani has six points (3g/3a) in his last five games...DU remained unbeaten at 17-0-1 when limiting opponents to two goals or less...The Pioneers are 32-for-34 (94.1%) on the penalty kill in their last seven games.
DU takes 7 of 8 points from the Gophers this season for the first time since the 1958-59 season.
And to complete the weekend CC loses to SCSU 4-2 on Saturday night.
DU Sinks CC 3-2
From DU Website
DENVER – Sophomore Tyler Ruegsegger (Lakewood, Colo.) tallied a goal and an assist to lead No. 3 Denver to a 3-2 win over No. 4 Colorado College in WCHA action tonight before 6,083 fans Magness Arena. DU improves to 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the WCHA, and earns the series split with Colorado College (8-4, 8-2).
Tom May (Eagan, Minn.) netted the game-winning goal and Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach, Calif.) also scored for the Pioneers, who ended a six-game (0-4-2) winless streak against Colorado College. Senior netminder Peter Mannino (Farmington Hills, Mich.) got the win with 20 saves as the Pioneers remain second in the WCHA with 12 points. CC’s six-game winning streak ends with the loss.
“I am really proud of our team’s response tonight,” DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. “We played with a lot of heart and effort tonight to get the win.”
CC struck first at 1:11 of the first period with a power-play goal from Jimmy Kilpatrick. DU outshot CC 9-8 in the period, but Richard Bachman (24 saves) stopped all nine Pioneer shots.
The second period belonged to Ruegsegger and Mannino. Ruegsegger evened the score on a delayed penalty (6-on-5 DU advantage) with a rebound blast past Bachman at 18:09 and assisted on Rakhshani's go-ahead goal 45 seconds later. Patrick Mullen (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Brian Gifford (Moorhead, Minn.) earned assists on Ruegsegger's goal. Mannino was stellar in net by stopping all nine Tiger shots. DU owned an 11-9 shot advantage in the middle stanza.
May iced the game for DU with a big wrist shot past Bachman at 12:07 of the third period. Brandon Vossberg (St. Paul, Minn.) earned the lone assist on the eventual game-winning goal. CC’s Eric Walsky made it 3-2 with 44 seconds left in the game.
DU outshot CC, 27-20, and went 0-for-2 on the power play. CC went 1-for-6 with the man advantage.
The Pioneers host North Dakota in a two-game WCHA series on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Puck drop is set for 7:37 p.m. on Friday night.
Notes: The Pioneers improve to 7-3 against ranked opponents with the win. DU has allowed two goals or less in its nine wins. The Pioneers extended their regular-season sellout streak to 64 games. Tyler Ruegsegger leads DU with five multi-point games. Peter Mannino improves to 7-2-2 in 11 career games against CC. Former DU All-American and current Colorado Avalanche star Paul Stastny attended tonight’s game
DU Takes Colorado College To The Woodshed
From: USCHO.comby Candice Horgan
In a game much more like what you would expect from the No. 3 and 4 teams in the nation, the Denver Pioneers edged the Colorado College Tigers 3-2 in hard-fought defensive battle before 6,083 fans at Magness Arena. The win was the first by the Pioneers against the Tigers in their last seven tries, and evened the Gold Pan Series 1-1.
“One of the things I tried to do in our meeting today was to express to everybody how great this rivalry is, the history of it, and how important it is to us, and relive some of the great games that these two teams have had against each other over the years, and also let them know that what happened last night wasn’t acceptable,” said Pioneers’ coach George Gwozdecky. “The only statistic that mattered going into tonight’s game was the one that was 0-4-2 (the Pioneers’ record against the Tigers in their previous six games). We needed to do something to see if we could change that around, and we did enough.”
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get on the board. On the first shift, Rhett Rakhshani was whistled for interference at .38 seconds and the Tigers quickly set up in the Pioneers’ zone. Moments after Brian Connelly rang a slap shot off the left post, Jimmy Kilpatrick took a pass from Chad Rau, took a few strides to the mid-point of the left circle and rifled a slap shot inside the left post past Mannino at 1:11 of the period.
