As interesting and entertaining as it was, last weekend’s home-and-home split between the University of Denver and Colorado College didn’t change or decide much of anything.
The Pioneers (9-3) still are No. 3 nationally and second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association at 6-2. And the Tigers (8-4, 8-2) remain No. 4 and atop the WCHA.
The Gold Pan still is up for grabs, with the March 7 and 8 regular season-ending series between the Front Range rivals to decide the traveling trophy’s summer home.
This weekend, Denver and CC head in opposite WCHA irections.
The Tigers, who have played top 15 opponents in each of their 12 games, visit unranked Alaska-Anchorage (4-3-3, 1-3-2 WCHA) for a two-game series. The Pioneers begin a two-game set Friday with No. 8 North Dakota (6-4-1, 4-4) at Magness Arena.
CC coach Scott Owens is wary of a letdown in Anchorage.
“We always have a little bit of a letdown after the Denver series, and we’re concerned about that,” Owens said. “It’ll be a tough weekend for us.”
DU coach George Gwoz- decky said that, if anything, coming off the CC series is a positive.
“This is my 14th season here, and I can never remember having a letdown after the CC series, so does that worry me? No,” Gwozdecky said.
The fact that the Front Range squads are a combined 17-7 and the top two teams in the WCHA bodes well for an all-Colorado run to the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular-season champion.
“I’m thrilled, given the schedule and everything else,” Owens said. “No one said we were a WCHA championship-type team, but I think we’ve surprised some people and have a lot of confidence in ourselves.”
Said Gwozdecky: “As we all look back, there have been games that we let slip away. Three games come to mind. When you take the whole season into context, we’ve played pretty well at times and deserve to be in the position that we’re in.”
National duty. DU sophomores Tyler Ruegsegger and Rhett Rakhshani will learn next week where they will be on Christmas when USA Hockey announces its 22-player roster for the 2008 U.S. national junior team.
The squad that will play in the World Junior Championships Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in the Czech Republic will be disclosed Dec. 4, live on Versus during the first intermission f the Detroit Red Wings-Montreal Canadiens game.
If Ruegsegger and Rakhshani make the team, they will at least miss the Dec. 28-29 Denver Cup.
Footnote. Air Force senior wing Eric Ehn, a top-three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season, is having a quiet, yet efficient season. He is averaging 1.25 points per game, tied with Colorado College junior Chad Rau for the most among Front Range players.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
