Ranked No. 1 nationally, the University of Denver Pioneers this weekend will …
Wait, given the simultaneous success of the men’s hockey and lacrosse programs, that isn’t specific enough.
This is about hockey.
The Pioneers (22-6-4) are riding a seven-game winning streak heading into their Friday and Saturday National Collegiate Hockey Conference home games against No. 18 St. Cloud State, and they moved back into the No. 1 spot in the national rankings this week. With four games remaining in league play before the NCHC and NCAA postseason, DU won’t so much be attempting to tighten its hold on the No. 1 ranking, but rather continuing to improve.
“This is the time you want to be No. 1,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said after practice Thursday. “You’re getting close to the seedings for the tournament, and especially for us, being No. 1 in our conference and trying to win that first (NCHC) championship is pretty exciting.
“I think we are playing our best hockey right now, at both ends of the ice and both special team units are firing on all cylinders. I think you’d have to say we’re peaking right now.” Down the stretch, he said, “We can accomplish the mind-set of how to win a championship.”
This will be the last run for at least the eight members of the Pioneers’ senior class, including Hobey Baker Award candidate Will Butcher, an Avalanche 2013 draft choice, and possibly more, if any of the underclassmen already drafted by NHL teams — sophomores Blake Hillman, Dylan Gambrell and Troy Terry and freshman Henrik Borgstrom — turn pro.
“It’s great being No. 1 and everything,” said senior defenseman Matt VanVoorhis. “I think more focused on just continuing to play well. I think sometimes No. 1 can put a target on your back and you can get too high. I think we’re focusing on what makes us really good and makes us the team we are. … Since the beginning of the year, we’ve made tons of strides and we’ve improved a lot.”
Senior forward Matt Marcinew smiled and said of his final stretch run: “I’m trying not to think of it. But it’s our last opportunity to win a couple of championships. It’s special because I’ve been with these guys for four years and it’s the last chance, we want to leave nothing in the tank and have no regrets.”
St. Cloud State (15-14-1) is the last team to beat the Pioneers, and that came Jan.20 in the first game of the back-to-back set in St. Cloud.
“They’re extremely well-coached, they don’t beat themselves and you have to go out and earn everything you get against them,” Montgomery said. “They don’t take penalties, they don’t give you odd-man rushes and they really clog up the middle of the ice. We have our work cut our for ourselves and that’s great because you want to be playing really good teams before you go in the playoffs because it pushes you to be better and prepare for the playoffs.”
