Gwozdecky Misses Out On UConn Coaching Job

Mike Cavanaugh

From: Bangor Daily News
by Larry Mahoney

Mike Cavanaugh an assistant coach at Boston College for the past 18 seasons, is in final negotiations to become the head hockey coach at the University of Connecticut.

Deposed University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky and former Providence College assistant David Berard, who was the interim head coach at UConn this past season, were the other finalists.

The decision is said to have come down to Cavanaugh and Berard, who would get an offer if, for some unexpected reason, contract negotiations broke down with Cavanaugh. Gwozdecky was the first finalist eliminated from consideration.

UConn did have a non-scholarship Division I Atlantic Hockey team but will add the full complement of 18 scholarships and join Hockey East in 2014-15.

ESPN anchor John Buccigross reported via Twitter last week that UConn and Gwozdecky were in intense discussions and there was an “excellent chance” Gwozdecky was going to get the position.

Gwozdecky could now be a candidate for the Maine job vacated by Tim Whitehead, who was fired after 12 seasons as the head coach.

Gwozdecky, who was fired at Denver when his contract negotiations broke down despite his 443-267-64 record over 19 seasons, said last month he was interested in the Maine job.

DU To Announce Jim Montgomery As Coach

The University of Denver has scheduled a press conference on Monday, April 15 at 11 AM MT to introduce the DU’s eighth hockey coach.

The Denver Post has announced today that Jim Montgomery has been hired to succeed George Gwozdecky as the University of Denver's hockey coach, and the former All-American from Maine and NHL player will be introduced Monday, according to multiple sources [read entire article]. 

Earlier Saturday the Denver Post announced that former University of Denver assistant hockey coach Seth Appert signed an eight-year extension with Ressealear to effectively take his name out of list of finalists to coach at DU [read entire article]. 

UND Singlehandedly Saves Maine Hockey Program

(above) In case you missed it, the University of Maine hockey team turned a few heads last weekend by sweeping then-second ranked North Dakota at the Alfond Arena

CHN Breaks Down The NCAA West Regional

College Hockey News probably has the best breakdown of the two matchups on Friday.

This weekend's action out west features three of the top goaltenders in the country, including Princeton junior Zane Kalemba, Denver sophomore Marc Cheverie and Minnesota-Duluth junior Alex Stalock.

The fourth team in the bunch, Miami, has been rotating freshmen netminders Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard all season, but neither should be overlooked: Combined, they have a goals against just over two. [read entire article]

Hmmmmm......

Anonymous said...

CC players are having their team lunch at the DU HRTM building at 12 PM today if anyone wants to intimidate & heckle them

Friday, October 31, 2008 12:43:00 AM CDT

dggoddard said...

So what you're saying is that the Colorado College hockey team is eating lunch at the HRTM building at 12 PM on Friday.

And you're asking would an impromptu Student Pep Rally out front of the HRTM building at 12 PM on Friday be a good idea?

That would be a very "old school" form of school spirit, requiring a pretty sophisticated student section to pull off that sort of stunt on short notice. Would probably require Facebook messages, emails, text messaging, posters in the dorm cafeterias, cell phone calls and a hockey blog to publicize it. It would take some real student leadership and initiative. A few funny signs might be a nice touch.

Sure it might be really funny to chant "Fifty-Seven," "CC Sucks," "Where's your Banners?," "Who's your Daddy?" & my personal favorite, "Denver Rejects," while the Colorado College hockey team is eating lunch at the HRTM building at 12 PM on Friday.

I'm just not sure the DU Student Section is up to this level of mischief yet. I mean, sure things have really improved in Boonetown this season and this might work at Maine, Duke, Harvard or perhaps Boston University. But DU......

Friday, October 31, 2008 1:00:00 AM CDT

University Of Maine Hockey Player Arrested

LetsGoDU Note: Charges were dropped in this case

(left) Tanner "Is In Da" House

With "$3 pitchers, $1 well drinks & $1 Natty Light Drafts" who wouldn't have a good time at one of Orono's newest hot spots? Well for one, a University of Maine hockey player who was summoned after an incident over the weekend at 103 Ultra Lounge on charges of unlawful sexual touching and assault.

Freshman Tanner House, 21, of Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, allegedly grabbed a female patron’s breast early Sunday morning at 103 Ultra Lounge, formerly Ushuaia, according to Orono police Capt. Josh Ewing.

