Bozak Makes Living Being Phil Kessel's "Wingman"

(above) DU alum Tyler Bozak signed a $21 million contract this offseason

From: National Post

by Michael  Traikos

It was the first day of training camp and Tyler Bozak had just finished talking with reporters when Phil Kessel walked by.

As he did, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward called out, “Hey Bozie, you gonna have a good season?” 

To which Bozak responded: “Yeah, if you are.” Both players laughed, but it was not exactly a joke. While Kessel might not need Bozak’s help to score 30 goals this year, it does not work the other way around. Bozak will not have a good year unless Kessel has one. Even then, it is not a given. In the last two years, Kessel has finished sixth and seventh in NHL scoring. Bozak finished outside the top 100 both times [read entire article].

DU Coach Will Assist USA World Jr. Team Again

(above) David Lassonde will assist the USA Under-20 team in Sweden next year

Minnesota head coach Don Lucia was named head coach of the 2014 U.S. National Junior Team in an announcement made Saturday.  Boston College assistant coach Greg Brown, Denver assistant coach David Lassonde and St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko [a former DU assistant coach] will be Lucia’s assistant coaches with Team USA.

The 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship runs from Dec. 26, 2013 to Jan. 5, 2014, in Malmo, Sweden. The U.S. is seeking its fourth medal in five years, having won gold under Phil Housley in 2013 and under Nebraska-Omaha coach Dean Blais in 2010 and the bronze medal in 2011.

Minnesota 5 - Denver 1 FINAL

"I can't say anything about the officiating, so I'm not going to. I can't remark, especially anything negative, or there will be consequences. So I cannot say anything about the officiating. So please, please don't ask me about the officiating because I can't say anything about it. So that's all I'm going to say about the officiating."

-DU Head Coach George Gwozdecky

The University of Minnesota defeated Denver 5-1 on Saturday night in Mariucci Arena.  Scott Mayfield scored a power play goal within the first two minutes of the game to get the Pioneers off to a great start.

DU appeared to be cruising towards a victory over the Gophers when Ty Loney tipped in a power play goal midway through the second period.  But the goal was overturned after a replay review.

Tied 1-1 going into the third period, the wheels came off the bus.

Denver Post Game Recap

Boxscore

Pairwise Rankings

WCHA Standings

Denver 2 - Minnesota 0 FINAL

"The players got an earful. They may not feel better, but I do. I am agitated. I am really disappointed. I do not get on them very often, but you know what, the expectation of playing hard is a given. That is a given. That has to be the foundation.”

 -UM head Coach Don Lucia

The University of Denver went up to Minnesota and came away with a hard fought 2-0 victory on Friday night.  Shawn Ostrow was the hero scoring within the first minute of the third period.

DU's penalty kill unit was fantastic, killing all five Gopher plays while only allowing two shots. They also mustered several solid short handed scoring opportunities and had 8 shots in goal while shorthanded.

Jussi Olkinoura earned the shutout.

Denver Post Game Recap

Boxscore

Pairwise Rankings

WCHA Standings

Denver Post: DU's Bad Boys Need To Behave

(above) DU needs to spend more time around the goal and less in the penalty box this weekend

From: Denver Post
by Nick Groke

George Gwozdecky's troublemakers on ice are the most penalized team in college hockey, taking turns in the sin bin for nearly one full period per game by average.

That might be the lone serious issue for a Denver Pioneers team with its eyes on the NCAA Tournament next month.

But DU is still clawing its way to the postseason. The Pioneers are in jeopardy of beginning the WCHA playoffs on the road for first time since 2003 [read entire article].

Both DU @ Minnesota Hockey Games Are On TV

The #2 ranked University of Minnesota men's hockey will play against #10 Denver at Mariucci Arena. 

Friday's series opener will be televised on the Big Ten Network while Saturday's regular-season home finale is on FOX Sports North. Both games are slated for 6 PM MT starts. 

Minnesota (21-6-5 overall) is 92-71-12 all-time against the Pioneers. However, Denver (16-10-5) has won eight out of the last 10 matchups between the two conference competitors.

