A significant lineup change isn’t typically made when a hockey team is as hot as the University of Denver. But the Pioneers, who won seven straight games before entering a three-week Christmas break, return to action tonight against Holy Cross in experimental mode.
Senior Patrick Mullen, who switched from winger to defense late in his sophomore year, has been asked to drop his defensive duties from the blue line and replace injured star sophomore center Tyler Bozak.
Mullen, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Mullen, was surprised at the move but said Thursday he is “up for the challenge.”
In tonight’s second semifinal of the Denver Cup, Mullen is expected to center a line with freshman Luke Salazar, who leads the team with 11 goals, and junior Brandon Vossberg.
“I was definitely feeling comfortable at defense, or starting to, and I’ve been at defense so long it’s new again to play forward,” Mullen said. “It’s a little bit different than I remember, but I’m getting used to it and figuring things out in practice.”
Bozak, one of DU’s best two-way forwards, underwent knee surgery last month and could be out the rest of the season. Instead of replacing Bozak with a winger who would take on the additional defensive responsibilities at center, Mullen — an offensive-minded defenseman — became the team’s best option.
“I don’t think I can replace Bozak, but because I have the background, it will help me mesh in with the guys quickly,” Mullen said. “I think I’ll pick it up quickly.”
DU coach George Gwoz-decky said Mullen might not play center past his first shift tonight.
“We are healthy right now, and obviously the play of our defensive corps is strong, so we felt we could at least look at some combinations and move some guys around,” Gwoz-decky said. “Patrick has worked as a center this week in practice, and we’ll see how it goes in the game.”
Switching Mullen to center was viewed as a popular move by veteran forwards and young defensemen Chris Nutini and John Ryder. Nutini and Ryder have been caught up in a numbers game, often being scratched as the team’s seventh defenseman.
“We’ve had a lot of defensemen who are very good that have sat out a lot of games, so that’s a plus to get all those guys in the game at once, and putting Mullen up there cushions the blow (to losing Bozak),” junior wing Rhett Rakhshani said. “Mully is such a multidimensional player, he can play a lot of roles but is definitely an offensive guy. When he plays defense, he’s able to get into the forecheck, and playing forward gives him an opportunity to do that more.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
College hockey
WELLS FARGO DENVER CUP
What: 17th annual holiday tournament
Where: Magness Arena
Schedule: Today — No. 3 Boston University (11-4-1, 6-4-1 Hockey East) vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (3-13-1, 2-5-0 ECAC), 4:30 p.m.; Holy Cross (5-11-1, 5-8-1 AHA) vs. Denver (13-5-1, 9-4-1 WCHA), 7 p.m. Saturday — Semifinal losers, 4 p.m.; semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: Today’s semifinals will be carried by FSN and KLZ 560 AM. FSN will televise Saturday’s DU game, beginning at 7 p.m. (tape-delayed if the Pioneers play in the consolation game)
Notebook: DU has outscored its opponents a combined 34-7 in its seven-game winning streak, and sophomore goalie Marc Cheverie has a 1.03 goals-against average and .964 save percentage in that stretch. . . . RPI’s coach is Seth Appert, a DU assistant from 1997-2006, who helped assemble the Pioneers’ junior and senior classes. Appert’s top assistant is Shawn Kurulak, a former Pioneers defenseman (1995-1999). . . . DU is 26-5-1 in the Denver Cup. BU, RPI and Holy Cross each are making their first appearance in the tournament.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