In addition to the formal charges, House is expected to receive punishment from the university.

UMaine Athletic Director Blake James, who was out of state Monday, has suspended the player indefinitely until he can review all the facts to determine the appropriate sanctions under the student athlete code of conduct, UMaine spokesman Joe Carr said.

The incident occurred while the female patron was talking to one of the club’s bouncers at around 1:15 a.m. During the conversation, she said House, whom she said she didn’t know, approached her and grabbed her left breast.

The woman said she tried to stop him, but House walked away. The club’s staff reportedly followed House while 103 Ultra Lounge manager Robbie Snow went across the street to where Orono police Sgt. Scott Lajoie was sitting in his police cruiser.

Lajoie caught up with House, who was headed toward the nearby Orchard Trails apartment complex and brought him back to the club. There, House was issued a summons for the two charges. He is scheduled to appear Dec. 13 at 3rd District Court in Bangor.

House’s punishment under the athletic code of conduct at the university would likely be doubled based on recent orders from UM President Robert Kennedy.

The change was made by Kennedy last month after more than a dozen different athletes & three coaches found themselves in trouble with the law since spring of last year. House, a center, has played in all seven of Maine’s hockey games this season and has one goal and one assist.

Trotter's Goal Is Fastest In DU History

From: USCHO.com
by Candace Horgan

Brock Trotter’s goal six seconds into Saturday night's 3-1 win against Maine is the fastest goal in school history. The goal came two seconds faster than the previous mark of eight seconds set by Marty Howe in a 3-2 loss at Michigan Tech on Dec. 16, 1960.

Fans barely had time to sit down and settle in after the national anthem before sophomore Brock Trotter, the Pioneers' leading scorer last season, struck to put the Pioneers up 1-0. Right off the opening faceoff, Trotter split the Maine defense at the blue line and picked up the puck behind them, crashed the net and beat Maine goalie Ben Bishop five-hole.
.
Bishop argued the goal with the referees, seeming to feel that Trotter crashed into him and possibly knocked the net off before the puck crossed the goal line, but after a lengthy review, the call stood.

"From where I saw it on the bench, Bishop did make the initial save," said Black Bears' coach Tim Whitehead. "We felt that the Pioneer player carried the puck in by sliding into the goal. Having said that, I thought the officials did a great job this weekend. I like the 2-2 [two referees and two linesmen] system; it puts them in a position to succeed at both ends of the ice."

Coach Whitehead Takes Da Boyz On A Fieldtrip

From: Mike Chambers' Blog

While in Denver last weekend, Maine coach Tim Whitehead took a detour to the team hotel after the Black Bears lost 2-0 to DU on Friday in the season opener. He instructed the bus driver to go to the Pepsi Center, host of this season’s Frozen Four.
.
“Yeah, we drove by there,” Whitehead told me Saturday after the Pioneers completed a two-game sweep with a 3-1 victory. “That’s our goal this year for the season. We want to get back to the Frozen Four and win that elusive third title.”

.

dg postscript: After the way Maine played this weekend, the coach could have saved the gas and the extra pollution into Denver's already overburdened atmosphere.

DU Freshmen Shine Opening Weekend

From: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers

(left) Peter Mannino was huge in goal this past weekend against Maine

Of course, it's too early to mention University of Denver goalie Peter Mannino as a player of the year candidate and suggest that the Pioneers' freshman class can make up for the four early departures since January. But judging from what unfolded this weekend at Magness Arena, DU could have a big-time player on a nicely developing team.

The 10th-ranked Pioneers are off to a sizzling start behind their senior goalie and four freshman forwards. Mannino backstopped a 3-1 victory Saturday night over perennial power Maine and two more freshmen collected their first goals.

The victory capped a two- game sweep of the No. 15 Black Bears, who have advanced to the Frozen Four the past two years, and got DU off to a 2-0 start in its 59th season.

The Pioneers rode Mannino's 10th career shutout in a 2-0 win on opening night Friday.

"I think it's very noticeable how hard our team competes and even more noticeable that when we do make blunders how phenomenal Peter can be in making us look good," DU coach George Gwozdecky said.

Maine coach Tim Whitehead said DU "outplayed us and deserved the series" and that the Bears didn't have much of a chance with Mannino in goal.

