Feb. 5, 2007

DENVER - The No. 5 Denver Pioneers (20-10-2, 12-8-2 WCHA) travel to Michigan Tech (12-14-4, 7-11-4 WCHA) in WCHA action Feb. 9-10 at MacInnes Ice Arena. Fans can listen to the action on KEPN AM 1600 (Friday), KKFN AM 950 "The Fan" (Saturday) or FREE online at DenverPioneers.com.

DU Hockey Notes at Michigan Tech in PDF Format
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THIS WEEKEND'S STORYLINES

• Denver is tied for second in the WCHA with St. Cloud State at 26 points each, while Michigan Tech is tied for sixth with Minnesota State at 18 points each.

• The Pioneers are 2-4-0 all-time against the Huskies during Winter Carnival in Houghton.

• Denver took three WCHA points with a win (1-0) and overtime tie (3-3) against Michigan Tech on Nov. 17-18 in Denver.

• DU goaltender Peter Mannino leads the WCHA in goals against average (1.83) and saves percentage (.935).

• The Pioneers are 10-0-2 in their last 12 games at Michigan Tech.

FOR OPENERS

• The Pioneers are fifth in the latest PairWise Rankings.

• DU is 12-4-2 against unranked opponents this season. The Pioneers were 14-7-1 against unranked opponents last season.

• The Pioneers aim for their first road sweep since Dec. 16-17 at Alaska Anchorage.

• Pioneer freshmen have accounted for 50% of the team's scoring points this season.

• DU allowed its first two shorthanded goals of the season in the 6-4 loss to Minnesota Duluth Feb. 3. The six goals allowed by the Pioneers marked a season-high.

• The Pioneers are 18-2-0 when limiting opponents to two goals or less.

• DU's next win will mark the sixth consecutive season with 21 or more wins. DU's next conference win will mark the fourth consecutive season with 13 or more WCHA wins.

• The Pioneers have held opponents to three goals or less in 26 of 32 games.

LAST TIME OUT

The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Denver Pioneers 6-4 in WCHA action at Magness Arena Feb. 3. The Bulldogs' special teams dominated play with three power-play goals and two shorthanded goals. Sophomore Mason Raymond led the Bulldogs with two goals and two assists and Josh Johnson got the win with 24 saves. Freshman Rhett Rakhshani netted his second career two-goal game, including his first shorthanded tally. DU outshot Minnesota Duluth 28-27, but went 1-for-9 on the power play. The Bulldogs went 3-for-6 with the man-advantage. Glenn Fisher suffered the loss with 21 saves.

ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN TECH

The Pioneers hold a 105-79-17 (.565) all-time advantage against the Huskies in the series that started in 1951. DU is 1-0-1 against Michigan Tech this season and 2-4-0 against the Huskies during Winter Carnival. The Pioneers are 34-53-7 (.399) against the Huskies in Houghton, including a 10-0-2 mark in their last 12 games at MacInnes Ice Arena since 1998. DU is 4-0-1 in its last five games against Tech, 8-1-1 in the last 10 and 16-1-3 in the last 20.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

The Michigan Tech Huskies are 12-14-4 overall and 7-11-4 in the WCHA. The Huskies are 2-1-2 in their last five games and 4-2-2 in their last eight. Michigan Tech is 10-7-2 against top-20 opponents and tied for 18th in the latest PairWise Rankings. Tech is 71-36-7 all-time in Winter Carnival games. Junior center Peter Rouleau leads the Huskies in scoring with 6-18--24, while junior winger Tyler Shelast has netted a team-leading 12 goals. Tech goaltenders Michael Lee-Teslak (5-5-3, 2.09 GAA, .904 Sv%) and Rob Nolan (7-9-1, 2.17 GAA, .913 Sv%) rank third and seventh, respectively, in WCHA goals against average. The Huskies' penalty kill is sixth in the nation at 87.7%. Head coach Jamie Russell has posted a 35-89-19 record in four seasons at Michigan Tech.

THE PUCK STOPS HERE

DU has been led all season by the stellar goaltending of junior Peter Mannino and senior Glenn Fisher. Mannino has won six consecutive starts and leads DU with an 8-3-1 record, 1.83 GAA and .935 Sv%, while Fisher has a 12-7-1 record, 2.29 GAA and .922 Sv%. Mannino has an 8-1-1 record with a 1.48 GAA and .948 Sv% in his last 10 games. He missed six games from Jan. 6-26 with a groin injury.

Mannino has allowed just four goals during his six-game winning streak, which includes shutouts against Alaska Anchorage (12/16), Mercyhurst (12/29) and St. Cloud State (1/27). Mannino ranks first in the WCHA in saves percentage and goals against average and third in winning percentage (.708). Mannino has a career record of 38-15-3 and is second on DU's all-time saves percentage list (.921) and third in shutouts (9) and goals against average (2.30). He recorded a season-high 39 saves in DU's 4-3 overtime win at Wisconsin Nov. 11. Mannino is 4-0-1 with a 1.57 GAA and .946 Sv% in five games against Michigan Tech.

Fisher recorded his fourth career shutout with 31 saves at No. 1 Minnesota Jan. 20. He set a personal best in shutout minutes at 158:03 from Nov. 10-Nov. 24 and netted a career-high 47 saves in DU's 4-3 overtime win at St. Cloud State Oct. 13. Fisher has allowed two or less goals in 12 of 20 starts and has three shutouts this season. He has a career record of 38-20-5 with a 2.73 GAA and .900 Sv%. Fisher ranks fourth in the WCHA in saves percentage, sixth in winning percentage (.625) and seventh in goals against average. Fisher is 4-1-0 with a 1.40 GAA and .935 Sv% in five career games against Michigan Tech.

