March 24, 2004
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THE GAME
The No. 2-seed Denver Pioneers (23-12-5, 13-10-5 WCHA) will play the No. 3-seed Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (23-13-4, 17-8-3 CCHA) in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship on Friday, March 26 at the West Regional in Colorado Springs, Colo. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. MT at World Arena (7,343). The game will be televised live on Comcast (local cable channel 5) and broadcast live by KNUS AM 710 and DenverPioneers.com beginning at 8:30 p.m. MT. The winner will advance to the West Regional championship game against the winner of No. 1-seed North Dakota and No. 4-seed Holy Cross on Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m. MT.
THE SERIES
Denver leads 3-1 (.750) against Miami (Ohio) in the series that started during the 1986-87 season. The teams last met on Dec. 27, 2002 at the Wells Fargo Denver Cup in Denver. The Pioneers blanked Miami, 6-0, behind 30 saves from Wade Dubielewicz. Current Pioneers Kevin Ulanski, Connor James, Ryan Caldwell and Jon Foster scored one goal each in the 6-0 win. Denver has outscored Miami, 31-19, in the four career meetings. Both teams competed in the 2003 Lefty McFadden Invitational on Oct. 3-4 this season, but did not play each other. The first-round meeting is the first meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament.
THE COACH
Head coach George Gwozdecky is currently in his 10th season at the University of Denver. Gwozdecky, who was named WCHA Coach of the Year in 2002, won his 200th game at Denver against Northeastern (6-3) on Oct. 18. The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native sports a 219-152-31 (.583) record at Denver and has led the Pioneers to the NCAA tournament four times. Gwozdecky earned runner-up honors in 2002 for the Spencer Penrose Award (National Coach of the Year) after leading the Pioneers to their fourth 30-win season in school history. He is 369-276-52 (.568) overall (17+ years) and 302-246-50 (.547) in Division I programs. Gwozdecky has recorded seven seasons with 20 or more wins at Denver. He is 1-1-0 (.500) in two career meetings against Miami in nine-plus years at Denver. Gwozdecky posted an 83-94-19 (.468) record as head coach of Miami from 1989-94.
LAST TIME OUT
Facing a must-win second game in their first-round WCHA playoff series against Colorado College, the Denver Pioneers allowed three first period goals and were unable to mount much of an offensive attack in a 6-1 loss to the Tigers on March 13 at Magness Arena. Denver's record fell to 23-12-5 overall record, while Colorado College improved to 20-15-3 overall and advanced to the WCHA Five on March 18-20 with a two-game winning streak.
CC grabbed a 1-0 lead nine minutes into the game when Colin Stuart notched his 10th goal of the season off a pass from teammate Scott Polaski. Polaski was behind the Pioneer net and passed to Stuart along the left boards where he fired a slapshot that beat Denver netminder Adam Berkhoel. The Tigers added to their lead just under four minutes later when Brett Sterling scored his 16th goal of the season on a rebound chance in front of the net and made it a 3-0 advantage at the 18:24 mark when Reid Goolsby took advantage of a 2-on-1 chance to chase Berkhoel from the game. Berkhoel stopped Goolsby's initial shot on goal but the puck jumped in the air behind him and Lukas Dora's attempt to bat it out of mid-air missed as the Pioneers gave up three goals in a period for the second consecutive night.
The Pioneers cut the lead to 3-1 with a power play goal just five minutes into the second period as sophomore Gabe Gauthier scored for the second consecutive night with his team-leading 17th tally of the season on a slap shot from the right point. But the lead would be shortlived, as CC increased the margin to three once again just over three minutes later with a power play goal of its own as Brady Greco scored the first of his two goals to make it 4-1. Greco added his second goal of the night at the 17:46 mark to make it 5-1 CC and essentially put the game out of reach for the Pioneers. CC added one goal in the third to account for the final.
Denver held a 36-29 shot advantage, but Colorado College goaltender Curtis McElhinney stopped 35 shots in a solid performance. CC entered the night on an 0-for-29 slump on the power play, but snapped that with a 3-for-6 performance in the 6-1 win.
FOR STARTERS
* The Pioneers are 17-13 (.567) all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances.
