The best line throughout the University of Denver’s impressive two-game sweep at then-No. 1 Wisconsin last weekend was the Geoff Paukovich-centered unit that includes wingers Steven Cook and J.D. Corbin.
“They were extremely good,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said of the members of what is being called the “All-Colorado Line” or “303 Line.” “‘Pauko’ got two huge goals for us, so that’s what sticks out the most, but I thought they complemented each other really well all weekend.
“They have a lot of grit and are a tough line to play against because they check so fiercely and have that great speed on the right side with J.D.”
Paukovich, a 220-pound sophomore from Englewood, had both game-winning goals in the 1-0 and 4-2 upsets in Madison, Wis. Corbin, a speedster who assisted on Paukovich’s two goals and might have been the Pioneers’ best overall player in the series, is a junior from Littleton. And Cook, a first-year junior who is a fierce forechecker and defensive specialist, hails from Denver.
Corbin’s speed and potential made him an eighth-round draft pick of the Avalanche in 2004, the same year the Edmonton Oilers made Paukovich a second-round selection. Both left Colorado midway through high school for a more competitive hockey environment and ended up at DU after playing for the prestigious U.S. National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Cook, an undrafted NHL free agent, is one of the rare Division I players to come directly from the Colorado prep scene. He graduated from Colorado Academy in 2002 and played the 2002-03 season for Air Force. He left the Falcons to play junior-A in the U.S. Hockey League before transferring to DU.
All hands help
DU defensemen Adrian Veideman and Chris Butler didn’t play in the Pioneers’ last-place showing in the Denver Cup, and Butler also missed the Jan. 13-14 series split against visiting St. Cloud State. Having them in the lineup against Wisconsin led to fewer DU own-zone turnovers and more transition offense.
“It was really nice to have our regulars back who have experience and can skate,” Gwozdecky said. “We moved up and down the ice pretty good.”
Footnotes
DU returned to the top 15 in the USA Today/USA Magazine poll, at No. 13, and gained six spots to No. 20 in the PairWise Ranking. Wisconsin remained No. 1 in the PairWise. … Goalie Glenn Fisher, the star in DU’s 1-0 win last Friday with 28 saves, shared WCHA defensive player-of- the-week honors with Alaska-Anchorage goalie Nathan Lawson. Fisher’s shutout was the first of his career. … Colorado College (No. 7 PairWise) has a week off to think about its four-game losing streak before trying to end it Feb. 3 against visiting North Dakota.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
