Tag Archives: College Hockey

Hockey

DU Goaltending: Filip Larsson Out, Magnus Chrona In

3 Comments
Tampa Bay Lightning Draft Pick Magnus Chrona is expected to join DU Hockey next season. Photo: Emily Rinesse

The University of Denver will deliver perhaps the slick tick-tack-toe goaltending move of the 2019 off-season. Out is Filip Larsson, the outstanding Swedish freshman goaltender for DU, who has signed a three-year entry level NHL contract on Monday, April 15th with the Detroit Red Wings, the team that drafted him in the sixth round  of the 2016 NHL Draft.  At DU, Larsson, 20, teamed with Devin Cooley to form one of the best goaltender tandems in College Hockey, leading Denver to the 2019 NCAA Frozen Four.

Without missing a beat, sources close to the DU program told LetsGoDU that the program anticipated Larsson’s early NHL signing and has lined up a replacement in the pipeline in 2018 5th-round Tampa Bay Lightning draftee, Magnus Chrona. He played in Northern Sweden for Skellefteå AIK J20 in the Swedish SuperElite Junior League. Outside one of the best names in hockey, the Pioneers landed the outstanding 6’4″, 209-lb Chrona, who also attended Tampa Bay’s Development Camp last year.  While  Chrona hasn’t yet officially signed with DU, it appears the Pioneers won’t miss a beat with the transition to next season. Continue reading DU Goaltending: Filip Larsson Out, Magnus Chrona In →

Hockey

DU to Host Free Pre-Game Party in Buffalo + TV Watch Parties Around the USA

1 Comment

The University of Denver is sponsoring a pre-game party in Buffalo, New York prior to Thursday’s NCAA Semi-Final between DU and the University of Massachusetts.  DU is also sponsoring free TV watch Parties in selected large cities around the nation:

Pre-game reception:
Buffalo, NY

TV Watch Parties:
Denver
Chicago
San Francisco
Portland, Ore.
Seattle
Los Angeles
San Diego
Phoenix
New York City
Boston,
Old Greenwich, Conn.
Philadelphia
Washington, D.C.
Atlanta

For more information on party times and city TV party locations, and to register to attend, please follow this link:

Hockey, Men's Sports

Pioneers’ slumping offense threatens postseason hockey hopes

1 Comment
Denver’s Jarid Lukosevicius leads the nation in game-winning goals Photo: Carol Mackay, University of Denver

It’s not a secret.

The #7 University of Denver hockey team’s offensive production has slumped, from scoring 3.5 goals per game in first 18 games of the season to 2.0 goals per game in the last 16 games (all of the last 16 were vs. NCHC opponents).  In short, this is a bad time of year to be slumping, and the recent loss of the Gold Pan to rival Colorado College, getting swept with only a single goal to show for last weekend’s nearly 60 DU shots-on-goal, has brought the current DU offensive problems into high relief. Continue reading Pioneers’ slumping offense threatens postseason hockey hopes →

Hockey, Men's Sports

DU Takes Five of Six NCHC Points in Omaha, Clinches Home Ice for NCHC Playoffs

1 Comment
DU’s Colin Staub (#24 at left) battles in the UNO crease during DU’s five-point weekend in Omaha. Photo: Omaha World Herald

The Denver Pioneers got some solid results in the last full road weekend of the NCHC regular season, defeating the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks 4-1 on Friday night, and tying the Mavericks 3-3 on Saturday night, with a bonus standings point for an NCHC overtime 3-on-3 winning goal at Baxter Arena in Omaha. The win and tie extended DU’s undefeated streak against Omaha to 16 games, dating back to 2015.

The #6-ranked Pioneers (19-8-5 overall, 11-8-3 NCHC) were outshot (and often outplayed) in both games by a more desperate Omaha team (9-20-3), ranked #44 in Pairwise. That said, the Pioneers were able to take more advantage of their higher skill level on scoring chances to secure the five-point weekend, putting seven regulation goals behind Omaha netminder Evan Weninger, plus the extra NCHC overtime winner, over the two games. Continue reading DU Takes Five of Six NCHC Points in Omaha, Clinches Home Ice for NCHC Playoffs →

Hockey, Men's Sports

Pioneers Squeeze-Out Road Split With Minnesota-Duluth Behind Cooley’s 1-0 Shutout

1 Comment
UMD  forward Nick Swaney (23) of Minnesota Duluth controls the puck near defenseman Ian Mitchell (15) of Denver during Friday’s game at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. — Clint Austin /Duluth News

DULUTH, Minn. — DU Goaltender Devin Cooley returned to the Denver lineup after missing 10 games for an injury, just in time to turn away all 27 shots he faced from the fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs for a 1-0 shutout in Saturday’s second game of the two-game NCHC series, before over 6,400 fans at Amsoil Arena.