"He's very, very impressive," Whitehead said. "He made some big stops, and timely ones, and lots of different types of saves. Saves through traffic, saves going across the net, saves on the rush. He brought out the full repertoire."

Overall, he said of DU: "We know where the bar is now."

Freshmen accounted for three of DU's five goals in the series. Kyle Ostrow scored Friday and classmates Jesse Martin and Anthony Maiani delivered Saturday.

The most heralded freshman also was impressive. Tyler Bozak took the opening faceoff that led to Brock Trotter's breakaway goal six seconds into the game, and Gwozdecky had Bozak take two draws in the final minute when Maine pulled 6-foot-7 goalie Ben Bishop for a sixth attacker.

"I like what I see right now," Gwozdecky said of his freshmen. "Maiani, Martin, Ostrow, Bozak - they've done a wonderful job. They've taken a lot in, in a short time."

Sophomore Tyler Ruegsegger centered a line with Martin and Maiani and set up the freshmen's two goals with by creating turnovers off the forecheck. Ruegsegger, whose forechecking heroics turned a 1-1 game into a 3-1 lead in the second period, had a goal and two assists for the series.

"The forecheck, we've really been trying to get in there," Ruegsegger said. "We knew Bishop would move the puck and come out and play it. We created turnovers and they turned into scoring chances."

DU played the series without sophomore Rhett Rakhshani, who had a team-high 26 assists last season. Rakhshani suffered a concussion last Sunday in an exhibition game and sat out for precautionary reasons. He likely will play Thursday when DU begins a two-game series at Notre Dame.

Last season, freshmen accounted for nearly half of DU scoring, with Trotter, Rakhshani and Ruegsegger finishing first, third and fourth on the team with 110 combined points.

Five freshman forwards, including fourth-liner Dustin Jackson, are replacing Ryan Dingle and Geoff Paukovich - who both signed NHL deals after their junior years - and the graduated J.D. Corbin, Ryan Helgason and Mike Handza.

"We're adjusting pretty well," Maiani said.

DU's Lineup Against Maine

DU's Lineup against Maine featured some shuffling this week due to the injury suffered by Rhett Rakhshani. Its important to note that by splitting up Ruegsegger and Trotter, DU is attempting to have two "top lines" this season.

DU scored two power-play goals on Friday to defeat Maine 2-0.

DU's "1-A line" of Jesse Martin, Tyler Ruegsegger & Anthony Maiani has a nice game on Saturday scoring two goals, while the "1-B line" of Brian Giffford, Tyler Bozak & Brock Trotter added a goal in DU's 3-1 victory.

Peter Mannino was sensational in goal all weekend and DU mostly rotated just five defensemen on both nights.

DU's Lineup vs. Maine

Martin - Ruegsegger - Maiani

Gifford - Bozak - Trotter
May - Ostrow - Glasser
Vossberg - Jackson

Butler - Mullen
Testwuide - Brookwell
Thomas - Nutini
Ryder

Mannino
Cheverie
Guinn

Its "Beat Maine Week" At LetsGoDU

DU Sweeps Maine

Two Players Will Be "Game Time Decisions"

(left) Maine goaltender Ben Bishop

One player from each team will be a "game time decision" tonight.

DU Sophomore forward Rhett Rakhshani missed the third period of the Calgary exhibition after a severe hit and may not play this weekend. From what we hear, he's "doubtful."

Maine's Junior Goaltender Ben Bishop, who missed the 5-3 exhibition win over the United States’ Under-18 National Team Development Program’s squad with a leg strain, said he thinks he’ll be "ready to go" and backup Dave Wilson said he’s confident he can get the job done in case Bishop can’t play.

"It feels good. It has felt better every day," said Bishop, who wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of his injury other than to say "it’s not a pull or anything serious."

Time For The Crimson Creatures To "Cowboy Up"

Two seasons ago the University of Denver opened their season with back to back losses to the University of Maine in Orono. One of my most vivid memories of that weekend was hundreds of Maine students huddling under the bleachers of their football stadium practicing their cheers an hour before the game. I knew right then - DU was in trouble.

The Maine Student Section was loud and raucous and played a part in Maine's 5-1 and 4-2 victories over DU.

I wasn't the only one who noticed the Maine Students. In a Rocky Mountain News interview last season, both Peter Mannino and Glenn Fisher both mentioned that, "Maine was one of the toughest places to play in college hockey."

