Feb. 21, 2006

DENVER - The No. 11 Denver Pioneers (18-12-2, 15-7-2 WCHA) host No. 10 North Dakota (20-13-1, 13-11-0 WCHA) in a two-game WCHA series on Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. MT on Friday and 7:07 p.m. MT on Saturday. The games will be televised live on FSN-Rocky Mountain and broadcast live on KCKK AM 1600 (Friday), KKFN AM 950 "The Fan" (Saturday) and DenverPioneers.com (both nights).

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THIS WEEKEND'S STORYLINES

• DU and North Dakota are meeting for their second two-game series this season. DU earned a split (1-3, 7-2) in Grand Forks on Oct. 28-29.

• DU is third in the WCHA with 32 points, while North Dakota is fifth with 26 points.

• DU needs two points to clinch home ice for the WCHA Playoffs. The Pioneers need four points in their final four games to clinch a top-3 finish in the WCHA.

• The Pioneers are 14th in the latest PairWise Rankings.

• DU is 25-10-3 (.697) during the second half of the WCHA schedule since 2003-04.

• DU is 5-7-1 against ranked teams.

HOBEY BAKER AWARD CANDIDATE - #25 Matt Carle - www.carleforhobey.com

• Ranks first in WCHA overall scoring with 11-36--47.

• Ranks first in WCHA conference scoring with 9-30--39.

• On pace to become only the third defenseman to win WCHA scoring title.

• Leads all NCAA defensemen in goals (11), assists (36) and points (47).

• Leads WCHA in overall assist scoring with 36.

• Leads WCHA in conference assist scoring with 30.

• Leads NCAA in assists per game (1.12) and is fifth in points per game (1.47).

• Tied for first in WCHA conference power-play points with 21.

• Tallied career highs in assists (5) and points (5) in DU's 7-4 win over Minnesota State on Feb. 10.

• Tallied four assists in DU's 4-2 win at then-No. 2 Colorado College on Dec. 2.

• Leads team with a +16 plus/minus rating, while playing against opponents' top players every game.

• Leads team with 14 multi-point efforts, including one five-point game, two four-point games and four three-point games.

• Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 5, Dec. 19 and Feb. 13.

FOR OPENERS

• DU is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games.

• The Pioneers seek home ice in the WCHA Playoffs for the third consecutive year. The last time DU was on the road for the first round of the playoffs was during the 2002-03 season. The Fighting Sioux ended the Pioneers' 2002-03 season by winning the best two-of-three series on March 14-16.

• North Dakota leads the all-time series 124-105-7 (.540) against DU.

• The Pioneers are 8-5-1 at Magness Arena, including a 13-9-1 mark on NHL-sized ice sheets.

• DU plays its final four regular-season games against two ranked opponents (No. 10 North Dakota and No. 5 Colorado College).

LAST TIME VS. NORTH DAKOTA

DU split a two-game series at North Dakota on Oct. 28-29. The Fighting Sioux ended a five-game losing streak to Denver with their 3-1 win in game one. North Dakota scored three first-period goals and Jordan Parise tallied 27 saves to earn the win. Chris Butler tallied DU's lone goal off a feed from Geoff Paukovich. DU lost freshman standout Brock Trotter for the season when he suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the first period. Glenn Fisher stopped 22 shots in the loss. DU earned the series split with a 7-2 win in game two. All-American Matt Carle scored two goals and goaltender Peter Mannino stopped 25 shots to lead Denver in the finale. Ryan Dingle, Gabe Gauthier, Ryan Helgason, Paul Stastny and Tom May added goals in the decisive win. Philippe Lamoureaux (18 saves) took the loss in net for North Dakota. DU was 3-for-17 (17.6%) on the power play in the series, while UND finished 3-for-11 (27.3%).

