Photo courtesy of Shannon Valerio/Denver Athletics
It’s no secret that the University of Denver Pioneers hockey program underwent some substantial changes during the offseason. Everything from the internals of the team makeup and positions within the coaching staff, to the literal gutting of the locker room to give way to luxurious renovations.
The Pioneers didn’t just lose five influential players who each embodied the very essence of the Denver hockey culture, but the program also lost the man who reinstated Denver’s tradition of excellence. The departures of former head coach Jim Montgomery and household names in Henrik Borgström, Dylan Gambrell, Blake Hillman, Logan O’Connor, and Troy Terry are perceivably devastating.
Sophomore Ryan Barrow (#18) had a key third-period goal for Denver to send the Pioneers ahead 5-3 en route to a 6-4 exhibition win over the University of Alberta (Photo: University of Denver)
In an exhibition game that featured 10 goals, 15 power plays and 74 shots on goal between Denver and the University of Alberta, it’s pretty hard to draw many meaningful conclusions beyond the 6-4 Pioneer victory in a scrambling and at times, very sloppy exhibition opener.
DU head coach David Carle used the game as true tuneup, with all 27 DU players dressing, some major playerstaking the whole third period off and playinga wide variety of line combinations and defensive pairings to see what players had some chemistry together.
Alberta, the defending Canadian Champions, with six former minor league pros in its lineup with ECHL and AHL experience (legal in Canada since there are no scholarships) presented an older, bigger and stronger opponent for the Pios. Alberta has already been playing together for a month, while the Pios have only had a handful of practices coming into the exhibition.
The game was really three games in one.In the first period of the game, DU was the better team and shut out Alberta behind goals by Michael Davies and Freshman Emilio Petterson, as the Pios looked to be largely in control, pleasing the large student turnout.
But in the second period, DU took a number of bad penalties, and the tables quickly turned as the Golden Bears vaulted ahead to take a 3-2 lead behind a pair of power play goals, until DU senior Jarid Lukosevicius tied the game 3-3 on a walk-in with about a minute left in the second.
In the third period, DU took over the game again with a pair of early goals to essentially seal the win, making the score 5-3, with Ryan Barrow roofing a PPG in the crease, and Emilio Petterson picking a corner for his second goal of the game (the eventual game winner).DU and and Alberta traded a couple of meaningless goals late in the game to make the final 6-4.
Here’s what we learned:
Emilio Petterson is a highly skilled freshman, whose two goals led the Pioneers, and whose game winner was big time shot into the corner of the net after he stole the puck from an Alberta defenseman.He will likely be a first line forward for DU this season.
Cole Guttman and defensemen Slava Demin also stood out with a pair of assists each. These freshmen can clearly play.
DU didn’t play Ian Mitchell or Jarid Lukosevicius in the third period
DU, one of the least penalized teams in the country last year, took nine penalties in the game, with five of the nine taken by freshmen. DU will need to clean that up in the coming weeks.
DU’s inexperienced and lightly recruited goalies were surprisingly adequate – Sophomore Devin Cooley played well, holding Alberta scoreless into the second period, until DU hung him out to dry with poor penalty killing in the second period. None of the three goals scored on him were his fault. Michael Corson came on to play the third period and only let in one goal to get the win, not bad for a third-stringer freshman.
DU gave up 40 shots in the contest to Alberta, so defense will need to tighten in the coming weeks.
Let’s face it, rankings are often arbitrary – especially when it comes to colleges and universities. However, the rankings game plays a major role in college selection as students favor high ranking universities as well as an outstanding campus experience. Equally important, parents are willing to pay a ‘premium’ for a school like DU – a school which provides a great atmosphere and has a ‘Top 100’ designation. The recent dip in DU’s rankings, 9 places, from U.S. News and World Report from 87th to 96th is cause for concern.
