Puck Swami's Know Your Foe

The Miami University (Ohio) Red Hawks

2009-03-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

NCAA West Regional
University of Denver vs. Miami University
Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, Minn. March 27, 2009

The NCAA Tournament begins as the No. 1 West Regional seed Denver Pioneers (23-11-5, 16-8-4 WCHA) take on the No. 4 seed Miami RedHawks. (20-12-5, 17-7-4 CCHA). The winner will face the winner of the other regional semi-final, either the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs or the Princeton Tigers on Saturday night for the right to advance to the Frozen Four in Washington, DC. Game Time is 3:30 p.m. MT at Mariucci Arena (10,000 capacity). Television: ESPN2HD Radio: KCKK AM 1510 - Jay Stickney and the Audiocast: DenverPioneers.com

DU ALL-TIME VS. MIAMI
The Pioneers are 4-2 all-time against the RedHawks in the series that started in 1986-87. DU defeated Miami, 3-2, in the lone meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament at the West Regional in 2004. Miami defeated Denver, 5-2, in the last meeting on Oct. 6, 2006. The game marked the opening of Steve Cady Arena on the Miami campus.

Red Hawks to watch
Carter Camper and Peter Cannone are the leading scorers on this year’s Miami squad, with 39 and 35 points respectively. Camper has 20 goals, and Cannone is more of a set up man with 11 goals and 24 assists. Miami also has four scorers in the mid 20s range, with Andy Miele (27) Justin Mercier (26), Jarod Palmer (26) and Chris Wideman (25). Connor Knapp has seen the most action in the Miami nets, with a 2.09 GAA and .904 saves pct in 23 games. Cody Reichard is the other Miami netminder, with a 2.16 GA and a .912 saves pct in 16 games played.

About Miami's Program
Steve Cady, Miami senior associate director of athletics, and the chairman of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee this year, is the known as the “father” of Miami hockey. He was the one who started the varsity program in 1978, and guided it as the first head coach. The first victory came in the first game, when Miami beat Cincinnati’s club team 15-2, and for the first three seasons, Miami competed as a successful independent, with the first two seasons winning more than 20 games each.

Miami joined the CCHA in 1981, and finished 11th in the first league season. Steve Cady was never able to get Miami above sixth and stepped aside in 1985 to become the director of the original Goggin Ice Arena on campus, the RedHawks hired Bill Davidge and went through four terrible seasons and the school “very nearly pulled the plug” on the hockey program, according to the Dayton News. With an overall record of 39-111-3, Cady told the Dayton News, "I got called into the president's office" and was told the state of Miami hockey was "unacceptable." Cady “insisted that the program could succeed if it had more resources.”

Later that year a young Michigan State assistant named George Gwozdecky replaced Davidge as coach, and for the first time Miami's hockey program, Cady said, "was fully funded in terms of scholarships."

Gwozdecky coached the RedHawks to a CCHA league title in 1992-93 and their first NCAA appearance, where they fell to the Wisconsin Badgers, 3-1. One of the captains of that Miami team was Enrico Blasi, who later became a Denver assistant under Gwozdecky and has coached the RedHawks to five NCAA berths in the last six years.

Gwozdecky left Miami and moved to the University of Denver in 1994, and was replaced by Mark Mazzoleni, who would stay through the 1999 season. Mazzoleni’s highlight at Miami was the 1996-1997 season, where the Red Hawks finished second in the CCHA and went to their second NCAA tourney, where they dropped a 4-2 decision to Cornell in the regional.

Blasi took the reigns from Mazzoleni in 1999-2000, and has guided Miami to a higher level. Blasi first NCAA appearance with Miami came in 2004, when his second place CCHA team fell to Gwozdecky’s Denver Pioneers 3-2 in the West Regional.

Blasi’s 2005-2006 Miami team won it’s second CCHA title, but once again, the NCAA opener was not good, as the Red Hawks fell 5-0 to Boston College.

The following season, the Red Hawks finished third in the CCHA, but earned an NCAA berth, and this time, Miami did not fall in the opener. Rather, the Red Hawks edged New Hampshire 2-1 for the school’s first NCAA win. The victory celebration did not last long though, as Miami fell to BC the next day 4-0 in the regional final.

Last season, Miami finished second in the CCHA and won their NCAA opener against Air Force, 3-2, but old NCAA nemesis Boston College finished off Miami 4-3 on the way to their third NCAA Championship.

About Miami University
Miami University (sometimes called Miami of Ohio by sportswriters) is a coeducational public university founded in 1809 and is one of the eight original “Public Ivies” The University is located in the college town of Oxford, Ohio with its primary focus on educating undergraduates.

The tenth public college founded in the United States, Miami University dates back to a grant of land made for its support by the United States Congress and signed by George Washington on May 5, 1792. The university's first president, Robert Hamilton Bishop, envisioned Miami as the "Yale of the West" and planned the first several buildings accordingly. Miami is located in southwestern Ohio approximately thirty miles (50 km) northwest of Cincinnati. The Miami in this school's name refers to the Miami River valley, cut by two medium-sized rivers, the Little Miami River and the Great Miami River, that flow through southwestern Ohio; the rivers were in turn named after the Miami Indians who lived in the area before European settlement.

Miami ranks in the first tier of the U.S. News & World Report college rankings at 66th among 252 "National Universities" and tied with Purdue University, as 26th among public National Universities. BusinessWeek ranks the undergraduate business program for the Farmer School of Business at 19th among U.S. business schools, 8th among public business schools, and 1st among Ohio business schools.

Miami University is reputed to be one of the most beautiful university campuses, as poet Robert Frost described Miami as "the most beautiful college there ever was” The campus features modified Georgian revival red brick buildings on an open, tree-shaded campus void of high rise skyscraper dormitories. Miami is also striking in that the entire campus is consistent in design and appearance except for the buildings on the former Western College campus and the Miami University Art Museum. Parts of the campus can be seen in the 1991 film Little Man Tate with Jodie Foster, which was largely filmed on the Oxford campus.

Miami is known as the "Cradle of Coaches" because several prominent football coaches were student/athletes and/or coaches at Miami before achieving greater fame at more prominent college programs or the National Football League. Among these coaches were George Gwozdecky, Earl Blaik, Paul Brown, Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewbank, Bo Schembechler, Randy Walker, Ron Zook, Joe Novak, John Pont, Carmen Cozza, and Jim Tressel.

For many years, the athletic teams at Miami were nicknamed Redskins, but in 1997 the nickname was changed to RedHawks. Some controversy surrounded this change and some aspects of the old identity persist. The RedHawks compete in NCAA Division I in all sports (FBS in football). Miami's primary conference is the Mid-American Conference; its hockey program is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Miami is also known for its School of Education, housed in McGuffey Hall, named for Professor William Holmes McGuffey (called the "Schoolmaster to the Nation"), who was a Miami Classics professor and wrote America's most widely used pioneer text books - the McGuffey Readers - while on faculty at Miami University.

Miami also was the first U.S. public university to have an "Artist-in-Residence" program, with Percy MacKaye as the first poet in residence.

The Miami Student claims to be the oldest university newspaper, tracking its founding to 1826, although Dartmouth College's student newspaper contests this claim.

Miami University was first provided for under the Northwest Ordinance, which would regulate the free states of the Midwest. On May 5, 1792, "the President of the United States was authorized to grant letters patent to John Cleves Symmes and his associates . . . provided that the land grant should include one complete township . . . for the purpose of establishing an academy and other public schools and seminaries of learning. After Ohio became a state in 1803, the State legislature assumed responsibility for making sure that John Cleves Symmes would set aside a township of land for the support of an academy. Such a law was passed by the State legislature April 15, 1803. . . . Finally, on February 17, 1809, the State legislature created The Miami University (The article "The" is in the official name of Miami but is not currently used) and provided that one complete township in the State of Ohio in the district of Cincinnati was to be vested in Miami University for its use, benefit, and support."[1] This was known as the "College Township", ultimately Oxford, Ohio which was the first township in North America to bear the name Oxford.

At one point in the 19th century, Miami University was the 4th largest university in the United States after Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth. As the East-West national rivalries subsided, the North-South rivalries surged; Miami University split apart at the time of the Civil War. Most graduates volunteered for the Union, more than any other school except the military academies. The majority of those that didn't, primarily from Southern states (such as Jefferson Davis' nephew) volunteered in the Confederate armies. Miami contributed significantly to the leadership of both sides of the war. Of the ten members of Lincoln's Cabinet, two were Miami men: Secretary of the Interior Caleb Blood Smith and Postmaster General William Dennison. When the Civil war began, there were five governors of thirty-three states who were Miami graduates (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Mississippi). Also, Ohio would have two and Iowa one civil war governor, California one governor before the war and Missouri two governors just after the war, all from Miami University. Ten Union generals were Miami alumni, including 23rd President of the U.S., Benjamin Harrison (Miami Class of 1852) and three Confederate generals were graduates of Miami. Of the three Admirals in the Union Navy, two were Miami graduates, including Stephen Clegg Rowan.

Because most of its all-male student body had left for and fought in the war (leaving four years with virtually no student fees to sustain the University), because many alumni and professors died in the War, because the West opened up to other universities, and because Southern families no longer sent their sons to the North for an education, "Old Miami" passed on and Miami University nearly died. The university, unable to pay its huge debts, closed in 1873 and did not reopen until 1885 (when the Civil War ended, only 104 out of 516 American colleges would survive).

With the help of alumni and Ohio legislators, "New Miami" was reopened in 1885 and soon began admitting women. Although Ohio State University, then the Ohio Agriculture and Mechanical College, had been launched in the interim, Miami University continued to attract its fair share of Ohio students by the 1890s, and by the 1950s had massively grown.

Over the course of the twentieth century, Miami has absorbed two women's colleges located in Oxford: Oxford College (1854–1929) and Western College for Women (1853–1974, a daughter school of Mount Holyoke. Oxford was also home to Oxford Theological Seminary (1838–1858) and the Oxford Female Institute (1849–1867), which was absorbed into Oxford College in 1867. Miami University was coeducational long before most schools in the Ivy League. Miami has been a non-sectarian school as were other pioneer universities in the Midwest, though its early leaders were often Presbyterians. Miami University's current enrollment on the Oxford campus is approximately 15,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students. In addition to its Oxford campus, Miami has additional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, West Chester, Ohio and a European Center in Differdange, Luxembourg, with approximately 6000 more students.

Miami University is known around the fraternity world for the Miami Triad, three fraternities founded in the 19th century that spread throughout the United States, and is called "Mother of Fraternities." These were Beta Theta Pi (1839), Sigma Chi (1855), and Phi Delta Theta (1848). The Delta Zeta sorority was also founded at Miami University in 1902 as was the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity in 1906. Alpha Delta Phi was the first fraternity to arrive on campus in 1833. Phi Delta Theta was founded in Elliott Hall and two of Phi Kappa Tau's four founders lived in the same room at the time of its founding.

In an effort to make college more affordable to Ohio students, Miami offers a varied in-state tuition based on financial need as well as state-identified key areas of study including engineering and mathematics. In 2007-08, the highest tuition paid by Ohioans is $11,643; 60 percent pay less, as low as $8,900. Ohio families earning $35,000 or less annually pay no tuition courtesy of the Miami Access Initiative.

Miami is celebrating its bicentennial in 2009. To commemorate this occasion, Miami University announced the construction of the Bicentennial Student Center which will serve as a focal point for student life and leadership for future generations of Miamians. Students have outgrown the Shriver Student Center, which is limited on space, technology and hours; not accommodating the round-the-clock lifestyles of most college students. The new student center will be a place on campus which is more student focused, with plenty of room to accommodate the more than 350 student organizations on Miami’s campus.

Miami University has six academic divisions—the College of Arts & Science, the Farmer School of Business, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the School of Education, Health, and Society, the School of Fine Arts, and the Graduate School.

Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state, and was planned to accommodate Miami University as its primary town purpose. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census..

Although Miami was chartered in 1809, Oxford was laid out by James Heaton on March 29, 1810, by the Ohio General Assembly's order of February 6, 1810. The original village, consisting of 128 lots, was incorporated on February 23, 1830. Oxford was elevated to town status in 1962 and to city status in 1971.

Oxford is home to the national offices of five Greek-letter organizations including the home office of the international business fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, social sorority Delta Zeta and general fraternities, Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Delta Theta, and Beta Theta Pi. All but Delta Sigma Pi were founded at Miami University.

University Traditions

Nickname – Red Hawks
At the urging of the Oklahoma-based Miami Tribe, (for whom the school is named) the Miami Board of Trustees voted on Sept. 25, 1996 to discontinue the use of Redskins as the nickname for the university's athletic teams. More than 3,000 nickname suggestions (700 different names) from alumni and current members of the Miami community were received. At its meeting on April 19, 1997, the board selected the nickname RedHawks from three nickname finalists - RedHawks, Thunderhawks and Miamis - forwarded them by the athletic nickname selection committee. The new moniker went into effect July 1, 1997.

University president Dr. James C. Garland unveiled the RedHawk logos at a press conference on Oct. 18, 1997 prior to the Marshall game. Swoop, the mascot of Miami teams, made its first appearance on Dec. 9, 1997, before the men's basketball contest versus Xavier.

Use of the nickname Redskins for Miami athletic teams dated back to the 1930-31 school year, when the Miami alumni magazine, then edited by the school's lone publicity man, Ralph McGinnis, announced the new nickname as successor to Big Red, which had caused confusion with Denison University teams. A similar tag had popped up in a 1928 story in the Miami Student that referred to the "Big Red-Skinned Warriors," but the transition wasn't made for another three years. For a time in 1931, Redskins and Big Red were used interchangeably in The Student. Prior to 1928, teams had been referred to as The Miami Boys, The Big Reds or The Reds and Whites.

Fight Song
Miami's fight song was composed in 1908 by Professor of Geology Raymond H. Burke. Before the music was composed, students sang the words to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine”The lyrics are as follows:

Love and honor to Miami,
Our college old and grand,
Proudly we shall ever hail thee,
Over all the land.

Alma mater now we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this lay,
Love and honor to Miami,
Forever and a day.

Famous University of Miami Alumni
Government, military, public administration
* Charles Anderson, 27th Governor of Ohio (1865–1866)
* Calvin Stewart Brice, Former U.S. Senator, railroad magnate and campaign manager for Grover Cleveland's U.S. presidential campaign against Brice's fellow Miami alumnus, Benjamin Harrison.
* James Edwin Campbell, 38th Governor of Ohio
* Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senator from Washington
* Joseph Davis, American Civil War Confederate General (nephew of President Jefferson Davis of the Confederate States of America
* William Dennison Jr., U.S. Postmaster General; 24th Governor of Ohio (1860-1862)
* Thomas Dinwiddie, retired Brigadier General U.S. Air Force
* Ozro J. Dodds, U.S. Representative from Ohio
* John E. Dolibois, ambassador to Luxembourg and interrogator at the Nuremberg Trials
* Steve Driehaus, current U.S. Representative from the 1st district of Ohio
* Samuel Galloway, U.S. Representative from Ohio (1855-57)
* Stan Greenberg, Democratic Party pollster and campaign strategist for Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry
* Andrew L. Harris, 44th Governor of Ohio (1906-1909), U.S. Commissioner, American Civil War General
* Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States (1889-1893)
* David Archibald Harvey, U.S. Representative from Oklahoma
* Isaac M. Jordan, U.S. Representative from Ohio
* Oliver P. Morton, Former Indiana governor and U.S. Senator
* Michael Oxley, Member of Congress and co-sponsor of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
* George Ellis Pugh, Former U.S. Senator
* Joseph Ralston, May 2000 - 2003, Commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO
* Whitelaw Reid, U.S. ambassador to France from 1889 to 1892, and U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James from 1905 to 1912, Republican candidate for Vice President on the ticket with fellow Miami alumnus, Benjamin Harrison, 1892 (the only time in American political history that the candidates for President and Vice President, put forward by a major political party), were undergraduates of the same college).
* Paul Ryan, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
* Milton Sayler, U.S. Representative from Ohio
* Caleb Blood Smith, 6th United States Secretary of the Interior, serving in the Cabinet of Abraham Lincoln
* Sidney Souers, First Central Intelligence Agency Director appointed by President Harry S. Truman
* Anthony Thornton, U.S. Representative from Illinois and Illinois Supreme Court Justice
* John B. Weller, fifth Governor of California, former Congressman from Ohio, U.S. Senator from California and Minister to Mexico

Journalism, literature, media, entertainment
* Ira Berkow, sports writer, New York Times
* Pete Conrad, sports columnist Dayton Daily News
* Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize Winner, First African-American U.S. Poet laureate, Consultant to the Library of Congress
* Jon Gambrell, correspondent, Associated Press
* Wil Haygood, columnist, The Washington Post
* Bill Hemmer, Fox News Channel anchor
* Katie Lee Joel, television personality, food critic, and wife of pop music superstar Billy Joel
* Tina Louise, Ginger on Gilligan's Island
* Nick Lachey, singer
* P. J. O'Rourke, conservative satirist
* Chad Pergram, FOX News journalist, recipient of an Edward R. Murrow Award and the Joan Barone Award for his reporting on Capitol Hill
* Whitelaw Reid, Editor-in-chief, New York Tribune and U.S. Vice-President candidate with President Benjamin Harrison (the only time in U.S. history that the President and Vice-President candidates were alumni from the same University).
* Bill Sammon, Senior White House Correspondent, Washington Examiner, formerly at The Washington Times; and political analyst for Fox News Channel, and the author of four New York Times bestsellers. .

Business
* Brad Alford, Chairman & CEO of Nestle USA
* C. Michael Armstrong former CEO of Hughes Electronics, Comcast Corporation & AT&T
* John Christie, President and CFO, Worthington Industries
* Arthur D. Collins, Chairman of Medtronic, Inc.
* Bruce Downey, Chief Executive Officer of Barr Pharmaceuticals
* Richard T. Farmer, Founder and Chairman of the Cintas Corporation
* Cynthia Fedus Fields, Former President & CEO of Victoria's Secret Catalogue Division
* William L. McComb, CEO of Liz Claiborne
* Charles Mechem, Jr., retired chairman and CEO of Jacor Communications and former commissioner of the LPGA; Director of Convergys Corporation
* Matt Merchant, CTO, Corporate Information Systems at General Electric
* John H. Patterson, founder of NCR (National Cash Register)
* Marvin Pierce, Former President of McCall Publishing, father of former First Lady Barbara Bush, and maternal grandfather of President George W. Bush
* Mitchell Rales, co-founder, former CEO, and current Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director of Danaher Corporation
* Michael Rechin, CEO of First Merchants Corporation
* Jack Rogers, Former Chairman & CEO of United Parcel Service (UPS)
* John Smale, retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Procter & Gamble and retired chairman of the executive committee of General Motors
* Thomas Smith, founding partner and president of Prescott Investors, Inc.
* Richard K. Smucker, Chief Executive Officer of The J.M. Smucker Company
* Thomas Stallkamp, Director and former CEO of MSX International and Former President & Vice Chairman of Daimler Chrysler
* John Walter, former President and Chairman of AT&T

Athletics
* Kevyn Adams, NHL player, Chicago Blackhawks; member of 2006 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes
* Walter Alston, former manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball teams; earned four World Series championships and seven National League pennants
* Jerry Angelo, General Manager of the Chicago Bears
* Bill Arnsparger, NFL coach - Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers; NCAA football coach; Head Coach, LSU; Athletic Director, University of Florida
* Randy Ayers, former NBA player and college Head Coach at Ohio State University and Head Coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, Assistant Coach of the Orlando Magic and current Assistant Coach of NBA Washington Wizards
* Bob Babich, former NFL player, San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns; First-Team All-American in football.
* Jacob Bell, NFL player, Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams
* Eric Beverly, NFL player, Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons
* "Red" Earl Blaik, former Head Coach Army football; member of the NFL Foundation Hall of Fame.
* Dan Boyle, NHL player for the Tampa Bay Lightning; won Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightening
* Paul Brown, partial founder of the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals and the first head coach for both teams
* Rob Carpenter, NFL player, where he rushed for 4,363 yards in a 10-year career with the Houston Oilers, New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.
* Alain Chevrier, NHL player, New Jersey Devils
* Carmen Cozza, former head football Coach, Yale University; played in NFL for Green Bay Packers and in Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox organization
* Dan Dalrymple, NFL coach, Head Strength & Conditioning for the New Orleans Saints
* Paul Dietzel, All-American center, football; Head Coach, football at LSU, South Carolina and Army; National Coach of the Year
* Bill Doran, former second baseman for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, and Milwaukee Brewers; bench coach, Kansas City Royals
* Wayne Embry, General Manager, NBA's Toronto Raptors; former NBA player and NBA executive with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, and was the first African American NBA General Manager and Team President; two-time basketball All-American at Miami
* Weeb Ewbank, Super Bowl-winning NFL Head Coach; won two NFL titles with the Baltimore Colts and the New York Jets
* Mike Glumac, NHL player, St. Louis Blues
* Jim Gordan, Los Angeles Olympian, track and field; track and football in college
* Andy Greene, player, NHL, New Jersey Devils
* John Harbaugh, Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens
* Ron Harper, retired NBA player, Five-time NBA Champion, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers; coach, Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic
* Bob Hitchens, player, NFL, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers
* Alphonso Hodge, NFL player, Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs, 5th round draft pick (147th overall) in 2005
* Bob Jencks, player NFL, Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears; Super Bowl Champions with Chicago Bears
* Ryan Jones, player NHL, Nashville Predators
* Ernie Kellermann, former defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, 1966-71, Cincinnati Bengals from 1971-72 and Buffalo Bills from 1972-73
* Aaron Kromer Tampa Bay Buccaneers Senior Offensive Assistant)
* Charlie Leibrandt, former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Rangers; 140-119 Major League record
* Phil Lumpkin, player, NBA Portland Trailblazer and Phoenix Suns
* Bill Mallory, head football coach, Miami University, University of Colorado at Boulder, Indiana University Bloomington; Big Ten Coach of the Year
* Denny Marcin New York Giants
* John McVay former Head Coach New York Giants; General Manager, San Francisco 49ers (5 Super Bowl Championships; NFL Executive of the Year winner
* Marvin Miller, union leader Major League Baseball Players Association
* Mike Mizanin, aka The Miz, WWE wrestler/ entertainer
* Tim Naehring, former MLB player, Boston Red Sox
* Martin Nance, NFL player, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings
* Ira Newble, NBA player, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle Supersonics and Los Angeles Lakers
* Ara Parseghian, former head football coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
* John Pont, Head football coach, Miami University, Yale University, Indiana University, Northwestern University; national Coach of the Year; lead Indiana to Big Ten title and Rose Bowl
* Travis Prentice, retired NFL player, NCAA Division 1-A Career leader in points scored, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings
* Ryne Robinson, NFL player, Carolina Panthers
* Randy Robitaille, NHL player, Ottawa Senators
* Ben Roethlisberger, NFL player, Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers, set record for most victories by a rookie quarterback in the NFL, 2004, Super Bowl Champion 2006 and 2009. (Did not graduate.)
* Scott Sauerbeck, Major League Baseball pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
* Brian Savage, NHL player, Philadelphia Flyers
* Bo Schembechler, noted former football head coach of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Wolverines
* Bob Schul, 1964 Olympic Gold medalist, 5000m run
* Sherman Smith, NFL player, Seattle Seahawks, coach Tennessee Titans, Offensive Coordinator Washington Redskins
* Jim Steeg, EVP and COO, San Diego Chargers; for Senior Vice President of Special Events, NFL
* Milt Stegall, all-time career leader in touchdowns, receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League; player NFL Cincinnati Bengals
* Wally Szczerbiak, NBA player, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves
* Randy Walker, former head football coach at Northwestern University
* Sheldon White, Pro Player Personnel Detroit Lions
* Ron Zook, Head Football Coach at the University of Illinois and former Head Football Coach at the University of Florida

The game
Denver comes into this game with some excitement with the return of it’s best overall player, Tyler Bozak from a mid-season knee injury. But that excitement is somewhat tempered by off a loss in the WCHA title game, and injuries to key players Tyler Ruegsegger and captain JP Testwuide, both of who are listed as “doubtful” to play against Miami.

