The Denver Pioneers hockey team prepares for the biggest challenge of the season thus far when they take on Minnesota this weekend.
The Minnesota Gophers are the two-time defending NCAA champions and currently hold the No. 4 ranking in the country. It won’t be an easy game since the Gophers will be playing at home.
Lead by coach Don Lucia, the Gophers got a No. 1 ranking in this year’s pre-season Western Collegiate Hockey Association coach’s poll and were also a favored pick to win their third championship in a row.
Although any team that has won the national championship the last two years does have a large bulls-eye on their back, the team has 14 NHL draft picks and a record of 1-1.
In addition to the home crowd, the Gophers also have home ice advantage because they play on a bigger sheet of ice than here at DU.
This weekend’s games are “going to be a good measuring stick,” said Assistant Coach Seth Appert. “We are off to a good start, but Minnesota has lots of skill and it is a difficult place to play.
“We haven’t talked a lot about strategy for the game, but we will need to tweak some things. We are more concerned [with ourselves].”
The Gophers, however, will not be as dangerous as last year as they will not have last year’s No. 1 goaltender Travis Webber, who earned 2.5 goals against average and a 90.2 save percentage.
This year the task will fall into the hands of junior goalie Justin Johnson and freshman Kellen Briggs.
Johnson, who posted a higher goals against average than last year’s starter, is a veteran who will most likely not give up any easy goals.
Not much is known however about Briggs, who has little experience at the collegiate level.
The team will also have last year’s top four scorers on the team, the No. 1 being the sophomore from Granz, Austria, Thomas Vanek. On the other side of the blue line will be Minnesota’s top defenseman Joey Martin, the 6-foot-3-inch senior from Rogers, Minn.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, DU’s team is looking for an upset and a great start to this year’s campaign.
A strong group, with six NHL draft picks, returns for the 2003-2004 season trying to push DU into top contention for the WCHA.
Both goaltenders, all-star senior Adam Berkhoel and freshman Glen Fisher, had good starts against Northeastern and should remain in top form even after having the past weekend off from games.
Up front, the team will have proven scorers Conner James, Kevin Ulanski, Luke Fulghum and Jeff Drummond.
