Without playing a game last weekend, the men’s hockey team ascended to the No. 2 in the national rankings following back-to-back losses by the then-No. 1-ranked team, Yale.
The Pioneers (16-5-5, 12-3-3 WCHA) carry their new rankings into a weekend series against long-time rival No. 20 Colorado College (15-12-1, 9-9 WCHA), where they will attempt to claim the Gold Pan Trophy for the second year in a row.
“It’s always special to get to play your rivals, and at this point in the year every point matters, which makes it all the more important,” said head coach George Gwozdecky. “We want to retain the Golden Pan, so it makes for a great setting for a huge rivalry.”
Earlier this season, the Pioneers split their first series with the Tigers, winning 4-1 in Magness Arena on Nov. 5. The following night, DU was exposed and beaten badly, 9-2, on the road.
“CC got motivated in that second game, and they wanted to get back at us,” said Gwozdecky.
In addition to getting revenge, Gwozdecky cites CC’s Olympic-sized rink as the reason for the blowout loss in game two.
Denver enters the series as one of the hottest teams in the country, without a loss in their past eight games, while recording a 12-1-3 record since the loss to the Tigers.
Although the team benefited from having the week off, their second of the month, Gwozdecky says the team will need to adjust quickly on Friday in Colorado Springs after not being competing on the ice for over ten days.
“The tendency of having a week off is that it affects timing offensively,” said Gwozdecky.
The team will be challenged throughout the weekend by a pair of CC seniors and a pair of brothers. Seniors Tyler Johnson and Stephen Schultz currently lead the Tigers in points with 30 and 28, respectively.
The other opposing tandem that DU must contain are brothers Rylan and Jaden Schwartz, who are the only other two players with 20 or more points this season for the Tigers. Rylan, a sophomore, leads the team with 21 assists.
“They are really top-notch up-front and they have several dynamic forwards,” said Gwozdecky.
If the Pioneers fall behind at any point, Gwozdecky says he has faith in his team to come back, noting that resurgence has become an admirable characteristic of this year’s team.
“We start slow, but finish fast,” said Gwozdecky. “It’s the great characteristic of this team, they are not afraid to play from behind and that has been evident.”
In addition to the possible sluggish start this weekend, the bye week hindered DU in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings, as the Pioneers fell a point behind North Dakota (19-8-2, 14-6 WCHA).
The Fighting Sioux regained control of the conference by shutting out Colorado College 6-0 on Saturday night in Colorado Springs, which ended CC’s three-game win streak.
In the final five weeks of the season, DU won’t get to play UND again. In order to win the WCHA regular season crown for the second consecutive year, Gwozdecky insists the Pioneers will need to continue what they’ve been doing over the past two months.
“Winning is the only proven formula to make sure you end up at the top and in a good position come the postseason,” said Gwozdecky. “We are in a good position and we want to maintain that position.”
As for the national rankings, Gwozdecky says the Pioneers aren’t paying close attention to them, instead focusing on the remaining part of the regular season and the WCHA postseason.
“It’s the time of year you start watching [the national rankings], but we only ever give minimal amount of attention to it,” said Gwozdecky. “It flucuates a lot, because your ranking is altered by every game played around the nation.”
Now that the bye has passed, Denver has five consecutive weekends of two-game series’ until the WCHA playoffs on March 11. With no breaks remaining, Gwozdecky says the team must remain healthy to preserve their chances of making it far in the postseason.
Whether or not the rest in January proves to be excessive, DU must use it to their advantage in the crucial final weeks of the season.
“I am glad the off weeks are over with,” said Gwozdecky. “It helped us heal our inuries, but it’s a good thing to get back on the ice and get to play hockey these next five weeks.”