Miami is a big team that should pose a lot of difficulty for the Pioneers, but with Denver’s depth on offense, defense and goal, the Pioneers should be able to emerge victorious if the play their transition game and play good defense,

Prediction. Playoff hockey. Denver wins a tight one, 2-1.

WCHA Playoff Semi-Finals: Wisconsin Badgers

2009-03-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

(above) The Badgers play their home games at the Kohl Center

The Xcel Center, St. Paul MN.
March 20, 2009 - 1 PM
The University of Wisconsin Badgers

The post season continues for the WCHA No. 2 seeded Denver Pioneers (22-10-5, 16-8-4 WCHA), who meet the WCHA No. 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers (19-15-4, 14-11-3 WCHA) for the right to advance to the WCHA Championship Game on Saturday, and the defense of the Broadmoor Trophy, won by the Pioneers last season. Game time is 1:07 PM MT at the 18,064 seat Xcel Energy Center. The Game will be telecast on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain and Fox Sports North, while radio fans in the Denver area may tune to 1510 on the AM dial, with Jay Stickney handling the call.

PIONEERS ALL-TIME VS. WISCONSIN
The Pioneers are 54-71-9, including an 0-2 mark on neutral ice, all-time against Wisconsin in the series that began in 1967-68. DU is 0-8 against the Badgers in the WCHA Playoffs and 0-11 in postseason action. DU won the 2008-09 regular season series, 4-0, with sweeps in Denver (6-5, 7-4) on Oct. 17-18 and in Madison (4-3 ot, 5-0) on Feb. 20-21. DU is 4-1 in its last five games against Wisconsin and 5-5 in its last 10. Wisconsin defeated Denver, 6-2, in the last postseason meeting at the Kohl Center in Madison during the 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional.

Badgers to Watch
The Badgers are led by junior defenseman Jamie McBain, who is second among all NCAA blueliners with 7-29--36, and is a Hobey Baker Award candidate. McBain is one of 10 NHL drafted Badgers. Derek Stepan (9-24--33), Tom Gorowsky (12-18--30), Blake Geoffrion (15-12--27) and John Mitchell (15-11--26), round out Wisconsin’s top-five scorers. Shane Connolly leads the team with a 18-13-4 record, 2.54 GAA and .911 Sv% in the nets.

About the Wisconsin Program
According to Wikipedia and the UW web sites, records indicate that ice hockey was played at Wisconsin before 1900, but the first varsity game was played in 1921. Coaching changes were frequent and seasons were short, due presumably to relying on nature to provide suitable outdoor conditions, and the University dropped the sport in 1935.

The modern era of Badger Hockey began in 1963, with the decision of athletic director Ivan B. Williamson. The Badgers started out ambitiously, playing as an independent team and scheduling 8 games against Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, losing all 8 games. However, the persistence eventually paid off. Late in the 1965-66 season, the Badgers finally broke through, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5-4 in overtime, their first win over a WCHA opponent. At the end of that season, Coach John Riley retired, and UW hired "Badger" Bob Johnson (left), a former Minnesota Gopher player who would build the UW program into what it is today. Johnson would become one of the most the most legendary American hockey figures of all time, coaching not only the Badgers to NCAA glory, but winning a Stanley Cup as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and becoming an international fixture with USA Hockey as a coach and administrator.

The next milestone for UW hockey was WCHA membership, which came for the 1969-70 season. The Badgers shocked the hockey world by gaining an NCAA tournament berth in their first season as members of the WCHA. The early success captivated fans, who packed the 8,600 seat Dane County Coliseum off campus and made the arena what Sports Illustrated termed the “Montreal Forum of College Hockey”.

More success would follow under Johnson. After again earning an NCAA bid in 1972, the Badgers won their first national championship in 1973, over the Denver Pioneers. The 1977 UW team further cemented Wisconsin Hockey in the national landscape, by sweeping the WCHA regular season, tournament, and NCAA tournament titles. Behind the efforts of four first team All-Americans, Mike Eaves (the current head coach of UW) 1980 Olympic hero Mark Johnson (Badger Bob’s son and now coach of the UW women’ team), Craig Norwich and Julian Baretta) the 1977 team won the title in amazing fashion, getting an equalizing goal late in regulation and winning goal in overtime in the final against Michigan. Another player on that team, grinding forward George Gwozdecky, would later become the coach of the Denver Pioneers, cementing his own legend in Denver.

The early 1980s were a glory period for Badger Hockey. The Badgers reached the NCAA title game three consecutive times in 1981, 1982, and 1983. The 1981 title was especially sweet for the Badger faithful, coming with a defeat of archrival Minnesota in the championship game. After again reaching the championship game in 1982, where the Badgers lost to North Dakota, the program was dealt a double blow with the resignation of "Badger" Bob Johnson. He left Wisconsin after 15 seasons with 3 NCAA championships, a record of 367-175-23, and having built the program into an NCAA powerhouse.

The pain of 1982 was quickly eased in 1983, however, with the hire of former Badger assistant coach Jeff Sauer. Sauer turned around and won the 1983 NCAA championship in his first season. Wisconsin defeated Harvard 6-2 to earn the program's 4th NCAA title. Under Sauer's leadership, the Badgers would qualify for eight consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1988 to 1995, winning the program's 5th NCAA title in 1990, with a 7-3 victory over Colgate in Detroit. Also, Sauer presided over the team's move from the venerable Dane County Coliseum to the new, on-campus Kohl Center in 1998. The Badgers have been tops in college hockey attendance every year since moving to the Kohl Center, where crowds of 13,000 -15,000+ are the norm, with a rowdy band and and fully engaged student section. Wisconsin is also credited with the inventions of the "Sieve" cheer, now heard all over college hockey. A game in Madison is a special experience that all hockey fans should experience.

In the mid 1990s, Badger hockey hit a bit of a lull, earning NCAA bids in 1998 and 2000, but generally underachieving compared to the high standards of the 1970s and 1980s. The 1999-2000 team featured a duo of 2nd overall NHL draft pick Dany Heatley and Steve Reinprecht, won the MacNaughton Cup, and earned a #1 position in the polls for most of the season, only to be upset by Boston College in the NCAA regionals. Two seasons later, during the 2001-2002 campaign, coach Sauer announced his retirement.

Sauer's replacement was hotly debated. Denver’s George Gwozdecky was considered, but elected to stay at DU, and the selection came down to Mike Eaves and Mark Johnson, with Eaves getting the nod due to deeper coaching experience in the NHL and abroad. While Eaves still holds the record as UW's all-time leading scorer, he is a much more defensive-minded coach. His first season at UW was full of hardship and controversy, including one of the worst records in the modern era. However, in 2003-2004, Eaves brought the Badgers just short of the Frozen Four, falling in overtime to Maine. After a disappointing finish to the 2004-2005 season, the Badgers returned to national prominence by winning the 2005/2006 NCAA championship by winning the Frozen Four held in nearby Milwaukee. He is looking to return the Badgers to the pinnacle again, but recent teams have lacked the scoring depth needed to win Frozen Fours.

About the University of Wisconsin
Founded in 1848, the original idea of UW was to start the university near the seat of the state government in Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin. UW was founded the same year that Wisconsin became a state, and the University began with 17 students in rented rooms at the Madison Female Academy. Since then, it has grown to become one of America’s largest research universities, with over 42,000 students in 20 different schools, and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin system over $900 million in research funding.

Early UW academic successes included the 1913 and 1916 discoveries of Vitamins A and B by UW scientist, Elmer V. McCollum, and the 1923 process for adding vitamin D to milk. In 1940, UW developed Warfarin, an important blood thinner,
(also known as Coumadin) and named it after the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

In the 1960s and 70s, Madison and UW became a hotbed of anti-war protests including the August, 1970 bombing outside the Army Math Research Center in Sterling Hall, killing post-doctoral researcher Robert Fassnacht.

In 1988, two UW Madison students, Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson founded the Onion humor newspaper, and in 1998, UW cell biologist James Thompson first isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells.

UW is a member of the Big 10 conference as well as the WCHA, and has really upgraded its athletic programs in recent years, and with no other comparable school in the state, UW Madison has a deep and passionate statewide following with large alumni chapters across the world.

Madison, Wisconsin
Known as one of America’s great college towns, the City of Madison is the State Capital with over 220,000 residents, and over 500,000 in the metropolitan area, the second largest city in Wisconsin after Milwaukee. The city was founded in 1836 as planned capital for the new Wisconsin Territory, and had only 626 people when UW was founded in 1848. The UW Campus has over 900 acres that occupy much of central Madison, sitting on an isthmus between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota in south central Wisconsin.

During the American Civil War, Madison served as a center of the Union Army in Wisconsin. Camp Randall, on the west side of Madison, was built and used as a training camp, a military hospital, and a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers. After the war ended, the Camp Randall site was absorbed into the University of Wisconsin. Camp Randall Stadium was built over the site in 1917.

Today, the city is known for both its liberal leanings and for its reputation as a party town, helped along by 40,000+ UW students and the bars of State Street. It's a white collar place with a lot of culture, recreational opportunities and cheap alcohol.

University Traditions

Nickname – Badgers
The nickname "Badgers" was borrowed from the state of Wisconsin. The territory was dubbed the "Badger State," not because of animals in the region, but rather because of an association with lead miners. In the 1820s and 1830s, prospectors came to the state looking for minerals, and without shelter in the winter, the miners had to "live like badgers" in tunnels burrowed into the hillsides. The badger mascot was adopted by the University of Wisconsin in 1889.

Logo and Mascot:
"Buckingham U. Badger", aka “Bucky Badger” was chosen in a student contest in 1949. The current emblem, a scowling, strutting badger wearing a cardinal-and-white striped sweater, was designed by Art Evans in 1940. Bucky wears a cardinal red and white Wisconsin sweater along with a gruff look on his face (the costumed-mascot version is decidedly cheerier, with a beaming smile).He also has a history of playfully fighting other team's mascots like the University of Minnesota's Goldy Gopher or Purdue University's Purdue Pete. Although fighting is no longer allowed by NCAA mascots, Bucky still frequently interacts with other mascots through skits. Bill Sagal was the first costumed Bucky Badger. The original Bucky costume was introduced at a pep rally on Friday, November 11, 1949, before the next day's Homecoming football game against Iowa. Carolyn (Connie) Conrad, a UW art student, designed the original chicken wire and paper mache head. Sagal, then head cheerleader, wore his regular cheerleader trousers and sweater and added boxing gloves.

The modern Bucky Badger logo was part of a group of "comic collegiate badger mascots" created by the Anson W. Thompson Company of Los Angeles in 1940. The company was one of several that manufactured decals and other logowear for universities. The UW athletic department first used the logo on the cover of the 1948 Football Facts and Centennial Sports Review. In 2003, Bucky was given an update, with simplified lines and the "motion W" on his sweater.

Wisconsin School Colors:
Cardinal and white are the official colors of UW’s sports teams, and the color of cardinal shade or red comes originally from Catholic Cardinal’s Cassock (robe). Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa State, USC, Stanford and Wisconsin all use Cardinal as a school color, which is very close shade to crimson, the color of the Pioneers.

Wisconsin Fight Song
"On, Wisconsin!" is the fight song of the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is also the official state song of Wisconsin. "On, Wisconsin!" was also the cry that Arthur MacArthur, Jr. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge, in the Civil War.

The tune was composed in 1909 by William T. Purdy, with the intention of entering it into a competition for a new fight song at the University of Minnesota. Carl Beck, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison student, convinced him to withdraw it from the contest at the last minute and allow his alma mater to use it instead. Beck then wrote the original, football-oriented lyrics, changing the words "Minnesota, Minnesota" to "On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!" (The eventual winner of the competition became known as the Minnesota Rouser).

The lyrics were rewritten for the state song in 1913 by Judge Charles D. Rosa and J. S. Hubbard. The song was widely recognized as the state song at that time, but was never officially designated. Finally in 1959, "On, Wisconsin!" was officially designated as the State Song. The song is actually in the public domain and used by hundreds of high school and small colleges, and is even used as the fight song of the CFL’s Saskatchewan RoughRiders.

Lyrics
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Plunge right through that line!
Run the ball clear down the field,
A touchdown sure this time. (U rah rah)
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Fight on for her fame
Fight! Fellows! - fight, fight, fight!
We'll win this game.

Famous University of Wisconsin Alumni
The University of Wisconsin has many distinguished alumni including aviator Charles Lindbergh, Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, writers Saul Bellow, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Ambrose and Eudora Welty, TV personalities Edwin Newman, Greta Van Susteren and Jeff Greenfield. Famous UW politicians include Dick and Lynn Cheney, Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, as well as musicians Steve Miller and Boz Skaggs.

Famous Sports Alumni include Alan Ameche, Ron Dayne, Troy Vincent and Crazy Legs Hirsch (Football), NBAers Michael Finley and Devin Harris, Baseball Hall of Famer Addie Joss, NHL Hockey players Chris Chelios, Dany Heatley,Tony Granato, Mike Richter and Gary Suter, and Olympians Eric Heiden, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Carly Piper and Horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

The Series

Defending Broadmoor Cup champion Denver seeks its WCHA-leading 16th playoff title, as DU has gone four-for-four in Red Baron WCHA Final Five titles (1999, 2002, 2005, 2008) in its last four attempts. While the Pioneers are 4-0 against Wisconsin this season, outscoring the Badgers 22-12, Denver is surprisingly 0-11 all time against Wisconsin in playoff action, DU comes into the series with serious injuries to centers and two best offensive players, Tyler Bozak and Tyler Ruegsegger, and a third center, Jesse Martin, is questionable with a groin injury. With so many injuries to key players, Denver will need some excellence from its remaining players in order to advance with a patchwork lineup. A win over the Badgers would go a long way towards clinching a top-4 seed in the NCAA playoffs, but this will not be certain until all playoff games are completed.

Career wise, Rhett Rakhshani has the best overall numbers against the Badgers, with 13 career points in 13 career games vs UW, but on a PPG basis, Patrick Wiercioch is probably the one player that scares the Badgers the most, as he has 9 points in just four career games against UW in just his first year in the league.

Offensively, Denver carries a 3.43 scoring average, good for 7th nationally, while UW is 10th nationally at 3.34. With DU’s top two offensive talents unable to play, Denver’s slight edge here has likely been eroded, and I'd give the edge to UW based on the Denver injuries, and the fact that UW offense is really clicking, with massive amounts of shots on goal last weekend in the playoffs vs Minnesota State.

Defensively, Denver has the 10th best defense nationally, letting in 2.38 GPG from its opponents, while UW is 23rd at 2.68 GPG. Denver has a slight edge here, and will likely need to play a top notch defensive game to emerge victorious.

In Goal, DU’s Marc Cheverie is 14th nationally at .921 in saves percentage, while UW’s Shane Connolly is 35th at .911. The edge here goes to Cheverie.

Special teams wise, Wisconsin enjoys a big edge, ranking 8th nationally vs Denver’s 36th best special teams. Wisconsin has a 19% PP good for eighth nationally, while Denver checks in at 24th with 17.4%, and that unit is likely to struggle without Tyler Ruegsegger’s PP goalscoring, which was tops in the WCHA this year. On the PK, Wisconsin has the 5th best kill at 88.2% nationally, while DU’s kill is 11th best at 87.1%. All in all, if the Badgers can exploit their special teams advantage on Denver, DU will likely lose.

Intangibles
Wisconsin will be playing for its playoff life, while Denver’s place in the NCAA tourney is secure, When you add to the fact that Denver has never beaten UW in a playoff game, it doesn't bode well, even though Denver's never lost a playoff game in the Xcel Energy Center, and when DU makes it there, they have always won the Broadmoor Trophy.

Prediction: As much as I’d love to see Denver hold off UW, I think the injuries down Denver’s middle are pretty devastating, and without DU’s two best offensive players and UW playing as well, as they are on special teams. UW is going to win the game, 3-1.

WCHA Playoffs: The University Of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves

2009-03-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

(above) UAA's Sullivan Arena

Magness Arena, Denver. Colo.
March 13-15

No.2-seed Denver (20-10-5) hosts No. 9-seed Alaska Anchorage (14-15-5) in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs on March 13-15. Puck drop is set for 7:37 p.m. on Friday, March 13 and 7:07 p.m. on Saturday in the best two-of-three series. Puck drop for Sunday's game, if necessary, is set for 7:07 p.m. Jay Stickney will have the call on AM 1510 on Friday and AM 560 on Saturday and Sunday. All games will be webcast on Pioneer Vision on www.DenverPioneers.com.

The Series
The Pioneers own a 37-14-5 all-time advantage against Alaska Anchorage in the series that started in 1992-93. The Pioneers are 20-7-1 against the Seawolves in Denver, including a 12-4 mark at Magness Arena. DU is 9-1 in its last 10 games against UAA and 12-3 in its last 15. DU has held UAA to three goals or less in the last 12 of the last 13 contests. The Pioneers are 3-2 in their last five games against UAA, including a split in February at Magness.

Seawolves to watch
The Seawolves bring a four-game winning sweep to Denver after sweeping Alaska (1-0, 3-0) and Minnesota Duluth (5-4, 4-2). And the hottest UAA player is Kevin Clark, who earned WCHA Player of the Week honors last weekend, A 5-9, 167-pound right winger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Clark scored four goals in the UMD series and added two assists for six points as the visiting Seawolves swept on the road for the first time since Nov. 10-11, 2000 (@ Wisconsin) and extended their winning streak to four games - a feat that hasn't been accomplished in over a decade (Dec. 4, 1998-Jan. 8, 1999). Last Friday (March 6) at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center, Clark led the UAA attack with a two-goal, two-assist night in a 5-4 victory over the host Bulldogs. He scored the game-opening goal in the first period, tied the score at 3-3 with a goal in the second, and then set up both of his team's goals in the third period - including teammate Josh Lunden's winner. Last Saturday (March 7) evening, Clark came back with a two-goal night to lead Alaska Anchorage to a 4-3 win over UMD. In addition to his six points in the series, he also fired 10 shots on goal and earned a +3 plus/minus rating. On the 2008-09 season, Clark ranks second on the UAA team in scoring with 29 points in 32 games (11g,18a).

The Seawolves are also led by forwards Paul Crowder, Tommy Grant and Josh Lunden, who scored 14 goals each. Mat Robinson (2-12--14) and Curtis Leinweber (2-10--12) anchor UAA’s blueline, while Bryce Christianson (8-7-4, 2.53 GAA, .895 Sv%) and Jon Althuis (6-8-1, 3.45 GAA, .875 Sv%) share the goaltending duties. Christenson posted both shutouts against Alaska on Feb. 27-28.

About the University of Alaska-Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest member of the University of Alaska System, with more than 19,000 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at the main Anchorage campus. Most of the students at UAA commute, while about 1000 students live on campus.

UAA comprises eight colleges and schools: The College of Education, College of Health and Social Welfare, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Public Policy, the Community and Technical College, School of Engineering, School of Nursing and School of Social Work. There are four community campuses: Matanuska-Susitna College, Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, and Prince William Sound Community College. UAA offers Graduate degrees through the Graduate Division.

The university's history began in 1954, when the Anchorage Community College opened, using the then-Anchorage High School building at night. Anchorage Senior College began providing upper-division classes in 1969, becoming the four-year University of Alaska Anchorage in 1976. UAA, ACC, and ACC's rural extension units merged in 1987 to form the present institution.

