ESPNU Will Host Sunday Night Selection Show

(above) Click on image to enlarge

The University of Denver hockey team will find out where it is heading at 7 PM MT on Sunday night during ESPNU's 2013 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament Selection Show.

The CCHA Championship game will decide the fate of two teams on Sunday afternoon.  Michigan will play Notre Dame at Noon MT.  If Michigan wins they will make the Tournament.  If they lose, Yale will sneak in as the final "at-large" team.

Anish Shroff, Barry Melrose and Dave Starman will host the 2013 Selection Show  on ESPNU.
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Latest Pairwise Rankings

East Regional
Providence, R.I., March 30-31

#1 Quinnipiac vs #16 Canisius
#6 Boston College vs. #12 Union
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Northeast Regional
Manchester, N.H., March 29-30

 #3 Lowell vs. #14 Wisconsin
#9 Denver vs. #7 New Hampshire 6 PM MT ESPNU
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Midwest Regional
Toledo, Ohio, March 30-31

#4 Notre Dame vs. #13 St. Cloud State
#5 Miami vs. #11 Minnesota State

West Regional
Grand Rapids, Mich., March 29-30

#2 Minnesota vs. #15 Yale
#8 North Dakota vs. #10 Niagara

Frozen Four
Pittsburgh, April 11 and 13

DU To Play In Great Lakes Invitational In 2013

(above) DU will join Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan Tech in the 2013 Great Lakes Invitational

From: USCHO.com

The University of Denver ice hockey team will take part in the 2013 Great Lakes Invitational Tournament.  The other three schools will be Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan Tech.

The 2013 event will be played in the historic Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings.  The games will be played between Christmas and New Years.

The GLI was first played in 1965 after the idea for the tournament was conceived and implemented by Michigan Tech coach John MacInnes, Olympia Stadium GM Lincoln Cavalieri and Detroit Red Wings’ scout Jack Paterson. The tournament, which has been played in late December every year, has had more than 1.3 million fans in attendance since its inception.

Michigan Tech has won the GLI nine times in 47 appearances. Michigan has competed in 42 GLIs and has claimed 15 titles. Michigan State owns 12 GLI crowns in 38 tries.

Joey LaLeggia Named National Rookie Of The Year

(above) More hardware for Joey Leggs

Denver’s Joey LaLeggia, who led rookie defensemen with 38 points, has been named the Hockey Commissioners Association national rookie of the year. LaLeggia was the national rookie of the month in January, when he scored 12 points. He was also named the WCHA’s rookie of the year. Voting is done through the assistant coaches of the 58 college hockey teams, with each league’s rookie of the year serving as its nominee. Cornell’s Brian Ferlin, Michigan’s Alex Guptill, Bentley’s Alex Grieve and Massachusetts-Lowell’s Scott Wilson were runners-up.

Ferris State Leads CCHA Surge Into NCAA Tourney

From: Detroit News

by Eric Lacy

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association may be disbanding in 2013, but this year, five of the 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament are eager to showcase the league's relevancy.

Ferris State, Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, and Miami (Ohio) all punched tickets to an NCAA Tournament that could generate lots of drama.

Ferris State, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, faces No.3 seed Denver at 3:30 PM MT Friday in Green Bay. The Bulldogs definitely have something to prove.

Ferris State climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the nation this season, won the CCHA regular season title and were a No. 1 seed in the CCHA tournament before losing in the quarterfinals.

News of the CCHA's postseason rise — four teams earned bids last season — comes a year before the Big Ten launches its six-member conference in 2013-14.

"I can't tell you I'm cheering for the teams in the CCHA," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "But I respect the fact that we're a good conference and that we belong in the Tournament."

Berenson said the CCHA's representation in the Tournament, which announced its bracket Sunday, is bittersweet because the 41-year-old conference appears at its best as the end nears.

"It's too bad," said Berenson, in his 28th season at Michigan. "The conference is as strong as it's ever been, and it's going to disappear after one more season."

The five CCHA teams in the NCAAs is the most since 2004.