LAST TIME OUT

The No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers used a three-goal first period and goaltender Kellen Briggs stopped 22 shots in a 5-1 win over the Denver Pioneers in WCHA action on Feb. 18 before 10,215 fans at Mariucci Arena. With the win, Minnesota (21-6-5, 16-5-3 WCHA) completed its two-game sweep of DU (18-12-2, 15-7-2 WCHA) and moved two points ahead of second-place Wisconsin and three points ahead of third-place Denver in the battle for the MacNaughton Cup. Danny Irmen scored two goals and Ben Gordon, Ryan Stoa and Alex Goligoski added one goal each as Minnesota improved to 7-0-1 in its last eight games. Co-captain Gabe Gauthier extended his point streak to seven games by scoring DU's lone goal and Peter Mannino stopped 36 shots in defeat. Phil Kessel added three assists and Chris Harrington and Goligoski two each for Minnesota. Minnesota struck twice in the first 1 minute and 37 seconds of the game. Irmen redirected a Harrington shot past Mannino at 1:08 on the power play for the first goal and Gordon buried a Kessel feed 29 seconds later to make it 2-0. Irmen added his second goal when he ripped a Kessel rebound past Mannino at 8:34. Stellar goaltending by Briggs and Mannino kept it a two-goal game until Gauthier banged in a rebound to get the Pioneers on the scoreboard in the second stanza. However, Minnesota's Stoa buried a feed from Ryan Potulny off the faceoff just eight seconds later to make it 4-1 after two periods. Goligoski's power-play goal at 10:01 in the third period made the final 5-1. Minnesota outshot DU, 41-23, in the game and converted 2-of-8 power-play chances. DU finished 0-for-5 with the man-advantage.

ABOUT THE PIONEERS

• The Pioneers have been led this season by Hobey Baker Award candidate Matt Carle (11-36--47), Paul Stastny (11-30--41), Gabe Gauthier (13-20--33), Ryan Dingle (20-12--32), and Chris Butler (7-14--21). Carle and Stastny rank first and second, respectively, in WCHA conference scoring. Dingle leads DU in goals (20), power-play goals (12), shorthanded goals (2) and game-winning goals (6). Gauthier and Dingle each bring season-high, seven-game point streaks into this weekend's series, while Butler is tied for fifth among WCHA rookies in overall scoring.

• Goaltenders Glenn Fisher (8-6-2, 2.58 GAA and .904 Sv%) and Peter Mannino (10-6-0, 2.49 GAA and .910 Sv%) have rotated all season. Fisher is expected to start Feb. 24 and Mannino on Feb. 25. Fisher is 3-1-0 with a 3.12 GAA and .890 Sv% in five games against UND, while Mannino is 2-1-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .950 Sv% in three games against UND. Mannino stopped a career-high 44 shots in DU's 4-1 victory over the Fighting Sioux in last year's NCAA title game.

• Adrian Veideman (3-11--14), J.D. Corbin (4-8--12), Ryan Helgason (8-3--11), Patrick Mullen (7-4--11) and Geoff Paukovich (4-6--10) have all contributed 10 or more points this season.

• Paul Stastny leads DU in penalties (28) and penalty minutes (75). DU is averaging 7.2 penalties per game for 17.8 penalty minutes, while opponents are averaging 8.3 penalties per game for 20.6 penalty minutes.

• DU has outscored its opponents, 51-31, on special teams this season.

• DU boasts the No. 4 power play in college hockey at 21.8%. The Pioneers are 17-5-1 when scoring with the man-advantage.

• DU is 0-7-0 when allowing four or more goals and 0-10-1 when trailing after two periods.

• DU has scored at least one power-play goal in 17 of 18 wins this season.

• DU is 14-1 when allowing two goals or less and 15-0 when leading after two periods.

• DU has been shutout three times this season, the most since the 1999-2000 team was blanked five times.

PIONEERS ALL-TIME VS. NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota leads the all-time series 124-105-7 (.540) that dates back to the 1949-50 season. DU is 57-45-3 (.557) all-time against North Dakota in Denver. DU is 4-1 in its last five games against the Fighting Sioux and 6-3-1 in its last 10. The Pioneers are just 1-8-1 against North Dakota in their last 10 games in Denver. The losing team has been held to two goals or less in the last 15 games between the teams.