DU Hockey Visits Twin Cities Road Trip

(above) Click on image to register for pregame event in Minneapolis

News & Notes From Around PioNation

(above) Magness Arena is being transformed for the Presidential Debate on Oct. 3rd

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The Presidenital Debate hosted by the University of Denver on Oct. 3rd is expected to be worth $20-30 million in branding & publicity benefits for the university. Down the road, DU should expect to see a 15% uptick in admissions applications next year based on previous debates.  Well worth the $1.6 million donation required to host the event.

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DU has been picked to finish third in the annual 94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll, released Wednesday. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are a nearly-unanimous pick of WCHA media to win the league. 

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The initial LetsGoDU Super Poll™ has been released and for the 7th straight year, DU is the consensus preseason #1 pick.  Once again Colorado College came in last out of 58 teams.

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The 8-1-2 University of Denver women's soccer team is ranked #18 in the nation.  The men's soccer team which has won five games in a row is ranked #40.

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Four current and future University of Denver hockey players will be among 40 of the finest 2013 NHL Draft-eligible, American-born players sharing the spotlight when the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game is held Saturday at First Niagara Center in Buffalo. Gage Ausmus, Dakota Mermis, Quintin Shore and Will Butcher will represent DU at the event.

Gopher Party Leads To Season Ending injury

Connor Reilly will miss season

The hockey season hasn't even started and yet players are falling like flies from alcohol related incidents.  The latest shoe to fall comes via Gopherland.

University of Minnesota forward Connor Reilly, one of the hockey program’s top incoming freshmen, will miss the entire 2012-13 season because of a knee injury.

Reilly hurt his right knee in an off-ice fall at a recent team party, according to two sources close to the situation [read entire article].

Connor's father, Mike, played for two seasons at Colorado College before transferring to the University of Minnesota.

Twitter: Here Come The Gophers

Bad Boyz: Drunk Gopher Hockey Player Ticketed

From: Star Tribune

by Paul Walsh
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A University of Minnesota Gopher hockey player has been cited for disorderly conduct after police witnessed him urinating in public in Stillwater, Minnesota last weekend. 

A police report says Erik Haula was "extremely intoxicated" when he urinated outside the Freight House in view of others after the bars closed early Saturday.  Haula was then turned over to a friend, whom police described as "somewhat sober."

The officer wrote in his report that he witnessed Haula "urinating while standing on Water Street on the west side of the Freight House Restaurant & Bar in plain view of the bar crowd after bar closing."

The officer also noted in his report that even though "it was clear that he was extremely intoxicated," the 2009 Wild draft choice "was very cooperative. No problems."

Haula, a native of Finland, will be a junior this coming season for the Gophers. He led the team last season with 49 points, scoring 20 goals and earning 29 assists.

He played one season of high school hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minn.

Gophers Athletic Department spokesman Garry Bowman says hockey coach Don Lucia is aware of the incident, has talked to Haula and will handle the matter internally. The Gopher forward will be a junior this year. He led the team last season with 49 points, scoring 20 goals and earning 29 assists.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/27/4666488/gopher-hockey-player-cited-for.html#storylink=cpy

DU vs. Wisconsin Rivalry Will Continue

As LetsGoDU mentioned back in Feburary, the University of Denver has been working on agreements to schedule the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin after the WCHA shake-up. 

Andy Baggot at Madison.com has confirmed that Wisconsin will play DU in upcoming seasons. Wisconsin will visit Colorado twice in upcoming years and play DU & Colorado College.

2014-15 -- UW will travel to Colorado for single games vs. CC and Denver.

2015-16 -- UW has tentative agreements to host a series with Denver.

2016-17 -- UW will play single games at CC and Denver.

Ferris State Hopes To Rebound Against DU

(above) Ferris State was the CCHA regular season champion

From: MLive.com

by David Drew

Ferris State University enters the NCAA hockey tournament on a sour note in going winless in four of its last five games.

The top-seeded Bulldogs, who won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title, tied and lost a shootout against Western Michigan University and then lost to WMU in their final regular-season series.

