The Pioneer men’s hockey team is heading into the 2012-2013 season ranked No. 8 in the USA Today/USA Hockey preseason poll and were picked to finish third in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in the 94X WCHA preseason media poll. The team also ranks No. 6 in College Hockey News’ Preseason Top 10.

After finishing last season with an early exit from the NCAA tournament after falling 2-1 to Ferris State in the first round, the Pioneers quickly began gearing up for another season, which begins Oct. 6 with an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver.

“Starting once last season was over, the team got two weeks off. Then Matt Shaw, our strength and conditioning coach, took over and has been training them since late April through the summer in helping them get stronger, more powerful and more agile. I think his work has certainly paid off,” said head coach George Gwozdecky.

According to NCAA rules, as of Sept. 15, the coaching staff is unable to spend more than two hours on the ice with the team until the official season starts on Oct. 6, so Shaw’s workouts and the leadership of the captains in workouts have been key for the Pioneers.

Until it can resume with full coaching staff beginning on Oct. 6, the team has been skating with captain leadership for their practices.

“We are expecting to have a pretty hard-working team,” said senior defenseman and captain Paul Phillips. “We know that we are going to be good defensively, so every single night we know we are going to come out and it’s going to be tough to play against us, whether it’s hitting in the defensive zone or so on. We know we are going to be the hardest working team on the ice.”

While the first official game of the season is not until Oct. 19 with the at-home matchup against UMass Lowell, the team is already preparing to play at the their best, led by Phillips.

“We know UBC, and they’re really good every year, so we aren’t taking them lightly at all,” said Phillips. “It’s going to be a very tough game, and from my understanding, they’ve played a few games up in Canada. This is going to be our first test as a team together, so it’s going to be a tough one, but it will show where we need to work and show our strengths, too.”

Not only is the exhibition game going to be a test for the Pioneers, but it will also allow the players to learn to work together and to get to know each other before the official season starts.

Junior goaltender Sam Brittain said he is looking forward to capitalizing on the opportunity to familiarize himself with the new defensive line.

“I think it’s a good chance to get to know the new defensemen and for the team to get together,” said Brittain. “We’re still a few weeks away from when the season starts, but we want to make sure that we play hard and we get ready.”

According to Brittain, the team’s goalie position is no more certain at the start of this season than it was last year, with three eligible goalies fighting for ice time. Brittain, senior Adam Murray and sophomore Juho Olkinuora each could make appearances for the Pioneers this season.

Brittain was instrumental in the team’s success in the 2010-2011 season, but missed the first 25 games of last season with a knee injury. During his absence, Murray and Olkinuora defended the Pioneer goal and, after Brittain’s return, were forced to fight for ice time three ways. Brittain was also ranked No. 5 on USCHO.com’s Top 10 College Goalies.

“For myself, I want to play my best to give the team the best chance to win,” said Brittain. “Obviously with three goalies that can play, it’s going to be a fight for ice time, but I just want to play when I get the opportunity.”
 
This season is the Pioneers’ final season in the WCHA, within which Denver has won nine regular season championships and 14 playoff championships since the league’s creation in 1959.

At the close of the season, Denver will move into the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), along with Denver-rival Colorado College, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan for the 2013 season.

“The WCHA has been a great home to a number of schools, including DU,” said Gwozdecky. “The WCHA has had many changes over the years, and this won’t be the first. Even when I played in the WCHA in the 70s, it was different than now. The WCHA, like other conferences, has changed over the years, but we have been a member for many years, and a proud member at that. It’s been a great relationship. As usual, there are a number of schools in the conference that will be strong this year.”

After last season, the Pioneers were left with some voids to fill after forwards Jason Zucker, Beau Bennett and Drew Shore all moved on to the NHL. The team was also impacted by the graduation of Nate Dewhurst, John Lee, John Ryder, Luke Salazar and Dustin Jackson.

Joining the Pioneer ranks this season are freshmen forwards Garrett Allen, Grant Arnold, Gabe Levin and Quentin Shore, as well as defensemen Dakota Mermis and Nolan Zajac.

The team hopes to use these additions to fill the voids left by the team members who left at the end of last season.

“I think [coaches] Steve Miller and David Lassonde have done a terrific job bringing in the freshman class and filling the holes left last season, not only by the graduating seniors but the departure of Jason Zucker, Drew Shore and Beau Bennett,” said Gwozdecky. “Like every freshman class, it’s going to take them awhile to make the transition, not only in school but in this challenging conference.”

With the addition of the freshmen class, the team has been working hard to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead this season.

“The workouts are on a whole new level this year,” said Phillips. “We are all getting in there and working hard together; we are doing a lot of team stuff and we build strength like that. We’ve just been trying to get to know everyone and figure out chemistry so when we step on the ice for our first exhibition game, we are ready to go.”

With the expectations set by the preseason polls, the team is making sure to stay grounded and focus on themselves and their own expectations.

“I think that what we have inside the locker room and where we think we are as a team is different than the polls, and I know that with the talent that we have, for us we want to just make sure we exceed those expectations,” said Brittain.

As the season nears, the Pioneers will continue to gear up for the challenges to come, and, according to Gwozdecky, hope to exceed the expectations of the college hockey world.

“I think that when you talk to our peers and people who supposedly are the experts in college hockey, I think they all recognize that we have lost a great deal of firepower on offense,” said Gwozdecky. “I think people expect that DU is not going to be as good this season, but to be honest, I think we are going to be sneaky good. We’ve got great depth in the goal, and we are very deep on the blue line. There’s no question in my mind that, in order to build a successful team, you have to start from the goal out, and we have that.”