GAME #21
#17/RV DENVER PIONEERS (10-6-4, 4-3-1-1 NCHC)
vs. #2/2 St. Cloud State (11-2-3, 6-1-1-0 NCHC)
Date: Friday, January 10, 2014
Puck Drop: 7:37 p.m. (MT)
Site: Denver, Colo.
Arena: Magness Arena (6,026)
TV: Live on ROOT Sports with Mike Evans (play-by-play), Charlie Host (color) and Jenny Cavnar (sideline) on the call.
Internet: Live audio stream via PioneerVision
Radio: Live on 102.3 FM and 105.5 FM ESPN Radio with Jay Stickney (play-by-play) and Norm Jones (color) on the call.
Twitter: @DU_Hockey
All-Time Series: Denver leads the all-time series vs. St. Cloud State 40-36-4. The Pioneers are 21-21-2 against St. Cloud in Denver in the all-time series.
Last Time Out: Joey LaLeggia, David Makowski and Nolan Zajac each registered two points as the Pios posted a 3-3 win last Friday at home against Brown. Sam Brittain made 40 saves in the draw - his second game with 40+ saves this season.
Up Next: Denver concludes its weekend series against St. Cloud State and its current homestand on Saturday, Jan. 11 with a 7:07 p.m. puck droop vs. the Huskies at Magness Arena.
DROPPING THE PUCK...
• Denver welcomes No. 2/2 St. Cloud State to Magness Arena this weekend for a crucial two-game NCHC series. The Pioneers will also be wrapping up their current three-game homestand this weekend before returning to the road next weekend for a two-game set with Minnesota Duluth.
• Friday’s game will mark Denver’s fifth this season against a ranked opponent. The Pioneers have posted a record of 2-1-1 against ranked foes this season and has outscored its opponents 8-7 over those previous four contests.
• This weekend’s series vs. No. 2/2 St. Cloud State will mark the first ranked team to visit Magness Arena this season.
• The Pioneers are 40-36-4 in the all-time series with St. Cloud State, which began in 1988-89. Denver dropped 3-of-4 meetings with the Huskies last season, including the last three straight.
• Denver is 21-21-2 against the Huskies in Denver. The two teams have posted six straight two-game series splits at Magness Arena.
• The Pioneers have only been defeated once since Nov. 8 - as Denver has posted an overall mark of 7-1-4 over its last 12 games and has outscored its opponents 31-22 over that span. The only blemish over the stretch was a 4-2 loss at Miami on Dec. 7.
• Sophomore Gabe Levin has posted eight points over the Pioneers’ last eight games and has registered at least one point in seven of the last eight games overall.
• Senior goalie Sam Brittain continues as one of the nation’s top net minders as he enters the weekend tied for first nationally with a 1.75 goals against average, third in save percentage at .941 and is tied for second with three shutouts. In addition his 1165:54 of playing time is the second-most of any goalie nationally.
• Denver’s defensive unit accounted for two of the Pioneers’ three goals and posted seven of the team’s nine total points in its 3-3 tie with Brown on Jan. 3.
• Freshman Trevor Moore and sophomore Nolan Zajac were honored by the NCHC with weekly honors for their play over the holiday break. Zajac was honored as the NCHC Defensive Player of the Week after compiling four assists over two games against UMass and Brown, while Moore was recognized as the NCHC Rookie for the Week for the second time this season after notching two goals, including the game winner against UMass on Dec. 17.
• Denver’s combined special teams are No. 3 nationally at 58.1 (111-of-191). The Pios penalty kill unit is No. 4 nationally at 88.9 (88-of-99) and its power play group checks in at No. 5 nationally at 25.0 (23-of-92).
• The Pioneers team offense sits at No. 43 among the national leaders with their average of 2.50 goals per game, while the defense ranks No. 3 in the nation allowing a scant 1.95 gpg.
• The Pioneers find themselves in fourth place in the NCHC standings entering Friday’s action with their current total of 14 points, one point behind third place North Dakota and five points behind league leading St. Cloud State (19 points).
• The Pioneers have only allowed their opponents a total of six power play goals over their last 48 opportunities with a man advantage.
PIONEERS KNOW NAIL BITERS...
• Entering Friday’s game vs. St. Cloud, a total of 12 of Denver’s 20 games have ended in a tie or been decided by a single goal.
• A total of nine of DU’s games have done to overtime this season, with the Pioneers owning a record of 1-4-4 in those contests.
• Denver’s 2-1 overtime win at No. 18 RPI on Dec. 13 marked its first win in extra time since it defeated Minnesota Duluth on March 16, 2012 bya 4-3 margin in double OT.
• The Pios’ Dec. 13 win at RPI snapped a 10-game streak for Denver in overtime without a win.
DENVER IN JANUARY...
• Friday’s game vs. St. Cloud will mark the Pioneers’ second this season in the month of January. Since 1994-95, Denver has posted an overall mark of 74-45-18 in games played during the calendar’s first month.
SCOUTING ST. CLOUD...
