Air Force and Denver entered last weekend ranked first and second, respectively, in NCAA scoring, but those potent offenses were hardly spectacular as the teams combined to go 1-2-1.
The Falcons, who still lead the country with 4.05 goals per game, mustered just six goals against Connecticut (a 4-3 win) and Yale (a 3-2 loss). The Pioneers struck only three times against Holy Cross (a 2-2 tie) and Boston University (a 4-1 loss) and now stand third at 3.67 goals per game.
Air Force coach Frank Serratore said his squad is going through an “ugly cycle,” stemming from playing a reactionary style instead of the relentless attack it showed en route to a 13-0 start.
“We are waiting for things to happen instead of making things happen,” he said.
DU coach George Gwozdecky was shocked how his team came out in the Denver Cup championship against BU. The Terriers led 2-0 after the first period.
“How we started the game and how they started the game determined the outcome of the game, the outcome of the championship,” Gwozdecky said. “We were as ineffective as we have been all year long.”
Denver, Air Force and Colorado College — the latter idle last weekend — each fell two spots in this week’s USA Today/USA Magazine poll. The Pioneers are seventh, the Tigers 12th and the Falcons 14th.
A year from now.
DU did not lose any players for the World Junior Championship this year, but next Christmas the Pioneers could be without as many as five during the three-week WJC commitment. Freshmen Joe Colborne and Patrick Wiercioch likely will be invited to Team Canada’s World Junior camp this summer, and incoming freshmen Drew Shore, William Wrenn and Adam Murray — currently teammates on the prestigious U.S. 18-under squad — will probably be on Team USA’s radar.
Footnotes.
DU senior Patrick Mullen was back on the blue line Saturday against BU, a night after playing center. Gwozdecky said Mullen might continue to switch positions throughout the rest of the season. . . . Serratore, DU’s head coach from 1990-94, is speaking at a Littleton Hockey Association function next week. The LHA is run by former DU star Angelo Ricci, who was recruited by Serratore. Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
Front Range rankings
1. DENVER (13-6-2, 9-4-1 WCHA)
Last week: Tied Holy Cross 2-2 and lost to Boston University 4-1. This week: Hosts Michigan Tech (5-15-2, 1-11-2 WCHA). Comment: Pioneers off to a poor second-half start but still lead the WCHA.
2. AIR FORCE (15-4-1, 12-1-1 AHA)
Last week: Beat Connecticut 4-3 and lost to Yale 3-2. This week: Idle. Comment: Falcons are 1-2-1 since Christmas, doubling their loss total from before the holiday break.
3. COLORADO COLLEGE (11-6-5, 7-5-2 WCHA)
Last week: Idle, previously tied and beat Sacred Heart 2-2 and 7-0. This week: Hosts Minnesota State (9-9-3, 5-7-2 WCHA). Comment: Inconsistent Tigers need to prove they can win back-to-back games.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
