All posts by LetsGoDU

Maine’s Third Period Surge Forges 3-3 Tie

Knowledgeable hockey fans knew Maine had a solid team coming into Denver (12-8-1, 8-2-0). However, few would have predicted Maine’s results – in convincing fashion no less. The Maine Black Bears were by far the superior team all weekend and they added the exclamation point Saturday night with a late third period comeback tie (and shootout ‘win’). Continue reading Maine’s Third Period Surge Forges 3-3 Tie

DU a Step Slow, Falls to Maine, 5-2

It was a lethargic #6 Denver hockey team (12-7-1, 8-2-0) that came off a 20-day break. It could have been tryptophan, star forward Eric Pohlkamp returning late from the Spangler Cup in Switzerland, and/or the absence of Brendan Morrow at the World Junior Championship (with a broken finger). Or, maybe, just give these Blackbears credit for rolling into Magness and taking this game from the Pioneers. And yes, the final score of 5-2 fairly reflected Maine’s on-ice dominance over DU on the night. Continue reading DU a Step Slow, Falls to Maine, 5-2

Upheaval Plagues College Sports at Year’s End

Earlier last month, a U.S. House bill, the SCORE Act, was pulled for further work. Endorsed by the NCAA’s College Sports Commission, the goal of the bill was to create and enforce a set of uniform, federal rules to regulate name, image, and likeness (NIL), revenue sharing and add controls to the transfer portal. The opponents to the bill argued that the legislation came at the expense of athletes and was a gift to the NCAA and the Power conferences. The bill would have permitted the NCAA to cap NIL deals, set a limit on transfers, establish fair-market-value on NIL deals, and limit conflicts with existing university sponsorship deals. Finally, the bill stopped athletes from becoming employees and shielded the NCAA and the Commission from antitrust and state court lawsuits. The argument by the legislative opposition contended that this legislation was not ready for ‘prime time.’ Continue reading Upheaval Plagues College Sports at Year’s End

LetsGoDU’s Top 10 Articles of 2025

Our Top 10 articles over the past year:

10. Denver Rides Matt Davis Heroics to 6th Frozen Four in 9 Years 

Denver Hockey is always a top story. Goalie Matty Davis and head coach David Carle led the Pioneers to the Frozen Four in St. Louis.

9. Breaking – Denver to Join the West Coast Conference

We’ve written about the need to join the WCC for years. When we least expected it, DU received and accepted an offer to join the WCC.

8. University of Denver Titan, Daniel L. Ritchie, Dies at Age 93

‘Titan’ says it all. Dan Ritchie will always be remembered as a true Pioneer as he returned Denver athletics to the Division I ranks and witnessed numerous national championships.

7. Gondola Project Set to Address Campus Navigation Issues

Our readers appreciate satire, especially when it comes to North Dakota or Colorado College. However, this April Fool’s article was Reid Hardy’s most-read piece in 2025.

6. Recapping DU’s Incredibly Terrible Mascot and Identity Decisions since 1998

Originally written in 2018, readers still return to this piece written by Puck Swami. The article reminds us that Denver alumni, fans, and friends are passionate about tradition and identity.

5. DU Hockey Alumnus Faces Cancer Battle

Some things are bigger than sports. The DU community was asked to support a fallen Pioneer. Rhett Rakhshani’s wife, Sharlene (Shar), 31, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer. A GoFundMe was established to support Shar and their three children. Shar sadly passed a little over a year (in January 2024) after that original December 2022 article was posted, with that article receiving more attention after her sad passing.

4. Vote of ‘No Confidence”, failed or otherwise, damages both the Faculty and Administration

At the end of last academic year, Chancellor Haefner was given a vote of ‘No Confidence’ by the faculty – a big mistake in our opinion.  We contend that open discussion and engagement would have been much more fruitful and productive.

3. Local Gathering Place, Brueggers Bagels, Abruptly Closes

Readers want to learn about changes around the DU campus. The closing of Bruegger’s Bagels and Pete’s Cafe were two of the numerous retail transformations around the DU campus this past year.

2. Jeff Wulbrun Out: How it all Unraveled

Denver’s former head men’s basketball coach was suspended ‘in-season’ in a stunning turn of events. People had plenty of opinions and shared them on LetsGoDU.

  1. The Most Successful College Hockey Programs Over the Last 25 Years and All Time

The top read for the past year was written by LetsGoDU editor, Nick Tremaroli. Nick did an in-depth statistical analysis of all Division I men’s hockey programs over the history of the sport and developed a scoring system and ranking to numerically determine the top programs of the past 25 years and all time. The article encouraged vigorous debate inside and outside of the LetsGoDU community. Of course, to us, DU’s finish is not a surprise, but a school to the south of Denver did much better than expected.

As always, thanks for reading LetsGoDU and sharing your many thoughts with us. We, like you, are looking forward to another great year in 2026 that will see DU make its long-awaited transition to the WCC.

1st Place DU Passes Physical Test Against Miami to Earn NCHC Sweep

DU hockey (11-5-1, 7-1-0 NCHC) and its fans knew this was going to be a challenging night. Sweeping this version of the #19 Miami RedHawks (10-6-0, 2-6-0 NCHC) was no easy task, and the 5-2 final score was not indicative of how hard-fought the game was on Saturday night. It was physical, ‘big boy’ hockey. This is the NCHC, and nearly every game is a mental and physical test – especially for this young Denver team. Continue reading 1st Place DU Passes Physical Test Against Miami to Earn NCHC Sweep

Former Denver Hockey Captain Kevin Dineen in the Fight of His Life

No Shave November/’Movember’ has ended, but cancer never rests. The battle against cancer just got personal for Pioneer hockey nation. Former DU hockey captain Kevin Dineen announced three days ago on Twitter that he is battling pancreatic cancer. Dineen, with the support of his wife, Annie, and four children, is on the front lines of a battle against the disease. Continue reading Former Denver Hockey Captain Kevin Dineen in the Fight of His Life

Thanksgiving Week Features a Full Day of Hockey on Saturday, November 29th

It is U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Week! The University of Denver and the DU Alumni Council are hosting the Holiday Hat Trick —three events, a full day of hockey — on Saturday, November 29. It’s a holiday week, so take family and friends to a busy hockey Saturday. Continue reading Thanksgiving Week Features a Full Day of Hockey on Saturday, November 29th