NORTH DAKOTA QUICK HITS

• North Dakota is 20-13-1 overall and 13-11-0 (fifth) in the WCHA.

• The Fighting Sioux swept (4-0, 5-1) Minnesota Duluth last weekend in Grand Forks.

• North Dakota has posted four consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins.

• Head coach Dave Hakstol has posted a 45-28-6 mark in two seasons at UND.

• Drew Stafford (20-16--36), Travis Zajac (11-22--33), T.J. Oshie (17-15--32), Rastislav Spirko (8-15--23) and Jonathan Toews 913-8--21) are UND's leading scorers.

• Goaltender Jordan Parise (15-6-1, 2.17 GAA and .932 Sv%) was named Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Feb. 20-26.

DU PLAYER NOTES

• Zach Blom (1-1--2) has played in 10 games. He recorded his first career multi-point game with his first career goal and an assist against Air Force.

• Chris Butler (7-14--21) was held pointless at Minnesota after tallying 1-4--5 against Minnesota State. Butler is tied for fifth in WCHA overall rookie scoring. He has tallied six multi-point games, including two three-point efforts. Butler is tied for third on the team with five power-play goals. He was the Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week for Dec. 5-11 and was a member of the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team that finished fourth at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship. Butler missed two games against St. Cloud State due to a shoulder injury.

• Matt Carle (11-36--47) tallied one assist at Minnesota after netting six assists against Minnesota State. Carle set career highs in assists (5) and points (5) in DU's 7-4 win on Feb. 10. Carle has earned three Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. He tallied a then career-high four assists against Colorado College on Dec. 2 and added three assists against CC on Dec. 3. He leads all NCAA blueliners with 11 goals, 36 assists and 47 points. He has netted 14 multi-point efforts this season and 30 in his brilliant three-year career. Carle, who was INCH National Player of the Week for Dec. 5-11, has tallied 29-87--116 in 105 career games. Carle ranks among DU's career records for defenseman in assists (4th), points (T-4th) and goals (8th). Carle leads the team with a +16 plus/minus rating and is tied for 51st on DU's all-time scoring list.

• Steve Cook (1-1--2) has played in 23 games. He scored his first goal as a Pioneer in the 3-3 overtime tie against Minnesota and added an assist against UMass. Cook has committed seven penalties for 17 minutes.

• J.D. Corbin (4-8--12) is tied for fourth in the WCHA with two shorthanded goals. Corbin's shorthanded goal was the game-winner in DU's 5-2 win over St. Cloud State on Jan. 14. He recorded two consecutive game-winning assists at Wisconsin and tallied two assists against UAA on Jan. 28. Corbin missed one game with a foot injury (Nov. 12) and tallied three assists during a three-game point streak from Oct. 15-22.

• Ryan Dingle (20-12--32) tallied one goal and one assist at Minnesota. Dingle served an automatic one-game suspension on Jan. 20 for his checking-from-behind game disqualification penalty on Jan. 14. He returned to the lineup on Jan. 21 and scored two goals in DU's 4-2 win over Wisconsin. Dingle is tied for first in the nation in game-winning goals (6), tied for second in power-play goals (12) and tied for 10th in shorthanded goals (2). Dingle has recorded scoring points in 22 of 31 games, including five two-goal efforts. He earned Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors for Nov. 7-13 after netting four goals, including both game-winners, in DU's two-game sweep against Michigan Tech. Dingle leads DU in goals (20), power-play goals (12), game-winning goals (6) and tied for the team lead in shorthanded goals (2). He tallied 6-12--18 last season.

• T.J. Fast (1-5--6) netted his first career goal (shorthanded) against SCSU on Jan. 14. He has played in all 32 games and has committed 13 penalties for 26 minutes.

