Some traditions are meant to be broken. For the University of Denver Pioneers, the established makeup of the midfield has been revised. Under assistant coach and offensive coordinator Matt Brown, the midfield lines were notoriously constructed with a traditional middie, a speedy dodger and a composed feeder. United, the trio is a dynamic and challenging unit to defend because of each player’s strengths that balance out and harmonize into a collective whole.Continue reading Part Two: DU’s midfield transformation, the emergence of Teddy Sullivan and Joe Reid→
Photo: Courtesy University of Denver. This rendering shows DU hockey’s Miller Complex locker room when complete
The University of Denver is undergoing an athletic transformation that many fans may not see but are, nonetheless, critical to DU’s success now and in the future.
Of course, fans want to see the glitzy, visible additions like the new Denver Tennis Park and the upgraded Hamilton Gym with a new synthetic playing surface for volleyball that an anonymous donor purchased this past season.
But, there are a number of ‘behind the scenes’ improvements that are keys to recruiting and sustaining athletic excellence. And many of these are being supported by donors who have become an ever more critical part of DU athletics capital campaigns now and in the future. Continue reading Behind the scenes upgrades keep DU in Division I arms race→
As the NHL regular season wrapped up this past weekend, many of the teams that missed the playoffs began to make new plans to replace their coaches. In a league that is so dependent on attendance, luxury suites, and merchandise sales, a losing season nearly requires teams to consider a change in their head coaches.
Some teams are rewarded for their patience, such as the local Colorado Avalanche who turned their season around under a new coach, Jared Bednar, from a paltry 48 points last season to 95 points this season and a playoff berth. But again, like last season’s expended courtship with the Florida Panthers, expect DU head coach Jim Montgomery’s name to be thrown into a number of NHL candidate pools as teams lower the ax. Continue reading Chasing Monty→
DU fans are most familiar with the number 33. That’s the new number of national team championships owned by the University of Denver. As of the beginning of this school year, Denver had 428 All- Americans. But expect that number to grow considerably.
DU fans have become so accustomed to these awards that many fail to fully appreciate just how rare and special they are for both the athlete and the institution. And, each sport in collegiate athletics applies a different formula to award this special designation.
Left: Troy Terry, Upper Right: Dylan Gambrell and Lower Right: Henrik Borgström
As expected, the talented Denver forward trio of Troy Terry, Henrik Borgström and Dylan Gambrell have all elected to forego their remaining NCAA hockey eligibility and have all signed three-year NHL Entry Level Contracts (ELCs) with the respective teams that held their draft rights. These ELCs have a maximum base salary of $925,000 per season, and the players may also earn signing and performance bonuses that may cap out at up to $3.75 million. All ELCs are two-way contracts, meaning that if the player is sent to play the AHL, they will be paid a minor league salary of about $70,000. Continue reading Terry, Borgström, Gambrell and Hillman All Leave Denver Early for NHL Contracts→
The University of Denver is better at hockey than Penn State. But that’s the way it’s supposed to be when a 69-year-old program plays a six-year-old program. For the second year in a row, the Pioneers beat the Nittany Lions in the NCAA Tournament. Last year it was a 6-3 victory in the second round and this year it was a dominant 5-1 victory in the first round. Continue reading Denver better at hockey than Penn State, advances to fourth straight Regional Final→
With 1:46 left in overtime, Colin Rutan found himself with time and space to the left of the net. He saw top-right twine just waiting to be graced with a ball’s presence. It was almost calling out to him. Rutan heard it, saw it, and found it. As soon as the ball hit the net and fell to the ground on the other side of the goal line, the Pioneers spilled off the sideline and mobbed Rutan for clinching an important 11-10 nonconference victory over the Towson Tigers. Continue reading Pioneers ride nine-goal second half, Colin Rutan heroics to win overtime thriller against Towson→
The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament is finally upon us. One year removed from winning their eighth national title, Denver is matched up with a familiar opponent, Penn State, in the Midwest regional semifinal…known in layman’s terms as the “first round”. The game is Saturday evening in Allentown, PA and LetsGoDU will be attending the watch-party at The Pioneers (details to come). Continue reading Denver-Penn State Q&A with Ben Jones of StateCollege.com→
The Denver Pioneers enter the NCAA Tournament as NCHC Champs against the Penn State Nittany Lions
After an impressive 4-1 win against the St. Cloud State Huskies last Saturday, the Denver Pioneers were crowned NCHC Conference champions. With goals from Kohen Olischefski, Jake Durflinger, Ryan Barrow, and Dylan Gambrell, the Pioneers showed that their depth played a major role in the game. But the bigger picture win is that the Pioneers beat a team who they shared the #1 USCHO ranking with all season in their own barn. That added confidence is a huge boost to the Pioneers going into the NCAA Tournament. Continue reading Denver Hockey Regional Semifinal Preview: Penn State→
ST. PAUL, Minn. – In what might have been the best, most complete performance of the season, the #4 University of Denver Pioneers beat the #1 St. Cloud State University Huskies 4-1 to become the first program to win two NCHC Championships. Denver finally ended their three-year streak of losing in the NCHC Semifinal and after winning the only trophy that eluded their grasp a year ago, they’re heading into the NCAA Tournament with as much momentum as they could have hoped for. Continue reading Pioneers muzzle Huskies to take second NCHC title, enter NCAA Tournament on high note→