Located in the heart of Alaska’s largest city is the University of Alaska Anchorage, the state’s largest post-secondary institution. The campus is nestled in the middle of a greenbelt, surrounded by lakes, ponds and wildlife, and is connected to a city-wide trail system.

Most popular majors at UAA
-Nursing
-Education
-Business Administration
-Human Services
-Accounting
-Psychology
-Aviation Technology

About the UAA Hockey Program
UAA is a program that represents the underdog in all of us. They play home games that are at least two time zones and long plane flights removed from most of the rest of college hockey, and since few visiting fans have made the trip to Alaska in winter, we know less about UAA, contributing to their unique mystique.

UAA began playing varsity hockey in 1979, under pioneering coach Kelvin “Brush” Christiansen. As a startup program in the first season, UAA’s team did not leave the state of Alaska, as the team played at 8 games at the NCAA D-II level against fellow Alaskan rival the University of Alaska Fairbanks, beating UAF in all 8 games, and the remaining 23 games against Alaskan Senior League teams, going 17-14 overall. The first four seasons of UAA hockey would be played on campus at the UAA sports center, now known as the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, where UAA won 70% of its games. UAA now uses the rink as a practice facility.

The following season, UAA scheduled a full collegiate slate at the D-II level, and went 14-10. By 1981-82, the Seawolves began scheduling more Division I opponents, and gained their first sweep of a D-I school when they defeated the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. That season also included a triumphant four game sweep of German opponents in the former West Germany.

In 1982-83, The Seawolves recorded their first 20 win season, going 20-7-1, and were in the process of establishing themselves as a legitimate spectator attraction in Anchorage. For the last game of that season, UAA lost a 4-3 exhibition to US National Team in the newly-constructed 6,000-seat Sullivan Arena in downtown Anchorage, where they have played ever since.

The 1983-1984 hockey season would be the last played at the Division II level, and the Seawolves made it a memorable one, winning 23 games, losing six and tying one and starting the season with a 22-game winning streak (with five of the 22 wins coming against the Korean National Team) and their first win over a WCHA school, a 8-3 whipping of Colorado College.

The next year, UAA elevated the program to play as a full NCAA Division I independent, and went 17-21, including a six-game sweep of Korean Universities in South Korea.

The next big step in the evolution of the program was the formation of the Great West Hockey Conference in 1986, a collection of four former western independent programs (Northern Arizona, U.S. International University, UAF and UAA). While the conference lasted only a couple of seasons, UAA won the inaugural season and finished third in the second season.

By 1989, NAU and USIU has dropped hockey as a varsity sport, and UAA found itself as a D-I independent once again. Fortunately, 1989-90 was the breakthrough season for the program as a legitimate D-I force. The team went 21-11-2, with a lot of magic moments along the way. The first sweep of a Hockey East team came in January, when UAA swept Maine. But the biggest regular season moment of all came when UAA beat Minnesota in Minneapolis, 4-3 in a thrilling overtime contest, announcing to the world of college hockey that the UAA program was for real. The next week, UAA also tied Michigan in Ann Arbor and finished out the regular season of college opponents with a 5-1 drubbing of rival UAF.

In those days, the NCAA tourney was a 12-team tournament, and UAA was selected to represent the lone independents’ slot after beating Notre Dame in the special independents’ tournament in Alabama. While UAA lost to Lake Superior State in the first round of the NCAAs in a two-game total-goals series, it marked another step in the development of the program as the first of three consecutive years of NCAA appearances as an independent. This three-year era represented the high water mark of the UAA program in terms of wins and NCAA appearances.

In 1990-91, behind the superb goaltending of Paul Krake and the scoring talents of Robb Conn and Dean Larson, the Seawolves won 22, lost 17 and tied 4. But the story of the season was not so much in the beginning of the year, when UAA started with only two Division I wins before December, but the finish, when UAA hosted the independents’ tournament in March, and exploded for 15 goals, wiping out Alabama-Huntsville 5-0 and Notre Dame 10-2 to earn another independents’ slot in the NCAA tournament.

The Seawolves would then face powerhouse Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. on BC’s home ice– a tall order for any college hockey program, let alone an independent with only seven seasons as a D-I program under its belt. But UAA flew to Boston undaunted, and proceeded to shock the Eagles with a 3-2 victory in the first game, and doing it once again, beating BC in game 2 by a 3-1 count, marking the first NCAA victories for UAA, and sending the Seawolves to the NCAA quarterfinals as the victors of one of the bigger NCAA upsets in history.

UAA then advanced to Marquette, Mich. to face the high-scoring Northern Michigan Wildcats, who would be the eventual NCAA Champions that year. UAA put up a good fight, but lost by 8-5 and 5-3 scores to NMU.

The next season (1991-92) would become the most successful UAA season ever in terms of wins and losses, as the Seawolves stormed out a school record 27-8-1 record, and a 14-3 record heading into the New Year. In the second half, UAA went on another serious rampage through its independent schedule, going 13-2 from mid-January to early March, with the only two losses coming to arch-rival UAF in Fairbanks. The Seawolves then travelled back to Fairbanks for the Independents’ tournament, where they defeated Air Force 3-2 in the semifinal, setting up an epic revenge/grudge match with rival UAF for the independent tourney title and the NCAA bid. The game was tied 3-3 heading into overtime, and UAF fans were hopeful that fortune would shine on them at the Carlson Center. But it was not to be, as it was UAA who won the game in overtime, 4-3, sending the Seawolves to face Lake Superior State in a first round NCAA game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Unfortunately for the Seawolves, a full 20 days had elapsed between the dramatic victory over UAF (March 7) and the game with LSSU (March 27), and LSSU won by a 7-3 count, ending UAA’s season. But all was not lost from a program standpoint, as the WCHA had noticed the advancement and commitment of UAA’s program. The WCHA awarded UAA with WCHA affiliate status for the next season, with an eye toward full WCHA membership in 1994.

The next season (1992-1993) saw UAA play a number of WCHA teams as an affiliate member, but not a full WCHA schedule, and the Seawolves responded with another winning year, going 18-14, and beating schools such as Boston College, and sweeping North Dakota and Northern Michigan. The WCHA also allowed UAA to participate in the WCHA playoffs, where UAA fell to Minnesota-Duluth. Little did most Seawolf fans realize that they would wait at least 15 years for the next winning season…

UAA’s admission to the WCHA would be a mixed blessing for the program – on one hand, the stability and security of playing in the nation’s dominant conference has improved the level of talent, credibility and prestige of the program, but due to the dramatically increased level of opposition that UAA now faces weekly in the WCHA, the Seawolves have not been able to finish higher than 6th in the WCHA since admission, have never hosted a league playoff game and still face some of the most difficult travel in all of college hockey every season. As a result, UAA has yet to make a return visit to the NCAA tournament.

Brush Christiansen retired as coach after 17 years after the 1995 season, and he was followed by Dean Talafous for the next five seasons, followed by ex-UAA player John Hill for four seasons, before he suddenly left the team to be an assistant at Minnesota. Current UAA coach Dave Shyiak has been on the job for for the past 2.5 seasons.. The common denominator with all the Seawolf coaches since joining in the WCHA has been lower division finishes and mostly first round playoff exits.

That’s not to say there haven’t been some thrilling moments in the last 15 years for UAA fans. In the 2003-2004 season, UAA had a dreadful 4-14-1 second half of the season and finished 8th in the league. But in the league playoffs, UAA stunned Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison, winning the best 2 of 3 series and advancing to the WCHA final five in Minneapolis for the first time ever. There, the Seawolves whipped Colorado College in the play-in game, 4-1, gaining a berth in the league semi-final, and coming only two wins away from an automatic NCAA tourney berth. But North Dakota ended the fairly-tale UAA finish with a 4-2 victory in the semis.

Since then, there have also been some glimmers of hope in playoff play. In the 2005, WCHA playoffs, UAA also beat Wisconsin 2-1 again in Madison to even the playoff series at one game each, but UAA fell 2-1 in the deciding game three. And in 2007, UAA also enjoyed its only other WCHA first round playoff victory, over host Minnesota (2-1) in overtime to even the series at one game each, but the Gophers won deciding game 3-1 to advance.

Individually, there have also been some well-known players to wear the Green and Gold, including future NHLers Robb Conn, All WCHA first teamer Greg Naumenko, Mike Peluso, Jeff Batters and Curtis Glencross.

Through all the losing, the Seawolves have retained a loyal core group of fans, and still compete toe to toe with the local minor league hockey team, the Anchorage Aces, for local fans and publicity. A new on-campus arena is the hope for many UAA fans, but it is not yet a reality.

Seawolf Traditions – The Nickname
UAA’s athletics teams were originally known as the Sourdoughs, but the university adopted the Seawolf moniker in 1977 when it elevated its program to the NCAA Division II level.

The name ‘Seawolf’ represents a mythical sea creature that, according to Tlingit Indian legend, brings good luck to anyone fortunate enough to view it. The exact nature or shape of the Seawolf, however, is left to the imagination, thus the creature has been depicted in many forms throughout the years.

The Seawolf logo of today was designed and introduced in 1985 by Clark Mishler & Associates in cooperation with a university committee. It represents an adaptation of a more traditional Alaska totemic-like characterization of the mythical Seawolf.

Notable UAA Alumni (Thanks to Paul Porco of UAA for providing the non-hockey names)
- Alaska Governor and former VP candidate Sarah Palin is “believed to have attended UAA at some point”, but this could be not been officially confirmed by the school
- Mike Doogan, current state representative, current author of mystery novels, former metro columnist for the Anchorage Daily News
- Deborah Bonito, wife of newly-elected Sen. Mark Begich
- Susan Knowles, wife of former Alaska Gov. and former Anchorage mayor Tony Knowles
- Diane Benson, former candidate for Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House
- Arlitia Jones, poet & playwright; author of “The Bandsaw Riots,” book of poems
- Dana Stabenow, Alaska’s most successful novelist, author of 16 or mystery novels
- NHL Hockey player Robb Conn
- NHL Hockey player Greg Naumenko
- NHL Hockey player Mike Peluso
- NHL Hockey player Jeff Batters
- NHL Hockey player Curtis Glencross

About Anchorage
Anchorage (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) is Alaska’s largest city. With an estimated 279,671 municipal residents in 2007, and 359,180 residents within the Metropolitan Statistical Area, metro Anchorage constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population.

Anchorage was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, which was built between 1915 and 1923. Ship Creek Landing, where the railroad headquarters was located, quickly became a tent city; Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920. The city's economy in the 1920s centered around the railroad. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the city experienced massive growth as air transportation and the military became increasingly important. Merrill Field opened in 1930, and Anchorage International Airport opened in 1951. Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson were constructed in the 1940s.

On March 27, 1964, Anchorage was hit by the major Good Friday Earthquake, which killed 115 Alaskans and caused $1.8 billion in damage (2007 U.S. dollars). The earth-shaking event lasted nearly five minutes; most structures that failed remained intact the first few minutes, then failed with repeated flexing. Rebuilding dominated the city in the mid 1960s.

In 1968, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, and the resulting oil boom spurred further growth in Anchorage. In 1975, Anchorage merged with Eagle River, Girdwood, Glen Alps, and several other communities. The merger expanded the city, known officially as the Municipality of Anchorage. The city continued to grow in the 1980s, and capital projects and an aggressive beautification campaign took place.

Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska. It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St. Petersburg. It is northeast of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and Cook Inlet, due north of the Kenai Peninsula, northwest of Prince William Sound and Alaska Panhandle, and nearly due south of Mount McKinley/Denali. The city is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains. To the south is Turnagain Arm, a fjord that has some of the world's highest tides. Knik Arm, another tidal inlet, lies to the west and north. The Chugach Mountains on the east form a boundary to development, but not to the city limits, which encompass part of the wild alpine territory of Chugach State Park.

Anchorage has a subarctic climate due to its short, cool summers. Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 26 degrees Celsius); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 degrees (-15 to -1 degrees Celsius). Anchorage has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days.

A diverse wildlife population exists in urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city. Moose are also a common sight. In the Anchorage Bowl, there is a summer population of approximately 250 moose, increasing to as many as 1000 during the winter and over 100 moose are killed by cars each year.

Anchorage's largest economic sectors include transportation, military, local and federal government, tourism, and resource extraction. Large portions of the local economy depend on Anchorage's geographical location and surrounding natural resources. Anchorage's economy traditionally has seen steady growth, while not quite as rapid as the rest of the country; it also does not experience as much pain during economic downturns. Widespread housing foreclosures seen around the country during 2007 and 2008 were generally nowhere near as severe in Anchorage.

The United States Military has two main bases in the area, Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson as well as the Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage. These three bases employ approximately 8500 people and military personal and their families comprise 10 percent of the local population. During the Cold War, Elmendorf became an increasingly important base due to its proximity to the Soviet Union. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Task Force 1-501 housed at Fort Richardson was upgraded into an airborne brigade to become the primary strategic response force in the Pacific Theater.

While Juneau is the official state capital of Alaska, there are actually more state employees who reside in the Anchorage area including current Governor Sarah Palin. Around 6,800 state employees work in Anchorage, compared to around 3,800 in Juneau. Federal government workers also include around 10,000, many related to federal lands management.

Many tourists are drawn to Alaska every year and Anchorage is commonly the first initial stop for most travelers. From Anchorage people can easily head south to popular fishing locations on the Kenai Peninsula or north to locations such as Denali National Park and Fairbanks. The economic impact of tourism and conventions in Anchorage totals around $150 million annually.

The resource sector, mainly petroleum, is arguably Anchorage's most visible industry, with many high rises bearing the logos of large multinationals such as BP and ConocoPhillips. While field operations are centered on the Alaska North Slope and in more southern areas around Cook Inlet, the majority of offices and administration are found in Anchorage. Around one sixth of jobs state-wide are related to this industry.

Sports-wise, The Sullivan Arena is not only home to UAA, but home to one professional hockey team the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. The city is also home to the Alaska Wild, an arena football team that began playing with the Intense Football League in April 2007. Anchorage's third professional franchise, which is scheduled to compete in the 2009-10 season, is the Alaska Dream, a basketball team in the ABA. UAA sponsors the annual Great Alaska Shootout, an annual NCAA Division I basketball tournament featuring colleges and universities from across the United States along with the UAA team. Anchorage holds the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and was the U.S. candidate for hosting the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, but it lost to Albertville, France and Lillehammer, Norway respectively.

The Series
In most sports leagues, a two seed like Denver vs. a nine seed like UAA is no contest. But the WCHA is no average league, and UAA happens to be playing its very best hockey of the season right now, winning its last four games, and showing that the Seawolves are team to be reckoned with in the playoffs. DU took UAA a little too lightly a few weeks ago at Magness and let the Seawolves claim an OT victory to salvage a split, so I don’t see DU taking UAA lightly again on the ice. Revenge will be on the menu for Denver, That said, DU’s fans will take UAA lightly and not bother to show up this weekend, as school is on spring break, and the fans here traditionally do not turn out in big numbers for first round WCHA playoff games against the lower half of WCHA teams. I expect attendance in the quiet 4,000 each night at best this weekend, so home ice won’t help DU too much beyond the altitude.

The Pioneers are 3-1-2 in their last six games and come in averaging 3.0 gpg without top playmaker Tyler Bozak, who has missed the last 17 games with a knee injury. DU was averaging 3.8 gpg with Bozak in the lineup for its first 18 games. DU continues to receive strong goaltending from Marc Cheverie and features 13 players with 10 or more points and 10 with 21 or more points. DU is led by captain J.P. Testwuide (3-10--13), and alternate captains Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Ruegsegger. Rakhshani, Ruegsegger (38-42--80) and Patrick Mullen (19-59--78) are DU’s top current career scoring leaders. Testwuide leads the team in penalties (37) and penalty minutes (104). Cheverie, who has started all 35 games in net, has stopped 23 or more shots in 27 games with three shutouts. Kyle Ostrow has 4-2--6 in his last five games, while Luke Salazar has 1-3--4 in his last four games. Goaltender Marc Cheverie is 3-1-1 with a 1.38 GAA and .958 Sv% in his last five games. The Pioneers have scored at least one power-play goal in their last eight games. DU is 13-for-44 (29.5%) with the man-advantage during that span, including a season-high four PPGs at Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 6. DU is 27-for-28 (96.4%) on the penalty kill in its last four games.

Yet all in all, DU is a team where the last few minutes can make a huge difference. In recent weeks, the Pioneers have played either very well in the final minutes (Beating UW and tying CC) or horrible in the waning seconds, losing to UAA, SCSU and letting CC tie them at the end. I am sure DU will be trying to focus harder in the dying minutes of games, as fatigue is a factor at this time of year.

As we saw last time UAA was here, the Seawolves have a decent skating NHL sized lineup and will try to play physical hockey against Denver to offset the lack of skill on the lower end of their depth chart. The Pioneers will need to leverage their team speed advantage and try to outskate UAA in transition in order to be effective. The Pioneers have more offensive depth than UAA does, but UAA is clicking on all cylinders now, and DU will need to do a better job of keeping UAA to the outside, where their size advantage will be less dangerous. DU won’t overlook UAA, but I don’t see a DU sweep, either. UAA is good, but Denver is slightly better and playing at home.

Prediction
Denver in three games. DU wins game one 3-1, UAA wins game 2, 2-1 and Denver wins game three, 2-0. UAA 1 on Saturday.

Colorado College Tigers

2009-03-05T04:40:00.000-08:00

Magness Arena, Denver March 7

No. 5 Denver (20-10-4, 16-8-3 WCHA) concludes regular-season action against in-state rival No. 13/15 Colorado College (16-10-9, 12-9-6 WCHA) on Saturday, March 7. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. at Magness Arena. The game will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain and broadcast live on AM 560 and www.DenverPioneers.com. Pioneer fans are urged to wear white to the game.

The Pioneers hold a 152-106-12 advantage over Colorado College in the historic series that dates back to 1950. DU is 89-46-6 against CC in Denver, including a 1-3-1 mark in the last five games at Magness Arena. DU is winless at 0-3-2 in its last five games against CC and 1-6-3 in its last 10 games against the Tigers overall. CC holds a 9-6 advantage in 15 years of Gold Pan Trophy competition.

Tigers to Watch
Colorado College is coming off a 4-4 overtime tie and 4-3 overtime loss at North Dakota last weekend. CC is 2-1-2 in its last five games, including a two-game sweep (4-3, 5-3) over Minnesota on Feb. 20-21. CC is led by forward Chad Rau and goaltender Richard Bachman. Rau leads the team in scoring with 17-19--36 and Bachman is 14-9-9 with a 2.63 GAA and .913 Sv%. Eric Walsky has added 11-24--35, while Brian Connelly is CC’s top scorer on the blueline with 3-23--26.

About Colorado College:
The Colorado College (familiarly known as CC) is a private, selective liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by General William Palmer. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its 90-acre campus, 70 miles south of Denver. While it shares many similarities with the arch rival University of Denver (Both private and expensive, both have national student bodies and both student bodies love skiing and hockey) the major difference is the orientation of the schools. CC focuses solely on liberal arts and is mostly undergraduate, while DU is a medium sized university with business, liberal arts and professional schools and a 50/50 undergraduate balance. Also, CC is a famously liberal school (albeit in a conservative city) while DU is more conservative as a school but situated in a more liberal city.

Colorado College is known for its unusual "block plan," which divides the year into eight academic terms; a single class is taken during each block. Students study only one subject for three and a half weeks, which advocates say allows for more lab time, field trips, and other more intensive learning experiences. Blocks are only three weeks long in summer school, during which there are also graduate blocks of differing lengths. In parallel with the students, professors teach only one block at a time. Classes are generally capped at 25.

The current President of the college is Richard Celeste, former Governor of Ohio, ambassador to India, and Director of the Peace Corps.

Colorado College was instituted as a liberal arts college which would foster Christian outreach by its graduates and faculty in the New England tradition. Like many U.S. colleges and universities that have endured from the 19th century it now is secular in outlook, though it retains its liberal arts focus.

The college's first building, Cutler Hall, was occupied in 1880; the first bachelor's degrees were conferred in 1882. Phi Beta Kappa was chartered in 1904. Under President William F. Slocum, who served from 1888 to 1917, the campus took the shape it held until the 1950s. Since the mid-1950s, the campus has been virtually rebuilt. New facilities include three large residence halls, Worner Campus Center, Tutt Library, Olin Hall of Science and the Barnes Science Center, Honnen Ice Rink, Boettcher Health Center, Schlessman Pool, Armstrong Hall of Humanities, Palmer Hall, El Pomar Sports Center, and Packard Hall of Music and Art. Bemis, Cossitt, Cutler, Montgomery, and Palmer Halls are some of the remaining turn-of-the-century structures on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the William I. Spencer Center.

CC’s sports programs are primarily NCAA D-III, except for hockey and women’s soccer, which are Division I. CC and DU were once fierce rivals in many sports, and the two schools played the first football game west of the Mississippi River back in 1885. CC won 12-0, but the victory was tarnished when CC later revealed that a number of players on that team were not CC students.

About the CC Program:
Colorado College started playing hockey in the late 1930s when the Broadmoor Hotel converted its seldom-used indoor riding academy into an ice rink. The Broadmoor World Arena, originally called the Broadmoor Ice Palace, served as CC's home for 55 seasons before being demolished at the conclusion of the 1993-94 campaign.

CC has done a remarkable job in building a powerhouse program when one consider the size of the school, the distance from hockey hotbeds (far) and the strong academics and liberal arts nature of the college . Making it even more special is the fact that the program almost went bust in 1994, when many years of losing seasons and escalating costs put the program at a crossroads. After brushing aside faculty members who called for the end of hockey, CC made a great hire in then coach Don Lucia, who took the Tigers back to the NCAA finals in just a couple of seasons, built a new arena with the help of the city and USA Hockey, and today, have enjoyed strong contender status in the upper echelons of the NCAA. Lucia went on to Minnesota, but CC has remained a contender ever since.