Now its our turn. Lets "Bring It" this weekend. Be loud, be proud and Lets Go DU.

DU Looks To Start Season Against Maine

From: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers


(left) DU Captain Andrew Thomas leads DU againts Maine this weekend

New Hampshire native Andrew Thomas grew up a typical New England kid. He worshiped the Boston Red Sox and East Coast college hockey.

This weekend, however, the captain of the University of Denver hockey team will put his childhood passions aside. He won't have an opportunity to see the Red Sox play in the ALCS live, and he'll do everything he can to help the Pioneers beat a Hockey East perennial power.

Thomas will lead 10th-ranked DU into its 59th season tonight to begin a two-game nonleague series against visiting Maine. It's also the season-opening series for the No. 15 Black Bears, who in April lost in the Frozen Four to eventual NCAA champion Michigan State.

For DU, which failed to advance to the NCAA Tournament the past two years, this weekend's games are being treated as a playoff series.

The Pioneers began the past two seasons a combined 1-4 against nonleague opponents. Two years ago, they opened with 5-1 and 4-2 losses at Maine.

In both seasons, DU earned home-ice advantage for the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs but came within a win or two away from making the 16-team national field. The Pioneers learned that a good WCHA season no longer guarantees an NCAA Tournament berth.

"Nonconference games have been our Achilles' heel the last couple years; that's what has kept us out of the tournament," Thomas said. "So that is our biggest focus, and it starts this weekend.

"We won't be looking forward to (next weekend's) Notre Dame series. But we know those games, just like Maine games, will be huge for us at the end of the year."

DU and Maine have a combined 22 freshmen, including 12 for the Pioneers, but both teams have experienced goaltending. Senior Peter Mannino will backstop DU and be opposed by 6-foot-7 junior Ben Bishop.

The most significant difference between the programs is DU returns most of its scoring and Maine lost seven of its top 10 snipers. Both teams were picked to finish fourth in their league by coaches.

DU coach George Gwozdecky points to how Maine humbled his program at this time two years ago. The Pioneers went into Orono as two-time defending national champions. Since, the Black Bears have made back-to-back Frozen Four appearances, and the Pioneers haven't gotten close.

"We remember those two games, and the outcome of both, and hopefully we'll have a chance to turn the tables on them," Gwozdecky said. "We're certainly looking forward to playing a national power like Maine."

Welcome To Colorado

LetsGoDU Welcomes The Univ. Of Maine To Colorado


Magness Arena Altitude: 5,280 feet

Smog: Heavy

Ice: Wet & Mushy

Black Bear Population: 0

Maine Opens The Season In Denver

From: University Of Maine Athletics Website

(left) Assistant Captain Billy Ryan leads the Black Bears into Magness this weekend

Maine travels west to open the 2007-08 campaign at the University of Denver. The trip is 4,436 miles round trip from Orono to Denver. The Black Bears hope to start and end the 2007-08 season in the Mile High City as the 2008 Frozen Four is also going to be played in Denver.

The series is a match-up of two of the premier college hockey programs in the nation. The two teams met in the 2004 National Championship game in which Denver won 1-0. Last season, Maine was 23-15-2 and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for the fourth time in six years. Denver ended the season with a record of 21-15-4.

Maine and Denver have met 17 times with the Black Bears holding an 11-6 advantage. Maine has won three of the last four meetings between the two schools. The lone loss in that span, however, was the 2004 National Championship game at the FleetCenter in Boston.

Like DU, Maine features a large Freshman class on its roster for the 2007-08 campaign. Among the ten rookies are seven forwards and three defensemen.

Maine also returns 16 letterwinners from the 2006-07 season which saw the Black Bears win the NCAA East Regional and advance to their 11th Frozen Four in school history. Billy Ryan is Maine's leading returning scorer. He finished with 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points in 40 games last season. He had six power play goals and a pair of game-winners.

Maine's Colorado Connections

• Maine rookie defenseman Jeff Dimmen is from Colorado Springs.
• Maine captain Travis Ramsey and Denver's Julian Marcuzzi each played for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
• Maine's Ben Bishop and Denver's Chris Butler both hail from the St. Louis area.

DU Wins 2004 National Championship Against Maine

(above) Gabe Gauthier scores the most famous goal in DU History on April 10th, 2004

A Look Back...
.