• Glenn Fisher (8-6-2, 2.58 GAA and .904 Sv%) tallied his first career shutout with 28 saves against Wisconsin on Jan. 20. Fisher stopped a career-high 39 shots in DU's 4-2 win over Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 16. He has defeated Air Force, Michigan Tech, Colorado College, Alaska Anchorage (twice), Minnesota Duluth Wisconsin and Minnesota State.

• Gabe Gauthier (13-20--33) tallied 1-1--2 at Minnesota after recording 2-2--4 against Minnesota State. He has netted 4-6--10 during his current season-high, seven-game point streak. Gauthier is second on the team with nine power-play goals and is tied for 20th on DU's all-time scoring list with 65-84--149 in 157 career games. Gauthier is second on DU's career power-play goals list with 31 and tied for third on DU's career game-winning goal list with 14. Gauthier has tallied 10 multi-point games, including three three-point efforts.

• Mike Handza (2-2--4) has played in all 32 games. Handza has tallied game-winning goals at UMD (12/17) and UAA (1/28). He has committed 11 penalties for 30 penalty minutes.

• Ryan Helgason (8-3--11) is fifth on the team with eight goals and is tied for second on the team with a +4 plus/minus rating. Helgason has tallied two multi-point games and has committed 10 penalties for 31 penalty minutes.

• Peter Mannino (10-6-0, 2.49 GAA and .910 Sv%) has won four of his last five starts. He stopped DU's three-game losing streak with 31 saves and a career-high two assists against St. Cloud State on Jan. 14. Mannino saved a season-high 42 shots against Ferris State and recorded his sixth career shutout against UMass. He has defeated Notre Dame, North Dakota, Michigan Tech, UMass, Colorado College, Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State, Wisconsin, Alaska Anchorage and Minnesota State. He has allowed 20 goals in his last 10 starts.

• Julian Marcuzzi (0-0--0) has played in 23 games and has committed three penalties for six minutes.

• Tom May (4-3--7) netted his fourth goal against Ferris State on Dec. 31. May recorded his first career multi-point game against UND on Oct. 29.

• Brock McMorris (0-0--0) has played in five games and has committed one penalty for two minutes.

• Patrick Mullen (7-4--11) has played in 30 games. He netted his first two-goal game in DU's 5-1 win over Minnesota State on Feb. 11. Mullen has scored two power-play goals and has committed 10 penalties for 20 minutes.

• Ted O'Leary (0-0--0) has played in 30 games and has committed four penalties for eight minutes. He is pointless in his last 39 games.

• Geoff Paukovich (6-4--10) has 4-2--6 in his last eight games. He tallied back-to-back, game-winning goals at Wisconsin on Jan. 20-21. He is second on the team in penalty minutes (64) and tied for third in penalties (21).

• Paul Stastny (11-30--41) tallied one assist at Minnesota. He earned his first WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor and first INCH National Player of the Week honor after netting 3-3--6 against Minnesota State. Stastny is second in WCHA conference scoring (10-26--36) and tied for fifth in overall scoring. Stastny has tallied two career-high, four-point games. He has racked up 13 multi-point games and leads DU in penalties (28) and penalty minutes (75).

• J.P. Testwuide (0-4--4) has played in 25 games, including one start at forward on Jan. 20 at Wisconsin. He has committed 14 penalties for 39 minutes and tallied his fourth career assist against UMD on Dec. 17.

• Andrew Thomas (1-3--4) netted his first goal at UAA on Jan. 28. Thomas is third on the team in penalty minutes (53) and tied for third in penalties (21). He recorded his first career power-play point against UAA on Dec. 9.

• Brock Trotter (3-2--5) is out for the season after severing his right Achilles tendon at North Dakota on Oct. 29.

• Adrian Veideman (3-11--14) has played in 24 games. He has netted three multi-point games, including a career-high 1-2--3 at UMass. Veideman missed eight games from Dec. 2-31 with a shoulder injury.