However, ask many Denver Pioneer fans when CC won its last NCAA title and the answer “1957” comes quickly. Yes, Ike was still President when the Tigers brought home the hardware that year in beating Michigan, and the CC fans have been waiting ever since. The Tigers won the NCAA Division I championship twice during the formative years (1950 and 1957) of the NCAA tournament when it was always played in Colorado Springs, were runners up three times (1952, 1955, 1996) and made the NCAA Tournament eighteen times, including every year since 1995 except 2000, 2004 and 2007. In 2005, CC played in the Frozen Four against Denver in Columbus, but suffered a 6-2 setback when they could not stop the Denver power play that April afternoon.

While the Tigers have been a strong program since the mid 1990s, there were many years of disappointing hockey between the 1957 NCAA title and Lucia’s arrival in 1993, as the Tigers had just four winning seasons and one NCAA appearance in that time span .

Tiger Hockey officially made its debut on January 21 of 1938 in an 8-1 loss to a team sponsored by Giddings Department Store in Colorado Springs. Colorado College finished the campaign with three victories and nine defeats under playing coach and team captain John Atwood of Watertown, Conn.

The program made significant strides forward the following season under new coach Garrett Livingston, whose leadership the next four years helped vault CC to national prominence. While several New England students with backgrounds in high school hockey joined the team, the strongest addition was Ernie Young of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. When Young returned in the fall of 1939 for his second year at the school, he brought four more Canadian players with him - Jack Chamney, John "Chick" Ross, Wilmer "Spike" Wilson and Harold McClay -all from his home province.

With Livingston at the helm, those players helped the Tigers sweep the University of Michigan, 4-2 and 4-3, in their first-ever intercollegiate series early during the 1939-40 season. Colorado College also played games against Colorado Mines, the Montana School of Mines and the University of Southern California, champion of the Pacific Coast League, that season. Enthusiasm reached a feverish pitch among CC hockey supporters for the next few years, with games at the World Arena selling out on a regular basis. By winter of 1942, the Tigers had earned a reputation as one of college hockey's "Big Four," along with USC, the University of Illinois and Dartmouth.

Due to World War II, no games were played in 1942-43 or '43-44, but the sport was rejuvenated at Colorado College and nationwide in 1944-45. With the return of former players and the addition of seven more Canadians, the Tigers quickly were on the rise again. Cheddy Thompson, who came to Colorado Springs when he was assigned to 2nd Air Force Headquarters here, took over the coaching duties in the fall of 1945 and held the position for the next decade.

In cooperation with the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado College sponsored the first National Collegiate Athletic Association Hockey Championships at the end of the 1947-48 season. The tournament would be held at the Ice Palace for the next 10 years, with CC participating seven times - in 1948, '49, '50, '51, '52, '55 and '57. Thompson was at the helm when CC won its first NCAA championship in 1950 and finished as runner-up in 1952 and '55. He was named national Coach of the Year in 1952 by the United States Hockey Coaches Association.

In 1951, Colorado College helped found the Mid-West Collegiate Hockey League, which changed its name to the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League in 1953. Other charter members were the University of Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota and North Dakota. The WIHL evolved to become the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in November of 1959, with the present-day WCHA consisting of five of its original seven teams plus the University of Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State University and Alaska Anchorage.

Four Colorado College coaches - John Matchefts (1968-69), Jeff Sauer (1971-72 and '74-75), Brad Buetow (1991-92) and Don Lucia (1993-94 and '95-96) - have earned WCHA Coach of the Year honors. Matchefts (2007) and Sauer (2003) both have been named recipients of the prestigious John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award for their contributions to the overall growth and development of ice hockey nationwide. Lucia (1993-94) and Tony Frasca (1962-63) each were named national Coach of the Year by the U.S. Hockey Coaches Association. Still another, Bob Johnson (1963-66), went on to the National Hockey League where he guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup championship in 1991. Johnson earlier had served as head coach of the 1976 United States Olympic Team and of the NHL's Calgary Flames, as well as a three-year stint as executive director of USA Hockey.

More than 20 former Tigers actually have played in the NHL, including recent Tigers Noah Clarke, Mark Cullen, Jack Hillen, Curtis McElhinney, Toby Petersen, Richard Petiot, Tom Preissing, Peter Sejna, Brett Sterling, Mike Stuart, Colin Stuart and Mark Stuart, who was a first-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2003. Two Colorado College products – Red Hay with the Blackhawks in 1961 and Doug Lidster with the New York Rangers in 1994 and Dallas Stars in 1999 have had their – names engraved on the Stanley Cup.

University Traditions:
Nickname – Tigers
College lore has it that in the late 19th century, the CC Trustees made the decision in homage to Princeton University's tiger emblem. Nearly a hundred years after in 1994, a group of CC students began a campaign to change the mascot from the tiger to the greenback cutthroat trout, the Colorado state fish. When the subject came to a vote, the tiger won by a narrow margin: 468 for, 423 against. The Tiger mascot is named “Prowler.

School Colors
Black and Gold

Motto:
Scientia Et Disciplina (Science or Knowledge and Discipline)

Famous CC Alumni
Diana De Gette, US House (D-Colo.)
Ken Salazar, US Senator (D-Colo.)
Lynne Cheney, Wife of US Vice President Dick Cheney
Steve Sabol, President, NFL Films
Dutch Clark, NFL Hall of Fame (Detroit Lions, New York Giants)
Red Hay, NHL Player and administrator
Peggy Fleming, US Gold Medalist Figure Skater

The City of Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado. At 372,437, it is the second most populous city in the State of Colorado behind Denver and the 47th most populous city in the United States. In 2007. the Colorado Springs area had population of 609,096. The city is situated near the base of one of the most famous American mountains, Pikes Peak, at the eastern edge of the southern Rocky Mountains.

While noted for its exceptional natural beauty and climate, Colorado Springs is not exempt from the problems that typically plague cities that experience tremendous growth: overcrowded roads and highways, crime, sprawl, and government budget issues. Many of the problems are indirectly or directly caused by the city's difficulty in coping with the large population growth experienced in the last 20 years.

It is a well known as a conservative city, as it is dominated by large military installations including Fort Carson, NORAD and the United States Air Force Academy, which make up the largest employers in the city. Also, a large percentage of Colorado Springs' economy is also based on high tech and manufacturing complex electronic equipment, second to the military in terms of total revenue generated and employment.

Additionally, a large number of religious organizations such as Focus on the Family and churches make their headquarters here, particularly Evangelical Christians, as well as serving as the headquarters for the US Olympic Committee and many national sports governing bodies.
Colorado Springs was founded in August 1871 as a residential community by General William Palmer (who also founded CC and co-founded the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad), with the intention of creating a high quality resort community to benefit from the mountain location, the railroad and the proximity to mining affluence from a previous gold strike at nearby Colorado City. The flow of gold and silver ebbed as the decades passed, and Colorado City's economic fortunes faded with it; the miners and those who processed the ore left or retired. Because of the healthy natural scenic beauty, mineral waters, and extremely dry climate, Colorado Springs became a tourist attraction and popular recuperation destination for tuberculosis patients.

Famous Colorado Springs Residents
* Silent film star Lon Chaney
* Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage
* Focus on the Family founder James Dobson
* Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark)
* Automobile racer Bobby Unser
* Former British ice dancer Christopher Dean

The Series:
The Pioneers and Tigers tangle for the last time in this regular season in what promises to be an exciting single season-ender at Magness Arena. With DU clinching at least a second place in the league with 35 points and still with a remote shot at first place (requiring North Dakota to stumble this weekend) with a DU NCAA berth a near certainty, DU still has a lot to play for this weekend.

Likewise, CC is sitting third with 30 WCHA points and is fighting for its NCAA life on the PWR bubble, and depending on other games, could finish anywhere from third to seventh in the WCHA. The Tigers would love to avoid the play-in game of the WCHA tourney and stop DU from having a chance at the MacNaughton Cup.

This year has been something of an exercise in frustration for both teams against each other. If you are a Denver fan, you hate that DU has put up more than 40 shots per game in each of the three CC games badly outshooting the opponent, and the DU team has not yet produced a win over the rival, allowing CC to retain the Gold Pan trophy again.

And if you are a CC fan, you probably hate the last game these two teams played, when CC coughed up a 3-1 lead with a minute left and ended up tying the Pioneers on home ice in Colorado Springs. Joe Colborne’s second goal of the game at 19:13 of the third period helped DU to a 3-3 overtime tie at Colorado College on Feb. 13

Rhett Rakhshani (2-5--7) and Tyler Ruegsegger (3-4--7) have each tallied seven points in 11 career games against the Tigers. Patrick Wiercioch (0-4--4) leads DU with four points against CC this season, while goaltender Marc Cheverie is 0-1-2 with a 2.22 GAA and .913 Sv% in four career games against CC. For CC, Chad Rau is the principal Pio killer, with 21 points in 15 career games against Denver.

DU is better than CC this in nearly every statistical category – offense, defense, goaltending and win percentage, while CC may have a slight edge in overall special teams, CC also seems to have the better goaltending against DU, as Bachman carries a .940 saves percentage against DU in his two seasons as the Tigers’ primary goaltender.

For Denver to win, the Pioneers will need to likely need to be leading or tied heading into the third period, as CC is undefeated this year when carrying a lead into the third period (12-0-6).

Prediction:
Denver is overdue for a victory against CC considering how much they’ve outplayed CC this year in about 80% of the game time, and CC seems to be a team that is all about ties this year, with 9 overall and two against DU. Either DU gets a win, or its another sister kisser.

I think DU sneaks out a 3-2 win this time.

The University Of Wisconsin Badgers

2009-02-19T04:25:00.000-08:00

(above) The Kohl Center will be sold out this weekend

The Kohl Center Madison, Wisconsin, February 20-21

This weekend is perhaps the biggest series of the season, as the WCHA’s Co-Number 1 team, Eight- ranked Denver (17-9-4, 13-7-3 WCHA) travels to Third Place (and one point behind) 13th ranked Wisconsin (16-11-3 WCHA) for a two-game WCHA series on Feb. 20-21. Puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. MT at Kohl Center both nights. Friday's game will be televised live on NHL Network and broadcast on AM 560. Saturday's game will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain and broadcast on 101.5 FM.

PIONEERS ALL-TIME VS. WISCONSIN
The Badgers hold a 71-52-9 advantage against the Pioneers in the all-time series that began in 1968. DU is 26-31-5 against the Badgers in Madison, but 11-2-2 all-time at the Kohl Center. DU is 3-2 in its last five games against Wisconsin and 5-5 in its last 10. The winning team has scored six or more goals in the last four games between the teams.

Badgers to Watch
The Badgers are led by junior defenseman Jamie McBain, who leads all NCAA blueliners with 7-27--34, and is a Hobey Baker Award candidate. McBain, who has tallied a WCHA-leading 4-20--24 on the power play, is one of 10 NHL drafted Badgers. Derek Stepan (6-18--24), John Mitchell (13-8--21), Tom Gorowsky (9-12--21) and Blake Geoffrion (11-8--19) round out Wisconsin’s top-five scorers. Shane Connolly leads the team with a 15-9-3 record, 2.50 GAA and .913 Sv% in the nets.

About the Wisconsin Program:
According to Wikipedia and the UW web sites, records indicate that ice hockey was played at Wisconsin before 1900, but the first varsity game was played in 1921. Coaching changes were frequent and seasons were short, due presumably to relying on nature to provide suitable outdoor conditions, and the University dropped the sport in 1935.

The modern era of Badger Hockey began in 1963, with the decision of athletic director Ivan B. Williamson. The Badgers started out ambitiously, playing as an independent team and scheduling 8 games against Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, losing all 8 games. However, the persistence eventually paid off. Late in the 1965-66 season, the Badgers finally broke through, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5-4 in overtime, their first win over a WCHA opponent. At the end of that season, Coach John Riley retired, and UW hired "Badger" Bob Johnson (left), a former Minnesota Gopher player who would build the UW program into what it is today. Johnson would become one of the most the most legendary American hockey figures of all time, coaching not only the Badgers to NCAA glory, but winning a Stanley Cup as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and becoming an international fixture with USA Hockey as a coach and administrator.

The next milestone for UW hockey was WCHA membership, which came for the 1969-70 season. The Badgers shocked the hockey world by gaining an NCAA tournament berth in their first season as members of the WCHA. The early success captivated fans, who packed the 8,600 seat Dane County Coliseum off campus and made the arena what Sports Illustrated termed the “Montreal Forum of College Hockey”.

More success would follow under Johnson. After again earning an NCAA bid in 1972, the Badgers won their first national championship in 1973, over the Denver Pioneers. The 1977 UW team further cemented Wisconsin Hockey in the national landscape, by sweeping the WCHA regular season, tournament, and NCAA tournament titles. Behind the efforts of four first team All-Americans, Mike Eaves (the current head coach of UW) 1980 Olympic hero Mark Johnson (Badger Bob’s son and now coach of the UW women’ team), Craig Norwich and Julian Baretta) the 1977 team won the title in amazing fashion, getting an equalizing goal late in regulation and winning goal in overtime in the final against Michigan. Another player on that team, grinding forward George Gwozdecky, would later become the coach of the Denver Pioneers, cementing his own legend in Denver.

The early 1980s were a glory period for Badger Hockey. The Badgers reached the NCAA title game three consecutive times in 1981, 1982, and 1983. The 1981 title was especially sweet for the Badger faithful, coming with a defeat of archrival Minnesota in the championship game. After again reaching the championship game in 1982, where the Badgers lost to North Dakota, the program was dealt a double blow with the resignation of "Badger" Bob Johnson. He left Wisconsin after 15 seasons with 3 NCAA championships, a record of 367-175-23, and having built the program into an NCAA powerhouse.

The pain of 1982 was quickly eased in 1983, however, with the hire of former Badger assistant coach Jeff Sauer. Sauer turned around and won the 1983 NCAA championship in his first season. Wisconsin defeated Harvard 6-2 to earn the program's 4th NCAA title. Under Sauer's leadership, the Badgers would qualify for eight consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1988 to 1995, winning the program's 5th NCAA title in 1990, with a 7-3 victory over Colgate in Detroit. Also, Sauer presided over the team's move from the venerable Dane County Coliseum to the new, on-campus Kohl Center in 1998. The Badgers have been tops in college hockey attendance every year since moving to the Kohl Center, where crowds of 13,000 -15,000+ are the norm, with a rowdy band and and fully engaged student section. Wisconsin is also credited with the inventions of the "Sieve" cheer, now heard all over college hockey. A game in Madison is a special experience that all hockey fans should experience.

In the mid 1990s, Badger hockey hit a bit of a lull, earning NCAA bids in 1998 and 2000, but generally underachieving compared to the high standards of the 1970s and 1980s. The 1999-2000 team featured a duo of 2nd overall NHL draft pick Dany Heatley and Steve Reinprecht, won the MacNaughton Cup, and earned a #1 position in the polls for most of the season, only to be upset by Boston College in the NCAA regionals. Two seasons later, during the 2001-2002 campaign, coach Sauer announced his retirement.

Sauer's replacement was hotly debated. Denver’s George Gwozdecky was considered, but elected to stay at DU, and the selection came down to Mike Eaves and Mark Johnson, with Eaves getting the nod due to deeper coaching experience in the NHL and abroad. While Eaves still holds the record as UW's all-time leading scorer, he is a much more defensive-minded coach. His first season at UW was full of hardship and controversy, including one of the worst records in the modern era. However, in 2003-2004, Eaves brought the Badgers just short of the Frozen Four, falling in overtime to Maine. After a disappointing finish to the 2004-2005 season, the Badgers returned to national prominence by winning the 2005/2006 NCAA championship by winning the Frozen Four held in nearby Milwaukee. He is looking to return the Badgers to the pinnacle again, but recent teams have lacked the scoring depth needed to win Frozen Fours.

About the University of Wisconsin
Founded in 1848, the original idea of UW was to start the university near the seat of the state government in Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin. UW was founded the same year that Wisconsin became a state, and the University began with 17 students in rented rooms at the Madison Female Academy. Since then, it has grown to become one of America’s largest research universities, with over 42,000 students in 20 different schools, and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin system over $900 million in research funding.

Early UW academic successes included the 1913 and 1916 discoveries of Vitamins A and B by UW scientist, Elmer V. McCollum, and the 1923 process for adding vitamin D to milk. In 1940, UW developed Warfarin, an important blood thinner,
(also known as Coumadin) and named it after the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

In the 1960s and 70s, Madison and UW became a hotbed of anti-war protests including the August, 1970 bombing outside the Army Math Research Center in Sterling Hall, killing post-doctoral researcher Robert Fassnacht.

In 1988, two UW Madison students, Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson founded the Onion humor newspaper, and in 1998, UW cell biologist James Thompson first isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells.

UW is a member of the Big 10 conference as well as the WCHA, and has really upgraded its athletic programs in recent years, and with no other comparable school in the state, UW Madison has a deep and passionate statewide following with large alumni chapters across the world.

Madison, Wisconsin
Known as one of America’s great college towns, the City of Madison is the State Capital with over 220,000 residents, and over 500,000 in the metropolitan area, the second largest city in Wisconsin after Milwaukee. The city was founded in 1836 as planned capital for the new Wisconsin Territory, and had only 626 people when UW was founded in 1848. The UW Campus has over 900 acres that occupy much of central Madison, sitting on an isthmus between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota in south central Wisconsin.

During the American Civil War, Madison served as a center of the Union Army in Wisconsin. Camp Randall, on the west side of Madison, was built and used as a training camp, a military hospital, and a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers. After the war ended, the Camp Randall site was absorbed into the University of Wisconsin. Camp Randall Stadium was built over the site in 1917.

Today, the city is known for both its liberal leanings and for its reputation as a party town, helped along by 40,000+ UW students and the bars of State Street. It's a white collar place with a lot of culture, recreational opportunities and cheap alcohol.

University Traditions

Nickname – Badgers
The nickname "Badgers" was borrowed from the state of Wisconsin. The territory was dubbed the "Badger State," not because of animals in the region, but rather because of an association with lead miners. In the 1820s and 1830s, prospectors came to the state looking for minerals, and without shelter in the winter, the miners had to "live like badgers" in tunnels burrowed into the hillsides. The badger mascot was adopted by the University of Wisconsin in 1889.

Logo and Mascot:
"Buckingham U. Badger", aka “Bucky Badger” was chosen in a student contest in 1949. The current emblem, a scowling, strutting badger wearing a cardinal-and-white striped sweater, was designed by Art Evans in 1940. Bucky wears a cardinal red and white Wisconsin sweater along with a gruff look on his face (the costumed-mascot version is decidedly cheerier, with a beaming smile).He also has a history of playfully fighting other team's mascots like the University of Minnesota's Goldy Gopher or Purdue University's Purdue Pete. Although fighting is no longer allowed by NCAA mascots, Bucky still frequently interacts with other mascots through skits. Bill Sagal was the first costumed Bucky Badger. The original Bucky costume was introduced at a pep rally on Friday, November 11, 1949, before the next day's Homecoming football game against Iowa. Carolyn (Connie) Conrad, a UW art student, designed the original chicken wire and paper mache head. Sagal, then head cheerleader, wore his regular cheerleader trousers and sweater and added boxing gloves.

The modern Bucky Badger logo was part of a group of "comic collegiate badger mascots" created by the Anson W. Thompson Company of Los Angeles in 1940. The company was one of several that manufactured decals and other logowear for universities. The UW athletic department first used the logo on the cover of the 1948 Football Facts and Centennial Sports Review. In 2003, Bucky was given an update, with simplified lines and the "motion W" on his sweater.

Wisconsin School Colors:
Cardinal and white are the official colors of UW’s sports teams, and the color of cardinal shade or red comes originally from Catholic Cardinal’s Cassock (robe). Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa State, USC, Stanford and Wisconsin all use Cardinal as a school color, which is very close shade to crimson, the color of the Pioneers.

Wisconsin Fight Song
"On, Wisconsin!" is the fight song of the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is also the official state song of Wisconsin. "On, Wisconsin!" was also the cry that Arthur MacArthur, Jr. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge, in the Civil War.

The tune was composed in 1909 by William T. Purdy, with the intention of entering it into a competition for a new fight song at the University of Minnesota. Carl Beck, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison student, convinced him to withdraw it from the contest at the last minute and allow his alma mater to use it instead. Beck then wrote the original, football-oriented lyrics, changing the words "Minnesota, Minnesota" to "On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!" (The eventual winner of the competition became known as the Minnesota Rouser).

The lyrics were rewritten for the state song in 1913 by Judge Charles D. Rosa and J. S. Hubbard. The song was widely recognized as the state song at that time, but was never officially designated. Finally in 1959, "On, Wisconsin!" was officially designated as the State Song. The song is actually in the public domain and used by hundreds of high school and small colleges, and is even used as the fight song of the CFL’s Saskatchewan RoughRiders.

Lyrics
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Plunge right through that line!
Run the ball clear down the field,
A touchdown sure this time. (U rah rah)
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Fight on for her fame
Fight! Fellows! - fight, fight, fight!
We'll win this game.

Famous University of Wisconsin Alumni
The University of Wisconsin has many distinguished alumni including aviator Charles Lindbergh, Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, writers Saul Bellow, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Ambrose and Eudora Welty, TV personalities Edwin Newman, Greta Van Susteren and Jeff Greenfield. Famous UW politicians include Dick and Lynn Cheney, Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, as well as musicians Steve Miller and Boz Skaggs.