NCAA Midwest Regional Information

TV: Altitude Will Televise DU vs. Ferris State
Altitude Sports
Channel 681 Direct TV
Channel 410  Dish Network
Channel 25 Comcast Denver
Channel 725 HD Comcast Denver

DU TICKET INQUIRIES

Please contact Darren Duplechin @ 303-871-3573
Both sessions are $68. Deadline to order is 3/20 @ 4pm

GAME BROADCAST INFO

NCAA Midwest Region

Friday, March 23 - Resch Center (Green Bay, WI)

3:30 p.m. MST

#3 Denver vs. #2 Ferris State

Internet: ESPN3.com 
TV: Altitude Sports

Winner Plays #1 Michigan or #4 Cornell

Saturday, March 24- Resch Center (Green Bay, WI)

7:00 p.m. MDT/8 p.m. CDT /9:00 p.m. EST

ESPNU (National Broadcast) or ESPN-3

PRE & POST GAME IN GREEN BAY

Friday, March 23 from 2-4 p.m. / (and if we win) Saturday, March 24 from 5-7 p.m. CDT

The Bar

2001 Holmgren Way
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54324
Phone: 920-499-9989
thebarholmgrenway@meetatthebar.com
The Bar is across the street from Resch Center

DENVER AREA WATCH PARTIES

Friday

The Pioneer located @ 2104 South University

Boone Tavern located @ 1135 East Evans
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Saturday

The Pioneer located @ 2104 South University

Boone Tavern located @ 1135 East Evans

News & Notes From Around PioNation

(above) DU's Swimming & Diving team picked up the hardware this weekend in Dallas at the Sunbelt Conference Championships

Congrats to the DU Women & Men's Swimming & Diving Teams.  In its final Sun Belt Conference Championships, DU left the conference as back-to-back champions. The Pioneers totaled 18 first-place finishes en route to both team titles.

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Thanks to DU's mens basketball 64-52 victory on Sunday, the Pioneers will be the third seed — and receive one of the three byes into the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Pioneers will play Sunday night against the South Alabama-Troy winner in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

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The Pioneers Women's hoops team gained their 19th victory of the season Sunday, defeating North Texas 55-36 at Magness Arena. They head into the Sunbelt Tournament quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed in the West Division. The Pioneers play next Sunday at 11:15 a.m. vs. the first-round winner between Florida International and Louisiana-Lafayette.

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Mike Chambers Blog takes a look at DU's remarkable streak of not being swept at home or on the road in the past four years in WCHA conference series.  The streak now stands at 54 consecutive series without being swept.

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Hard to believe after watching the DU men's lacrosse team crush Michigan (17-5) and Robert Morris (21-8) this weekend, but DU actually fell to #12 & #14 in the two lacrosse polls released today.

Sunday's Events At DU

Sunday At DU

11 AM - Michigan Lax vs. Air Force Barton Stadium

1 PM - DU Basketball vs. North Texas, Magness Arena

1:30 PM - DU Lacrosse vs. Robert Morris Barton Stadium

3:30 PM - DU Women's Basketball vs. North Texas, Magness Arena

Bill Tierney Goes For 300th Career Win Today

DU Lacrosse vs. Michigan

1:30 PM Barton Stadium

From: Denver Post

University of Denver lacrosse coach Bill Tierney is looking for his 300th career win this weekend when the Pioneers host the four-team DU Face-Off Classic at Peter Barton Stadium.

But more importantly — if you ask him — 11th-ranked DU is looking for its first win of the season. DU last week opened its season ranked No. 5, but started with a 10-9 loss to Ohio State in Florida

"We're disappointed in that loss, not because we lost but because we didn't feel like we played our best," said Tierney, whose career record is 299-102 over 27 seasons. "But we're going to look forward and stay positive."

The Pioneers face Michigan at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Air Force plays Robert Morris at 11 a.m. Then DU and AFA swap opponents Sunday.

"Spirit Week" Kicks Off At DU

(above) LetsGoDU will give away 100 Boone posters this weekend

Wednesday and Thursday the University of Denver Spirit Cart will be manned around campus by student volunteers handing out fliers and promoting the weekend's sporting events on campus.

Friday there will be a pregame concert put on by BSA in the Student Pub in the Driscoll Center from 5-7 PM featuring the artist KHLEO. The DU vs. UND hockey game will have a late 8 PM  start because it's televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.

On Saturday Greek Life will be tailgating on Driscoll Green starting beginning at 11:30 AM with the lacrosse game vs. Michigan at 1:30 PM and hockey at 7 PM. 

The DU Grilling Society [DUGS] will be hosting a free BBQ for students, alumni and fans from 5:30 PM until the food runs out before the UND hockey game.

On Sunday both men's and women's basketball games against North Texas will be at Magness Arena, starting at 1 PM and 3:30 PM respectively. These are the final home games for our Seniors, so it would be great to support their fantastic seasons with a large turnout.

More Colorado College Al-Qauda Connections

(above) DU fans have long suspected a link between terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohmmed & Colorado College hockey coach Scott Owens

Imagine our surprise when we discovered that Osama bin Laden was born just six days before Colorado College won their last National Championship on March 16, 1957.