The No. #7 Pioneers were able to get just 16 shots on goal in the game, but were able to ride a single first-period goal from Slava Demin and held on to salvage an important split in a hostile road environment.

The Saturday night DU win over UMD avenged a 5-2 loss to the Bulldogs on Friday night, when DU was badly outplayed in the third period.

With the road victory, the Pioneers vaulted into fourth place in the National Pairwise ranking system, which mimics the process used to select teams for the NCAA tournament next month, and also moved the Pioneers into fourth place in the NCHC standings.

“I’m really proud of our guys’ effort and their resilience to be able to stick together and gut out a tough road win,” said DU Coach David Carle said after the game. “It hasn’t been easy as of late. We’ve been in a lot of wars and a lot of low scoring games. We haven’t had success on the road and to be able to come into this building is a feather in our cap.”

The Pioneers lone marker of the game came at the 8:04 mark of the first period, when DU’s Emilio Peterson passed the puck to Slava Demin, who launched a 50-foot point shot through traffic to beat UMD net minder Hunter Shepard for Demin’s fourth goal of the season.

The Pioneers then survived a furious Minnesota-Duluth comeback when the Bulldogs outshot Denver 13-2 in the third period, but Cooley remained steadfast for his third shutout of the season as the Pioneers won only their second road conference game of the season. Cooley’s shutout was his second over UMD this season, with the first one coming back in November at Magness Arena in Denver.

The Pioneers (16-7-4, 8-7-2-2) will face Miami (Ohio) next weekend in a two game series at Magness Arena.

 

 

 

Hockey

Fighting Hawks fans begin annual trek to Denver

7 Comments

Photo: Courtesy of Courtyard by Marriott Cherry Creek

North Dakota fans are sure to enjoy their stay in the Mile High City – just like last season. North Dakota fans will be making their annual pilgrimage to Denver next weekend to watch the North Dakota – Denver hockey series.  And, as usual, we are following their stories closely. Continue reading Fighting Hawks fans begin annual trek to Denver →

Hockey, Men's Sports

Old North End neighbors fight CC’s new arena plans

2 Comments

A pitched battle is heating up in the Springs. What appeared to be a project to build a small hockey practice facility on the CC campus has morphed into a full-blown on-campus arena. The upscale Old North End Neighborhood is not happy about the sleight of hand by Colorado College leadership.

The announcement of the new Robson Arena was made before consulting with neighbors. Continue reading Old North End neighbors fight CC’s new arena plans →

Hockey

Denver Wins Sixth Straight Behind Lukosevicius, Larsson

3 Comments

Photo courtesy of DenverPioneers.com

The Denver Pioneers defeated the Omaha Mavericks 1-0 with the help of Filip Larsson’s 21 saves

After being on the road for all of December, the Pioneers returned to Magness Arena and came away with a win against Omaha 1-0.  It was a true goaltender dual between Denver’s Filip Larsson and Omaha’s Evan Weninger, but the Pioneers came out on top.  The game’s only goal came from Jarid Lukosevicious who was set up nicely by Emilio Pettersen at the end of the second period.  The Pioneers ride a six-game winning streak into next week when they face Colorado College.

Let’s get into tonight’s recap.

Continue reading Denver Wins Sixth Straight Behind Lukosevicius, Larsson →

Hockey

Three Goal Barrage Propels Denver to 6-3 Victory over Badgers

2 Comments

Denver (11-4-2, 4-4-0) played another solid road game in Madison Friday night. The Kohl Center has turned into Denver’s home-away-from-home with a 16-4-4 all-time record. The Pioneers used a three goal third period outburst to break a 2-2 tie.

Continue reading Three Goal Barrage Propels Denver to 6-3 Victory over Badgers →

Hockey

Denver Hockey Weekend Preview: Merrimack & UMass-Lowell

Leave a comment

The Pioneers will close out 2018 with two tough, fast-paced non-conference games on the east coast

Even though Christmas was last week, the #7 Denver Pioneers maybe got what they wanted a little earlier than expected.  After going through a vicious stretch of top-ranked NCAA opponents, the Pioneers showed they can skate with any team in the country and win.  Wins against Duluth, Providence, and North Dakota are making the case for this season to be more than just a rebuilding year for DU. Continue reading Denver Hockey Weekend Preview: Merrimack & UMass-Lowell →