“Anytime you go on the road, you want to take the crowd out of it, and going up 1-0 is the best thing to do,” said Tigers’ coach Scott Owens. “We had a power play goal, and I thought it set the tone for us. I thought we had a good first period.”
“Obviously we wanted to get a good start and kill that,” said Pioneers’ forward Tyler Ruegsegger, who had a goal and an assist. “We looked at the PK, we knew exactly what we did wrong, and we fixed it. It just shows when you make one mistake, they can make you pay for it.”
The Pioneers spent much of the first period playing a very physical style, much unlike how they usually play. At times, they seemed more concerned with getting a hit than going after the puck. The Tigers took advantage of this, generating several good chances, including a nice tip-in try by Rau from the slot that Mannino just got the pads on.
Scott Thauwald got off a shorthanded chance from the slot with four Pioneers surrounding him, but Mannino made the save, and Bill Sweatt had an excellent chance from down low that Mannino just managed to get an arm on and knock away.
“They were putting really good pressure on us and they started getting the puck going right away,” said Pioneers’ forward Tom May. “
In the defensive zone, the Tigers did a good job of bottling up the Pioneers’ forwards, preventing them from pouncing on any rebounds. When the Pioneers did get the puck, Richard Bachman proved unflappable, as when Brian Gifford and Rakhshani both got off tries on rebounds back to back that he steered aside.
“I thought Peter was terrific in that first period and really kept us in it,” said Gwozdecky. “Sometimes you’re really looking forward to getting to the intermission and sometimes you’re not, depending on how things are going, and tonight was one of those nights.”
The start of the second period featured a ‘Twilight Zone’ type moment, as the timekeeper had technical difficulties and kept time via stopwatch, announcing time the time of the period every 30 seconds.
The Tigers carried the play for the first part of the period, and Mannino stood strong to keep the Pioneers in the game. Andreas Vlassopoulos had an excellent back door chance when Sweatt fed him a perfect cross-ice pass, but the tip in try slid through the crease.
Mannino robbed Scott McCulloch from point blank range, as McCulloch got the puck in the left circle with an open shooting lane, but Mannino got his glove up, and Sweatt had another excellent chance late in the period, but Mannino got his right shoulder up.
“The problem tonight is we just didn’t take advantage of the second period when we had two power plays and several grade A scoring chances,” said Owens. “Mannino played outstanding tonight; he played like a veteran.”
The period turned in less than a minute. With Mannino off for an extra skater on a delayed call, Gifford, at the right point, found Patrick Mullen at the bottom of the left circle twice. Mullen’s first shot was blocked by Bachman, and the puck came back to Gifford. Gifford fed Mullen again, and Mullen again one-timed it, but Bachman couldn’t control the rebound and it came to Ruegsegger in the slot, who roofed a shot glove side at the 18:09 mark.
“You know what? Everyone on the ice deserved that goal, and I happened to by in the right place at the right time and no joke about that,” commented Ruegsegger. “Rhett in the corners, Gifford forechecking, Mullen at the point, and I was just in the slot the whole time, the puck came right to me and I went upstairs with it.”
Just 47 seconds later, Gifford came in on a forecheck and pressured Jake Gannon in the right corner. Gannon tried to backhand the puck up the right side boards, but Ruegsegger intercepted it and spied Rakhshani streaking towards the net. Ruegsegger fed the puck through the slot, and Rakhshani tipped it in low stick side to give the Pioneers the lead going into the third.
“It’s just amazing to me to see how psychologically this game works,” said Gwozdecky. “The Tigers score early, and for the rest of the period, and probably early in the second, we just seem to be a little bit slow and CC just seems to be a lot more in control. We get that first goal, and all of a sudden there’s just that huge enthusiastic swing for us, where our guys are now a lot more excited and we’re back in the game, and from that point on, the whole thing changes, and now we’re the ones making the plays and being more aggressive.”
The Pioneers, buoyed by the late goals, started to carry the play more in the third period. Gifford had a great sliding tip-in try of a Ruegsegger shot that went just high and wide, while Jesse Martin had a great tip-in try of an Anthony Maiani pass as he skated into the slot, but Bachman got the five hole closed in time.