DINGLE LEADS OFFENSIVE ATTACK

Junior All-America candidate Ryan Dingle leads Denver in goals (19), power-play goals (9), shorthanded goals (2) and game-winning goals (4) for the second consecutive season. He is second in the WCHA in goal scoring and ranks among the conference leaders in game-winning goals (T-1st), power-play goals (3rd), shorthanded goals (T-5th) and shorthanded points (T-7th). Dingle has tallied three two-goal games and one hat trick this season, while recording scoring points in 20 of 32 games. He is tied for third all-time at DU with six career shorthanded goals and 14 career game-winning goals. Dingle is tied for seventh all-time at DU with 23 career power-play goals. He is DU's current career scoring leader with 52-39--91 in 113 career games.

DU FRESHMEN AMONG NATION'S ELITE

DU's nationally-ranked freshman recruiting class is among the nation's best. The DU freshmen rank second behind Minnesota in total scoring points (124) among all freshmen classes in the nation. Brock Trotter (14-21--35), Tyler Ruegsegger (13-18--31), Rhett Rakhshani (8-22--30), Brian Gifford (3-9--12), Keith Seabrook (1-11--12), Brandon Vossberg (2-1--3), Cody Brookwell (0-1--1) and Matt Glasser have accounted for 50% of DU's scoring points. Trotter leads DU in scoring and is fifth in WCHA scoring and second in WCHA freshman scoring. Ruegsegger (4th), Rakhshani (T-5th) also rank among the top six freshman scorers in the WCHA. The DU freshmen have racked up 31 multi-point efforts and have combined for a +13 plus/minus rating. Ruegsegger leads DU with a +13 plus/minus rating, while Trotter leads the team with 11 multi-point games.

CORBIN DOUBTFUL FOR THIS WEEKEND

DU senior alternate captain J.D. Corbin (0-3--3) is doubtful this weekend after missing the last 28 games with a fractured right fibula and ankle injury. Corbin was injured during practice on Oct. 16 and had successful surgery Oct. 18. He is scheduled to return to the Pioneer lineup in February.

VETERANS ANCHOR DU BLUELINE

DU's blueline is anchored by veterans Adrian Veideman (3-8--11), Andrew Thomas (2-4--6) and Chris Butler (8-13--21). Butler leads DU blueliners in goals, assists, points and power-play goals. He is tied for fourth in WCHA defenseman scoring and is tied for third among all WCHA defensemen with eight goals. Thomas is second on the team with 22 penalties and tied for second with 55 penalty minutes. Veideman tallied his third goal in the 6-4 loss to Minnesota Duluth Feb. 3.

COLORADO FLAVOR

The Pioneer roster sports eight Coloradans. Zach Blom (Englewood), Steven Cook (Denver), J.D. Corbin (Littleton), Ryan Dingle (Steamboat Springs), Danny King (Colorado Springs), Geoff Paukovich (Englewood), Tyler Ruegsegger (Lakewood) and J.P. Testwuide (Vail) all hail from the Centennial State.

NHL DRAFT PICKS

The Pioneers boast 10 NHL Draft picks on this year's roster. DU has two second round picks (Geoff Paukovich and Keith Seabrook), one third round pick (Brian Gifford), three fourth round picks (Chris Butler, Andrew Thomas and Rhett Rakhshani), one fifth round pick (Glenn Fisher), one sixth round pick (Tyler Ruegsegger), one seventh round pick (Matt Glasser) and one eighth round pick (J.D. Corbin).

DU VS. RANKED TEAMS

The Pioneers are 8-6-0 against ranked teams after their two-game split against then-No. 4 St. Cloud State last weekend. DU lost 3-2 to the Huskies Jan. 26 before winning 2-0 Jan. 27. DU was 7-8-2 against ranked opponents in 2005-06.

MAGNESS MAGIC

DU has sold out 54 consecutive regular season games at Magness Arena. The streak started with a sellout crowd of 6,022 on Oct. 22, 2004, when the Pioneers raised their sixth NCAA National Championship banner prior to puck drop against St. Cloud State. DU averaged 6,067 fans in 2004-05, 6,093 in 2005-06 and is averaging 6,080 fans after 19 home dates in 2006-07.

CHAMPIONSHIP HOCKEY

The Pioneers are tied for second in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey with seven NCAA National Championships. DU captured national championships in 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004 and 2005.

STASTNY AND CARLE LIGHTING UP NHL

Former DU All-Americans Paul Stastny and Matt Carle are enjoying fast starts to their NHL careers. Colorado's Stastny (14-27--41) and San Jose's Carle (5-19--24) rank third and eighth, respectively, among rookie scorers. Carle, the 2006 Hobey Baker Award winner and Anchorage native, helped DU to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005. Stastny helped DU to the 2005 NCAA title and was the WCHA scoring champion in 2006. Both players signed professional contracts after the 2005-06 season. Carle signed with the Sharks after his junior season, while Stastny signed with the Avalanche after his sophomore season.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2007 NCAA WEST REGIONAL AT PEPSI CENTER IN DENVER

Tickets for the 2007 NCAA West Regional at Pepsi Center in Denver are on sale. Tickets are being sold in three-game packages, starting as low as $50. Tickets can be purchased at the Pepsi Center Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.pepsicenter.com, and by phone at (303) 830-8497. The 2007 NCAA West Regional is set for March 24-25.

ON THE HORIZON

The Pioneers enjoy a bye week before hosting North Dakota in a two-game WCHA series Feb. 23-24.