DU won the 2004 National Championship game against Maine 1-0. The game will be forever remembered for the 6-on-3 in the last two minutes of the game.

Maine's power play, which could not convert on the 6-on-3 late in the game and finished the night 0-for-7, ended up 1-for-22 (4.5%) in the NCAA tournament. Despite winning seven straight postseason games before losing to Denver, the Black Bear power play was just 2-for-40 (5.0%) in the entire postseason.

"Our lack of offense caught up to us tonight," said Maine's Todd Jackson.

5 questions for Glenn Fisher and Peter Mannino

From: Rocky Mountain News
by Pat Rooney

1 Who was your biggest coaching influence before DU?

• Fisher: When I was younger, I had one coach who coached me for four years in a row, Dan Hauchenburg. He was great with kids and really helped me and the guys on that team love the game.

• Mannino: I really can't pinpoint one person. I just have to thank all of them in general because at some point in my life there was always something a coach said that rubbed off on me, whether it was in juniors or when I just started out in pee-wees. I think they all had some kind of influence in my career.

2 Who is the guy on the team no one wants to sit next to on flights?

• Fisher: (Matt) Glasser. He twitches while he's sleeping.

• Mannino: Either (Geoff) Paukovich or (Tyler) Ruegsegger. They're scared of flying, so they're kind of grabbing your hand and stuff like that. It gets a little scary.

3 Do you have a pregame ritual?

• Fisher: I do the same thing every day. I take my nap at the same time, eat the same amount of food and wear the same thing when things are going well.

• Mannino: It's a pretty repetitive schedule. Pregame skate. Pregame meal. I get about an hour and 15-minute nap. Then I get up and find the right shirt-and-tie combo for the night. It's a little detailed to get into.

4 What's your favorite sports movie?

• Fisher: Tin Cup.

• Mannino: I guess Miracle because it's a hockey movie, but there are a lot of good football movies.

5 What's the toughest venue in college hockey?

• Fisher: Maine.

• Mannino: Either Minnesota or Maine. I'll say it's Minnesota because it's the WCHA.

Alaska Hockey Finalizes Elite Field For 2008 Tournament

Denver, Minnesota and Maine Set To Play In Alaska's Inagural Tournament

Article From CSTV.com

FAIRBANKS, AK - Forrest Karr, Director of Athletics for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Alaska Nanooks hockey program announced the elite field, with a combined 14 NCAA National Championships, that will compete in the inaugural four-team NCAA Division I hockey tournament to be hosted by the Alaska Nanooks. The tournament is scheduled for October 10-11, 2008 at the Carlson Center and will include the University of Denver and the University of Minnesota of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and the University of Maine, representing Hockey East.

"We are thrilled with the caliber of teams committed to playing in the inaugural tournament," said Karr. "We look forward to working with the community on everything from naming to organizing the event."

University of Denver Pioneers

The Pioneers are tied for second with North Dakota for the most national championships with seven, including back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. Under the leadership of head coach George Gwozdecky (276-176-36, 12 years at DU), Denver finished the 2005-06 campaign with a 21-15-3 record.

Over Rated - A Look Back

(Left) Ryan Caldwell Scores the backbreaking tying goal against Issac Reithmuth in the 2004 Frozen Four Semi-Final (Note the foot in the crease).

.

.

In honor of this week's DU-Duluth game I thought it might be a fun idea to go into the LetsGoDU archives and review the last over-rated/over-hyped WCHA media darling. Your 2004-05 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

.

.

BULLDOGS PLAYERS MEET AT BAR TO CELEBRATE USCHO AND USA TODAY PRESEASON MEN'S HOCKEY POLLS

.

Monday, September 27, 2004

.

Duluth, MN. - After a summer filled with Booze, Broads & Boating the University of Minnesota Duluth enters the 2004-05 season holding down the No. 4 preseason ranking in the USCHO.com Poll and the No. 5 slot in the USA Today/USA Hockey MagazinePoll, both of which were released today.

#4 UMD easily out-partied the University of Michigan (541 points and 17 first place votes), the University of Maine (493; 9) and and Boston College (488; 2) who occupied the top three slots.

UMD, which retains the services of some 20 overweight borderline alcoholics from last winter, reluctantly opens preseason practice this Saturday before launching its 61st year of intercollegiate hockey on Oct. 7-8 at the University of Notre Dame.