“Defensively, we just needed to stay on our man and be aware of them cycling the puck and stay on our guys,” said May. “We were just trying to turn the puck up ice faster.
The Tigers didn’t give up however, and continued to get their chances. Derek Patrosso had a golden chance from the slot, but he fired it just wide right.
May gave the Pioneers some breathing room, taking a pass from Brandon Vossberg and skating down the right side boards, then firing a perfect wrist shot top corner from the right side hashmarks at 12:07.
“I think we had a two-on-one with Matt Glasser,” said May. “We had the same play last night and ended up letting the shot go and nothing really happened, so I was just trying to get the shot on net and see what happened.”
The Tigers got a late goal from Eric Walsky on a fantastic single-handed effort to keep things interesting. Walsky picked up the puck just inside the blue line along he left side boards, took a few strides towards the circle, then cut back to the middle and slid a wrist shot along the ice glove side into the net.
The Tigers quickly called time, and on the ensuing faceoff got the puck into the Pioneers zone and pulled Bachman, but the Pioneers kept the puck to the perimeter. Ruegsegger had an empty net try hit the right post, but the Pioneers managed to keep the Tigers bottled up in their defensive zone to earn the 3-2 win.
“This is a big rivalry,” said Ruegsegger. “We talked about that this morning (not winning in their last 6 tries). They work extremely hard, they’re skilled, so every time, you have to be ready to play them. In my career, this is the first game where I think we were ready to play them, and it felt good tonight to get that win.”
“One of the things I tried to do in our meeting today was to express to everybody how great this rivalry is, the history of it, and how important it is to us, and relive some of the great games that these two teams have had against each other over the years, and also let them know that what happened last night wasn’t acceptable,” said Pioneers’ coach George Gwozdecky. “The only statistic that mattered going into tonight’s game was the one that was 0-4-2 (the Pioneers’ record against the Tigers in their previous six games). We needed to do something to see if we could change that around, and we did enough.”
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get on the board. On the first shift, Rhett Rakhshani was whistled for interference at .38 seconds and the Tigers quickly set up in the Pioneers’ zone. Moments after Brian Connelly rang a slap shot off the left post, Jimmy Kilpatrick took a pass from Chad Rau, took a few strides to the mid-point of the left circle and rifled a slap shot inside the left post past Mannino at 1:11 of the period.
“Anytime you go on the road, you want to take the crowd out of it, and going up 1-0 is the best thing to do,” said Tigers’ coach Scott Owens. “We had a power play goal, and I thought it set the tone for us. I thought we had a good first period.”
“Obviously we wanted to get a good start and kill that,” said Pioneers’ forward Tyler Ruegsegger, who had a goal and an assist. “We looked at the PK, we knew exactly what we did wrong, and we fixed it. It just shows when you make one mistake, they can make you pay for it.”
The Pioneers spent much of the first period playing a very physical style, much unlike how they usually play. At times, they seemed more concerned with getting a hit than going after the puck. The Tigers took advantage of this, generating several good chances, including a nice tip-in try by Rau from the slot that Mannino just got the pads on.
Scott Thauwald got off a shorthanded chance from the slot with four Pioneers surrounding him, but Mannino made the save, and Bill Sweatt had an excellent chance from down low that Mannino just managed to get an arm on and knock away.
“They were putting really good pressure on us and they started getting the puck going right away,” said Pioneers’ forward Tom May. “
In the defensive zone, the Tigers did a good job of bottling up the Pioneers’ forwards, preventing them from pouncing on any rebounds. When the Pioneers did get the puck, Richard Bachman proved unflappable, as when Brian Gifford and Rakhshani both got off tries on rebounds back to back that he steered aside.
“I thought Peter was terrific in that first period and really kept us in it,” said Gwozdecky. “Sometimes you’re really looking forward to getting to the intermission and sometimes you’re not, depending on how things are going, and tonight was one of those nights.”
