Ranked No. 3 nationally and picked to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association by the league’s media and coaches, the Denver Pioneers had a difficult time downplaying high hopes this afternoon during its annual media day.
“Expectations are high once again,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said before introducing co-captains Dustin Jackson and Drew Shore. “It’s a good group. We have great leadership. … We’re excited about a lot of things.”
Denver went 25-12-5 last season and returns six of its top nine scorers, four defensemen and both goalies — although sophomore goalie Sam Brittain will miss at least half the season after undergoing major knee surgery in June.
The Pioneers, who in March were eliminated by North Dakota in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, open Friday at No. 1 Boston College, which won last weekend’s Ice Breaker Tournament by beating Michigan State 5-2 and host North Dakota 6-2.
Boston College, which won the 2010 NCAA championship, was the only team to sweep DU last season, winning by 6-2 and 3-0 scores at Magness Arena Oct. 15-16.
“I watched their game against North Dakota and I’m like, ‘Where have I seen this team before?'” Gwozdecky said with a grin. “They remind me so much of where they were at at this point last year when they came to Denver and had us chasing them for basically six periods.”
Jackson, 25, missed the first part of last season with mononucleosis. He joined DU as a 21-year-old freshman and is attending graduate school. The native of Omaha, Neb., remembers how DU’s young team a year ago struggled against the defending national champions.
“Everyone was kind of intimidated by them last year,” he said. “They were a great team and they probably still are. Obviously, beating up on North Dakota last week, we know what to expect from them. But I’m very confident in this team. I think we just have a little bit more swagger than we did last year at the beginning of the year.”
