North Dakota defenseman Robbie Bina shed his orange practice jersey this week, losing the last article of clothing that reminded everyone of the broken neck he sustained against the University of Denver nearly a year ago.
“The doctor gave him a real favorable report,” Bina’s father, Bob, told the Grand Forks Herald. “Everything healed excellent. She said he has full range of motion and that he shouldn’t suffer any side effects later in life.”
The Fighting Sioux are at the University of Denver for a two-game series against the Pioneers this weekend.
Bina sustained his injury when he was illegally checked into the boards by DU freshman Geoff Paukovich during a Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff game in St. Paul, Minn. Bina required surgery and is taking a medical redshirt this season.
“Obviously, that’s great news,” Paukovich said Thursday when told of the doctor’s report. “It’s good to see that he’s finally back, and hopefully there will be no more roadblocks and he can move on with his career and life in general.”
Bina’s prognosis doesn’t mean tensions between North Dakota and DU will go away. The Pioneers, two-time defending NCAA champions, have eliminated the Sioux in the past two NCAA Tournaments. And the final minute of the most recent game between the teams – a 7-2 DU win Oct. 29 in Grand Forks – was a mess.
North Dakota’s Mike Prpich received a 10-minute misconduct for chasing Paukovich after a whistle, and teammate Rylan Kaip was ushered out of the rink with 15 seconds to play for unsportsmanlike conduct. Four seconds later, the Sioux’s Lee Marvin drew an instigator minor for trying to fight DU’s Ryan Helgason.
“The last few years of this rivalry have been extremely competitive and very close,” said DU coach George Gwozdecky, whose team has won six of the past seven meetings against North Dakota. “It’s been very physical, at times, and both teams have taken it right to the very edge. That’s the great thing about a rivalry and the competitive nature of these two teams.
“But I don’t know if there’ll be any spilloff from October. That seems like a long time ago, and there’s a lot at stake.”
Denver needs two points to clinch home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs, and a series sweep to clinch a top-three finish in the 10-team conference.
Footnotes
Gwozdecky said he might switch his goaltending rotation and start sophomore Peter Mannino tonight, with junior Glenn Fisher playing Saturday. … DU is 5-7-1 against ranked teams. … The Pioneers are 7-3 in their last 10 games but are coming off 3-2 and 5-1 losses at No. 1 Minnesota last weekend.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