Famous Sports Alumni include Alan Ameche, Ron Dayne, Troy Vincent and Crazy Legs Hirsch (Football), NBAers Michael Finley and Devin Harris, Baseball Hall of Famer Addie Joss, NHL Hockey players Chris Chelios, Dany Heatley,Tony Granato, Mike Richter and Gary Suter, and Olympians Eric Heiden, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Carly Piper and Horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

The Series
The last time these two teams met this season, DU fired in a series-high 13 goals against Wisconsin in the two-game home sweep of UW back on Oct. 17-18. DU used a four-goal third stanza and three power-play goals to win the opener, 6-5. The Pioneers jumped to a 3-0 lead en route to the 7-4 and sweep in game two. Tyler Bozak tallied a pair of three-point games and Patrick Wiercioch recorded his first career two-goal game, including the game-winner, in the 6-5 win.

But that was a long time ago, and while Badgers started the season slowly, they are now red hot. Wisconsin is 12-4-1 in its last 17 games after starting the season 4-7-2. The Badgers enjoyed a bye last weekend after earning a road sweep (3-2, 5-4) at arch rival Minnesota on Feb. 6-7. UW sports one of the most talented defensive players in college hockey, and an excellent power play, led from the backline by Jamie McBain, who is arguably the best defenseman in college hockey this year. McBain likes to feed Patrick White power play one-timers, reminding old time hockey fans of the great early 1980s Badger power plays with Chris Chelios feeding John Newberry, Bruce Driver and Pat Flatley.

The Pioneers, after a hot start, are treading water at 4-4-3 since Jan. 2 and are 4-3-2 in their last nine WCHA games while remaining tied for the WCHA lead with UND at 29 points each, while UW is third with 28 points. Frankly, since Tyler Bozak went down to injury in mid-December, Denver has been a very average hockey team.

If there is a silver lining for Denver, the Pioneers are 11-2-2 all-time at the Kohl Center, and come into Madison with lead in WCHA in scoring offense at 3.53 gpg and rank second in scoring defense at 2.53 gpg. Rhett Rakhshani is DU’s leading current Badger killer with 3-8--11 in 11 games against Wisconsin. Kyle Ostrow has added 2-5--7 in five games vs UW and Marc Cheverie is 2-0 with a 4.50 GAA and .871 Sv% in two games against the Badgers. If the Pioneers are going to be successful, they will also need help from rookies Wiercioch (10-15--25) and Joe Colborne (8-17--25) who are tied for second in WCHA rookie scoring. Wiercioch leads all NCAA rookie blueliners in goals and ranks third among all NCAA defensemen in goals, while Colborne is coming off his best game as a Pioneer last week, when he scored twice in the third period, including the game-tying goal in the last minute to lift Denver to a 3-3 tie with rival Colorado College.

Looking analytically at the series, DU has the slightly better offense, ranked 5th nationally at 3.53 GPG, while UW is 12th nationally at 3.40 GPG. Defensively, DU is 16th nationally at 2.53 GPG, and Wisconsin is 24th nationally at 2.67, so another slight edge to the Pioneers there. Goaltending is basically dead even, with DU’s Marc Cheverie at .914 overall and UW’s Shane Connolly at .913, overall. But the big difference is on combined special teams, where the Badgers are an amazing third nationally, and the Pioneers are a horrible 44th nationally. This will likely be the difference maker in the series, as UW has been the hotter team. With the Badgers on a major roll and playing their best hockey of the year, and the Pioneers treading water of late without Tyler Bozak, and UW playing at home in front of 15,000+ fans, it makes it very hard to predict road success for the Pioneers. That said, DU gets up to play in games and settings like this one, and I think they may squeak out a tie this weekend. But I think that’s about all Pioneer fans can hope for as UW will likely take 3 of 4 points.

DU will try to use it's speed to run the transition on UW, but UW will counter with a solid forecheck. At this time of year, defenses have closed the gap on offenses, as film study and familiarity make goals harder to come by,

Prediction. UW will be a little sluggish coming off the bye week, and DU will tie up a 2-2 game on Friday, but expect a 4-1 Badger win on Saturday, as the Pios won’t be able to match UW in special teams play.

Colorado College Tigers

2009-02-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

Magness Arena, Denver November 1
Colorado Springs World Arena, November 3

No. 8 Denver (17-9-3, 13-7-3 WCHA) travels to No. 18 Colorado College (14-9-7, 10-8-4 WCHA) on Friday, Feb. 13. Puck drop is set for 7:37 p.m. at Colorado Springs World Arena. The game will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain and broadcast live on AM 560.

The Pioneers hold a 152-106-11 advantage over Colorado College in the historic rivalry series that dates back to 1950. DU is 60-60-5 in Colorado Springs, but just 6-16-2 in 24 meetings at World Arena. DU is 1-3-1 in its last five games against CC and 1-7-2 in its last 10. The losing team has been held to two goals or less in the last five meetings.

Tigers to Watch
Colorado College is 2-2-1 in its last five games and 4-4-2 in its last 10. Like DU, the Tigers are looking for more consistency in 2009 after enjoying an 11-6-5 mark in 2008. CC is led by forward Chad Rau and goaltender Richard Bachman. Rau leads the team in scoring with 13-17--30 and Bachman is 12-8-7 with a 2.50 GAA and .916 Sv%. .Rau has 20 points all time against DU in 14 games played, while Bachman sports a .943 saves percentage against the Pioneers in his career. Eric Walsky has added 10-18--28, while Brian Connelly is CC’s top scorer on the blueline with 3-18—21 this season, wit 16 of those points coming on the power play.

About Colorado College:
The Colorado College (familiarly known as CC) is a private, selective liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by General William Palmer. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its 90-acre campus, 70 miles south of Denver. While it shares many similarities with the arch rival University of Denver (Both private and expensive, both have national student bodies and both student bodies love skiing and hockey) the major difference is the orientation of the schools. CC focuses solely on liberal arts and is mostly undergraduate, while DU is a medium sized university with business, liberal arts and professional schools and a 50/50 undergraduate balance. Also, CC is a famously liberal school (albeit in a conservative city) while DU is more conservative as a school but situated in a more liberal city.

Colorado College is known for its unusual "block plan," which divides the year into eight academic terms; a single class is taken during each block. Students study only one subject for three and a half weeks, which advocates say allows for more lab time, field trips, and other more intensive learning experiences. Blocks are only three weeks long in summer school, during which there are also graduate blocks of differing lengths. In parallel with the students, professors teach only one block at a time. Classes are generally capped at 25.

The current President of the college is Richard Celeste, former Governor of Ohio, ambassador to India, and Director of the Peace Corps.

Colorado College was instituted as a liberal arts college which would foster Christian outreach by its graduates and faculty in the New England tradition. Like many U.S. colleges and universities that have endured from the 19th century it now is secular in outlook, though it retains its liberal arts focus.

The college's first building, Cutler Hall, was occupied in 1880; the first bachelor's degrees were conferred in 1882. Phi Beta Kappa was chartered in 1904. Under President William F. Slocum, who served from 1888 to 1917, the campus took the shape it held until the 1950s. Since the mid-1950s, the campus has been virtually rebuilt. New facilities include three large residence halls, Worner Campus Center, Tutt Library, Olin Hall of Science and the Barnes Science Center, Honnen Ice Rink, Boettcher Health Center, Schlessman Pool, Armstrong Hall of Humanities, Palmer Hall, El Pomar Sports Center, and Packard Hall of Music and Art. Bemis, Cossitt, Cutler, Montgomery, and Palmer Halls are some of the remaining turn-of-the-century structures on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the William I. Spencer Center.

CC’s sports programs are primarily NCAA D-III, except for hockey and women’s soccer, which are Division I. CC and DU were once fierce rivals in many sports, and the two schools played the first football game west of the Mississippi River back in 1885. CC won 12-0, but the victory was tarnished when CC later revealed that a number of players on that team were not CC students.

About the CC Program:
Colorado College started playing hockey in the late 1930s when the Broadmoor Hotel converted its seldom-used indoor riding academy into an ice rink. The Broadmoor World Arena, originally called the Broadmoor Ice Palace, served as CC's home for 55 seasons before being demolished at the conclusion of the 1993-94 campaign.

CC has done a remarkable job in building a powerhouse program when one consider the size of the school, the distance from hockey hotbeds (far) and the strong academics and liberal arts nature of the college . Making it even more special is the fact that the program almost went bust in 1994, when many years of losing seasons and escalating costs put the program at a crossroads. After brushing aside faculty members who called for the end of hockey, CC made a great hire in then coach Don Lucia, who took the Tigers back to the NCAA finals in just a couple of seasons, built a new arena with the help of the city and USA Hockey, and today, have enjoyed strong contender status in the upper echelons of the NCAA. Lucia went on to Minnesota, but CC has remained a contender ever since.

However, ask many Denver Pioneer fans when CC won its last NCAA title and the answer “1957” comes quickly. Yes, Ike was still President when the Tigers brought home the hardware that year in beating Michigan, and the CC fans have been waiting ever since. The Tigers won the NCAA Division I championship twice during the formative years (1950 and 1957) of the NCAA tournament when it was always played in Colorado Springs, were runners up three times (1952, 1955, 1996) and made the NCAA Tournament eighteen times, including every year since 1995 except 2000, 2004 and 2007. In 2005, CC played in the Frozen Four against Denver in Columbus, but suffered a 6-2 setback when they could not stop the Denver power play that April afternoon.

While the Tigers have been a strong program since the mid 1990s, there were many years of disappointing hockey between the 1957 NCAA title and Lucia’s arrival in 1993, as the Tigers had just four winning seasons and one NCAA appearance in that time span .

Tiger Hockey officially made its debut on January 21 of 1938 in an 8-1 loss to a team sponsored by Giddings Department Store in Colorado Springs. Colorado College finished the campaign with three victories and nine defeats under playing coach and team captain John Atwood of Watertown, Conn.

The program made significant strides forward the following season under new coach Garrett Livingston, whose leadership the next four years helped vault CC to national prominence. While several New England students with backgrounds in high school hockey joined the team, the strongest addition was Ernie Young of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. When Young returned in the fall of 1939 for his second year at the school, he brought four more Canadian players with him - Jack Chamney, John "Chick" Ross, Wilmer "Spike" Wilson and Harold McClay -all from his home province.

With Livingston at the helm, those players helped the Tigers sweep the University of Michigan, 4-2 and 4-3, in their first-ever intercollegiate series early during the 1939-40 season. Colorado College also played games against Colorado Mines, the Montana School of Mines and the University of Southern California, champion of the Pacific Coast League, that season. Enthusiasm reached a feverish pitch among CC hockey supporters for the next few years, with games at the World Arena selling out on a regular basis. By winter of 1942, the Tigers had earned a reputation as one of college hockey's "Big Four," along with USC, the University of Illinois and Dartmouth.

Due to World War II, no games were played in 1942-43 or '43-44, but the sport was rejuvenated at Colorado College and nationwide in 1944-45. With the return of former players and the addition of seven more Canadians, the Tigers quickly were on the rise again. Cheddy Thompson, who came to Colorado Springs when he was assigned to 2nd Air Force Headquarters here, took over the coaching duties in the fall of 1945 and held the position for the next decade.

In cooperation with the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado College sponsored the first National Collegiate Athletic Association Hockey Championships at the end of the 1947-48 season. The tournament would be held at the Ice Palace for the next 10 years, with CC participating seven times - in 1948, '49, '50, '51, '52, '55 and '57. Thompson was at the helm when CC won its first NCAA championship in 1950 and finished as runner-up in 1952 and '55. He was named national Coach of the Year in 1952 by the United States Hockey Coaches Association.

In 1951, Colorado College helped found the Mid-West Collegiate Hockey League, which changed its name to the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League in 1953. Other charter members were the University of Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota and North Dakota. The WIHL evolved to become the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in November of 1959, with the present-day WCHA consisting of five of its original seven teams plus the University of Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State University and Alaska Anchorage.

Four Colorado College coaches - John Matchefts (1968-69), Jeff Sauer (1971-72 and '74-75), Brad Buetow (1991-92) and Don Lucia (1993-94 and '95-96) - have earned WCHA Coach of the Year honors. Matchefts (2007) and Sauer (2003) both have been named recipients of the prestigious John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award for their contributions to the overall growth and development of ice hockey nationwide. Lucia (1993-94) and Tony Frasca (1962-63) each were named national Coach of the Year by the U.S. Hockey Coaches Association. Still another, Bob Johnson (1963-66), went on to the National Hockey League where he guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup championship in 1991. Johnson earlier had served as head coach of the 1976 United States Olympic Team and of the NHL's Calgary Flames, as well as a three-year stint as executive director of USA Hockey.

More than 20 former Tigers actually have played in the NHL, including recent Tigers Noah Clarke, Mark Cullen, Jack Hillen, Curtis McElhinney, Toby Petersen, Richard Petiot, Tom Preissing, Peter Sejna, Brett Sterling, Mike Stuart, Colin Stuart and Mark Stuart, who was a first-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2003. Two Colorado College products – Red Hay with the Blackhawks in 1961 and Doug Lidster with the New York Rangers in 1994 and Dallas Stars in 1999 have had their – names engraved on the Stanley Cup.

University Traditions:
Nickname – Tigers
College lore has it that in the late 19th century, the CC Trustees made the decision in homage to Princeton University's tiger emblem. Nearly a hundred years after in 1994, a group of CC students began a campaign to change the mascot from the tiger to the greenback cutthroat trout, the Colorado state fish. When the subject came to a vote, the tiger won by a narrow margin: 468 for, 423 against. The Tiger mascot is named “Prowler.

School Colors
Black and Gold

Motto:
Scientia Et Disciplina (Science or Knowledge and Discipline)

Famous CC Alumni
Diana De Gette, US House (D-Colo.)
Ken Salazar, US Senator (D-Colo.)
Lynne Cheney, Wife of US Vice President Dick Cheney
Steve Sabol, President, NFL Films
Dutch Clark, NFL Hall of Fame (Detroit Lions, New York Giants)
Red Hay, NHL Player and administrator
Peggy Fleming, US Gold Medalist Figure Skater

The City of Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado. At 372,437, it is the second most populous city in the State of Colorado behind Denver and the 47th most populous city in the United States. In 2007. the Colorado Springs area had population of 609,096. The city is situated near the base of one of the most famous American mountains, Pikes Peak, at the eastern edge of the southern Rocky Mountains.

While noted for its exceptional natural beauty and climate, Colorado Springs is not exempt from the problems that typically plague cities that experience tremendous growth: overcrowded roads and highways, crime, sprawl, and government budget issues. Many of the problems are indirectly or directly caused by the city's difficulty in coping with the large population growth experienced in the last 20 years.

It is a well known as a conservative city, as it is dominated by large military installations including Fort Carson, NORAD and the United States Air Force Academy, which make up the largest employers in the city. Also, a large percentage of Colorado Springs' economy is also based on high tech and manufacturing complex electronic equipment, second to the military in terms of total revenue generated and employment.

Additionally, a large number of religious organizations such as Focus on the Family and churches make their headquarters here, particularly Evangelical Christians, as well as serving as the headquarters for the US Olympic Committee and many national sports governing bodies.
Colorado Springs was founded in August 1871 as a residential community by General William Palmer (who also founded CC and co-founded the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad), with the intention of creating a high quality resort community to benefit from the mountain location, the railroad and the proximity to mining affluence from a previous gold strike at nearby Colorado City. The flow of gold and silver ebbed as the decades passed, and Colorado City's economic fortunes faded with it; the miners and those who processed the ore left or retired. Because of the healthy natural scenic beauty, mineral waters, and extremely dry climate, Colorado Springs became a tourist attraction and popular recuperation destination for tuberculosis patients.

Famous Colorado Springs Residents
* Silent film star Lon Chaney
* Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage
* Focus on the Family founder James Dobson
* Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark)
* Automobile racer Bobby Unser
* Former British ice dancer Christopher Dean

The Series:
With DU leading the WCHA with 28 points, and Colorado College fourth with 24 points, both teams are battling for an WCHA hardware and and NCAA berth. Last time these rivals met in November, DU was the better team for much of the weekend, but CC got the better results. In the 2-2 overtime tie on Oct. 31, CC jumped to a 2-0 lead before DU rallied with goals by Rhett Rakhshani in the second period and Luke Salazar just 28 seconds into the third period. DU outshot the Tigers, 46-29, but Richard Bachman sparkled in net with 44 saves. CC then rode 40 saves from Bachman in its 3-2 win on Nov. 2 and DU outshot CC, 88-59, in the series. The decisive difference in the series was that DU went 1-for-19 on the power play.

The Pioneers and CC are both are 4-4-2 in the last 10 games, with both teams treading water in a tightening WCHA race. DU has split its last two WCHA series’ against Alaska Anchorage and Minnesota Duluth. DU is averaging 3.1 gpg without top playmaker Tyler Bozak. DU was averaging 3.8 gpg with Bozak in the lineup for the first 18 games. DU continues to receive strong goaltending from Marc Cheverie and features seven players with 20 or more points and 12 with 10 or more.
CC’s primary difficulties thia year are the same ones that plagued the Tigers in November, as the Tigers have found consistent scoring depth beyond its top line, and Bachman, who started the season in near perfect form, has been much more human over the mid-season. Tiger fans have complained that this year’s Tiger squad has not managed a consistent work ethic compared to past seasons, and have also cited team chemistry as a potential issue. These charges sound remarkably similar to concerns expressed by Pioneer fans, although with Denver, the worst part of the Pioneer season has coincided with the season-ending injury to Tyler Bozak.

Offensively, DU has more depth than CC does, and defensively, CC has more depth, especially with an injury to DU’s Chris Nutini and the likely suspension of Patrick Mullen. Goaltending is pretty even. Special teams edge probably goes to CC, and they also have home ice advantage.

In either case, both schools are playing average hockey, but I don’t expect that to be the case this weekend, as with just one game to focus on and a Gold Pan to be won, motivation should be strong for both teams.
As a Pioneer fan, I’d like to think the Pioneers are due for a win over the Tigers, especially with CC playing such average hockey, but I don’t know that DU has enough to beat CC at home in one game .That said, I don’t think CC is that much better a team than DU right now, either. With both teams giving their all, I think the reality is that both teams are pretty average, and what could be more average than a tie game?.

My prediction? Denver 2, Colorado College 2.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

2009-02-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

(above) Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center

Duluth Entertainment and Convention Complex

February 6-7, 2009

The No. 6/8 Denver Pioneers (16-8-3, 12-6-2 WCHA) play at No. 17 Minnesota Duluth (14-8-6, 8-7-5 WCHA) on Feb. 6-7. Puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. MT each night at the DECC. Friday's game will be televised live on the NHL Network and broadcast live locally on AM 560. Both games will be audio cast on www.DenverPioneers.com.

Denver owns a 103-69-9 advantage in the series that dates back to 1961. DU charted 5-1 and 2-1 victories over the Bulldogs on Nov. 7-8. Luke Salazar netted two goals, including the game-winner, and Marc Cheverie made 34 saves in the 5-1 win. Tyler Ruegsegger’s power-play goal at 8:16 of the third period gave DU a 2-1 win and series sweep on Nov. 8. Cheverie stopped 27 shots and was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. DU scored two power-play goals in each win. The Bulldogs own a 37-34-5 mark against Denver in Duluth. Denver is 4-1-1 in its last six games in Duluth. The Pioneers are 4-1 in their last five games against Duluth and 7-3 in their last 10.

Bulldogs to Watch

The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are playing their best hockey of the season. Duluth has won five of its last six games, including two-game sweeps of Bemidji State and Minnesota State. The Bulldogs split (1-3, 1-0) a two-game set at Wisconsin last weekend. Goaltender Alex Stalock has posted three shutouts, while sophomore Justin Fontaine is second in WCHA scoring with 12-23--35 with a league-leading nine power-play goals. MacGregor Sharp has added 11-15--26, and Mike and Jack Connolly are tied for third in WCHA rookie scoring with 22 points each. Duluth is first in the WCHA in scoring defense at 2.29 gpg and seventh in scoring offense at 2.93 gpg. The Bulldogs rank second in the WCHA on the power play at 21.2% and eighth on the penalty kill at 80.5%. Head coach Scott Sandelin has posted a 136-168-43 record in nine seasons at Duluth.

About the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD)
The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota with about 11,000 students on campus. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 12 bachelor's degrees in 75 majors, graduate programs in 20 fields, a two-year program at the School of Medicine, a four-year College of Pharmacy program, and a Doctor of Education program. The chief executive officer of UMD is Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin. She has been Chancellor since November 1995.

Although the University of Minnesota Duluth didn’t officially make its appearance until 1947, its roots date to the Duluth Normal School, founded in 1896 to train women as teachers. In 1921, the Duluth Normal School was renamed to the Duluth State Teachers College, also known as DSTC. Shortly after the renaming, bachelor’s degrees and four-year degree programs were added to the school. In 1929 men began to come to the DSTC, and along with them, the first sports teams including hockey, football, and basketball. By 1937, the locals were fighting to make DSTC a University of Minnesota branch to increase funding and the overall reputation of the school. It was not until 1947 the DSTC became part of the University of Minnesota system and was again renamed, this time to the University of Minnesota Duluth, or UMD.

Today, the UMD campus consists of more than 50 buildings on 244 acres overlooking Lake Superior. Most UMD buildings are connected by concourses or hallways due to the climate. UMD is also home to the Tweed Museum of Art, the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium, Weber Music Hall, and the Marshall Performing Arts Center. Other UMD facilities include the Research and Field Studies Center, Glensheen Historic Estate, the Lower Campus, Minnesota Sea Grant, the Large Lakes Observatory, and the Natural Resources Research Institute.

