Category Archives: Men’s Sports

Hockey, Men's Sports

Denver captain Logan O’Connor shines at Avalanche Development Camp

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Photo courtesy of DenverPioneers.com

Forward Logan O’Connor turned heads Sunday at the Colorado Avalanche 3-on-3 rookie game scoring four goals

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – In the past couple month’s, a lot has changed for the University of Denver Pioneers hockey club.  Their head coach Jim Montgomery made the jump to the NHL signing with the Dallas Stars, their top three leading scorers left school early to turn pro, and two of their biggest leaders in Adam Plant and Tariq Hammond have graduated.  Amidst all the change, forward Logan O’Connor continues to do what he does best to be successful; work hard. Continue reading Denver captain Logan O’Connor shines at Avalanche Development Camp →

Hockey, Men's Basketball, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Soccer, Men's Sports

Puck Swami: DU and the Elusive Art of Sports Scheduling in Denver

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desk calendar with days and dates in July 2016, flip the calendar page

Sports scheduling for the Denver Pioneers, in all sports, is often an elusive and frustrating exercise.

Being located in Denver is the largest problem, as playing here requires plane rides and hotel stays for all but a handful of DU’s D-I opponents, which is tough for non-revenue sports. We don’t have the exact figures, but it’s probably a safe bet that about 85% of DU’s opponents must fly here to play us, and likewise, DU needs to fly its own mostly non-revenue sports teams to 85% of its opponents — a dynamic that puts a lot of pressure on athletic budgets and eliminates many opponents for cost reasons.

Then there is the mile-high altitude here, a factor that still scares a number of opposing coaches from flatter places. For example, in 2004, the University of Virginia men’s lacrosse team, ranked #1 nationally at the time, came out here to play both DU and Air Force, and lost both games. The Cavaliers’ coach publicly blamed the altitude for their stumbles, and the Cavaliers have not appeared on the DU home schedule since then. Who knows how many other opposing coaches privately loathe our altitude? Continue reading Puck Swami: DU and the Elusive Art of Sports Scheduling in Denver →

Men's Sports, Women's Sports

2017-2018 a winner for Athletics, bittersweet for greater DU community

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This past school year was an athletic success by nearly any measure – but bittersweet in other ways.

Nearly all the athletic teams or athletes represented the Crimson and Gold in various NCAA Tournaments. And DU will be taking home their 10th Directors’ Cup as the best non-football athletic department in the land. Continue reading 2017-2018 a winner for Athletics, bittersweet for greater DU community →

Hockey, Men's Sports

Puck Swami’s Rapid Reaction: DU Balances Continuity with Risk in David Carle’s Hire as Head Hockey Coach

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david-carle1

DU’s New Head Hockey Coach David Carle – Photo Credit: CBS

The University of Denver’s hiring of David Carle as its ninth hockey coach in nearly 70 years of program history is a hire that has elements of excitement, safety and risk baked -in, and the fact that it took three weeks for DU to announce it means that the hire was no slam dunk.

Carle does have a lot going for him. He has 10 years of seasoning as assistant coach with DU and Green Bay (USHL) under his belt, and can be seen as representing logical continuity of the great program-building that’s happened under former head coaches George Gwozdecky and Jim Montgomery, with the Pios making the NCAA tournament every year that Carle has been behind the bench.  As one DU hockey alumnus texted me after the news, “I love this hire. [Carle’s] got the goods.”  Continue reading Puck Swami’s Rapid Reaction: DU Balances Continuity with Risk in David Carle’s Hire as Head Hockey Coach →

Men's Sports, Women's Sports

DU Club Sports deserve #1DAY4DU support

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As usual, we are encouraging everyone to participate in One Day for DU again this year. We believe your dollars would be wisely spent on DU athletics – they recently earned an  unprecedented 10th Director’s Cup and continue to be the highest performing Division on campus.

See their 2018 highlights below:

But there are also other athletes on campus representing Pioneer Nation with DU on their chest. And, they often give their blood, sweat, and tears on the roads, fields, and ice – and often out with cash out of their own pockets.

We need to help.

We want to point out a few DU Sports Clubs which have garnered local, regional and national success. With a successful DI Athletic Department, DU’s Club Sports often fly under the radar – and we hope you give to them as well. There are 34 sports clubs at DU and we are highlighting four of our favorites below.  Continue reading DU Club Sports deserve #1DAY4DU support →

Hockey, Men's Sports

LetsGoDU joins Magness Mayhem to talk Denver Hockey coaching search

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We’re about a week and a half removed from the day the news broke that former University of Denver Hockey head coach Jim Montgomery would leave the Pioneers and to the Dallas Stars in the same role. Now that some time has passed and the goodbyes have been said, attention has shifted to who might replace Montgomery behind the bench. Continue reading LetsGoDU joins Magness Mayhem to talk Denver Hockey coaching search →

Men's Lacrosse, Men's Sports

Denver ends Notre Dame’s season for second straight year, advances to Quarterfinal vs. Albany

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Photo courtesy DU Athletics

Throughout the 2018 season, the Denver Pioneers men’s lacrosse team has had issues playing a full 60 minutes. A fourth quarter collapse against Duke in February cost them a big early season nonconference victory and a first quarter mishap against Notre Dame dug the Pioneers into a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Both of their regular season losses were directly related to the Pioneers’ inability to play to their potential for a full four quarters of lacrosse. Today, however, against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, Denver played great lacrosse all game long and came away with a big 9-7 victory to end the Irish’s season for the second year in a row. Continue reading Denver ends Notre Dame’s season for second straight year, advances to Quarterfinal vs. Albany →

Hockey, Men's Sports

Denver sun sets on Jim Montgomery era, should rise on David Carle

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Photo courtesy of Patrick Green

For the second time in just over five years, the University of Denver is searching for a replacement for a legendary hockey head coach. Five years ago, Peg Bradley-Doppes and her staff had the unenviable task of finding a worthy replacement for 19-year head coach George Gwozdecky. Though it seemed like a questionable hire at the time, they knocked it out of the park with Jim Montgomery. Now, with as much momentum as the program has had in over a decade, newly hired Athletic Director Karlton Creech and his advisors (which include Bradley-Doppes and current AD Ron Grahame) have an important hiring decision to make. The right one is already staring them squarely in the face. Continue reading Denver sun sets on Jim Montgomery era, should rise on David Carle →