After a bye week, FSU (23-11-5) was ousted in the CCHA Tournament best-of-three quarterfinals series by bottom-seeded Bowling Green.

FSU, which is making the program’s second appearance in the national tournament and the first since 2003, will be a No. 2 seed in the midwest regional in Green Bay and will face Denver (25-13-4) at 5:30 p.m. (EST) on Friday at the Resch Center.

The third-seeded Pioneers lost to North Dakota 4-0 in the WCHA Tournament championship game this past Saturday.

Denver defeated Western Michigan University 3-2 in double overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Green Bay last season before falling to UND 6-1 in the regional championship game the next night.

Giving the Bulldogs even more to think about is Denver’s unbeaten (5-0) record against regular-season conference champions this season. The Pioneers defeated Boston College (Hockey East), Union (ECAC), Air Force (AHA) and were 2-0 against Minnesota (WCHA).

Friday At The WCHA Final 5

(above) Next up for DU are the NCAA Defending Champs

Friday - WCHA Final 5

#3 DU vs #2 Minnsota-Duluth  1 PM MT

#4 UND vs. # 1 Minnesota  6 PM MT

 TV: Root Sports-Rocky Mountain, FCS-Central, FSN-North

Mike Chambers Blog Game Notes

WCHA Playoffs Against Wisconsin Kicks Off Tonight

(above) Justin Schultz

From: Wisconsin State Journal

The University of Wisconsin was mired in a four-game losing streak when Denver visited the Kohl Center for a two-game series in February. The Pioneers won the opener, 3-0, but the Badgers bounced back to win Game 2, 5-2.

Including that victory, Wisconsin went 4-1-0 over its final five games. The Badgers swept host Bemidji State and then gained a road split last weekend against Minnesota. The Badgers dominated play in the opener and won, 4-1, and then battled to the final minute before dropping a 2-1 decision in Game 2.

Asked to assess his team's confidence heading into the playoffs, UW coach Mike Eaves insisted the level was high and built on solid performances.

"It's legitimate," he said. "We feel it from the inside out, intrinsically. We've been on the road here the last couple weekends. We've won three out of four. We were in a position to win four out of four.

"So I think we understand what it takes, and we just get on that plane and head into Denver and continue what we've been doing. But I think it's legitimate, what we're feeling inside."

DU's MacNaughton & Playoff Seeding Scenarios

PlayoffStatus.com's Odds To Win MacNaughton

MacNaughton Cup

WCHA Tie-Breaking Procedures

MacNaughton Cup

At the conclusion of the regular season, teams will be ranked by the number of points accumulated. If two or more teams are tied for first place, they will be declared co-WCHA champions. So to win or be co-champion of the MacNaughton Cup is based solely the number of WCHA points. Simple enough, DU is two points behind Minnesota & one point behind UMD with six games to play.

WCHA Playoff Seeding Procedures

The first round of the WCHA’s post-season tournament will be a best-of-three games format at the home site of the teams ranked higher in the final regular season standings. All twelve teams participate in the first round of the tournament. First round playoff pairings will be: #1 vs #12, #2 vs #11, #3 vs #10, #4 vs #9, 5# vs #8 & #6 vs #7.

Following the five first round series, the six winning teams will be reseeded #1 thru #6 according to their standings in the final WCHA in-season competition and will advance to the WCHA Final 5. #3 will play #6, #4 vs #5; #1 & #2 have byes. If DU finishes first or second and won the first round playoff series they will avoid a "play-in" game.

In the event that ties are encountered in the determination of WCHA ranking or designation of home teams for playoff purposes, the following procedures would be used.

If two or more teams are tied, head-to-head competition during the regular (conference) season will be used to break the tie. DU was 0-1-1 vs. Minnesota-Duluth and 2-0-0 against Minnesota. UMD was 0-2-0 against Minnesota. DU would win a three-way tie breaker.  DU would have the two-way tiebreaker over Minnesota.  UMD would have the two-way tiebreaker over DU; Minnesota would have the two-way tiebreaker over UMD.

