News & Notes From Around PioNation

The New York Islanders Website has a great question and answer session with DU Defenseman Scott Mayfield.  He talks about adjusting to college hockey and spends quite a bit of time discussing classwork.

----------

DU is offering $6 tickets to Saturday's lacrosse match-up against Hartford. Go to to DenverPioneers.com

Click on "Promotions" on the left hand side of the screen
Enter the code - DULAX
Order as many $6 tickets as you'd like

----------

The DU Clarion has an article about Joey LaLeggia.  He is having a bang-up season of historic proportions leading the country in Freshman scoring as a defenseman.

-----------

The DU Athletics Website has details on some honors picked up by two DU basketball players. Chris Udofia was named Sunbelt Defensive Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Sunbelt Conference team.  Brian Stafford was named 2nd Team All-Sunbelt Conference Team.

-----------

Pat Rooney has written an excellent article about the Shore brothers.  Nick is applying daily pressure on Drew to return for his Senior season. 

DU Lacrosse Player Fights Back From Cancer

(above) DU Today has a very cool article about lacrosse player Drew Babb

From: DU Today
by Pat Rooney

Drew Babb is champing at the bit to return his life to a state of normalcy. So far, his lacrosse career at the University of Denver could best be described as one big pain in the neck. And unfortunately, it was far from a laughing matter.

After defeating Hodgkin’s lymphoma and undergoing hip surgery due to issues arising from his cancer treatments, Babb completed a long journey last week when he made his long-awaited Pioneers debut during DU’s season opener against Ohio State. Babb, who missed what should have been his first two collegiate seasons due to illness and injury, finally made his home debut this weekend, as the Pioneers played Michigan on Saturday and Robert Morris on Sunday in the DU Face-Off Classic at Peter Barton Stadium [read entire article].

Pat Rooney Profiles Beau Bennett

From: DU Athletics Website
by Pat Rooney

Beau Bennett always has remained steadfast in his assertion that point totals matter little to him.  Yet after compiling boggling numbers prior to his arrival at the University of Denver, even Bennett admits his struggles at the outset of last season were a source of frustration as he slowly grew acclimated to the pace and physicality of the college game [read entire article].

DU Today Profiles Freshman Goalie Jamie Faus

(above) Former Rocky Mountain News sportswriter Pat Rooney has an excellent article on Jamie Faus

From: DU Today
by Pat Rooney

Jamie Faus was a little uncertain whether he would be able to capably step in as starting goalkeeper for the University of Denver men’s lacrosse team.

There is little question that the jump from high school to Division I — let alone playing for a program looking to take the next step on the national stage — presents a monumental change in expectations and competition for any athlete.

So when Faus arrived last fall from Lakeville, Conn., he promised himself a few things [read entire article]

Pat Rooney: DU Today Profiles Kyle Ostrow

(above) Kyle Ostrow leads the Pioneers into the Final 5

From: DU Today Blog
by Pat Rooney

At first, Kyle Ostrow assumed he had unwittingly tweaked an abdominal muscle during practice earlier in the week. Or that perhaps something he ate simply was not agreeing with him.

Whatever the case, it never crossed Ostrow’s mind that one of the penultimate road trips against the University for Minnesota would end in emergency surgery for the Pioneers’ senior captain [read entire article]

Nutini Plans On Building His Career After Hockey

(above) When Chris Nutini's hockey career ends, his building career will begin in earnest

From: DenverPioneers.com
by Pat Rooney

Through his first three seasons with the Pioneers hockey team, Chris Nutini never tallied more than four points in a season. Yet that does not mean he has not been a force for DU, as the Colorado native as logged at least 27 games in every season, providing a bruising defensive presence along the Pioneers' blueline [read rest of article].

Mile High Sports Profiles DU's Recruiting

Pat Rooney wrote an article in Mile High Sports about DU's recruiting guru Steve Miller and a pivotal event changed DU hockey recruiting forever [article begins on page 88].

Its one of the best articles written about DU hockey in recent times. Read it to find out some good stories about DU's biggest recruits.

Pat Rooney To Write About DU Hockey Again

(above) Pat Rooney will write articles about DU sports on DenverPioneers.com

See Rooney's first three articles

Pat Rooney will be a weekly contributor to DenverPioneers.com. On a radio interview last night with Jay Stickney, Rooney announced the new gig.

Rooney was a beat writer for the Rocky Mountain News from the Fall of 2000 until the paper's closure in February 2009, covering the Pioneers during most of his tenure. During that time, Rooney also wrote Crimson & Gold: The Denver Pioneers' Magical Run to the 2004 National Championship, a book that chronicled DU hockey's first of back-to-back NCAA titles.

Pat Rooney Profiles Kyle Ostrow For LetsGoDU

(above) Kyle Ostrow has four game winning goals this season

By Pat Rooney
Special to LetsGoDU

Yes, standout center Tyler Bozak will return to the lineup when the University of Denver begins the NCAA tournament on Friday against Miami (Ohio).