The Tigers defeated Michigan 13-6 at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs 54 years ago. The tournament was marred when CC accused Michigan of using three illegal players who were suspended on the eve of the National Championship game.

Like many Colorado College hockey players, Bin Laden eventually dropped out of university.

DU Named Best Collegiate Ice Hockey Program

Newsmax.com broke down the top five D-1 men's collegiate sports and named the best program in each sport.

The University of Michigan came out on top in football, University of Texas in baseball, University of Kentucky in basketball, the University of Virginia in soccer and the University of Denver in ice hockey.

Needless to say, we agree.

University of Denver Ice Hockey

Apart from academic excellence, the University of Denver offers sports training in various disciplines. But it’s the ice hockey team which has made the university’s sports club, the Denver Pioneers, famous. Since 1949, the university has been playing NCAA Division I hockey and is one of the most successful hockey programs in the history of collegiate hockey. The university has been successful in placing numerous players into the National Hockey League.

Michigan To Add Men's & Women's Lacrosse

Sources are telling Inside Lacrosse that the University of Michigan athletics department is preparing to announce the addition of men's and women's lacrosse programs, with the men's team to begin NCAA Division I play in time for the spring 2012 season, and the women's team in 2013.

There is speculation that Michigan would join the ECAC, DU's lacrosse conference.

Video: North Dakota Fan Flips Off Michigan Players

(above) A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!

Frozen Four Semi-Finals

Michigan 2 - North Dakota 0

Minnesota-Duluth 4 - Notre Dame 3
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Big 10: Minnesota & Wisconsin To Leave WCHA

From: Big Ten Website

The directors of athletics of Big Ten institutions which sponsor men's ice hockey unanimously announced intention today to recommend to the Big Ten Council of Presidents in June the establishment of men's ice hockey as an official conference sport for the 2013-14 academic year with participation by Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

The recommendation includes both the establishment of the inaugural Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in March of 2014, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, and a 20-game conference schedule with each team playing the other five schools four times (two home games and two away games). In addition, the Big Ten's men's ice hockey programs will continue to proactively work to maintain a strong schedule of non-conference competition with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

In September of 2010, Penn State announced the establishment of men's and women's ice hockey programs set to begin competition in the 2012-13 academic year, giving the Big Ten six institutions sponsoring men's ice hockey. Big Ten rules allow for a conference championship when six institutions sponsor a program in any given sport.

Since Penn State's announcement, the conference has researched and investigated the establishment of men's ice hockey as a conference sport. The conference has sought input and communicated both internally with conference chancellors, presidents, administrators and coaches, and externally with members of the hockey community, including the CCHA and WCHA.

Michigan Adds Two Players To Bad Boyz List

(left) At one time, Tristin Llewellyn was a 15 year-old NHL prospect that made scouts drool, today he's just another Bad Boy kicked off his team

When the weather turns cold throughout the Hockey Belt, college hockey players turn to alcohol and suspensions are sure to follow.

According to USCHO.com Michigan has suspended freshman forward Jacob Fallon and senior defenseman Tristin Llewellyn for the rest of the season, according to a published report in the Michigan Daily. Team spokesman Matt Trevor said Thursday morning the violations were behavior-related rather than performance related.

Last season, Fallon was suspended by the U.S. National Team Development Program and later left the NTDP for the USHL’s Indiana Ice. So yet another Junior Bad Boy graduates to the big leagues.

Llewellyn was one of the youngest players to verbally commit to a college hockey program when he committed to Michigan as a 15 year-old in 2005. He was also the youngest player in the USHL at the time of his commitment. Llewellyn's announcement sparked recruiting battles for younger and younger players among the college hockey power programs. Now his college career is over and one to wonder if the recruiting process at such an early age played a part in stunting his maturity.

Wall Street Journal: College Hockey Poised For Growth

(above) Michigan players practicing in "The Big House" this week

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about college hockey. One of the extremely interesting quotes in the article is, "Michigan expects to generate $1 million more in ice hockey ticket revenue this season than from its basketball ticket revenue."

Check out the article.

Six NCAA Coaches Met With NHL Management

University of Denver hockey coach George Gwozdecky, Minnesota coach Don Lucia, Miami’s Rico Blasi, Jack Parker of Boston University, Michigan’s Red Berenson and Ted Donato of Harvard met with the NHL brass in Toronto this week.

The meeting, which Gwozdecky said included four NHL general managers, was about “the challenges we’re facing with the collective bargaining agreement coming up in (2011).”