U.S. News gathers data from and about each school in up to 16 areas related to academic excellence. Each indicator is assigned a weight (expressed as a percentage) based on U.S. News’ judgments about which measures of quality matter most. Continue reading U.S.News Rankings Pose Serious Challenge to DU→
Denver Pioneer head hockey coach David Carle, Chancellor Rebecca Chopp, and the media all came out Monday afternoon on campus to meet “Fight Oar Die”, the DU supported team of veterans who will row across the Atlantic this December. Also on hand was “Woobie,” the 30-foot rowboat the men hope will carry them to victory. Continue reading Fight Oar Die at DU: a Pioneering sendoff→
While fall sports are well underway, University of Denver freshmen have arrived on campus and the beginning of Fall Quarter is less than a week away. Best of luck to the Class of 2022 from LetsGoDU!
It only took 4 months and, by several accounts, several million dollars. The ‘new’ Campus Lounge collapsed with their new age food concept and spartan entertainment. Dan Landes, the owner, offered a stark assessment. “Basically, it’s a failure…My intention with Campus Lounge was to save an iconic sign, but not the legacy of a great man (former owner Jim Wiste). He built a bar that people love and I didn’t pay Jim’s legacy enough respect because, honestly, I’m not passionate about sports.” Continue reading Campus Lounge 3.0 – Returning to its roots→
DU Striker Andre Shinyashiki/Photo Credit: University of Denver
In sports, the promise of an entire college season can be launched with a single early season victory over a ranked opponent.
And while we don’t yet know how the rest of the season will go for the University of Denver Men’s Soccer Team, if great things do happen to the Pioneers the year, they will likely look back on August 30, 2018 at Pioneer Soccer Stadium as the night they found out that they deserved to be a Top 10 soccer team. The Pioneers stormed back from a second-half deficit to shock the #3 ranked University of Washington Huskies, 3-2 in double overtime on a dramatic, walk-off golden goal from Brazilian senior striker Andre Shinyashiki. Continue reading Pioneer Men’s Soccer Edges Third-Ranked Washington Huskies, 3-2 on Shinyashiki’s Dramatic Double-OT Golden Goal→
We’ve shown you the three capital projects in Phase I that have been launched as part of the Denver Advantage. And, there is no doubt that a spectacular campus will benefit student athletes, recruiting, and student retention.
The crown jewel during Phase II (years 5-10) will be the redevelopment of the corner of Buchtel Boulevard and University. When visitors enter the University gateway off I-25, they will see a vastly improved campus. Visitors will be greeted by a hotel, ground level retail and a University welcoming center. Students and faculty will see new housing along University Boulevard extending all the way to Asbury Avenue. This 6 acres of the DU campus is currently unsightly and under-utilized. It would be difficult to argue against this much needed improvement for both the University and the community. Continue reading ‘Denver Advantage’ short on Athletics Department improvements→
While its planned mid-June opening was missed, the newest location for Birdcall, a local fried chicken restaurant chain, is finally open at Franklin and Evans. And it’s worth the wait.
Birdcall is all about fried chicken and fried chicken sandwiches. However, one of our guests ordered the Power Salad (kale, red cabbage, brussels sprouts, cucumbers goat cheese & vinaigrette) and thought it was fantastic, too – so there are vegetarian options as well. The store is high-tech with manual ordering kiosks inside. You can order your meal inside and eat either inside or outside or use the drive-thru. A timer posts your wait time for each order and your food is delivered into a numbered bin and posted on the public order board. Continue reading Long-awaited Birdcall opening rewards customer patience→
It may not happen tomorrow or the next day, but 50-year-old Johnson-McFarlane Hall, located on the northeast corner of Iliff and High Street, is headed for the dustbin according to an article by The Washington Park Profile. As we reported before regarding DU’s 2025 capital plan, otherwise known as Denver Advantage, there will be an aggressive 10-year program to redevelop a number of buildings on the Denver campus. Phase 1 projects include a new Career Center and Residence Hall and Student Commons with DU starting construction on campus this summer.
The 60’s design of Johnson McFarlane Hall features peaked roofs and is home to the Pioneer Leadership program and several other groups. The undergraduate dormitory will remain until new student housing is completed.
DU Striker Andre Shinyashiki/Photo Credit: University of Denver
