If nothing else, the University of Denver will find out this weekend how well it has recruited over the past five years. It won’t be a gauge of talent, of which the Pioneers have plenty, but a test of competitiveness and character while playing in college hockey’s toughest atmosphere.
Third-ranked DU, coming off the first leg of its difficult road stretch at No. 2 Wisconsin, faces No. 4 and simmering rival North Dakota tonight and Saturday at Grand Forks, N.D.
The Pioneers were boys when they pledged to play for DU, but they’ll need to perform like men against the Fighting Sioux, who arguably have the most animated and loyal fans in the country.
“It’s a product of being a part of a high-profile program like ours,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said of playing challenging, back-to-back road series. “There is no question that one of the big reasons why these guys decided to come to DU was to play big games, and win big games, whether it’s the regular season or postseason. Part of that is dealing with the expectations, the stress and the anxiety.”
History says this weekend’s series will be a hard-hitting, emotional affair — similar to the teams’ two-game set in Denver on Nov. 20-21. The Pioneers swept, 1-0 and 3-2, both in penalty-filled and controversial fashion.
The rematch in Grand Forks figures to be just as mentally draining.
“It’s going to be very intense, we’re going to play with intensity and emotion, but this is not winner-take-all, the end-all,” Gwozdecky said. “There is a balance that has to be established, and I think the team has that right kind of balance.”
DU sophomore defenseman John Lee grew up in Moorhead, Minn., about 80 miles south of Grand Forks. Lee’s older brother, Brian, was a standout at UND when John chose Denver over North Dakota and Minnesota.
A year ago, John absorbed plenty of grief from Sioux players and fans in his DU debut at Engelstad.
“It’s a hostile environment, and I expect nothing less this year,” he said. “It’s a very loud building, but it’s always fun to play in places like that. I always catch a hard time from a few guys, but it’s nothing I’m not used to and it doesn’t get under my skin. As a team, we have to compete hard, play the body, block shots and do the little things. We just have to play our game.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
College hockey
NO. 3 DENVER (14-6-4, 10-4-4 WCHA) AT NO. 4 NORTH DAKOTA (13-8-5, 8-7-3 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Tonight (6:37 p.m.), Saturday (6:07 p.m.)
Where: Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.
Radio: KKFN 104.3 FM
Notes: Tonight’s game will be televised by the NHL Network, DirecTV 617 and Fox College Sports Central. Saturday’s game is available on DirecTV 623 and Fox College Sports Atlantic. . . . DU is tied with Miami (Ohio) atop the PairWise Rankings. UND is tied with Vermont for 10th. . . . DU is winless (0-3-1) in its past four games at North Dakota. . . . The Sioux are 0-of-19 on the power play in their past four games.
NO. 5 ST. CLOUD STATE (16-7-3, 11-5-2 WCHA) AT NO. 11 COLORADO COLLEGE (14-9-3, 10-7-3 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Tonight (7:30 p.m.), Saturday (7 p.m.)
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
TV/Radio: None/KRXP 103.9 FM
Notes: St. Cloud and CC are No. 14 and No. 5 (tie) in the PairWise Rankings, respectively. . . . The Huskies are coming off 4-3 and 4-1 victories over Minnesota, while the Tigers split at Alaska-Anchorage last weekend (6-2 win, 2-1 loss). . . . St. Cloud is 10-11-2 at the World Arena. CC skated to a 4-4 draw and 4-1 win at St. Cloud in December.
AIR FORCE (12-9-5, 12-5-5 AHA) AT ARMY (8-12-4, 7-8-3 AHA)
What: AHA two-game series
When: Tonight and Saturday, 5 p.m.
Where: Tate Rink, West Point, N.Y.
TV/Radio: None/KCSF 1300 AM
Notes: Air Force leads this series 27-18-2 since the teams first met in 1976. . . . The Falcons are 10-2-3 when they score first, 2-7-2 when allowing the first goal. . . . Air Force has held its opponents without a power-play goal in 17 games and has the country’s second-best killing percentage (89.2 percent). . . . Army is 1-4-2 in its past seven games, but is 6-2-1 at home.