Mike Chambers Blog has details of the meeting.

Goaltender From Colorado Making Waves In USHL

(above) Ryan Massa from the Denver suburb of Littleton is expected to be one of the top goaltenders in the USHL this season

From: Fargo Forum
by Ryan S. Clark

Quick reflexes are what most hockey coaches and scouts look for in a goalie.

Fargo Force net-minder Ryan Massa (6'0 170 lbs.) has those reflexes. His 18 wins en route to the Force’s Clark Cup Finals appearance last season is proof. A native of Littleton, Colorado, Massa hopes to play for the University of Denver or University of Michigan some day.

Patience, however, is what has allowed Massa to become the league’s premier goalie. It has also become a theme for him heading into the upcoming season.

Massa said patience will help a young Force team advance and perhaps win that elusive title. The Force will begin their six-month season tonight as they open the preseason by playing in the United States Hockey League Fall Classic in Sioux City, Iowa.

Patience could also see Massa take a step forward toward his dream of playing college hockey.

“The best advice I’ve ever received is to stay patient,” the 20-year-old Massa said. “Patience, I have learned, is the key to success. Now I just hope we can capture that championship.”

Having patience was a necessity for the Force when it came to the goaltending situation. The Force went through six goalies last year including Massa.

Massa was traded to the team in late November. He recorded a shutout in his first game and the Force’s goalie situation quickly became a non-issue.

“When Ryan came he brought consistency to the club,” said third-year center Chad Demers. “We were comfortable with Ryan back there. We weren’t as scared to make mistakes because we knew he’d be there.”

The need to be better is what inspired Massa to spend most of his summer working out at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

He was a goalie instructor during the summer for the various camps at the school. When he wasn’t teaching he spent time in the weight room.

Ryan’s father, Mark, said his son spent around six days a week at the Air Force Academy.

“I think I only saw him once on the ice this summer,” Mark Massa said. “He did more work off the ice than he did on the ice.”

If everything goes as planned, the offseason work will turn into a college scholarship for Massa.

He’s talked to quite a few schools.

Massa said if he gets a scholarship offer, he’ll be at a school after the USHL season ends. But if that doesn’t happen, he realizes there is life after hockey.

“Playing college hockey has been a dream of mine and I want it to happen,” Massa said. “But if it doesn’t, I’ll go back home, attend Colorado and get a business degree.”

Penn State Shakes Up College Hockey World

(above) Penn State's arrival on the scene will shake up the college hockey landscape

Some of the interesting rumors that are swirling around the college hockey message boards don't paint a pretty picture for the University of Denver hockey program.

Wisconsin and Minnesota will leave the WCHA for the Big 10 Hockey Coneference. Joining them will be Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State. Supposedly Notre Dame will join the conference as well and an announcement is expected within a month.

Indiana and Illinois are considering building multipurpose hockey/basketball arenas and would be potential candidates for the new conference. Supposedly Indiana has a big donor lined up.

Miami (Ohio) has inquired about joining the "new" WCHA and has been rebuffed.

Lake Superior State and Ferris State based in Michigan may consider dropping hockey, if the Big Ten powers leave the WCHA.

The Curse of '57 is 53 Years Old Today

Colorado College won its last National Championship 53 years ago today. But the Championship was marred by an act of poor sportsmanship that offers clues as to why CC hasn't won another championship in the past 53 years. The crack research staff at LetsGoDU looked into reports that Colorado College's hockey program is under a "Curse" that would explain why they haven't won a National Championship since 1957.

A sports-related curse is the effective action of some power or evil, that is used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific sports teams, players, or even cities.

DU graduate students thoroughly reviewed Wikipedia's List of Sports Curses to find similarities or clues to CC's misfortune. Sports Illustrated is considered by many to be a breeding ground of curses, so a bulk of the research was conducted on back issues of SI.

Last year our researches found two possible clues in the March 10, 1958 issue of Sports Illustrated. Just five days before the University of Denver would defeat North Dakota to win the 1958 National Championship, Colorado College's then president Dr. Louis T. Benezet, threatened to revamp his school's hockey program to "reduce the number of Canadians on CC's roster." Its interesting to note that Colorado College was the defending national champion at the time.

However the DU researchers point to March 1957, when Colorado College raised a question regarding the eligibility of three University of Michigan players—John Randall, Neill Buchanan and Wally Maxwell—all of whom were declared ineligible by the NCAA eligibility committee on the eve of the national tournament in Colorado Springs. CC would go on to defeat a shorthanded Michigan team in the championship game 13-6.

The hockey gods, obviously, were not amused.