Photo by: Scott Casey
With a rollercoaster ride of a season, the University of Denver hockey stunned the hockey world by finishing on top.
The team started out this year striving to win the national championship, as it usually does. Starting off the season with five wins in the first eight games, the Pioneers opened the season looking as though this could be the year that they could go all the way.
The first third of the season turned out great after beating powerful WCHA rivals Colorado College, Minnesota and Alaska-Anchorage. Along with this, DU won both the Wells Fargo Denver Cup and the Lefty McFadden tournament.
Then, according to Head Coach George Gwozdecky, disaster struck in the second half of the season.
“We had a lot of injuries to our regular starters, so it hurt us pretty bad and we dropped down in the ranks,” said Gwozdecky.
Denver dropped out of the top 10 in the nation and no longer was in WCHA playoff position. The team lost two home games to future frozen four opponent University of Minnesota-Duluth and went winless in a home series against future playoff foe North Dakota.
The Pioneers ended having only five wins in a 15 game span. Dreams of an appearance in the frozen four had long faded and the WCHA playoff picture was starting to look bleak. Then things took a turn for the better.
The third part of the season started off with two home wins against Minnesota State-Mankato, with the first one being a 7-1 crushing. The Pioneers then ended the season with four key wins against two of the biggest teams on the schedule.
The first series was played against two-time national champion University of Minnesota. DU had managed to beat them one time in the previous series. The second series was against interstate rival Colorado College. DU outscored their soon to be WCHA opponnents 8-1 in the two games.
Gwozdecky said that the second thing he is most proud of is the heroics of the last part of the season.
“The ability of our guys to battle back from eighth place and get a bid into the NCAA tournament was great,” Gwozdecky said.
But he made sure to make it clear that for the first and third parts of the season the Pioneers were still one of the best teams in the country.
“The last third of the season we were one of the best teams in the country,” said Gwozdecky. “The first third we were one of the best teams in the country. So I never had a doubt that we would be able to get into the (NCAA) tournament and make it relatively far.”
He also feels that DU was falsely labeled as the Cinderella team.
“Cinderella teams can win a few games, but Cinderella teams can’t win national championships,” Gwozdecky said.
Knowing the Pioneers were more than a fluke, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper jumped into the action. He made bets against both Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson and Mayor Geoff Gordon from Orono, Maine.
“The city of Denver couldn’t be happier about the Pioneers’ national championship,” Hickenlooper said. “Denverites already knew we had the best collegiate hockey team, now the whole country knows.”
Gwozdecky said that the two most important players who helped them become national champions are senior captain Ryan Caldwell and goalie Adam Berkhoel. Gwozdecky said that he has confidence in next year seniors to replace the energy and leadership qualities that these two players possessed.
“We have got a lot of good players coming back and I have confidence in all of them,” said Gwozdecky. “I also know that [Glenn] Fisher will be able to replace Adam next year. Berkhoel taught Fisher just like Dubi taught him, and I am confident that he will be a solid number-one-goalie next year”.
Along with a strong starting goaltender, Denver has five of its six starting defensive players returning and top-scorer Gabe Gauthier.
He has confidence that a few prospects will also be able to put them back on top next year.
With strong goaltending, returning defensive players, and top scorers, look for DU to be back on top next year.