* Head coach George Gwozdecky has now led the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament five times in 10 seasons. Gwozdecky is 2-5 in seven career NCAA tournament games at Miami (Ohio) and Denver. The Pioneers advanced to the NCAAs in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2004 under Gwozdecky, while Miami qualified in 1993.
* Denver's appearance in the 2004 NCAA Tournament is its first since 2002 when they were the No. 1 seed at the West Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan upset the No. 1-ranked Pioneers, 5-3, to advance to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.
* Miami (Ohio) head coach Enrico Blasi played four seasons for Gwozdecky at Miami from 1990-94. Blasi also served as an assistant coach under Gwozdecky at Denver from 1995-99. This postseason meeting is the first between Gwozdecky and Blasi.
MORE THAN JUST GWOZDECKY AND BLASI
In addition to the George Gwozdecky and Enrico Blasi connection in the first-round game, there are several other Denver and Miami (Ohio) connections. Denver assistant coach Seth Appert and Miami assistant coach were teammates (both goaltenders) at Ferris State University from 1994-96 and are close friends. Denver assistant coach Steve Miller served as Gwozdecky's assistant coach at Miami from 1991-94 and coached Blasi and Miami assistant coach Chris Bergeron for two seasons. Appert and Miller also coached at Denver with Blasi. Appert was roommates with Blashill at Ferris State and Blasi at Denver.
CAPTAIN CALDY LEADS THE WAY
Senior captain Ryan Caldwell was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team All-WCHA honoree this season. Caldwell is the second consecutive Denver defenseman to earn WCHA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Denver's Aaron MacKenzie shared the honor with Colorado College's Joe Cullen last season. Caldwell has been the driving force behind the Pioneers' success this season. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound, senior captain has led the team with his on-ice play, toughness and ability to play through pain. Caldwell has scored 25 points on a career-best 13 goals and 12 assists in 38 games. He has suffered numerous injuries, but has shown his ultimate leadership by playing at less than 100%. Caldwell's 13 goals lead all WCHA defensemen. He is among Denver's career defensemen leaders in points (7th), goals (7th) and assists (T-9th). Caldwell's 304 career penalty minutes rank fourth all-time at Denver.
BANK ON BERKHOEL
Senior goaltender Adam Berkhoel will be making his first start in the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 26 against Miami (Ohio). Berkhoel, a 2003-04 All-WCHA third-team selection, is 20-11-4 overall with a 2.60 GAA and .914 Sv%. He posted a career-best five shutouts, was named Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week three times and went 7-0-2 with a 1.96 GAA and .933 Sv% during Denver's pivotal nine-game unbeaten streak from Jan. 31-March 5. Berkhoel ranks among Denver's career goaltending leaders in saves percentage (2nd), shutouts (2nd), goals against average (4th) and wins (T-7th).
GABE'S A GAMER
Denver's leading scorer, Gabe Gauthier, earned All-WCHA third-team honors this season after leading the Pioneers in points (41), goals (17), assists (24), power-play goals (7), game-winning goals (5), multi-point games (10) and face-off percentage (.622). Gauthier tallied a career-high four-point effort at Minnesota State on Dec. 20 and added a three-assist effort at Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 14. He added three two-goal games this season and was named the Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 17.
SUPER FROSH SHINES
Freshman Matt Carle earned All-WCHA Rookie Team honors this season despite missing eight league games. Carle totaled 19 points on four goals and 15 assists in 20 league games. He finished in a first-place tie for most points among all WCHA defensemen and was named the Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week three consecutive times (Feb. 16, Feb. 23 and March 1). In addition, Carle was named the USCHO.com National Defensive Player of the Week on March 1 and the CSTV/HCA Defensive Player of the Month for February. Carle contributed two four-point efforts during Denver's nine-game unbeaten streak from Jan. 31-March 5. He brings a career-high seven-game point streak into the NCAA tournament game against Miami. Carle has scored 12 points on one goal and 11 assists in the past seven games.
JAMES WILL BE MISSED
Senior Connor James will miss his second consecutive weekend with a fractured right fibula. James, who played in 158 consecutive games prior to the injury, is Denver's second leading scorer with 35 points on 12 goals and 23 assists. He earned the 2003-04 WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year award and is currently tied for 20th on Denver's all-time scoring list with 147 points on 56 goals and 91 assists in 158 career games. He suffered his injury on March 5 against Colorado College and hopes to return to the Pioneer line-up should the team advance to the Frozen Four in Boston, Mass., on April 8-10.