UMD has experienced a revamping of student amenities and subsidized research facilities over the past seven years, beginning in 2000 with the completion of a new library. Additional buildings built since 2000 include the Weber Music Hall, Swenson Science Building, Sports and Health Center addition, and the new Labovitz School of Business.

About the UMD Program:
(left) Brett Hull

The Bulldogs are the classic underdog program –with the more glamorous Big 10 University of Minnesota a few hours away in the Twin Cities with a huge statewide following for the Gophers, the Bulldogs, based in the working-class port city of Duluth, have always had to scratch, claw and work for every advantage they could get.

The varsity hockey program dates to December of 1930, when Duluth State Teacher's College announced that intercollegiate ice hockey will be added to the institution's varsity sports program. Things got off to a really rough start when DTSC lost its first game to Duluth Central High School by a 3-0 score at the old Duluth Amphitheater, enroute to a winless 0-3 inaugural campaign under Coach Frank Kovach. The next year, DSTC did manage to beat Two Harbors High School by a goal 3-2 for a first victory, but the sport vanished for 14 years until reinstated in 1949, when the school, now known as the University of Minnesota-Duluth, beat Carleton College of Duluth to close out a 7-0 undefeated season against lower division schools as an independent.

By 1949 the program had joined the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (small schools) and scored the first win over a D-I opponent in 1957 when the Bulldogs beat Michigan Tech. UMD had become a dominant power in the MIAC in the 50s, with six consecutive titles, setting the stage for elevation to full Division I status in 1961 under coach Ralph Romano, helped in part by Denver’s Murray Armstrong, who helped recruit UMD first D-I teams. The Bulldogs took their lumps at first; including a still-NCAA record of 77 saves performance in a loss against Michigan in 1964. Romano later became the school’s athletic director, and died tragically of heart failure while watching a UMD-DU game in Duluth in the mid 1980s.

UMD continued to make progress in the mid 1960s, when the city built a new $6 million Duluth Arena-Auditorium complex with 5,600 seats, know known as the DECC (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center) in downtown Duluth, which still serves as the home of the Bulldogs, but will soon be replaced by a new arena in 2010.

With the new arena, was admitted to the WCHA in 1965, but did not win the first 14 WCHA games until an overtime victory over North Dakota in 1966. The tough games also stretched into eras, as the Bulldogs had only three winning seasons between 1965 and 1982.

By 1971, UMD got perhaps its biggest program win (at the time) with a 15-3 win over rival Minnesota in Minneapolis, a game which set 12 school records, paced by all-American centers Walt Ledingham and Pat Boutette.

Mike Sertich took over as UMD coach for Gus Hendrickson in 1982, and produced some of the best WCHA teams of the mid 1980s. In 1983, the Dawgs went to the NCAAs for the first time, but lost to Providence at Schneider Arena in Providence, 10-5 in a two game total goals series. The next year, the Bulldogs won their first WCHA regular season title on Bob Lakso’s hat trick against Wisconsin in February, and were then forced to play a “home” WCHA playoff series in Minneapolis, as the Duluth Arena was already pre-booked with a boat show. The Bulldogs drew 7,000+ fans in Minneapolis and ran North Dakota out the building with an 8-1 victory in game 1, and later beat the same North Dakota team in overtime the NCAA semi-finals in Lake Placid 12 days later. UMD then faced Bowling Green in the NCAA title game, which went four overtimes before BGSU edged UMD for the title. Defenseman Tom Kurvers won the Hobey Baker Award that year as the first Bulldog to do so.

In 1985, the Bulldogs repeated as WCHA Champions, but fell to eventual NCAA Champion RPI, 5-4 in triple overtime at the Frozen Four, but the loss was sweetened with a victory over Boston College in the third place game the next day. Leading scorer Bill Watson became UMD’s second Hobey Baker Award Winner, and Mike Sertich was named WCHA Coach of the Year for the third year in a row.

In 1986, the Bulldogs were in a tooth and nail battle with Denver and Minnesota for WCHA supremacy, but when forward Matt Christenson had a stroke during a boot hockey game in the stretch run, the shocked Bulldogs faded. Sophomore Brett Hull had a 50 goal season, but the Pioneers aced out the Bulldogs in the WCHA semi finals.

After a couple of good years in the early 1990s with 1994 Hobey Baker winner Chris Marinucci scoring the goals including a WCHA title in 1993, the Dawgs did not reach the NCAA tournament again until 2004 in Boston, when the Pioneers bounced the Bulldogs and their talented 2004 Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard from the Frozen Four.

Nickname and Mascot
The University of Minnesota Duluth mascot is the bulldog, named Champ. When UMD was the Duluth State Teachers College, the traditional designation was "peds" for pedagogues or teachers, but this did not suffice as an appropriate image for UMD's athletic teams. In the spring of 1933 the athletes themselves picked the bulldog as the school's mascot. Originally named "Killer," the mascot's name was changed to "Champ" in 1997 to present a less violent image.

School Colors
Because the University's colors varied during the early years, William Watts Folwell, first president of the University, appointed English instructor Augusta Norwood Smith to choose permanent school colors. Smith, "a woman of excellent taste," according to Folwell, chose maroon and gold. First used sometime between 1876 and 1880, the colors weren't officially approved by the regents until March 1940. The original school colors of UMD were green and gold, when UMD was the Duluth State Teachers College. The colors were changed to maroon and gold after the campus became part of the University of Minnesota System in 1947.

School Songs
"Hail! Minnesota" was written by Truman Rickard, class of 1904, for use in a class play. University student Arthur Upson wrote a second verse in 1905. In 1945, the song became the official state anthem. The "Minnesota Rouser," sung at most University athletic events, was written by Floyd M. Hutsell in 1909 in response to a contest sponsored by the Minneapolis Tribune. The spirited "UMD Rouser" is a variation of the "Minnesota Rouser."

The words to the UMD Rouser were submitted by Mike Dean, 2007-08 Alumni Board President:

"UMD Rouser"

Now let us praise UMD

Ever strong, and true we will be

And to the Bulldogs name

Maroon and Gold's our fame

We hail University, Rah, Rah, Rah

"U"-"M"-"D", Always with our loyalty

Sing and cheer to be victorious UMD!

B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S. Hey, BULLDOGS.

Famous UMD Alumni
Politics
* Michael S. Berman - Longtime Washington lawyer and lobbyist, deputy chief of staff for Walter Mondale
* Mike Hatch - former Minnesota Attorney General and 2006 candidate for Governor
* Donny Ness - current mayor of Duluth

Business
* David Oreck - Founder of the Oreck Corporation
* Robert Senkler - President and CEO of Securian Financial Group, Inc.

Sports
* Mark Pavelich and John Harrington were members of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey gold-medal team that beat the USSR in the Miracle on Ice game.
* Dan Devine - head Football coach for the Missouri Tigers, Green Bay Packers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish
* Jay Guidinger - former center for the Cleveland Cavaliers
* Brett Hull - former NHL Player
* Tom Kurvers - Hobey Baker Award winner and long-time NHL player
* Junior Lessard - Hobey Baker Award winner, right wing for Tampa Bay Lightning
* Chris Marinucci - Hobey Baker Award winner
* Jeff Monson - Grappling and MMA fighter
* Derek Plante - former NHL Player
* Bill Watson - Hobey Baker Award winner and former NHL player

Other
* Jim Brandenburg - renowned National Geographic nature photographer
* Lorenzo Music - the voice of Garfield and Carlton the Doorman on Rhoda

Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city on the north shore of Lake Superior, which is linked to the Atlantic Ocean 2,300 miles (3,700 km) away via the Great Lakes and Erie Canal/New York State Barge Canal or Saint Lawrence Seaway passages.

Duluth forms a metropolitan area with Superior, Wisconsin. Called the Twin Ports, these two cities share the Duluth-Superior Harbor and together are one of the most important ports on the Great Lakes, shipping coal, iron ore (taconite), and grain.

As the county seat of St. Louis County, Duluth is the fourth largest city in Minnesota had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census. The metropolitan census including outer suburbs and villages was estimated to be roughly 184,000.

As a tourist destination for the Midwest, Duluth features America's only all-freshwater aquarium, the Great Lakes Aquarium, the Aerial Lift Bridge which spans the short canal into Duluth's harbor, "Park Point", the world's second longest freshwater sandbar, spanning 6 miles, and is a launching point for the North Shore.[5]

The city is named for Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the first known European explorer of the area. Native American tribes had occupied the Duluth area for thousands of years, trading and cultivating wild rice. In 1659, Pierre Esprit Radisson and Médard Chouart des Groseilliers went searching for furs in the Lake Superior region, and visited the area that became today’s Duluth. Sieur du Lhut, the city's namesake, arrived in 1679 to settle rivalries between two Indian nations, the Dakota and the Ojibwa, and to advance fur trading missions in the area.

Interest in the area was piqued in the 1850s as rumors of copper mining began to circulate. A government land survey in 1852, followed by a treaty with local tribes in 1854, secured wilderness for gold-seeking explorers, sparked a "land rush," and led to the development of iron ore mining in the area.

Around the same time, newly-constructed channels and locks in the East permitted large ships to access the area. A road connecting Duluth to the Twin Cities was also constructed. Eleven small towns on both sides of the St. Louis River were formed, establishing Duluth's roots as a city.

By 1857, copper resources became scarce, and the area's economic focus shifted to timber harvesting. A nation-wide financial crisis led to nearly three quarters of the city's early pioneers leaving but the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad extension from St. Paul to Duluth opened areas due north and west of Lake Superior to iron ore mining. Duluth's population on New Year's Day, 1869 consisted of fourteen families; by the Fourth of July, 3,500 people were present to celebrate.

In the 1900s, the city's port passed New York City in gross tonnage handled, elevating it to being the leading port in the United States. Meanwhile, there were ten newspapers, six banks, and an eleven-story skyscraper, the Torrey Building, already present in the town. In 1907, U.S. Steel announced that a $5 – $6 million plant would be constructed in the area. Although steel production only began eight years later, predictions held that Duluth's population would rise to 200,000 to 300,000. With the Duluth Works steel plant came Morgan Park, a once-independent company town that now stands as a city neighborhood.

In the early twentieth century, Duluth was home to one of the largest Finnish communities in the world outside of Finland. The area was also settled by Immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Serbia, Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Norway, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, England, and Russia.

During much of the twentieth century, the city was an industrial port town, with a cement plant, nail mill, wire mills, and the Duluth Works plant. In 1916, during World War I, a shipbuilding plant on St. Louis River produced eight vessels simultaneously. A neighborhood was formed around this operation, today known as Riverside. Similar industrial operations were heightened during the Second World War. Population growth continued after the war, with a peak of 106,884 reached in 1960.

Due to foreign competition, the U.S. Steel plant of the Duluth Works closed in 1981, presenting a major blow to the city. Duluth is often cited as "where the Rust Belt begins," and other industrial activity followed suit with more closures, including shipbuilding, heavy machinery, and the Air Force base. With the decline of the city's industrial core, the local economic focus shifted to tourism. The downtown was renewed with red brick streets and skywalks, and old warehouses along the waterfront were converted into cafés, shops, and restaurants, forming Canal Park as a largely tourism-oriented district. The city's population, for years experiencing a steady decline, has stabilized to around 85,000 in recent years.

Duluth once fielded a National Football League team called the Kelleys (officially the Kelley Duluths after the Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store) from 1923-1925 and the Eskimos (officially Ernie Nevers' Eskimos after the early NFL great, their star player) from 1926-1927. The Eskimos were then sold and became the Orange Tornadoes (Orange, New Jersey). This bit of history became the basis for the 2008 George Clooney/Renee Zellweger movie, "Leatherheads."

The Series
DU leads the WCHA with 26 points, while Minnesota Duluth is tied for fourth with 21 points, but UMD is certainly the hotter team and is playing at home, and the Pioneers’ sweep of a two-game series against UMD earlier this season was a long time ago. This series features the top two goaltenders in the WCHA in UMD’s Alex Stalock (13-8-6, 2.15 GAA, .925 Sv%) and DU’s Marc Cheverie (16-8-3, 2.40, .915 Sv%), and that may well be the deciding factor as to which team gets more points this weekend

Looking at the analytics, Denver is second in the WCHA in scoring offense at 3.59 gpg and second in scoring defense at 2.44, 6th nationally in offense, and 15th in defense at 2.44 gpg. That compares with UMD’s 27th ranked offense (2.93 GPG) and 10th ranked defense at 2,29 gpg. Just looking at the numbers, DU has the offensive edge and UMD has the defensive edge in the series. But going deeper, UMD has the nation’s 4th best power play, while DU has the 16th best PK, and DU’s #43 power play is similar in its ineptitude to UMD’s 46th ranked PK. The net/net here is that UMD will likely get a PPG or two each night, while DU must step up and take advantage of UMD’s poor PK with an improved version of its own dreadful power play if it hopes to compete.

Rhett Rakhshani is DU’s career scoring leader with 6-5--11 in 10 career games against the Bulldogs, while goaltender Marc Cheverie is 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .968 Sv% in two career starts against Minnesota Duluth. Those guys must lead the way if DU is going to get points, and with all the injuries facing DU (Bozak, Martin and Nutini) and struggles with defense and power play, I only see a statistically better but lukewarm DU team getting a single point against a red hot UMD team at home. And I would not be surprised if DU was swept, either.

Prediction: Denver 3, UMD 3 Friday, UMD 3, DU 1 on Saturday.

The University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves

2009-01-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

(above) UAA's Sullivan Arena

Magness Arena, Denver. Colo.
January 30-31, 2009

The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves will travel to Denver, Colorado to face the No. 7 Denver Pioneers in Western Collegiate Hockey Association series on Jan. 30-31 at Magness Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. (MST) on Friday night and at 7:07 p.m. (MST) on Saturday. Both games will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain and webcast live on www.DenverPioneers.com. Radio broadcasts include 560 AM (Friday) and 101.5 FM (Saturday) in Denver.

The Series:
The Pioneers lead the all time series 36-13-5 dating back to 1992-93, and DU leads those games played in Denver 19-6-1 and 11-3 in Magness Arena, with DU going 8-0 in its last eight games against UAA and 9-1 in the last 10. Last season the Pioneers swept UAA in both conference series. DU has held UAA to three goals or less in the last 11 contests. Since joining the WCHA, UAA has only swept two series against DU - both at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage (1996 and 1998).

Seawolves to watch:
Alaska Anchorage is ninth in the WCHA with 14 points. The Seawolves are led by forwards Paul Crowder and Tommy Grant. Crowder leads the team with 9-14--23, while Grant has added 14-7--21. Kevin Clark (6-12--18), Brian Bales (1-14--15) and Josh Lunden (10-4--14) are effective scoring forwards as well. Bryce Christianson (3-4-3, 2.85 GAA, .875 Saves percentage) and Jon Althuis (5-6-1, 3.32 GAA, .866 saves percentage) have shared goaltending duties.

About the University of Alaska-Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest member of the University of Alaska System, with more than 19,000 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at the main Anchorage campus. Most of the students at UAA commute, while about 1000 students live on campus.

UAA comprises eight colleges and schools: The College of Education, College of Health and Social Welfare, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Public Policy, the Community and Technical College, School of Engineering, School of Nursing and School of Social Work. There are four community campuses: Matanuska-Susitna College, Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, and Prince William Sound Community College. UAA offers Graduate degrees through the Graduate Division.

The university's history began in 1954, when the Anchorage Community College opened, using the then-Anchorage High School building at night. Anchorage Senior College began providing upper-division classes in 1969, becoming the four-year University of Alaska Anchorage in 1976. UAA, ACC, and ACC's rural extension units merged in 1987 to form the present institution.

Located in the heart of Alaska’s largest city is the University of Alaska Anchorage, the state’s largest post-secondary institution. The campus is nestled in the middle of a greenbelt, surrounded by lakes, ponds and wildlife, and is connected to a city-wide trail system.

Most popular majors at UAA
-Nursing
-Education
-Business Administration
-Human Services
-Accounting
-Psychology
-Aviation Technology

About the UAA Hockey Program
UAA is a program that represents the underdog in all of us. They play home games that are at least two time zones and long plane flights removed from most of the rest of college hockey, and since few visiting fans have made the trip to Alaska in winter, we know less about UAA, contributing to their unique mystique.

UAA began playing varsity hockey in 1979, under pioneering coach Kelvin “Brush” Christiansen. As a startup program in the first season, UAA’s team did not leave the state of Alaska, as the team played at 8 games at the NCAA D-II level against fellow Alaskan rival the University of Alaska Fairbanks, beating UAF in all 8 games, and the remaining 23 games against Alaskan Senior League teams, going 17-14 overall. The first four seasons of UAA hockey would be played on campus at the UAA sports center, now known as the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, where UAA won 70% of its games. UAA now uses the rink as a practice facility.

The following season, UAA scheduled a full collegiate slate at the D-II level, and went 14-10. By 1981-82, the Seawolves began scheduling more Division I opponents, and gained their first sweep of a D-I school when they defeated the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. That season also included a triumphant four game sweep of German opponents in the former West Germany.

In 1982-83, The Seawolves recorded their first 20 win season, going 20-7-1, and were in the process of establishing themselves as a legitimate spectator attraction in Anchorage. For the last game of that season, UAA lost a 4-3 exhibition to US National Team in the newly-constructed 6,000-seat Sullivan Arena in downtown Anchorage, where they have played ever since.

The 1983-1984 hockey season would be the last played at the Division II level, and the Seawolves made it a memorable one, winning 23 games, losing six and tying one and starting the season with a 22-game winning streak (with five of the 22 wins coming against the Korean National Team) and their first win over a WCHA school, a 8-3 whipping of Colorado College.

The next year, UAA elevated the program to play as a full NCAA Division I independent, and went 17-21, including a six-game sweep of Korean Universities in South Korea.

The next big step in the evolution of the program was the formation of the Great West Hockey Conference in 1986, a collection of four former western independent programs (Northern Arizona, U.S. International University, UAF and UAA). While the conference lasted only a couple of seasons, UAA won the inaugural season and finished third in the second season.

By 1989, NAU and USIU has dropped hockey as a varsity sport, and UAA found itself as a D-I independent once again. Fortunately, 1989-90 was the breakthrough season for the program as a legitimate D-I force. The team went 21-11-2, with a lot of magic moments along the way. The first sweep of a Hockey East team came in January, when UAA swept Maine. But the biggest regular season moment of all came when UAA beat Minnesota in Minneapolis, 4-3 in a thrilling overtime contest, announcing to the world of college hockey that the UAA program was for real. The next week, UAA also tied Michigan in Ann Arbor and finished out the regular season of college opponents with a 5-1 drubbing of rival UAF.

In those days, the NCAA tourney was a 12-team tournament, and UAA was selected to represent the lone independents’ slot after beating Notre Dame in the special independents’ tournament in Alabama. While UAA lost to Lake Superior State in the first round of the NCAAs in a two-game total-goals series, it marked another step in the development of the program as the first of three consecutive years of NCAA appearances as an independent. This three-year era represented the high water mark of the UAA program in terms of wins and NCAA appearances.

In 1990-91, behind the superb goaltending of Paul Krake and the scoring talents of Robb Conn and Dean Larson, the Seawolves won 22, lost 17 and tied 4. But the story of the season was not so much in the beginning of the year, when UAA started with only two Division I wins before December, but the finish, when UAA hosted the independents’ tournament in March, and exploded for 15 goals, wiping out Alabama-Huntsville 5-0 and Notre Dame 10-2 to earn another independents’ slot in the NCAA tournament.

The Seawolves would then face powerhouse Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. on BC’s home ice– a tall order for any college hockey program, let alone an independent with only seven seasons as a D-I program under its belt. But UAA flew to Boston undaunted, and proceeded to shock the Eagles with a 3-2 victory in the first game, and doing it once again, beating BC in game 2 by a 3-1 count, marking the first NCAA victories for UAA, and sending the Seawolves to the NCAA quarterfinals as the victors of one of the bigger NCAA upsets in history.

UAA then advanced to Marquette, Mich. to face the high-scoring Northern Michigan Wildcats, who would be the eventual NCAA Champions that year. UAA put up a good fight, but lost by 8-5 and 5-3 scores to NMU.

The next season (1991-92) would become the most successful UAA season ever in terms of wins and losses, as the Seawolves stormed out a school record 27-8-1 record, and a 14-3 record heading into the New Year. In the second half, UAA went on another serious rampage through its independent schedule, going 13-2 from mid-January to early March, with the only two losses coming to arch-rival UAF in Fairbanks. The Seawolves then travelled back to Fairbanks for the Independents’ tournament, where they defeated Air Force 3-2 in the semifinal, setting up an epic revenge/grudge match with rival UAF for the independent tourney title and the NCAA bid. The game was tied 3-3 heading into overtime, and UAF fans were hopeful that fortune would shine on them at the Carlson Center. But it was not to be, as it was UAA who won the game in overtime, 4-3, sending the Seawolves to face Lake Superior State in a first round NCAA game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Unfortunately for the Seawolves, a full 20 days had elapsed between the dramatic victory over UAF (March 7) and the game with LSSU (March 27), and LSSU won by a 7-3 count, ending UAA’s season. But all was not lost from a program standpoint, as the WCHA had noticed the advancement and commitment of UAA’s program. The WCHA awarded UAA with WCHA affiliate status for the next season, with an eye toward full WCHA membership in 1994.

The next season (1992-1993) saw UAA play a number of WCHA teams as an affiliate member, but not a full WCHA schedule, and the Seawolves responded with another winning year, going 18-14, and beating schools such as Boston College, and sweeping North Dakota and Northern Michigan. The WCHA also allowed UAA to participate in the WCHA playoffs, where UAA fell to Minnesota-Duluth. Little did most Seawolf fans realize that they would wait at least 15 years for the next winning season…

UAA’s admission to the WCHA would be a mixed blessing for the program – on one hand, the stability and security of playing in the nation’s dominant conference has improved the level of talent, credibility and prestige of the program, but due to the dramatically increased level of opposition that UAA now faces weekly in the WCHA, the Seawolves have not been able to finish higher than 6th in the WCHA since admission, have never hosted a league playoff game and still face some of the most difficult travel in all of college hockey every season. As a result, UAA has yet to make a return visit to the NCAA tournament.

