A single Carter Savoie power-play goal was not enough to sink the top-seed North Dakota Fighting Hawks despite a valiant defensive effort from the fifth-seed Denver Pioneers and the performance of the season from goaltender Magnus Chrona. North Dakota used a clutch, tipped shot off of Jasper Weatherby’s foot to tie the game in the waning minutes of regulation before Gavin Hain ripped a wrister from the high slot past Chrona on the power play in overtime to seal the victory for the hosts in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The fifth-seed Denver Pioneers will now leave their slim NCAA Tournament hopes up to the hockey gods and, more importantly, the selection committee. Continue reading Shorthanded Pioneers Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to North Dakota in Frozen Faceoff Semifinal
Category Archives: Men’s Sports
Wintry Weekend Update: Games Played & Postponed
Some games were played this past weekend while others were canceled or postponed as a heavy, wet spring storm rolled into Denver. The men’s lacrosse game against #4 Georgetown on Saturday at Peter Barton Stadium was moved to tomorrow afternoon. Women’s volleyball took to the court Friday evening at Hamilton Gym against South Dakota but their second match, scheduled for Saturday, was postponed. Men’s soccer against Omaha on the road was postponed. Women’s Tennis in Macomb, Illinois was postponed. Continue reading Wintry Weekend Update: Games Played & Postponed
Anatomy of a Summit League Men’s Basketball Coach
You might be surprised that one Summit League coach, Dave Richman from North Dakota State, had no prior head coach experience before joining the Bison. He worked his way up to an assistant role with his alma mater before getting the job. The highest level of head coaching experience by two other current Summit League coaches was high school. Each of the three had extensive experience as assistants, while two Summit League coaches had led DI programs in the past. One, Rob Jeter from Western Illinois, has even made two NCAA D1 Tournament appearances as head coach for UW-Milwaukee. UMKC’s Billy Donlon won 20+ games his last three seasons at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio Paul Sather (North Dakota), Darren Hanson (Omaha) and Todd Lee (South Dakota) came from the NCAA D2 ranks. The common thread for Summit League coaches is broad coaching experience working for a variety of distinguished head coaches and a significant level of success before their current assignment.
Continue reading Anatomy of a Summit League Men’s Basketball Coach
Bo Hanson’s First DU Goal Lifts Shorthanded Pioneers Over Mavericks in Frozen Faceoff Quarterfinal Thriller
Bo Hanson is a graduate transfer defenseman from St. Lawrence who had not scored a goal this year. The fifth-seeded Denver Pioneers traveled to Grand Forks, North Dakota for the Frozen Faceoff without eight players due to COVID-19 protocols and dressed just 16 skaters, nine of whom were forwards and as a result, Hanson played forward instead of defenseman. In a thrilling rollercoaster of a game, it was Hanson’s heroics, with five minutes left and just a minute and a half after the fourth-seeded Omaha Mavericks tied the game at four, which gave Denver the 5-4 victory and a berth in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals on Monday. Denver’s opponent on Monday is dependent on the result of the last quarterfinal, between Western Michigan and Minnesota Duluth, tonight. Continue reading Bo Hanson’s First DU Goal Lifts Shorthanded Pioneers Over Mavericks in Frozen Faceoff Quarterfinal Thriller
Denver Hockey Frozen Faceoff Preview: Omaha
While it feels like just yesterday that we kicked off the NCHC season in Omaha in the pod, we’ve finally arrived at the 2021 Frozen Faceoff. The Pioneers finish with an overall record of 9-12-1 in a very difficult season for all of the student-athletes. You have to commend them for playing through such condensed schedules, constant testing, and spending a lot of time away from campus. Denver finished their season with a pair of wins against Colorado College, but they haven’t played since February 27th. They face the Omaha Mavericks in a sudden-death game to advance to the semifinals on Monday.
Continue reading Denver Hockey Frozen Faceoff Preview: Omaha
Pioneers to Skate Shorthanded at Frozen Faceoff Due to COVID
According to College Hockey News, the University of Denver (9-12-1) will be short-handed headed into Saturday’s first-round showdown with Omaha (14-9-1) at the new-look, single-elimination NCHC Frozen Faceoff in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Continue reading Pioneers to Skate Shorthanded at Frozen Faceoff Due to COVID
DU Men’s Hoops Coach Criteria May Attract Division 2 Candidates
While doing research on head coach candidates for the University of Denver men’s basketball team, there are a number of promising assistant coaches in the collegiate ranks but, based on recent experience, Denver would be unlikely to select a candidate without direct head coaching experience. While many of the highly respected DI assistant coaches are well-known for their recruiting skills, they may not possess in-game coaching skills. Finally, most Power-5 assistants make well over DU’s salary guidelines, so we focused on successful NCAA D2 coaches. Continue reading DU Men’s Hoops Coach Criteria May Attract Division 2 Candidates
Denver Weekend Update: Big Weekend for Brooms
DU was on both ends of the broom this weekend.
Denver volleyball (9-1) swept North Dakota on the road 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-14) and 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-21) to go 9-1 in the Summit League. Denver women’s soccer (8-1, 8-0) swept North Dakota State University at Diane Wendt Field by scores of 1-0 and 3-0. Sami Feller’s header won the first match at 62:10 while three players scored goals in match two for the sweep. Denver men’s soccer (2-2) was swept by Oral Roberts 1-0 and 1-0 at Diane Wendt Field. Denver could only get four shots-on-goal in 180 minutes of play.
Continue reading Denver Weekend Update: Big Weekend for Brooms
DU’s Men’s Basketball Hiring Strategy: Cheap or Smart?
On first glance at the Indeed.com job listing for DU’s new head basketball coach, the salary range jumps right out:
Salary: $180,000- 200,000/yr. Continue reading DU’s Men’s Basketball Hiring Strategy: Cheap or Smart?
The Billups Experiment Is Over at DU
The steady descent of the Denver men’s basketball program into the nation’s worst Division I team has finally forced the end of Rodney Billups’ tenure as DU head coach, as the University did not extend Billups’ expiring five-year contract, which was confirmed in a DU statement on March 1. Continue reading The Billups Experiment Is Over at DU