The regular-season finale for the University of Denver hockey team is shaping up to be pretty special.
With three games left on the Pioneers’ schedule, including this weekend’s two-game series against visiting St. Cloud State, the March 7 finale against Colorado College could decide the league champion.
The Tigers were the preseason favorites to win the MacNaughton Cup, which goes to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association winner. It’s the very hardware the Pioneers could collect with a win over the Tigers.
Not so fast, DU coach George Gwozdecky said, acknowledging the season ender won’t mean much if his team doesn’t beat St. Cloud State. But playing for the MacNaughton Cup against CC was what the Pioneers talked about after tying the Tigers 3-3 on Feb. 13 in Colorado Springs, a result that clinched the Gold Pan for CC.
“We put the Gold Pan behind us. What’s done is done,” DU center Tyler Ruegsegger said of the traveling trophy. “We’ve set ourselves up for other championships. We’re in good position to win a lot of things, but St. Cloud is a good team, and we can’t overlook them.”
DU is tied with North Dakota atop the WCHA with 33 points, four more than third-place CC. The Fighting Sioux host the Tigers on Saturday and Sunday, with DU hoping for at least a split.
North Dakota has a game in hand over DU and CC, but the Sioux finish next weekend with a two-game set at Wisconsin.
The Pioneers are the WCHA’s only team in solid position to make the NCAA Tournament. They are tied with Vermont for No. 4 in the Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the method used by the NCAA selection committee to seed the 16-team field. North Dakota is 11th, CC is 16th and Wisconsin is tied with Air Force at No. 17.
St. Cloud State is 20th, but just a point shy of a top-five WCHA finish, which would give it home-ice advantage for the league playoffs’ first round. DU needs a point to clinch a home-ice playoff berth.
“Both teams have a ton to play for,” Gwozdecky said of this weekend’s series, a rematch of the Huskies’ two-game sweep in St. Cloud State on Nov. 14-15. “Nothing is set with our league playoffs, nothing is set from a national tournament standpoint.”
DU is coming off its biggest series of the season, sweeping Wisconsin last weekend in Madison.
“It was good for the morale of the team, and everyone is excited for this final stretch,” Pioneers wing Rhett Rakhshani said.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
College Hockey
At a glance
ST. CLOUD STATE (17-13-2, 12-11-1 WCHA) AT NO. 5 DENVER (19-9-4, 15-7-3 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Tonight (7:30) and Saturday (7 p.m.)
Where: Magness Arena
TV/radio: FSN/KLZ 560 AM (tonight) and 1510 AM (Saturday)
Notes: DU center Tyler Ruegsegger, who suffered a shoulder injury last Saturday, has been cleared to play tonight. “It’s just sore, but it’s crunch time, and I want to play in the big games,” he said. Defenseman Chris Nutini will miss his sixth and seventh consecutive games with a shoulder injury.
AIR FORCE (22-8-2, 19-5-2 AHA) AT RIT (20-10-2, 19-5-2 AHA)
What: AHA two-game series
Where: Ritter Arena, Rochester, N.Y.
When: Today and Saturday, 5 p.m. MST
Notes: This series will decide the AHA regular-season title and the league’s No. 1 playoff seed. The teams split their series at Air Force in December. RIT won 2-0 before Air Force triumphed 3-2 in OT.
NO. 13 COLORADO COLLEGE (16-9-8, 12-8-5 WCHA) AT NO. 7 NORTH DAKOTA (20-11-3, 15-6-3 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.
TV/radio: Comcast 7 (Southern Colorado)/KKFN 104.3 FM
Notes: The games will be available to some DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers. . . . The Tigers, who have not been swept this season, are unbeaten this month (3-0-2) and 4-1-3 in their past eight games.