And junior forward Tyler Ruegsegger, the Pioneers’ leading power-play performer who had been ruled out for the rest of the playoffs when he suffered a knee injury against Alaska Anchorage two weeks ago, has provided encouraging signs that his season may not be over just yet.

Having Bozak on the ice undoubtedly boosts DU’s chances of capturing its eighth national championship, and any contribution Ruegsegger makes will be an unexpected bonus and surely would provide an inspirational lift.

Yet in the NCAA tournament, often it is the unsung heroes that turn in the game-changing plays. In that regard do not be surprised, if a Frozen Four berth is secured by DU, that it winds up being due in part to a clutch goal or key assist from Kyle Ostrow.

The sophomore forward built on his solid freshman campaign to become one of the Pioneers’ most consistent performers this year, particularly during the season’s stretch run. Brimming with confidence, Ostrow hopes to rekindle his recent hot streak when DU takes on the RedHawks in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon.

“Losing Bozak (at midseason) was a big blow to us, and I think we had to pick up our scoring pace,” Ostrow said. “I never wanted to go out of my role or anything. I was still conscious of my role, but I think I capitalized on a lot of my opportunities in the second half of the season and created a lot of opportunities with my linemates.

“Having Bozak back now is great. I’ll still try to play the same way, and to have another scoring threat like him is awesome.”

After producing 10 goals and 23 points as a freshman, Ostrow has compiled 14 goals and 28 points this season. Moreover, he has developed a knack for producing timely points in critical situations.

Four of Ostrow’s goals have counted as game-winners, trailing only the team-leading five recorded by freshman Luke Salazar, and prior to DU’s shutout loss against Minnesota Duluth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament final last week, Ostrow had posted points in six of the previous eight games, recording five goals and three assists during that span.

“I think he has been a consistent player since he got here,” junior forward Rhett Rakhshani said. “He does a lot of little things very well. He gets the puck on net, and drives to the net hard and wide. He uses his skating abilities, and I think it has paid off for us this year. He has gotten some really big goals for us and has consistently scored for us this year.”

Ostrow was limited to a lone assist in five games during the WCHA playoffs and NCAA tournament last year, but so far he already has contributed one goal and one assist to DU’s postseason run. Ostrow said his primary offseason focus was to hone his shot, and in the anything-can-happen atmosphere of the NCAA tournament, that work could pay big dividends for the Pioneers this weekend.

“You try to improve every year,” Ostrow said. “My numbers have improved a bit this year. I think I’m a lot more confident with the puck, a lot more confident shooting the puck this year. One thing I did in the offseason was I worked on my shot a lot. When I have the puck on my stick, I’m a lot more confident shooting on net.”

Pat Rooney Profiles Marc Cheverie For LetsGoDU

(above) The Chevy is detailed and ready for the playoffs

By Pat Rooney
Special to LetsGoDU

This is the moment Marc Cheverie has been working towards since he arrived at the University of Denver.

The sophomore goaltender began the season as perhaps the Pioneers biggest question mark, a talented but untested quantity on a team that otherwise appeared solid at every other position.

Now, as DU embarks on a postseason road it hopes will end with the program's eighth national championship, Cheverie clearly has developed into one of the Pioneers strengths.

The arc Cheverie has traveled this season could not have evolved more fortuitously for DU. As the Pioneers begin play in the NCAA tournament, the top-seeded Pios open the West Regional in Minneapolis against Miami (Ohio) on Friday, Cheverie is primed to make his mark in what is commonly referred to as a "Goaltender's Tournament."

"I'm very pumped to get it going. I've been looking forward to it all year," Cheverie said. "You have to win everything from here on out to make or break the season. A hot goalie can win you games, and at some point you're always going to have to get through tough times."

"But I wouldn't totally agree that it is totally just a goaltender's tournament, because team defense tightens up and sometimes goalies will look better than they are playing at times. I've experienced that, where the team is really playing great in front of me and I get the first star when I probably don't deserve it. But in the playoffs, it happens that the goalie has to be hot at the right time. This year, there have been so many ups and downs with injuries that we're prepared for anything."

As Cheverie has grown more comfortable, the Pioneers defense has become much more formidable. Out of the gate, Cheverie and the DU defense surrendered at least four goals in three of the first five games of the season. The Pioneers have allowed at least four goals in just 4-of-20 games since the holidays, all of which occurred against eventual NCAA tournament teams (Boston, North Dakota, and twice against Minnesota Duluth).

Much of that improvement can be traced to Cheverie, who garnered second team All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association honors while morphing into the sort of back-line savior that inspires teammates and creates an added level of defensive confidence.

"Without a doubt, from the beginning of the season until now, it's like night and day," Junior defenseman Cody Brookwell said. "That was one of the question marks coming into the season, but he has progressed throughout the season. I don't think he's ever taken a step back. He has gotten better and better. That's a big part our job, having confidence in him, and I'm sure the same goes for him having confidence in us."

