LetsGoDU Intro: This may be one of the best articles ever written about the DU-CC Series.
From: Denver Post
by Mark Kiszla
At a time when we all seem to be counting every penny, the best bang for the buck in Colorado sports is the sound of a DU hockey player crunching a CC Tiger against the boards.
It hurts so good. The agony of overtime is delicious. The hitting is relentless.
And, in the end, with voices in the stands screamed hoarse and college athletes with barely enough energy remaining to shake hands at center ice, Denver had tied Colorado College 1-1 on Saturday night.
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Pioneers senior J.P. Testwuide said. "The way this rivalry is, it seems to come down to the last minute, I think, every game we play them."
DU-CC hockey is why we live here.
No matter how long you have called this state home, you have not truly lived in Colorado until you have savored the sweetness of a fresh peach from the Western Slope, gazed at Parry Peak awash in alpenglow or felt bones rattle when the Pioneers collide with the Tigers in hockey.
It could be the middle of July, Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said, and his blood would still run hot about beating Colorado College.
Broncomaniacs hate Duh Raiders. Buffs talk trash with Rams. But what's the richest, proudest, loudest sports rivalry in Colorado?
Without a doubt, it has to be Tigers-Pioneers hockey.
Magness Arena is where a thousand college students wearing white T-shirts with "Denver" written across the heart will peer over the shoulder of Colorado College goalie Richard Bachman and playfully chant: "DU reject!"
This is the series where brothers Mike and J.P. Testwuide of Vail take the ice and represent by wearing the clashing colors of DU and CC on their sweaters in a game where passion runs deeper than family ties.
If you watched closely enough, you could spy the brothers exchanging winks as they skated past each other on the ice.
"I don't think I'll forget a minute of playing against those guys for as long as I live," said J.P. Testwuide, who promises to still be arguing about every glorious detail at the Thanksgiving table when he's 78 years old. "It's a story I'll carry with me forever. My brother and I talk about it all the time. We know how special it is."
When DU plays CC in hockey, a tie is like kissing your brother.
While the stumbling, bumbling Avalanche cannot give away overpriced NHL tickets to home games, there were 6,128 spectators on the nervous edge of seats when a goal by Colorado College center Chad Rau with 97 seconds remaining in the third period forced the game into overtime.
In a part of the country where college basketball doesn't matter, DU has Tyler Ruegsegger from Lakewood, Luke Salazar from Thornton and John Ryder from Colorado Springs to make the Pioneers our true winter sports heroes from next door.
As we all cover ears to let Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler mope about how new Denver coach Josh McDaniels doesn't like him, there is no whining in college hockey, where egos are small and hearts are huge.
And just when you think it's impossible for anything new in a series with 271 games of history, Colorado College coach Scott Owens pulled his goalie with the score tied.
"It's not the way the game is supposed to be played," Owens graciously admitted. But this was truly desperate hockey, because unlike fifth-ranked Denver, the Tigers must scratch and claw for every point if they are to land a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Never seen a DU-CC hockey game?
Heck, then maybe you also have not yet enjoyed the simple pleasure of washing down a cheeseburger with a blueberry milkshake at the Dairy King in Empire, or experienced the adrenaline rush of standing atop your skis while staring into that gaping canyon of moguls of the Palli run at A-Basin.
Better start a bucket list, Bubba.
In a city where our neighbors all seem to have been born someplace else, nothing in local sports shouts Colorado like the beautiful groan of the crowd when a shot clangs off the post during the heat of a CC-DU game. It is why we live here.
Mike Chambers Blog has several interesting tidbits this week. Perhaps no news more important for next season than John Ryder's decision to return as a "Redshirt" Senior. Chambers details the decision and what it will mean on the blueline next year.
(above) Great Brittain was an immovable object in the nets for the Pioneers in the first half of the season
(above) John Ryder's physical play has earned him the nickname "Ryder Truck" from DU fans
Mike Chambers of the Denver Post spoke to coach Gwozdecky after the game on Saturday night. For those of you fluent in "Gwozspeak," this type of cryptic message usually means a teeth-rattling practice on Monday and a lineup shakeup on Thursday night against Ohio State.
Our readers have spoken. They want to tweak DU's lineup, so based on the suggestions from Sunday, we've made some changes.
(above) It was bedlam in the DU Student Section on Saturday night
(above) Chevy makes a save
(above) Brandon Vossberg moves the puck
(above) John Ryder on defense
(above) Tyler Bozak before he left the game, while Ryder looks on
(above) Cody Brookwell's (#25) return should tighten up DU's defense
In his latest posting, Denver Post reporter Mike Chamber's breaks down DU's projected blueline for next season and confirms that John Ryder may receive a "medical redshirt" after playing in 8 games last season.
(left) John Ryder
