The balding, undersized kid from Invermere, British Columbia, didn’t seem like anything special when he showed up at the University of Denver in 1999. Appearances were deceiving.
Since Wade Dubielewicz’s arrival, the Pioneers have established a pattern of excellence in the nets unlike any other collegiate program. They hope to ride that lineage today in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Miami of Ohio.
Sophomore goalie Marc Cheverie, after all, might become the best of the bunch, following in the skate marks of Dubielewicz, Adam Berkhoel, Glenn Fisher and Peter Mannino. Combined, those goalies helped DU to two NCAA titles, three Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff titles and two WCHA regular-season crowns over the past six seasons.
“When I was being recruited, I looked at the history of the goaltenders, and some of the schools I looked at had great programs, great teams, but their goaltenders hadn’t been offered (NHL) contracts,” Cheverie said. “When I looked at Denver, I saw that Dubielewicz and Berkhoel moved on and Mannino and Fisher were going to move on.”
DU’s decade of dominance in the pipes goes back to Seth Appert, then a 25-year-old assistant coach, working with Dubielewicz, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I’m very proud,” Appert, a third-year head coach of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said of the goalie legacy. “It’s a special thing to have worked with them, to have helped them reach success in college and the pros.”
Dubielewicz, Berkhoel and Mannino have played in the NHL, and Fisher could get his chance soon.
Credit DU coach George Gwozdecky for putting more emphasis on the position than did most of his peers. DU is one of the few collegiate programs to have a goaltending coach as one of its two full-time assistants. Derek Lalonde, a former goalie at SUNY Cortland State, succeeded Appert in 2006.
“A lot of programs don’t do that, but I think it’s really helped us,” Lalonde said. “If you go back to when Seth was here, our best teams, our best years, have started in the net.
“You know you have to take care of that position. And anytime you have success, you attract quality kids, and kids know they’re going to get a well-structured goalie organization, if you will, at the University of Denver.”
Gwozdecky said he’ll always have a goalie expert on his staff.
“The scales were tipped in Derek’s favor (when hiring) because of his great strength of working with and developing goaltenders,” Gwozdecky said.
Berkhoel, 27, said he learned more about goaltending in college than he has in four years of professional hockey. He made his NHL debut in 2005 with the Atlanta Thrashers and now plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate.
“Being from Minnesota, my brother always talks about how other (college) teams struggle to get good goalies, while Denver always has them,” Berkhoel said. “Denver has a full-time goalie coach that is a top assistant. Most minor-league teams don’t have a goalie coach.
‘When I was at Denver, I couldn’t imagine I’d get better every day without a goaltending coach. That’s the perk we had with Seth.”
Appert remains close to the DU staff, including Lalonde.
“He’s continuing the legacy,” Appert said.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
WADE DUBIELEWICZ
At DU: Three-time all-WCHA selection and 2002 All-American. . . . Holds single-season program records in GAA (1.72) and save percentage (.943). . . . Team MVP in 2001 and 2002 (shared with forward Kevin Doell).
Update: Has played in 40 NHL games since his rookie season in 2003-04 and is currently the backup for Steve Mason at Columbus. . . . Signed with the Islanders out of college.
ADAM BERKHOEL
At DU: Named 2004 Frozen Four MVP after a dramatic 1-0 victory over Maine in the title game.
Update: Plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. . . . Made his NHL debut with the Thrashers in 2005, going 2-4-1 in a stretch where he beat Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.
GLENN FISHER
At DU: Traded regular-season and some playoff starts with Mannino for three years. . . . As a senior named 2007 team MVP after finishing with a career-high .919 save percentage.
Update: Has played 16 games for the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) after beginning the season with the Springfield Falcons, the Phoenix Coyotes’ AHL affiliate. . . . Signed with the Edmonton Oilers out of college but never made it to the big club or its AHL affiliate.
PETER MANNINO
At DU: As a freshman led the program to 2005 NCAA title and was named Frozen Four MVP. . . . Paced the Pioneers to 2008 WCHA playoff title after becoming all-time program leader in shutouts. . . . Went 4-0 with two shutouts against No. 1 Colorado College as a freshman, allowing just five combined goals.
Update: Signed with the New York Islanders as a free agent last summer and played 22 games for the club’s AHL affiliate before enjoying a short stint for the Islanders, playing in one game. . . . Recently returned to the Islanders and made his first NHL start March 15, producing 40 saves in a 4-2 victory at Chicago.
MARC CHEVERIE
At DU: The sophomore was named all-WCHA second team and currently is tied for first in program history in save percentage (.923) and third in GAA (2.26). . . . He is fifth nationally in minutes played (2,326) and tied for sixth in shutouts (four). . . . Owns a career record of 24-11-5.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
West Regional
At Mariucci Arena Minneapolis
NO. 4 SEED MIAMI (OHIO) (20-12-5) VS. NO. 1 DENVER (23-11-5)
When: Today, 3:30 p.m. MDT, KCKK 1510 AM/ESPN2
Notes: The winner of this game plays the winner of Minnesota-Duluth/Princeton for the regional championship. . . . DU defenseman and captain J.P. Testwuide practiced lightly Thursday in Minneapolis, his first on-ice workout since suffering a leg injury last Saturday. He is listed as questionable. . . . Junior center Tyler Ruegsegger (knee) is out. . . .
Miami is 2-4-1 in its past seven games. The RedHawks use two freshman goaltenders.
East Regional
Bridgeport (Conn.) Arena at Harbor Yard
NO. 4 SEED AIR FORCE (27-10-2) VS. NO. 1 MICHIGAN (29-11-0)
When: Today, 1 p.m. MDT, ESPNU
Notes: The winner of this game plays the winner of Yale-Vermont for the right to advance to the Frozen Four. . . . Michigan is 15-4 in 19 games but allowed four third-period goals in last week’s CCHA playoff championship loss to Notre Dame. . . . Air Force has its best team in school history and is looking for its first NCAA Tournament victory, having lost first-round games the last two years. . . . Air Force has allowed just one goal in its past three games.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