THE STREAK
Denver's 7-0-2 record during its season-high nine-game unbeaten streak from Jan. 31-March 5 propelled the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Senior goaltender Adam Berkhoel went 7-0-2 with a 1.96 GAA and .933 Sv% during the streak, which included a 4-0-1 record against nationally-ranked teams. Freshman Matt Carle led the team with 16 points on three goals and 13 assists during the streak. Denver also went 38-of-41 (.927) on the penalty kill during the streak.
HISTORY OF THE WORLD (ARENA)
Denver is quite familiar with the site of the West Regional. World Arena is the home of Denver's in-state rival Colorado College. The Pioneers have posted just a 4-10-1 (.300) record at World Arena since the building opened in January of 1998. However, the Pioneers are 2-0 this season and 4-4 since the 2000-01 season when Ryan Caldwell and the rest of the senior class were freshmen.
NCAA EXPERIENCE FOR SEVERAL PIONEERS
Nine different Pioneers enter this weekend with NCAA Tournament experience. Max Bull, Ryan Caldwell, Lukas Dora, Jon Foster, Luke Fulghum, Jussi Halme, Connor James, Greg Keith and Kevin Ulanski were all in the line-up against Michigan in 2002. Bull (assist), Caldwell (assist), James (assist), Fulghum (goal) and Ulanski (assist) tallied points for Denver in the 5-3 loss.
BIG ICE IS NICE
The Pioneers have posted a 6-2-2 (.636) on Olympic size (200 x 100) ice surfaces this season compared to a 17-10-3 (.617) mark on NHL-size (200 x 85) rinks. World Arena sports an Olympic-size ice sheet, which could factor into the Pioneers' success this weekend.
THIRD PERIOD IS VITAL
A big part of Denver's success this season has been its ability to close-out games when leading after two periods. The Pioneers are 19-3-0 when leading after the first 40 minutes. The Pioneers have also struggled this season in the last 20 minutes. Denver is 1-7-0 (.143) when allowing three or more third-period goals this season.
IT'S ALL ACADEMIC
The Pioneers landed eight student-athletes on the 2003-04 All-WCHA Academic Team. Adam Berkhoel, Connor James and Ryan Caldwell were joined on the All-WCHA Academic team by Max Bull, Jussi Halme, Matt Laatsch, Ted O'Leary and junior Kevin Ulanski (Madison, Wis.). To earn a position on the All-WCHA Academic team, student-athletes must meet the following criteria: 1) have completed at least one year of residency at present institution prior to current academic year; 2) have a grade point average of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his overall GPA is at least 3.00 for all terms at his present institution; and 3) have competed in at least one-half of his institution's varsity intercollegiate ice hockey games during the current season (goaltenders must have played at least 33% of his team's minutes during the course of the season to be eligible).
SHORTHANDED GOALS COUNT, TOO
Denver is currently tied for fourth in the NCAA with nine shorthanded goals. Eight different Pioneers have scored shorthanded goals this season and the Pioneers are 183-of-214 (.855) overall on the penalty kill this season.
WHEN FULGHUM DELIVERS, SO DOES DENVER
The Pioneers are 16-0-2 this season when junior Luke Fulghum tallies a goal or an assist. Fulghum carried a career-high seven-game point streak into the first round of the WCHA Playoffs, but was shut out in both losses to Colorado College on March 12-13. Fulghum has scored 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists in 39 games this season.
MIAMI (OHIO) QUICK CHECKS
* The RedHawks (23-13-4) are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and the third time overall in 26 years of varsity hockey.
* Miami has played eight overtime games this season and sports a 3-1-4 (.625) record in those contests.
* The RedHawks have three players with 42 or more points this season (Derek Edwardson, Mike Kompon and Greg Hogeboom). Edwardson is a finalist for this year's Hobey Baker Award.
* Head coach Enrico Blasi is in his fifth season at Miami (89-88-14 record).
* Derek Edwardson (17-31--48), Mike Kompon (14-31--45), Greg Hogeboom (19-23--42), Matt Christie (21-14--35) and Marty Guerin (13-19--32) are the team's leading scorers.