DU's remaining schedule: @ Wisconsin, UND & UNO

UMD's remaining schedule: @ Mankato, CC & @ SCSU

MN's remaining schedule: BSU, @ UNO, Wisconsin

DU 4 - Minnesota 3 FINAL OT

On a night when the University of Denver sent a message by starting five Colorado natives plus Canadian goaltender Sam Brittain, Nick Shore was the hero for the Pioneers.  Shore was not only born in Denver, but both his parents attended DU.

After scoring the game winning goal with less than two minutes remaining, Shore scored the game winner just 17 seconds into overtime, giving DU the 4-3 win.  The victory put the University of Minnesota on the losing end of a sweep for the first time this season.

Following the loss, the Gophers sit just one point ahead of No. 3 Minnesota Duluth and two points ahead of Denver, with three weekends remaining in the race for the WCHA crown.

DU now sits tied at #7 in the Pairwise rankings.

Boxscore

Star Tribune Game Recap

Pairwise Rankings

Video: Kyle Rau Hit On Jason Zucker

From: WCHA

The men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association today announced a one-game suspension to University of Minnesota hockey player Kyle Rau for his actions in the February 10 game vs the University of Denver.

Rau's suspension was determined after a review of the incident under the WCHA's Supplementary Discipline Policy and Procedures. At the time of the incident, he was assessed a 5:00-major penalty for boarding and a 10:00-game misconduct.

Rau will be required to serve this one-game suspension in his team's next regularly scheduled game on Saturday, February 11 vs the University of Denver.

Denver 5 - Minnesota 3 FINAL

The University Of Denver extended the Friday night woes for the #2 Gophers, finishing off Minnesota 5-3.

The 14th-ranked Pioneers put on a show for their hometown fans as they peppered Minnesota goaltender Kent Patterson with 34 shots, including 19 in the first period. They also staked themselves to an early 3-1 lead, beating him up stick-side, five-hole and glove-side in a span of just over eight minutes.

Denver Post Game Recap

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Denver Post Photo Slideshow

Star-Tribune Game Recap

Boxscore

Pairwise

Gophers Top Line Will Keep DU Busy

(left) The #1 ranked Minnesota Gophers invade Magness Arena this weekend

From: Fox Sports North
by Brian Hall

Two are former Minnesota Mr. Hockey winners, the third might have been able to take home the same trophy if it weren't for an injury. All three players were selected in the top three rounds of the NHL draft and were among the top high school recruits in the country their senior seasons.

Zach Budish, Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau ended up together with the Minnesota Gophers men's hockey team. When Minnesota started practicing this season, coach Don Lucia decided the trio best fit on the same line.

Now that they are together, the Budish, Bjugstad and Rau aren't thinking about being split up — at least not yet.

"We just want to focus on this, what we have at hand," said Rau, the freshman left wing. "If things go well here, other things will play out for us."

Together, the three have formed one of the top lines in all of college hockey and helped the Gophers return to prominence as the No. 2 ranked team in the country heading into this weekend's series at No. 14 Denver. Minnesota (19-9-1, 15-5-0 WCHA) also leads the conference with 30 points.

Rau is the speedy newcomer, slight in stature at just 5-foot-8 and 172 pounds, but he's made his mark with 13 goals and 14 assists in his first 27 college games. Rau's plus-19 rating is sixth in the country. Bjugstad is the big sophomore center with the bigger numbers. The 6-foot-5, 211-pounder is second in the nation with 21 goals to go with 12 assists. Budish, the redshirt sophomore right wing, is the surprise veteran leader as an assistant captain with six goals and 16 assists.

"It's fun playing with guys as skilled as they are," said Budish, who suffered a knee injury playing football and missed the entire his entire senior hockey season at Edina High School.

"They are good defensively and they play an all-around game. Obviously they put up a lot of points. That's what most people notice. We do things that don't show up. Kyle blocks a bunch of shots. Nick's phenomenal on faceoffs…I think those guys bring other things to the table other than scoring" [read entire article].