Nov. 18, 2009

by John Gilbert, for WCHA.com

The marquee match-up of the young Western Collegiate Hockey Association season finds North Dakota invading Magness Arena in Denver to take on the DU Pioneers this weekend. Denver was the consensus pick to win the WCHA in 2009-10, and defending MacNaughton Cup-champion North Dakota was a strong second choice, so this series could go a long way toward determining the early-season edge.

Taking last weekend off was probably the perfect preparation for the Pioneers, because at 4-1-1 in WCHA play, and 6-3-1 overall, they were able to avoid the WCHA's turbulence last weekend – when North Dakota was stung for a split by St. Cloud State, and, other contenders suffered similar fates. Minnesota Duluth was bushwhacked by Michigan Tech and Minnesota was stung by Bemidji State, both resulting in series splits. That leaves North Dakota at 5-2-1 in league play, joining DU in hot pursuit of Colorado College's 6-1-1 mark.

"Sometimes you wonder which team will show up," said Denver coach George Gwozdecky. "But traditional rivals tend to bring out the best in a team."

If a hockey observer only saw Denver play at Minnesota on Oct. 23-24, there would be no doubt that the Pioneers are headed for a phenomenal season. Coach George Gwozdecky wouldn't argue, because the pair of 3-0 shutout victories the Pioneers inflicted at Minnesota were nearly flawless examples of how well DU could play. The problem is, Gwozdecky has watched his team play all season.

"We find ourselves in a logjam at the top of the league, and I'd have to say we haven't really blossomed yet. Through our first 10 games, our games against the Gophers were probably our best, back-to-back. but I don't think we've executed very well yet. A number of our players haven't played up to the level they will, but we have as much offensive depth as anybody.

"But every coach watches his own team with a more skeptical eye. The problem we have is that Marc Cheverie was our best player every night, right up to the game when he got hurt. A goaltender makes you look better than you are, sometimes."

Cheverie was not only the architect of the twin 3-0 shutouts at Minnesota, but he was 4-0-0 overall with a 1.27 goals-against and a .959 save percentage. In league play, Cheverie leads the WCHA with a fantastic 0.74 goals-allowed average and a .977 save percentage. He and North Dakota's Brad Eidsness ranked as the league's top two returning goaltenders, which is a big reason they were ranked 1-2 in the preseason polls. Eidsness, in fact, has a 1.49 goals-against and a .934 save percentage to rank second to Cheverie in the league, setting up this weekend's series.

While it remains doubtful, there is a possibility Cheverie could come back from a freak injury to face the Fighting Sioux. The doctors, trainers and coaches are not expecting it, but Cheverie seems determined, and it may not be certain until Friday night whether he can go or not.

"It's funny, but a year ago, the big question was: Is Denver's goaltending was good enough? He answered that question resoundingly 'Yes!' This year, he broke the DU record for length of minutes of shutout goaltending in the game he got hurt in. He got the record against Minnesota State, Mankato, and his injury was a fluke. One of our defensemen checked an MSU player, and when he went down, his skate came up and caught Marc on his upper calf, underneath the pad.

"He had 38 stitches, although they're out now, and it's scabbed up and he's off crutches. He'd bound and determined to be ready for North Dakota. The doctors said it would take four weeks to recover, and Marc says three weeks."

Freshman Adam Murray was thrown into action, and has gone 2-3-1. Included are victories against Minnesota State and Alaska Anchorage, losses to Vermont, Ohio State, and UAA, and a tie with Mankato. Gwozdecky doesn't blame Murray for the losses, attributing them more to inconsistent play on defense and up front, where veteran snipers figured to be a strong point. But only Rhett Rakhshani has been a consistent scorer, with 7-5=12, and his seven goals are second only to Justin Fontaine of Minnesota Duluth, who has 11.

"Rakhshani is scoring, and he should, he has three years under his belt," said Gwozdecky. "Tyler Ruegsegger [5-5=10] is one of five or six forwards who could be playing a little better. Maybe they're putting a little more pressure on themselves."

Rakhshani and Ruegsegger are both seniors, and while the offense will emerge, Gwozdecky has been patiently waiting for the defensive corps to gel also.

"For the first time in a number of years, we have more depth on defense," said Gwozdecky. "All three of our freshmen have played well on defense, but other nights they struggle, like our forwards, for consistency. We have played eight defensemen so far, and the corps we'll suit up against North Dakota might be different."

Patrick Wiercioch has contributed 2-7=9 from his defensive post and played all 10 games to date, while four other underclassmen have significant playing time at the blue line in sophomore John Lee (10 gp), and freshmen Matt Donovan (9 gp), William Wrenn (9 gp) and Paul Phillips (8 gp).

"It's always fun to watch the younger players develop," said Gwozdecky.

In assessing the league so far, Gwozdecky acknowledges that every series promises to be challenging. If goaltending is a difference-maker, he points out that Mankato's goaltending seems solid, as does Colorado College, where the Tigers were picked to finish low in the bottom half because of a lack of goaltending.

"CC's goaltending has been terrific this year," he said. "They're for real. There's something to be said for the motivation of being picked low. The Tigers, in my mind, are the big early-season success story.

"At times, we're feeling the pressure of a team that's supposed to be successful. But whenever we play North Dakota, the games always are tense, and played at high speed. That always makes them more special."

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