• St. Cloud enters this weekend’s series fresh off a split in its most recent collegiate action against Union on Dec. 13-14. Prior to its 4-1 home loss to Union on Dec. 13, the Huskies had not been defeated since a 2-0 setback vs. Miami on Nov. 8.
• Friday’s contest will mark the Huskies’ first collegiate game action since Dec. 14 - a span of 26 days.
• St. Cloud did see some game action on Jan. 4 when it defeated the USA U-18 Team on Jan. 4 at home by an 8-0 margin.
• St. Cloud and Denver have played two common opponents so far this season in Miami and Colorado College. St. Cloud split at home with Miami and posted a win and a tie vs. CC. Denver split on the road vs. Miami and defeated CC in a shootout in Colorado Springs before posting a 2-1 victory at home.
• Sophomore Jonny Brodzinski leads a total of eight Huskies that have registered double-figure points this season with 16 (8 goals, 8 assists).
• Senior Mic Dowd ranks second among St. Cloud’s point leaders at 15 (9 goals, 6 assists) and also paces the Huskies with four power play goals and three game winners.
• Junior Ryan Faragher mans the pipes for the Huskies and has made 14 starts this season while boasting a 2.08 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He is only allowing 1.61 goals per game over the first eight games of NCHC action.
• St. Cloud’s offense ranks tied for ninth nationally (3.50 goals per game) and its defense sits tied for fourth, allowing 1.95 goals per contest.
• St. Cloud’s combined special teams sit at 43rd nationally at 47.9 (57-of-119). The Huskies’ power play unit checks in at 16th (21.2) and the penalty kill sits at No. 32 (81.1).
DENVER BACK IN NATIONAL RANKINGS...
• The University of Denver hockey team is ranked No. 17 in the latest USCHO.com poll and received the 19th-most votes in the most recent USA Today/USA Hockey poll, both of which were released on Jan. 6.
• Denver received a total of five votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey top 15 – 19th most.
SECOND PERIOD DOMINANCE...
• Denver has outscored its opponents 27-12 in the second period over its first 20 games and has totaled eight games with multiple goals in the second and has scored in 14-of-20 second periods this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS...
• The Pioneers’ combined special teams rank third nationally at 111/191 (58.1)
• The penalty kill unit sits at No. 4 in the nation at 88.9 (88-of-99).
• The Pioneers’ power play unit checks in at fifth nationally with a 23-of-92 clip (25.0).
AT MAGNESS ARENA...
• The Pioneers are 196-87-19 all-time in 15 years of competition at Magness Arena.
• Denver is 7-3-1 on home ice in 2013-14 and have not been defeated in its last five overall.
INJURY REPORT...
• Freshman Brad Hawkinson is expected to miss the rest of the season and receive a medical redshirt due to an upper body injury suffered early in the season.
STREAKING...
• Freshman Trevor Moore continues to heat up as he registered two goals in the Dec. 17 win at UMass. Moore has totaled six goals and seven points overall in his last eight games.
• Moore ranks tied for 17th nationally among freshman for the season with his total of 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists).
• Sophomore Gabe Levin has tallied eight points in the last eight games (1 goal, seven assists). He has registered at least one point in seven of the Pios’ last eight games overall.
• Freshman Nick Neville has posted assists in each of the last two games.
• Junior David Makowski has tallied three points over the last two games.
• Sophomore Nolan Zajac has totaled four assist over the last two games.
• Junior Joey Laleggia recorded three points over the last two games.
BLUE LINE DOMINANCE...
• Denver’s blue line players rank tied for tied for second nationally as a group for most points by a defensive unit at 52 (18 goals, 34 assists) through the opening 20 games - just 13 points behind New Hampshire’s nation’s best total of 65.
• The Pioneers defensemen also have posted the second-most goals nationally as a unit with 18 - one behind Minnesota’s total (19).
• The Denver defense has posted 34 assists through the first 20 games - tied for 20th-most among defensive units nationally.
• Junior Joey LaLeggia ranks 12th nationally among defenseman in points at 0.75 per game (7 goals, 8 assists). Senior David Makowski sits at 19th overall with 7 goals and 7 assists (0.70 ppg).
• Last season Denver boasted the nation’s highest scoring defensive unit with 115 points - 36.6 percent of the team’s total output. A total of 89 of those points returned in 2013-14.
• The Pioneers’ defense registered 31 goals last season - also the most among any team nationally - and three more then the next closest team RIT (28).
PIOS DURING CURRENT STREAK...
• Denver has suffered only one defeat over its last 12 games - posting a mark of 7-1-4 over the current streak.
• The Pios have outscored their opponents 31-22 over the stretch entering Friday’s meeting with St. Cloud.
• Freshman Trevor Moore has paced the Pioneers on offense with a total of 11 points (8 goals, 3 assists).
• Junior Daniel Doremus (3 goals, 5 assists) and sophomore Gabe Levin (2 goals, 7 assists) have also contributed nine points apiece over the last 12 games.
• Senior goalie Sam Brittain has started all 12 games during the run and has registered a GAA of 1.70 and a save percentage of .943.
• Denver has posted a mark of 2-1-1 against ranked foes during the 12-game stretch and is a 4-0-1 on its home ice at Magness Arena.
