Last week, it was Boston College. This week, it’s Wisconsin.
The defending NCAA champion departs Denver and the national runner-up takes its place at Magness Arena.
Perhaps the restocked Pioneers will have more of a chance. Instead of going against fully stacked BC, which strengthened its unanimous No. 1 ranking with relatively easy 6-2 and 3-0 victories at DU, the Pioneers get a team similar to themselves in this weekend’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association opener for both teams.
Like DU, the Badgers are trying to overcome significant personnel losses from a team that obtained one of the four No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds in March. They graduated six seniors, including Hobey Baker Award winner Blake Geoffrion, and saw three juniors and a sophomore leave during the offseason for NHL contracts. The early departures were defensemen Brendan Smith (Red Wings), Ryan McDonagh (Rangers) and Cody Goloubef (Blue Jackets), and forward Derek Stepan (Rangers).
Among 58 Division I programs, only DU was hit as hard. The Pioneers lost six seniors and three others to professional deals (junior Marc Cheverie and sophomores Joe Colborne and Patrick Wiercioch).
“The teams in some ways are mirror images of each other as far as inexperience in the lineup,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said. “That can be an advantage, and sometimes it can be a disadvantage. I’m sure they feel the same way, but we certainly hope to improve on the previous weekend and learn a lot about what it’s going to take to be successful.”
Wisconsin (3-1), which finished second to Denver in last season’s WCHA regular-season race, appears to be doing well with a revamped roster, but the Badgers’ three victories have come against unranked Holy Cross and Alabama-Huntsville (two). Wisconsin’s biggest strength is between the pipes, where senior goalies Scott Gudmandson and Brett Bennett have combined to give up only six goals in four games.
Denver (1-2-1) opened with an unbeaten weekend at Vermont before getting embarrassed at home by BC. The Pioneers went 0-of-17 on the power play in their homecoming series and enter the weekend 1-of-21.
“We’ve switched it up, and I think we’re going to get a lot more shots on net,” said DU defenseman Matt Donovan, the quarterback on the first power- play unit. Donovan is teamed with four forwards: senior Anthony Maiani, sophomore Drew Shore, and freshmen Beau Bennett and Jason Zucker.
“We’ve been working on it a lot this week, and things have gone well,” Maiani said. “We’ve created chances and put the puck in the net, which we didn’t do the first two weekends.”
DU will play freshman goalie Sam Brittain both nights.
College hockey
No. 15 Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0 WCHA) at No. 11 Denver (1-2-1, 0-0 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Today (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (7 p.m.)
Where: Magness Arena
TV/Radio: FSN (tonight only)/The Ticket, 87.7 FM
Notes: Wisconsin did not play at DU last season, and this is the only regular-season set between the teams. . . . Since opening with a 4-3 loss to Boston University in St. Louis, Wisconsin has won its past three games by a combined score of 18-2. The Badgers are coming off a series sweep (7-0 and 5-2) over visiting Alabama-Huntsville. . . . UW is the only opponent DU failed to defeat last season. The Pioneers tied the Badgers 3-3 in Madison, Wis., before losing 4-3 in the series finale and 6-3 two months later at the WCHA finals in St. Paul, Minn.
No. 18 Colorado College (2-1-1, 0-0-0 WCHA) at Minnesota State (0-3-1, 0-1-1 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Today (6:30 p.m. MDT) and Saturday (6 p.m. MDT)
Where: Verizon Wireless Center, Mankato, Minn.
TV/Radio: None/103.9 KRXP 103.9 FM
Notes: CC is 11-6-1 against Minnesota State in Mankato, where the Tigers won 1-0 (OT) and 3-2 last season. CC is 27-12-1 against the Mavericks overall. . . . CC freshman forward Jaden Schwartz, the WCHA preseason rookie of the year, leads the team with four points (two goals). . . . MSU opened WCHA play last weekend at Michigan Tech, losing 5-2 and tying 5-5.
American International (0-3, 0-3 AHA) at Air Force (0-3, 0-1 AHA)
What: AHA two-game series
When: Today and Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Cadet Ice Arena
TV/Radio: None/KKML 1300 AM
Notes: Falcons senior center Jacques Lamoureux, who has combined for 55 goals during the past two seasons, has yet to score. . . . Air Force has produced just six goals in three games.