Brush Christiansen retired as coach after 17 years after the 1995 season, and he was followed by Dean Talafous for the next five seasons, followed by ex-UAA player John Hill for four seasons, before he suddenly left the team to be an assistant at Minnesota. Current UAA coach Dave Shyiak has been on the job for for the past 2.5 seasons.. The common denominator with all the Seawolf coaches since joining in the WCHA has been lower division finishes and mostly first round playoff exits.

That’s not to say there haven’t been some thrilling moments in the last 15 years for UAA fans. In the 2003-2004 season, UAA had a dreadful 4-14-1 second half of the season and finished 8th in the league. But in the league playoffs, UAA stunned Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison, winning the best 2 of 3 series and advancing to the WCHA final five in Minneapolis for the first time ever. There, the Seawolves whipped Colorado College in the play-in game, 4-1, gaining a berth in the league semi-final, and coming only two wins away from an automatic NCAA tourney berth. But North Dakota ended the fairly-tale UAA finish with a 4-2 victory in the semis.

Since then, there have also been some glimmers of hope in playoff play. In the 2005, WCHA playoffs, UAA also beat Wisconsin 2-1 again in Madison to even the playoff series at one game each, but UAA fell 2-1 in the deciding game three. And in 2007, UAA also enjoyed its only other WCHA first round playoff victory, over host Minnesota (2-1) in overtime to even the series at one game each, but the Gophers won deciding game 3-1 to advance.

Individually, there have also been some well-known players to wear the Green and Gold, including future NHLers Robb Conn, All WCHA first teamer Greg Naumenko, Mike Peluso, Jeff Batters and Curtis Glencross.

Through all the losing, the Seawolves have retained a loyal core group of fans, and still compete toe to toe with the local minor league hockey team, the Anchorage Aces, for local fans and publicity. A new on-campus arena is the hope for many UAA fans, but it is not yet a reality.

Seawolf Traditions – The Nickname
UAA’s athletics teams were originally known as the Sourdoughs, but the university adopted the Seawolf moniker in 1977 when it elevated its program to the NCAA Division II level.

The name ‘Seawolf’ represents a mythical sea creature that, according to Tlingit Indian legend, brings good luck to anyone fortunate enough to view it. The exact nature or shape of the Seawolf, however, is left to the imagination, thus the creature has been depicted in many forms throughout the years.

The Seawolf logo of today was designed and introduced in 1985 by Clark Mishler & Associates in cooperation with a university committee. It represents an adaptation of a more traditional Alaska totemic-like characterization of the mythical Seawolf.

Notable UAA Alumni (Thanks to Paul Porco of UAA for providing the non-hockey names)
- Alaska Governor and former VP candidate Sarah Palin is “believed to have attended UAA at some point”, but this could be not been officially confirmed by the school
- Mike Doogan, current state representative, current author of mystery novels, former metro columnist for the Anchorage Daily News
- Deborah Bonito, wife of newly-elected Sen. Mark Begich
- Susan Knowles, wife of former Alaska Gov. and former Anchorage mayor Tony Knowles
- Diane Benson, former candidate for Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House
- Arlitia Jones, poet & playwright; author of “The Bandsaw Riots,” book of poems
- Dana Stabenow, Alaska’s most successful novelist, author of 16 or mystery novels
- NHL Hockey player Robb Conn
- NHL Hockey player Greg Naumenko
- NHL Hockey player Mike Peluso
- NHL Hockey player Jeff Batters
- NHL Hockey player Curtis Glencross

About Anchorage
Anchorage (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) is Alaska’s largest city. With an estimated 279,671 municipal residents in 2007, and 359,180 residents within the Metropolitan Statistical Area, metro Anchorage constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population.

Anchorage was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, which was built between 1915 and 1923. Ship Creek Landing, where the railroad headquarters was located, quickly became a tent city; Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920. The city's economy in the 1920s centered around the railroad. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the city experienced massive growth as air transportation and the military became increasingly important. Merrill Field opened in 1930, and Anchorage International Airport opened in 1951. Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson were constructed in the 1940s.

On March 27, 1964, Anchorage was hit by the major Good Friday Earthquake, which killed 115 Alaskans and caused $1.8 billion in damage (2007 U.S. dollars). The earth-shaking event lasted nearly five minutes; most structures that failed remained intact the first few minutes, then failed with repeated flexing. Rebuilding dominated the city in the mid 1960s.

In 1968, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, and the resulting oil boom spurred further growth in Anchorage. In 1975, Anchorage merged with Eagle River, Girdwood, Glen Alps, and several other communities. The merger expanded the city, known officially as the Municipality of Anchorage. The city continued to grow in the 1980s, and capital projects and an aggressive beautification campaign took place.

Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska. It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St. Petersburg. It is northeast of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and Cook Inlet, due north of the Kenai Peninsula, northwest of Prince William Sound and Alaska Panhandle, and nearly due south of Mount McKinley/Denali. The city is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains. To the south is Turnagain Arm, a fjord that has some of the world's highest tides. Knik Arm, another tidal inlet, lies to the west and north. The Chugach Mountains on the east form a boundary to development, but not to the city limits, which encompass part of the wild alpine territory of Chugach State Park.

Anchorage has a subarctic climate due to its short, cool summers. Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 26 degrees Celsius); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 degrees (-15 to -1 degrees Celsius). Anchorage has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days.

A diverse wildlife population exists in urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city. Moose are also a common sight. In the Anchorage Bowl, there is a summer population of approximately 250 moose, increasing to as many as 1000 during the winter and over 100 moose are killed by cars each year.

Anchorage's largest economic sectors include transportation, military, local and federal government, tourism, and resource extraction. Large portions of the local economy depend on Anchorage's geographical location and surrounding natural resources. Anchorage's economy traditionally has seen steady growth, while not quite as rapid as the rest of the country; it also does not experience as much pain during economic downturns. Widespread housing foreclosures seen around the country during 2007 and 2008 were generally nowhere near as severe in Anchorage.

The United States Military has two main bases in the area, Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson as well as the Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage. These three bases employ approximately 8500 people and military personal and their families comprise 10 percent of the local population. During the Cold War, Elmendorf became an increasingly important base due to its proximity to the Soviet Union. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Task Force 1-501 housed at Fort Richardson was upgraded into an airborne brigade to become the primary strategic response force in the Pacific Theater.

While Juneau is the official state capital of Alaska, there are actually more state employees who reside in the Anchorage area including current Governor Sarah Palin. Around 6,800 state employees work in Anchorage, compared to around 3,800 in Juneau. Federal government workers also include around 10,000, many related to federal lands management.

Many tourists are drawn to Alaska every year and Anchorage is commonly the first initial stop for most travelers. From Anchorage people can easily head south to popular fishing locations on the Kenai Peninsula or north to locations such as Denali National Park and Fairbanks. The economic impact of tourism and conventions in Anchorage totals around $150 million annually.

The resource sector, mainly petroleum, is arguably Anchorage's most visible industry, with many high rises bearing the logos of large multinationals such as BP and ConocoPhillips. While field operations are centered on the Alaska North Slope and in more southern areas around Cook Inlet, the majority of offices and administration are found in Anchorage. Around one sixth of jobs state-wide are related to this industry.

Sports-wise, The Sullivan Arena is not only home to UAA, but home to one professional hockey team the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. The city is also home to the Alaska Wild, an arena football team that began playing with the Intense Football League in April 2007. Anchorage's third professional franchise, which is scheduled to compete in the 2009-10 season, is the Alaska Dream, a basketball team in the ABA. UAA sponsors the annual Great Alaska Shootout, an annual NCAA Division I basketball tournament featuring colleges and universities from across the United States along with the UAA team. Anchorage holds the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and was the U.S. candidate for hosting the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, but it lost to Albertville, France and Lillehammer, Norway respectively.

The Series
I haven’t seen UAA play this year, as Seawolves and the Pioneers (15-7-3, 11-5-2 WCHA) will meet for the first time of the season this weekend. With Denver currently leading the WCHA with 24 points, ranked (7th/8th) nationally and playing at home and the Seawolves ninth in the WCHA and unranked, the conventional wisdom would say that the Pioneers should be the better of the two teams this weekend.

However, the Pioneers are coming off a huge emotional letdown in Grand Forks, where they played well enough to split but came away with only a point and an embarrassing impression left by the ejection of DU coach George Gwozdecky. Gwozdecky will be under a school-imposed one game suspension for this Friday’s UAA Game after using a headset to communicate with his coaching staff after being ejected from the Staurday UND contest in the second period. “I want to apologize to the University of Denver and our hockey team for not having a thorough understanding of the NCAA game misconduct rule,” Gwozdecky said in a DU statement. “I respect the University’s decision to suspend me based upon the violation that occurred.” How they react to Gwozdecky's absence remains to be seen.

With DU associate coach Steve Miller behind the bench on Friday, The Pioneers come into the series led by sophomores Anthony Maiani (8-23-31) and Junior Rhett Rakhshani (11-13-24), while freshman Patrick Wiercioch leads the conference for rookie blueliners in goals (8) and points (19). In the crease, sophomore Marc Cheverie is tied for first in WCHA winning percentage (.660) and second in saves percentage (.917) and goals-against average (2.40). While the Pioneers will lack their best overall player in Tyler Bozak due to knee injury, the Pioneers should be still be able to beat UAA this weekend twice, but I do expect close margins

According to veteran UAA observer Donald Dunlop at his ‘UAA Fan Blog’, “DU fans will see a quite different UAA team than they've seen in the past. This year’s team has two primary identities. They are big. They can skate. The forward lines heights and weights read like an NHL roster ... 6'4" 210 -- 6'3" 200 -- 6'3" 203 -- 6'2" 190 -- 6'2" 198 -- 6'2" 202 -- and three other 6 footers….For the last two years under Coach Shyiak the cycle game has been the strategy of choice.

The Seawolves will continue to look to get the puck in deep and possess it while trying to work it to the front. But that isn't the lone offensive strategy. The Seawolves have become a better threat when countering than they have in the past. The number of goals in transition this year is up....UAA's goaltending stats are bad. It isn't a true reflection of either goalies abilities. They're better than their numbers. If the team in front of them plays up to their potential this weekend then Pio fans will see that as well.”

If Donald’s observations are correct, DU will likely try to counter UAA by using their team speed to offset UAA’s size advantage. DU likely also has more top end speed and talent than UAA does, so expect Denver to try and stretch the UAA defense in transition, much the way North Dakota did to Denver last Friday. UAA has historically frustrated the Pioneers with strong team defense and a relentless work ethic, and they’ll try to grind the Pioneers with their size. I expect DU will try to balance puck control with the need to shoot more often when they gain the offensive zone to take advantage of the saves percentages of the UAA goalies.

On paper, DU is eighth nationally in team offense, while UAA is 32nd. Defensively, DU is 15th, while UAA ranks 46th. DU’s power-play is 36th nationally, while UAA’s is 46th. On the penalty kill, DU ranks 15th while UAA is second-to-last nationally at 57th.

Prediction: DU 4, UAA 2 on Friday, Denver 2, UAA 1 on Saturday.

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux

2009-01-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D, January 23-34, 2009

The Fourth-ranked University of Denver Pioneers (15-6-2, 11-4-1 WCHA) return to action at No. 15 North Dakota (14-10-2, 9-5-2 WCHA) this weekend. Puck drop is set for 6:37 p.m. MT on Friday, Jan. 23 and 6:07 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Both games will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain and webcast live on www.DenverPioneers.com. Both games can be heard live on www.DenverPioneers.com and 560 AM (Friday) and 101.5 FM (Saturday).

The Series: North Dakota holds a 128-110-7 advantage over DU in the series that dates back to 1950. DU is 39-78-4 all-time in Grand Forks, including a 3-3 mark in its last six contests at Engelstad Arena. DU is 2-3 in its last five games against UND and 5-5 in its last 10.

Fighting Sioux to watch North Dakota is one of the hottest teams in college hockey with a 10-2-1 mark in its last 13 games. The Fighting Sioux are led by Chay Genoway (2-22--24), Brad Miller (4-19--23) and 2007 Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan (10-9--19). Genoway and Miller rank third and fourth, respectively, in WCHA defenseman scoring. Freshman Brad Eidsness leads the team with a 14-7-2 record, 2.51 GAA and .908 Saves percentage.

About the University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota (UND) is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND now enrolls over 12,500 students and is the oldest and 2nd largest university in the state.

UND was founded as a university with a strong liberal arts foundation. Today, UND also offers a variety of professional and specialized programs, including the only schools of law and medicine in the state. UND is also known for its School of Aerospace Sciences which trains airplane pilots from around the world. UND has also been named a space grant institution.

Roughly half of the student body is from North Dakota with the remainder coming from around the nation and the world. UND's economic impact on the state and region is more than $1 billion a year and it is the second largest employer in the state of North Dakota, after the Air Force. Recently, UND has put an emphasis on research and currently specializes in research involving health sciences, nutrition, energy and environmental protection, aerospace, and engineering.

In 1883, Grand Forks native George H. Walsh submitted a bill to the Territorial Legislature of Dakota Territory that called for the new state of North Dakota's university to be located in Grand Forks. The university was viewed by many as the premier state institution to be given to a community; even more so than the state capitol. The first building at UND, Old Main, housed all classrooms, offices, dorm rooms, and a library. In the 1880s, UND consisted of only a few acres of property surrounded by farms and fields. At this time, the campus was nearly two miles west of the city of Grand Forks. Students living off campus had to take a train or a horse and carriage bus, dubbed the "Black Maria", from downtown to the campus.

Gradually, more buildings were constructed on campus and a trolley system was built to connect the growing university to downtown Grand Forks. However, there were several major interruptions in the life of the university. In 1918, UND was the hardest-hit single institution in the country by the flu epidemic which killed 1,400 people in North Dakota alone. Later that year, classes were suspended so the campus could become an army base for soldiers during World War I. During the Great Depression, UND provided free housing to students willing to do manual labor on campus.

After World War II, enrollment quickly grew to more than 3,000. A large amount of housing had to be built on campus as well as several new academic buildings, and by the 1960s and 1970s, many student protests occurred at UND. The largest occurred in May 1970 when over 1,500 students gathered to protest the Kent State shootings. In 1975, enrollment swelled to a record 8,500. The 1970s also saw the establishment of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND. The 1980s and 1990s were another period of growth for UND. However, the devastating 1997 Red River Flood inundated numerous buildings on campus and forced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year.

The start of the 21st century was marked by the opening of two major athletic venues for UND athletics. The Ralph Engelstad Arena which is used for hockey and the Alerus Center which is used for football both opened in 2001. Millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation projects have dotted the campus landscape in recent years. As part of a plan to improve student facilities on campus, UND has recently constructed a Wellness Center, a parking garage, and a new apartment-style housing complex. Today, issues facing UND include a move of its entire athletic program to Division I, ongoing discussions regarding the Fighting Sioux nickname, the fact that UND is located in a state with a shrinking population of potential students, and efforts to increase external contributions and funding.

About the Fighting Sioux Hockey Program

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Hockey tradition is one of proudest and most successful Division I programs in the United States and is today, the top sports attraction in the entire State of North Dakota.

Hockey was first played on campus in 1929, when a team of UND students played local area teams, playing 16 games in the years between 1929 and 1936. John Jamieson re-established club hockey at after WWII, going 7-6 in 1946-47, but the varsity Fighting Sioux hockey tradition really began the next year as the product of two co-founders, the late Glenn “Red” Jarrett and the late Calvin Coolidge Marvin, the first of many Marvins to play at UND.

Jarrett, an All-American halfback on UND’s 1930 football team became the football coach and athletic director in the spring of 1947. Jarrett then decided to make the move to elevate club hockey to varsity status. UND and the city of Grand Forks did not immediately stand by Jarrett’s decision because UND already had two men’s sports in football and basketball.

Jarrett went ahead with his plan and got the Michigan athletic Director, the legendary Fritz Crisler, to agree to a two-game series against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Jarrett worked hard to line up a schedule with other established hockey programs and scheduled games with Minnesota, Colorado College, and Michigan Tech.

Marvin, a native of Warroad, Minnesota, recalled one of their early conversations: “Red said, ‘Cal get me a team, and I’ll get you a schedule. ‘I said, ‘Red, get me a schedule and I’ll get you a team.”

While Jarrett set up the schedule for the Sioux, Marvin worked tirelessly to recruit players from around North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota, mostly World War II veterans who had returned to campus. This was a glorified pickup team wearing used UND football jerseys and other makeshift equipment, but these men were not just any pickup team.

UND’s first collegiate game was at Michigan, the major powerhouse of the era, who went on to win the first NCAA hockey tournament in 1948 and six of the first nine titles awarded. The Sioux rode the train all the way to Ann Arbor, and at a rest stop in the Twin Cities, one University of Minnesota player told some UND players they’d “lose by 14 goals.” In actuality, behind the 34 save goal goaltending of Bob Murray, UND stepped up and played the mighty Wolverines to a 5-5 tie going into the final minute, when UND’s John Noah fired a shot into the Michigan goal with 46 seconds remaining to lift UND to its first ever varsity hockey win 6-5, -- its first win over a big 10 school in any sport. The win was so exciting that the UND band met the train in 28 below zero weather when the team returned to Grand Forks. The Sioux program was born in an unheated, natural ice rink and the first season, the Sioux compiled an 8-4 record against the top college teams that included Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado College, and Michigan Tech.

In 1953, UND built it’s first artificial ice arena, the 4,000 seat UND Winter Sports Building, a Quonset hut design better known as the “barn”. UND also began recruiting Canadian players to supplement the local players.

The early and mid 50s Sioux teams were generally winning teams, and were led by Sioux legends Ben Cherski and Bill Riechert, respectively, each of whom became three-time all Americans in the era before freshman eligibility.

By 1957-58, UND was a emerging into a powerhouse program in the WIHL (forerunner of today’s WCHA), and behind the balanced attack employed coach Bob May, the Sioux went 24-7-1 and earned a trip to Minneapolis for the 1958 NCAA Tournament. In the NCAA semifinal, seven different Sioux players scored as UND routed Harvard, 9-1 to earn a berth in the NCAA Championship Game at Williams Arena. The Sioux’s opponent in that title game was also making its first NCAA Tournament appearance, the University of Denver Pioneers. The Pioneers whipped the Sioux, 6-2, in the Championship Game, setting the stage for a rivalry between the schools that exists to this day.

The Sioux players wanted more success, and built their very own locker room over the next summer with donated lumber, and became even closer after the tragic summer hunting death of goalie Tommy Forrest, and the loss of two defensemen to academic ineligibility, All American Bill Steenson and Steve Thullner. The closeness paid off as UND went 20-10, and earned its second NCAA berth, at the Houston Field House in Troy, New York, where UND won its first national championship by virtue of two action-packed 4-3 overtime thrillers. Guy LaFrance's goal at 4:22 of sudden death overtime eliminated St. Lawrence in the NCAA semifinal game. In that game, Sioux legend Reg Morelli tallied a pair of goals, and Art Miller and Ed Thomlinson one each.

The next night against Michigan State in the title game, Morelli duplicated LaFrance's OT heroics when he scored a dramatic shot over the sprawling Spartan goalie, Joe Selinger, at 4:18 of the first overtime period, giving the Sioux a 4-3 win and their first of seven NCAA title trophies. It would be May’s final game as coach, as he later moved to Denver to help his handicapped daughter and later became a dentist.

In 1963, under new coach Barry Thorndycraft, a former May assistant, the Sioux agonizingly watched DU hoist the MacNaughton Cup as the Pioneers beat UND 5-4 in Denver for the WCHA playoff title, the team they had tied for the WCHA regular season title.

A week later, the Sioux got their revenge in McHugh Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass., as UND first crushed host Boston College 8-2 in the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament. In the NCAA final against the Denver Pioneers, UND raced to a 5-2 first period lead, but the Pioneers came roaring back, only to fall to the Sioux, 6-5. Al McLean, who was named tourney MVP, scored the winning goal at 5:01 of the second period to lift UND to its second NCAA crown.

After a 4-3 loss to Boston College in the 1965 NCAA tourney in Providence, the Sioux rebounded to beat Brown 9-5 for third place at Brown’s home arena, Meehan Auditorium.

In 1966-67, the Sioux won the WCHA with a 19-10 overall slate, but in the NCAA tournament, were shut out, 1-0 by Ken Dryden, perhaps the best goalie in NCAA history.

The Sioux advanced to the 1968 NCAA tournament by beating home-standing Michigan Tech 3-2 in total goals. The first game was a 0-0 deadlock, the only scoreless tie in UND history. UND then went to the new arena in Duluth, Minn for the NCAA Frozen Four and got its revenge, toppling the great Ken Dryden and his Cornell team, 3-1 in the semifinal. In the Championship Game, the Sioux once again met the Denver Pioneers, who sought revenge for their 1963 loss to UND in the title game. The Pioneers, behind the shutout goaltending of Gerry Powers, cruised to a 4-0 shutout of the Sioux in the title game, the fourth NCAA title for the Pioneers, and the front end of a repeat Pioneer performance the next season, when DU beat Cornell and Dryden for DU’s fifth crown.

In recognition of the growth of Sioux hockey, in 1972, UND replaced the barn with a new arena, and dedicated its a new $2 million, 5800 seat Winter Sports Center by topping Colorado College 5-4 before a capacity crowd.