* Freshman Brandon Crawford-West (21-7-3, 2.49 GAA and .901 Sv%) is the team's top goaltender.
NORTH DAKOTA QUICK CHECKS
* The Fighting Sioux (29-7-3) are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years and the 19th in school history.
* North Dakota, the overall No. 1 seed in this year's tournament, lost 5-4 to Minnesota in the championship game of the 2004 WCHA Final Five on March 20.
* The Fighting Sioux are led by forwards Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise who are ranked second and third in the NCAA in scoring with 58 and 53 points, respectively. Bochenski and Parise are finalists for this year's Hobey Baker Award.
* Head coach Dean Blais is in his 10th season at North Dakota (261-114-33 record).
* Brandon Bochenski (26-32--58), Zach Parise (22-31--53), Brady Murray (19-25--44), Colby Genoway (11-23--34) and Drew Stafford (11-21--32) are the team's leading scorers.
* Freshman Jordan Parise (13-3-3, 2.21 GAA, .903 Sv%) and junior Jake Brandt (16-4-0, 2.25 GAA, .906 Sv%) are the team's top goaltenders.
HOLY CROSS QUICK CHECKS
* The Crusaders (22-9-4) blanked Sacred Heart 4-0 in the Atlantic Hockey final to earn the automatic NCAA bid.
* Holy Cross has four players with 30 or more points (Jeff Dams, Greg Kealey, Pierre Napert-Frenette and Andrew McKay).
* Head coach Paul Pearl is in his ninth season at Holy Cross (138-123-23 record).
* Jeff Dams (14-25--39), Greg Kealey (15-19--34), Pierre Napert-Frenette (16-17--33), Andrew McKay (13-20--33) and James Sixsmith (10-18--28) are the team's leading scorers.
* Sophomore Tony Quesada (17-5-2, 2.19 GAA and .926 Sv%) is the team's top goaltender.
PIONEERS ALL-TIME VS. NORTH DAKOTA AND HOLY CROSS
If No. 2-seed Denver defeats No. 3-seed Miami (Ohio) on Friday and No. 1-seed North Dakota defeats No. 4-seed Holy Cross, the Pioneers and Fighting Sioux will meet for the fifth time this season in the West Regional championship game on Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m. MT. North Dakota won the regular-season series against Denver, 3-0-1, and outscored the Pioneers 21-6 in the four games. Denver is 99-123-7 (.448) all-time against North Dakota in the series that started in 1950.
If Denver defeats Miami and North Dakota loses to Holy Cross, the Pioneers and Crusaders will battle in the first meeting between the schools in the West Regional championship game.
PIONEERS VS. RANKED TEAMS
Denver is 9-6-2 against ranked teams following its sweep of No. 15 Colorado College (3-1, 3-2) on March 4-5. The Pioneers swept seventh-ranked Minnesota (6-2, 6-3) on Feb. 27-28 in Denver. The Pioneers lost (6-1) and tied (1-1 OT) No. 1 North Dakota on Jan. 30-31. The Pioneers swept sixth-ranked St. Cloud State on Dec. 12-13. The Pioneers defeated the Huskies, 4-1, on Dec. 12 and 3-2 on Dec. 13. Denver defeated No. 14 Ohio State (5-2) to start the season, split two games each against No. 10 Minnesota (2-6, 4-3) and No. 6 Colorado College (5-2, 1-4) and lost two games at home against No. 1 North Dakota (2-8, 2-6) on Nov. 21-22. Denver tied (2-2 OT) and lost (3-1) against No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 5-6.
MILESTONES WATCH
* Goaltender Adam Berkhoel needs one win to move into sole possession of seventh place on Denver's career wins list. Berkhoel also needs four shutouts to top the Denver career shutouts list.
* Senior defenseman Ryan Caldwell needs four penalty minutes to move into third on Denver's career penalty-minutes list.
SCORING STREAKS
Goals - Gabe Gauthier 2 (2-0--2)
Assists - Matt Carle 7 (1-11--12), Brett Skinner 2 (0-2--2)
Points - Matt Carle 7 (1-11--12), Gabe Gauthier 7 (5-2--7)
ON THE HORIZON
The winner of West Regional advances to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston, Mass., on April 8-10.