Cheverie ranks second in the WCHA in goals-against average (2.30) and save percentage (.923), trailing only Duluth's first-team All-WCHA selection (and DU's possible West Regional final opponent) Alex Stalock.

Cheverie's save percentage also ranks as the third-best single-season mark in the program's rich history, behind the record .943 mark compiled by Wade Dubielewicz during the 2001-02 season and Peter Mannino's .927 mark during the 2004-05 national championship season.

What is even more impressive about Cheverie's mark is that he did it as a full-time starter, while Dubielewicz and Mannino each toiled in a platoon system during those respective seasons.

Even after only one season as DU's starter, perhaps the only thing still lacking on Cheverie's resume is a proven postseason track record. One season after watching from the bench as Mannino's career ended with a first-round loss against Wisconsin, Cheverie is ready to cross that off his checklist while, hopefully, leading DU to the type of glory Mannino did in 2005.

"Realizing the pressure you face, and the importance of every game and every minute, that's what I saw at the tournament last year," Cheverie said. "There is no room for error, no room for complacency. Every playoff game last year, every game I watched, was a learning experience. I'm confident in my own abilities and the abilities of my teammates. I think it is a good combination. Everything has to be going. Everyone has to trust each other, and I think that's what we have right now."

These Days Maiani Is Making The Big Boys Pay

(above) Anthony Maiani is DU's leading scorer

Special to LetsGoDU
By Pat Rooney

Watching him bob and weave with the puck through much bigger defenders, it is easy to wonder how University of Denver forward Anthony Maiani has raised his game to elite levels despite his diminutive stature.

But, the truth is, Maiani does not really know any difference. From the moment he laced up his first pair of skates, Maiani pretty much has always been the smallest guy on the ice.

Raised in Shelby Township, Michigan, the 5-foot-7 Maiani was introduced to the game by his older brother and some of the Maiani family’s older neighbors across the street. Always forced to scrap and claw against the bigger boys, Maiani, DU’s leader in assists and points heading into the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs this weekend against Alaska Anchorage, developed a style that has served him well during his breakout sophomore campaign.

“It actually started with the neighbors across the street. They were about four years older than me, and they got my brother started,” Maiani said. “Then a year after that I got started playing hockey with them in the street. They always put me in goal because I was the youngest. So it just started from there.

“I grew up always playing a year up, and I feel like that was a big thing because there were always bigger guys who were older and more experienced. Even playing juniors and coming to college, it was always older guys. I’m kind of used to now.”

Maiani’s emergence is a big reason why the Pioneers have all but secured a berth in the NCAA tournament as they begin their quest to defend their WCHA tournament crown. Maiani has paced an offense that has displayed much more versatility compared to a year ago, while also helping DU overcome the mid-season loss of center Tyler Bozak to a knee injury.

Maiani, owner of 11 goals and 28 assists, has been DU’s most consistent contributor throughout the season, beginning the year with seven points in the first five games and posting a team-leading 10 multiple-point games. Maiani, who collected 15 points in 40 games as a freshman, surpassed last year’s scoring total in the 14th game of the season.

“Obviously he has been a big part of picking up the slack from Tyler Bozak,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said. “I wouldn’t say he is the guy that has stepped into Bozak’s shoes, but he’s certainly taken part of the load and has done a good job. He’s an offensive player. He’s got good speed, good quickness, and he’s got a great knack for finding open people. Whether he plays winger or at center, he’s got that ability to make people around him better because he can get the puck on their stick.”

Much of Maiani’s emergence can be traced to the work he put in during the offseason with strength and conditioning coach Mike Sanders.

Originally, Maiani was slated to spend another year in the United States Hockey League before joining DU for the 2008-09 campaign. But when Geoff Paukovich signed a pro contract during the summer of 2007, Maiani wound up being fitted for a Pioneers sweater one year earlier than planned.

Maiani readily admits the pace and physical nature of the college game wore him down during his freshman season. Once DU’s offseason conditioning program began, Maiani set out to correct that shortcoming.

“Maiani is not the first kid to come in, and they get knocked around a lot and you see them get knocked off the puck a little easily,” Sanders said. “As time goes on, you put some strength on him and some size, and all of the sudden they are not getting knocked aside as easily as they once did. That’s a huge component. You take what you have and you improve on what you’ve got.”

Physically stronger and monumentally more confident, Maiani is looking to make an even bigger postseason mark than he made last year, when he tallied two goals and two assists in DU’s five postseason games, including the only goal in the Pioneers’ series-clinching victory against Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the WCHA tournament.

“I actually stayed here most of the summer training with coach Sanders, and a lot of the guys also stayed,” Maiani said. “That’s a lot better for working out, and it got me faster and stronger so I could play with the big guys. Last year, I remember there were times around Christmas when I was tired and I was ready to go home. This year, I still feel like I’m at the top of the game. I’m not too worn out or anything.”