With a veteran-led 7-0 victory over future league foe Nebraska-Omaha on Friday night, the University of Denver will play for its first showcase-style Denver Cup championship tonight against what figures to be an angry Boston College squad.
After fifth-ranked BC was shocked in the tournament opener by St. Lawrence, the No. 2 Pioneers (12-5-2) buried the Mavericks (9-8-4) behind goals from five upperclassmen. Senior wing and team captain Rhett Rakhshani had two goals and an assist, and senior center Tyler Ruegsegger had three assists in DU’s best offensive showing of the season.
Junior goalie Marc Cheverie wasn’t pressured often, but he made one extraordinary save and 28 relatively easy ones for his NCAA-leading fifth shutout.
“It’s about time we had one of those games, where we broke out and had scoring all around the board,” Rakhshani said. “And when you come back from three weeks off, the upperclassmen want to set the tone.”
BC — playing in Denver for the first time since winning the 2007 Frozen Four at the Pepsi Center — blew a 2-0 lead midway through its game against St. Lawrence and lost 5-2.
But DU still gets to play perennial power BC tonight, after scrapping the traditional tournament format it used in the first 17 years of the Denver Cup.
“It validates our decision,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said. “We wanted to make sure we play BC, and if we hadn’t (switched) to the showcase format, and nothing against St. Lawrence, but we’d be playing St. Lawrence in the championship game. But we get BC, which has a high, high power ranking.”
St. Lawrence plays Nebraska-Omaha, which will join the WCHA next season, at 4 p.m. today. SLU could win the tournament title with a victory and a DU loss or tie.
Meanwhile, DU got goals from Anthony Maiani, Jesse Martin and Cody Brookwell to take a 3-0 after the first period.
Maiani forced turnovers within the first six minutes to score on a breakaway and assist on Martin’s short-handed tally, and Brookwell increased the lead at 8:04 with a big blast from atop the right circle.
Brookwell, who is having a difficult senior season, scored his first goal of the season and second of his 117-game career. A regular during his first three seasons, the popular Brookwell hasn’t played much before and after he had the H1N1 flu virus in November. He was mobbed by teammates after cashing in on Ruegsegger’s pass from behind the net.
“Every time I score, they love it because they know I shouldn’t be doing it,” Brookwell said. “This is a close-knit group of guys, and they’ve been supportive of me throughout these times.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
RECAP
The Post’s three stars
1. Rhett Rakhshani.
DU’s Rakh-star had two goals and three points.
2. Tyler Ruegsegger.
Hardworking senior wing had three assists.
3. Anthony Maiani.
Scored and assisted on goals to get the Pioneers going early.
What you might have missed
WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod was in attendance and proudly noted that half of the U.S. Olympic team’s 20 forwards and defensemen played in the WCHA. The U.S. squad was announced Saturday and includes former DU star Paul Stastny of the Avalanche.
Up next
Boston College, tonight at Magness Arena, 7 p.m.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
Nebraska-Omaha 0 0 0 — 0
Denver 3 1 3 — 7
First period — 1, Denver, Maiani 3 (unassisted), 3:05. 2, Denver, Martin 9 (Maiani), 5:43 (sh). 3, Denver, Brookwell 1 (Ruegsegger, Colborne), 8:04. Penalty — Phillips, DU (holding), 5:00.
Second period — 4, Denver, Rakhshani 12 (Wiercioch, Ruegsegger), 8:17. Penalties — Ambroz, UNO (cross checking), 6:56; Gifford, DU (hooking), 7:28; Nutini, DU (cross checking), 9:18.
Third period — 5, Denver, Rakhshani 13 (Ruegsegger, Colborne), 1:46. 6, Denver, Ostrow 8 (Shore, Salazar), 12:22 (pp). 7, Denver, Wiercioch 3 (Rakhshani, Colborne), 16:24. Penalties — Nutini, DU (hooking), 5:35; Olimb, UNO (holding), 10:35.
Shots on goal — UNO 8-13-8—29. DU 10-14-11—35. Power play opportunities — UNO 0 of 4. DU 1 of 2. Goalies — UNO, Faulkner (7-6-3) 26 shots-21 saves (41:41), Dupont 9-7. DU, Cheverie (10-2-1) 29-29 A — 5,250.