The start of the second period featured a ‘Twilight Zone’ type moment, as the timekeeper had technical difficulties and kept time via stopwatch, announcing time the time of the period every 30 seconds.
The Tigers carried the play for the first part of the period, and Mannino stood strong to keep the Pioneers in the game. Andreas Vlassopoulos had an excellent back door chance when Sweatt fed him a perfect cross-ice pass, but the tip in try slid through the crease.
Mannino robbed Scott McCulloch from point blank range, as McCulloch got the puck in the left circle with an open shooting lane, but Mannino got his glove up, and Sweatt had another excellent chance late in the period, but Mannino got his right shoulder up.
“The problem tonight is we just didn’t take advantage of the second period when we had two power plays and several grade A scoring chances,” said Owens. “Mannino played outstanding tonight; he played like a veteran.”
The period turned in less than a minute. With Mannino off for an extra skater on a delayed call, Gifford, at the right point, found Patrick Mullen at the bottom of the left circle twice. Mullen’s first shot was blocked by Bachman, and the puck came back to Gifford. Gifford fed Mullen again, and Mullen again one-timed it, but Bachman couldn’t control the rebound and it came to Ruegsegger in the slot, who roofed a shot glove side at the 18:09 mark.
“You know what? Everyone on the ice deserved that goal, and I happened to by in the right place at the right time and no joke about that,” commented Ruegsegger. “Rhett in the corners, Gifford forechecking, Mullen at the point, and I was just in the slot the whole time, the puck came right to me and I went upstairs with it.”
Just 47 seconds later, Gifford came in on a forecheck and pressured Jake Gannon in the right corner. Gannon tried to backhand the puck up the right side boards, but Ruegsegger intercepted it and spied Rakhshani streaking towards the net. Ruegsegger fed the puck through the slot, and Rakhshani tipped it in low stick side to give the Pioneers the lead going into the third.
“It’s just amazing to me to see how psychologically this game works,” said Gwozdecky. “The Tigers score early, and for the rest of the period, and probably early in the second, we just seem to be a little bit slow and CC just seems to be a lot more in control. We get that first goal, and all of a sudden there’s just that huge enthusiastic swing for us, where our guys are now a lot more excited and we’re back in the game, and from that point on, the whole thing changes, and now we’re the ones making the plays and being more aggressive.”
The Pioneers, buoyed by the late goals, started to carry the play more in the third period. Gifford had a great sliding tip-in try of a Ruegsegger shot that went just high and wide, while Jesse Martin had a great tip-in try of an Anthony Maiani pass as he skated into the slot, but Bachman got the five hole closed in time.
“Defensively, we just needed to stay on our man and be aware of them cycling the puck and stay on our guys,” said May. “We were just trying to turn the puck up ice faster.
The Tigers didn’t give up however, and continued to get their chances. Derek Patrosso had a golden chance from the slot, but he fired it just wide right.
May gave the Pioneers some breathing room, taking a pass from Brandon Vossberg and skating down the right side boards, then firing a perfect wrist shot top corner from the right side hashmarks at 12:07.
“I think we had a two-on-one with Matt Glasser,” said May. “We had the same play last night and ended up letting the shot go and nothing really happened, so I was just trying to get the shot on net and see what happened.”
The Tigers got a late goal from Eric Walsky on a fantastic single-handed effort to keep things interesting. Walsky picked up the puck just inside the blue line along he left side boards, took a few strides towards the circle, then cut back to the middle and slid a wrist shot along the ice glove side into the net.
The Tigers quickly called time, and on the ensuing faceoff got the puck into the Pioneers zone and pulled Bachman, but the Pioneers kept the puck to the perimeter. Ruegsegger had an empty net try hit the right post, but the Pioneers managed to keep the Tigers bottled up in their defensive zone to earn the 3-2 win.
“This is a big rivalry,” said Ruegsegger. “We talked about that this morning (not winning in their last 6 tries). They work extremely hard, they’re skilled, so every time, you have to be ready to play them. In my career, this is the first game where I think we were ready to play them, and it felt good tonight to get that win.”
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