SPECIAL TEAMS HAVE BEEN SPECIAL

The Pioneers have outscored opponents, 51-31, on special teams this season. DU has generated 25 more power-play opportunities than its opponents, outscoring them 45-29 with the man-advantage. The Pioneers have also scored six shorthanded goals, including two against Notre Dame (10/22) and St. Cloud State (1/14). DU has scored at least one power-play goal in 17 of 18 wins.

SUPER SOPHS

The University of Denver sophomore class of Ryan Dingle, Peter Mannino, Tom May, Geoff Paukovich, Paul Stastny and Andrew Thomas has tallied nine of the team's 18 game-winning goals. The sophomores have accounted for 35 percent of the team's point scoring and 39 percent of the team's goal scoring.

PAUKOVICH AND BUTLER HELP TEAM USA TO FOURTH-PLACE FINISH AT WORLD JUNIORS

DU hockey standouts Geoff Paukovich and Chris Butler helped Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia. Team USA finished with a 3-3-1 record, but lost to Finland, 4-2, in the bronze medal game on Jan. 5. Paukovich scored a goal in Team USA's 2-2 tie against Switzerland and added six hits and two blocked shots per game. Butler was a regular on Team USA's special teams, but missed the rest of the tournament after suffering a shoulder injury against Switzerland.

MAGNESS MAGIC CONTINUES

The Pioneers have sold out Magness Arena 34 consecutive times dating back to last season's home opener on Oct. 22, 2004. Denver averaged 6,067 fans per game for 20 home games last season and posted a 16-3-1 mark in those games. DU is 8-5-1 at Magness this season and is averaging 6,084 fans after 14 sellouts.

DU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

The Pioneers are 5-7-1 against ranked opponents following their two losses at top-ranked Minnesota on Feb. 17-18. DU earned a two-game sweep at then-No. 1 Wisconsin. DU also swept then-No. 2 Colorado College on Dec. 2-3. DU captured its other win against a ranked opponent on Oct. 28 at then-No. 6 North Dakota (7-2) on Oct. 28.

CARLE AND GAUTHIER NAMED TO ALL THREE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS

DU standouts Matt Carle and Gabe Gauthier have earned preseason All-America recognition by College Hockey News, USCHO.com and Inside College Hockey. Carle is a consensus first-team selection on all three teams, while Gauthier is a first-team pick on two teams. Peter Mannino earned preseason second-team accolades by College Hockey News.

PIONEERS EARN NO. 1 RANKING FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

The back-to-back NCAA National Champion Denver Pioneers have extended their streak as the nation's top team to five years with their recent preseason No. 1 ranking by USCHO.com/CSTV. The ranking marks the fifth consecutive season the Pioneers have been ranked No. 1 at some point during each campaign. Denver's 112-43-14 record from 2001-05 was the third best among all NCAA Division I hockey teams. Michigan led the way with a 116-43-14 mark, followed by Minnesota (115-45-17), Denver, Colorado College (108-45-14), New Hampshire (104-41-20) and Maine (104-42-22).

NHL DRAFTED PIONEERS

Eight members of the University of Denver hockey team have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Four Pioneers were selected in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Paul Stastny (Colorado) and T.J. Fast (Los Angeles) were selected in the second round, while Chris Butler (Buffalo) and Andrew Thomas (Washington) were selected in the fourth round. In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Geoff Paukovich (Edmonton) was selected in the second round and J.D. Corbin (Colorado) was picked in the eighth round. Matt Carle (San Jose) was selected in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and Glenn Fisher (Edmonton) was picked in the fifth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

HALL OF FAME SONS

Paul Stastny and Patrick Mullen are the sons of Hockey Hall of Famers Peter Stastny and Joe Mullen, respectively. Peter Stastny scored 1,239 points in 16 NHL seasons, while Joe Mullen tallied 1,063 points in 16 NHL seasons. Mullen helped the Pittsburgh Penguins to Stanley Cup Championships in 1991 and 1992.

ON THE HORIZON

DU plays in-state rival Colorado College in a two-game home-and-home series on March 2-3.