In 1979, UND won its first WCHA championship in 12 years by beating arch-rival Minnesota, coached by Herb Brooks, on the road 4-2 under the guidance of first-year head coach John "Gino" Gasparini. Gino’s boys then defeated Dartmouth 4-2 in Detroit's Olympia Stadium in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament on goals from Howard Walker, Erwin Martins, Mark Taylor and Cary Eades in the triumph. But Minnesota got revenge and edged the Sioux 4-3 on a Neal Broten goal in the NCAA title game. The defeat stung the Sioux, and hopes were high for a Championship the next year.

The next season, the Sioux would not be denied. They went 31-8-1, winning their final 14 games, crushing Michigan State and Notre Dame in the WCHA playoffs and earning a trip to the Providence Civic Center for the NCAA tournament. In the semifinal, the Sioux topped Carey Wilson’s excellent Dartmouth team, 4-1 on four third-period goals -- including two by Doug Smail, a fast forward from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to earn a berth the in the NCAA title game against Northern Michigan, a team that had swept the Sioux earlier this season. With revenge on their minds, and a third NCAA trophy in their sights, the Sioux were able to overcome the loss of its best player and 92 point scorer, Mark Taylor, who broke his collarbone in the first period of the NCAA Final. All Smail did was double his two goal output in the semifinal with a four goal performance in the title game, including the first three goals of the game, as the Sioux never looked back, beating the Wildcats, 5-2 for the crown. Four Sioux players with eligibility remaining (Smail, Walker, Craig Ludwig and Mickey Volcan) all signed NHL contracts after that game.

Two years later, the Sioux were terrific again, going 35-12 overall, and returning to the NCAA Tournament once again. First UND crushed Northeastern in the semifinal 6-2, taking a 6-0 lead on goals by Glen White, Phil Sykes, Jim Archibald, Cary Eades, Troy Murray and Dusty Carroll.

The next night, the Sioux faced the rival defending NCAA Champion Wisconsin Badgers for the NCAA Crown. During a four year period between 1980 and 1983, the Sioux and Badgers each won two NCAA titles, and between the two teams on the ice in 1982, an amazing 21 players UND and UW went to play about 10,000 NHL games, including all six of UND’s freshman class (Jim Archibald, Gord Sherven, James Patrick, Rick Zombo and Dave Tippett). It may have been the greatest collection of talent to ever play in an NCAA title game.

While the two teams hated each other, especially after a major brawl earlier that season in Madison (the famous ‘water bottle incident’), the Sioux won their fourth national title by a 5-2 margin over Wisconsin after third-period goals by MVP Phil Sykes (2) and Cary Eades snapped a 2-2 tie. The Sioux were playing without regulars Tippett and Dave Donnelly, rolling three lines and counting on the goaltending of Darren Jensen, who recorded 23 saves for the victory and the fourth NCAA trophy for the case in Grand Forks.

UND returned to the NCAA’s in 1984, as the Sioux edged RPI at Troy, N.Y., 5-4 and 4-2, to advance to the NCAA semifinals in Lake Placid, N.Y., where they lost 2-1 in OT to Minnesota-Duluth, but rebounded to edge Michigan State 6-5 in OT on a goal by wing Dean Barsness to gain third place.

One of the memorable UND NCAA title teams was the 1986-87 squad, the high scoring “Hrkac Circus”, named for NCAA scoring leader Tony Hrkac (rhymes with circus), a Thunder Bay, Ontario native who racked up an NCAA record 116 points that season, a record that may never be broken with development of defensive hockey systems and goaltending since that era. The team was no slouch, either, racking up a then-NCAA record of 40-8, to win its fifth NCAA crown and third in just nine years with Gasparini behind the bench.

UND gained entry into the title match by virtue of a 5-2 victory over Harvard in the semifinals at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. Freshman Brent Bobyck, junior Bob Joyce, sophomore Tony Hrkac, senior Mickey Krampotich and junior Steve Johnson notched Sioux goals in the triumph over the Crimson, while Ed Belfour made 37 saves in goal.

In the title contest before a largely pro-MSU crowd in Detroit, UND took a 3-0 first-period lead over Michigan State on goals by sophomore defenseman Ian Kidd, freshman Murray Barron and Joyce. The Spartans scored midway through the second period before Sioux senior Malcolm Parks made it 4-1. MSU cut it to 4-2 at the end of two periods, but Bobyck scored at 7:54 and MSU tallied a late goal to make the final a 5-3 North Dakota title victory, number five for the Sioux. Belfour has only 15 saves in the tight-checking games played before a then-NCAA tournament record crowd of 17,644. Hrkac is named winner of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in college hockey.

After the fifth NCAA Crown in 1987, The Sioux entered a period of slow, relative decline in the final seven years of Gasparini’s tenure, bottoming out in the early 1990s, when the Sioux suffered three rare losing seasons in a row, and Gasparini was forced to resign, leaving with 16 years in the position in 1994. He left UND with three NCAA titles and a 392-248-24 record to his credit.

In May of 1994, Dean Blais, a Sioux hockey assistant coach from 1980-89, was named UND's 14th head hockey coach. Under Blais, the Sioux won their first playoff series in four years when they swept St. Cloud State 3-2 and 5-2 at the National Hockey Center in the WCHA playoffs. UND advanced to the WCHA Final Five for the first time and dropped a tight-checking, 3-2 decision to Minnesota.

In 1997, a 6-2 win over Cornell in the NCAA West Regional tournament sent the WCHA Champion Fighting Sioux to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in 10 years. After whipping Colorado College 6-2 in the semifinals in Milwaukee, the Sioux advanced to the NCAA title game against Boston University.

In the championship game, BU jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period. But the Sioux stormed back in the second period scoring a total of five unanswered goals by Curtis Murphy, David Hoogsteen (2), and Matt Henderson (2) to finish the second with a 5-3 UND lead. BU scored a goal late in the third period to close the gap but Adam Calder iced the Sioux victory with an empty-net goal at 19:47 to make the final 6-4. Freshman netminder Aaron Schweitzer turned 25 Terrier shots aside for the Sioux’s sixth NCAA title, restoring the glory to the program.

In 1998 and 1999, the Sioux won the WCHA title both years with records of 32-6-2 and 31-8-5 respectively, but were upset both years in the NCAA regionals, with UND losing to lower seeded Michigan 4-3 at Yost Arena in 1998 in Ann Arbor, and Boston College in 1999, marking disappointing finishes for teams that expected to be Frozen Four caliber teams.

However, in 2000, the Sioux made up for the early exits of the previous two seasons by winning the school’s seventh NCAA title in Providence, RI, site of the 1980 Sioux title, and getting revenge on Boston College by beating the Eagles, 4-2 behind the play of tourney MVP Lee Goren and the goaltending of Karl Goehring, who shutout Maine, 2-0 in the semi-finals and only allowed two goals to BC. The Sioux had fallen behind 2-1 in the second period to BC, but answered the bell with three consecutive goals in the third period to gain NCAA Trophy #7.

In 2001, UND opened the 11,500 seat Ralph Engelstad Arena, a $100+ million palatial hockey arena, donated by former 1950s Sioux Goalie Ralph Engelstad. The regular 6,000 person crowd at Sioux essentially doubled overnight to the second largest attendance in the NCAA behind Wisconsin.

UND almost got to repeat with NCAA title in 2001, advancing to the NCAA title game against Boston College, and pushing into overtime tied at 2 goals each. But BC’s Krys Kolanos scored in OT to end the Sioux title hopes, and allowed BC a measure of revenge for the previous year, when UND knocked the Eagles out of the title game.

Despite some excellent teams since 2000, the Sioux have not been able to capture the NCAA title since that night in Providence, with Denver playing a huge part in the string of Sioux disappointments since 2000.

Perhaps the best Sioux team in recent memory, a team that was ranked #1 nationally and was the top seeded team in the nation in 2004, behind the play of high scoring Zach Parise, Brandon Bochenski and Brady Murray, dropped a 1-0 shutout heartbreaker to Denver in the NCAA regional in Colorado Springs behind the goaltending of Adam Berkhoel, who then led DU to the 2004 NCAA title.

Denver also deprived the Sioux of the title #8 in the 2005 NCAA Championship Game, as the Pioneers dumped UND 4-1 behind the play of Paul Stastny, Matt Carle and Peter Mannino, as DU won it’s seventh NCAA title, tying with UND for second all time behind Michigan’s nine titles. That Denver victory came in a hostile atmosphere of travelling Sioux fans, as Denver’s knockout out the Sioux in the 2004 NCAA regionals was followed by a controversial hit by Denver player Geoff Paukovich in the 2005 WCHA final five that broke the neck of Sioux defenseman Robbie Bina.

Last year, Denver also defeated the Sioux in the WCHA Final Five title game behind the late individual effort of Anthony Maiani, who scored a dramatic backhander after a long up-ice rush, as Denver won the Broadmoor Trophy.

Sioux Traditions

Nickname and Logo:The North Dakota Fighting Sioux is the name of the athletic teams of the University of North Dakota (UND) .The current Sioux logo is a Native American figure. The logo was designed by Bennett Brien, a local Grand Forks artist and UND graduate of Ojibwa ethnicity, and replaced earlier versions of a Native American figure, notably the Chicago Blackhawk logo that once adorned the Sioux Jerseys for many years, by special arrangement with the NHL club.

Nickname origin

UND's nickname was originally "The Flickertails", but was changed to "The Sioux" officially in 1930 ("Fighting" was added later). Guest editorials that appeared at that time in the Dakota Student (the UND student newspaper) noted that (1)"Sioux are a good exterminating agent for Bison" (the mascot of the nearby North Dakota State University team), (2)"They are warlike, of fine physique and bearing", and (3)"The word Sioux is easily rhymed for yells and songs". The choice of the name was also influenced by the Fighting Irish athletic teams of the University of Notre Dame (another "UND").

Nickname and Logo Controversy

Today, critics of the name say that it is a racist stereotype, while supporters maintain it is inoffensive and a source of pride. Over the years, the debate has proven to be a divisive issue at the University. The movement to keep the nickname and logo is led by UND alumni, sports fans, and athletic players and officials, as well as the present university administration. The campaign to change the nickname and logo is led by several Native American tribes and student organizations, as well as UND faculty members..

In 1999, the UND Student Senate passed a resolution calling for the end of the nickname, but it was vetoed by the student body president. That same year, a similar bill was introduced in the North Dakota House of Representatives, but died in committee. In 2000, twenty-one separate Native American-related programs, departments, and organizations at UND signed a statement opposing the continued use of the nickname and logo, saying that it did not honor them or their culture. Three tribal entities within the state (the Standing Rock Sioux, Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, and Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation) have issued tribal resolutions denouncing the continued use of the name and logo.

In 1999, Former Fighting Sioux hockey player and wealthy alumnus Ralph Engelstad donated $100 million dollars for the construction of Ralph Engelstad Arena. This was one of the largest philanthropic donations ever made to a public institution of higher learning. During construction of the arena, Engelstad threatened to abruptly cease work if the nickname was changed. The day after receiving Engelstad's threatening e-mail, North Dakota State Board of Higher Education froze discussion on the issue by insisting that the team name remain the same. One of Engelstad's conditions for his donation was that the University keeps the Fighting Sioux name indefinitely. Engelstad placed thousands of Fighting Sioux logos in numerous places throughout the arena to make physical removal of the logo very costly if attempted. The arena opened in 2001.

The debate reignited in 2005, following a decision by the NCAA to sanction schools with tribal logos and/or nicknames, including UND, that the NCAA deemed to be "hostile and abusive." After more legal wrangling, on October 26, 2007, a settlement between UND and the NCAA was reached preventing the case from going to trial. The settlement gave UND three years to gain support from the state's Sioux tribes to continue to use the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. If that support is not granted at the end of the three years, UND will retire the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, remove most of the existing Fighting Sioux imagery in campus facilities, and pick a new nickname and logo to represent UND's athletic teams.

As of November 2007, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe has officially disapproved of the use of the Sioux logo. If their support cannot be approved by 2010, the Fighting Sioux name and logo will be retired.

UND FIGHT SONG

Fight on Sioux, we're all for you

We're thousands of strong and loyal souls

We know you'll win every game you're in

No matter how distant the goals

As we go, we'll show each foe that

We're the toughest team between the poles

We're rough and tough it's true

But we're sportsmen through and through

We're the fighting Sioux from North Dakota U

Notable UND Alumni

Arts and Letters

Maxwell Anderson - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, author, poet, reporter, and lyricist

Sam Anderson – actor “Perfect Strangers”

Nicole Linkletter - winner of reality show America's Next Top Model fifth season

Athletics

Dave Christian - member of the 1980 Olympic ice hockey team that beat the USSR in the "Miracle on Ice" game

Phil Jackson - former NBA player and current coach

Jim Kleinsasser - current Minnesota Vikings NFL player

Ed Belfour - former NHL Goaltender

Murray Baron - former NHL Defensemen

Greg Johnson - former player in the NHL

Dave Tippett - former NHL Player and Current head coach of the Dallas Stars

Zach Parise - current New Jersey Devils player in the NHL

Jonathan Toews - current Chicago Blackhawks player in the NHL

Travis Zajac - current New Jersey Devils player in the NHL

Landon Wilson - current Dallas Stars player in the NHL

T.J. Oshie current St. Louis Blues player in the NHL

Jason Blake - current Toronto Maple Leafs player in the NHL

Drew Stafford - current Buffalo Sabres player in the NHL

Matt Greene - current Los Angeles Kings player in the NHL

Ryan Johnson - current Vancouver Canucks player in the NHL

Ryan Bayda - current Carolina Hurricanes player in the NHL

David Hale - current Phoenix Coyotes player in the NHL

Mike Commodore - current Columbus Blue Jackets player in the NHL

Brian Lee - current Ottawa Senators player in the NHL

Business

Thomas Barger - geologist and former CEO of Aramco

Ralph Engelstad - former Las Vegas casino owner and UND philanthropist

Gregory R. Page - current president and CEO of Cargill

Sally J. Smith - current president and CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain

Law, politics, and government

Fred G. Aandahl - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Congressman

Dick Armey - former United States House of Representatives Majority Leader

Ronald Davies - former federal judge, ordered the integration of Little Rock Central High School

John E. Davis - former governor of North Dakota

Byron Dorgan - current U.S. Senator for North Dakota (also a DU alum)

Lynn Frazier - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Senator for North Dakota

William Langer - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Senator for North Dakota

John Moses - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Senator for North Dakota

Ragnvald A. Nestos - former governor of North Dakota

Allen I. Olson - former governor of North Dakota

Earl Pomeroy - current U.S. Representative for North Dakota

Ed Schafer - former governor of North Dakota and former United States Secretary of Agriculture under GW Bush (Also a DU alum)

Science

Carl Ben Eielson - pioneer aviator

Karen L. Nyberg - NASA Astronaut

Vilhjalmur Stefansson - Arctic explorer

About Grand Forks

Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. In July 2007, its population was estimated at 51,740 and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 97,691 Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or The Grand Cities.

Located on the western banks of the Red River of the North in an extremely flat region known as the Red River Valley, the city is prone to flooding and was struck by the devastating Red River Flood of 1997 Originally called Les Grandes Fourches by French fur traders, Grand Forks was founded in 1870 by steamboat captain Alexander Griggs and incorporated on February 22, 1881. Its location at the fork of the Red River and the Red Lake River gives the city its name.

Historically dependent on local agriculture, the city's economy now encompasses higher education, defense, health care, manufacturing, food processing, and scientific research.

Prior to settlement by Europeans or Americans, the area where the city now sits — at the forks of the Red River and Red Lake River — had been an important meeting and trading point for Native Americans. Early French explorers, fur trappers, and traders called the area Les Grandes Fourches meaning "The Grand Forks". By the 1740s, Les Grandes Fourches was an important trading post for French fur trappers. A U.S. post office was established on the site on June 15, 1870 and the name was changed to "Grand Forks." Alexander Griggs, a steamboat captain, is regarded as being "The Father of Grand Forks." Griggs' steamboat froze in the Red River on a voyage in late 1870, forcing the captain and his crew to spend the winter camping at Grand Forks. Griggs platted the community in 1875 and Grand Forks was officially incorporated on February 22, 1881. The city quickly grew after the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1880 and the Northern Pacific Railway in 1887. In 1883, the University of North Dakota was established, six years before North Dakota was formally recognized as an independent state born from the Dakota Territory.

The first half of the 1900s saw steady growth and the development of new neighborhoods farther south and west of Downtown Grand Forks. The 1920s saw the construction of the state-owned North Dakota Mill and Elevator on the north side of the city. In 1954, Grand Forks was chosen as the site for an Air Force base. Grand Forks Air Force Base brought thousands of new jobs and residents to the community. The military base and the University of North Dakota would become integral pieces of the city's economy. The second half of the 20th century saw Grand Forks spreading further away from the older part of town. Interstate 29 was built on the western side of the city and two enclosed shopping malls – South Forks Plaza and Columbia Mall – were built on the south side.

The city was struck by a severe flood in 1997, causing extensive damage. With Fargo upstream from the bulk of the waters and Winnipeg with its flood control structures, Grand Forks became the hardest hit city in the Red River Valley. During the height of the flooding, a major fire also destroyed eleven buildings in the downtown area. Many neighborhoods had to be demolished to make way for a new levee system, which was ultimately completed ten years later. The land bordering the Red River was turned into a massive park known as the Greater Grand Forks Greenway. Since the flood, Grand Forks has seen both public and private developments throughout town. Two new, large sports venues opened in 2001, including the Alerus Center and the Ralph Engelstad Arena. As of 2008, Grand Forks has a larger population than it did before the 1997 flood and area employment and taxable sales have also surpassed pre-flood levels.

The Series

This has makings of a close series. With DU leading the WCHA with 23 points and North Dakota tied for fourth with 20 points, DU is 7-0 in its last seven league games, while UND is 5-0-1 in its last six WCHA games, the usual physical, tough series is expected. UND swept DU 5-4 and 4-1 last season in a bloody beat down in Grand Forks, while DU got a nice measure of revenge with a 3-1 win in the semifinals of the 2008 WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn.

UND has turned things around after a slow start and is starting to roll in the second half, destroying a very good Minnesota team two weeks ago in Grand Forks, and taking 3 of 4 road points in Houghton last week against MTU.

UND may be the only team in the WCHA with a comparable forward depth to DU with point producers on all four lines, and North Dakota has a seasoned defensive corps to back up a rookie goalie in Eidsness who is now rounding into a very good WCHA netminder.

With DU returning to action after having last weekend off, the fear in the Pio camp is one of rust. That said, the Pioneers lead the WCHA in scoring offense at 3.65 goals per game and scoring defense at 2.22 GPG, with the Sioux not far behind, and DU sports a four-game road winning streak after dropping its first three road contests this season.

On the upside, The Pioneers are 9-3-1 against ranked opponents, and DU is 14-1 when scoring three or more goals,12-1-1 when scoring first. Du also has 10 players with 13 or more points. Amazingly, the Pioneers are 7-1 when outshot by opponents.

North Dakota keys are likely to center on establishing a forecheck and trying to grind down the Pioneers by rolling four lines and making the Pioneers pay for every inch of ice with tenacity. Genoway is the key to making UND go in transition and on the power play, and I think the Pioneers will also have their eyes on emerging Sioux rookie Jason Gregoire, who verbally committed to play for the Pioneers, but reneged on his verbal commitment to play at UND.

Denver may have a slight edge in top end offensive talent, but UND may have more overall depth. UND will have a slight defensive edge on home ice, and Cheverie is a shade above Eidsness right now in goaltending. For DU to be effective in Grand Forks, it will need more leadership from upperclassmen and smart play to deal with what is always a physically and mentally difficult environment in Grand Forks.

All in all, I think Denver is good enough to win once, but not deep enough to win twice.

Prediction: Split.

The Michigan Technological University Huskies

2009-01-08T03:43:00.000-08:00

Magness Arena - Denver, Colorado

January 9-10, 2009

(above) Blizzard T. Husky

The Series
The No. 5/7 Denver Pioneers (13-6-2, 9-4-1 WCHA) return to WCHA action against Michigan Tech (5-15-2, 1-11-2 WCHA) on Jan. 9-10 at Magness Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. MT on Friday, Jan. 9 and 7:07 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10. Both games will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain and broadcast on AM 560. Both games can be heard on www.DenverPioneers.com.

DU owns a 103-81-18 advantage over Michigan Tech in the series that dates back to 1951, including a pair of big wins six weeks ago in Houghton, Michigan, where the Pioneers racked up a 12 gola weekend, winning 6-0 and 6-1 against the Huskies about a month ago.

DU is 3-1-1 in its last five games against Tech and 6-2-2 in its last 10. The Pioneers own a commanding 70-26-10 advantage against Tech in Denver. DU is 13-1-1 in its last 15 games against Tech at Magness Arena.

Huskies to Watch
Michigan Tech is coming off an impressive 2-1 win over #18 North Dakota in the third place game of the Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 28. The Huskies snapped a 13-game winless streak with a 2-1 win over Northern Michigan on Dec. 19 and have won three of their last four games. The Huskies are led by sophomore forward Jordan Baker (9-4--13) and freshman Brett Olson (4-7--11). Junior blueliner Drew Dobson (0-10--10) leads the Huskies with 10 assists. Rob Nolan (2-10-1, 2.99 GAA, .890 Sv%) and Josh Robinson (3-5-1, 2.74 GAA, .885 Sv%) have shared goaltender duties.

About Michigan Tech University
Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech or MTU) is public university of about 7,000 students on a main campus mostly located on the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan in the city of Houghton.

Michigan Tech was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School. Established by the state of Michigan to train mining engineers to operate the then-booming local copper mines on the UP, the school started with four faculty members and twenty-three students. The name soon changed to the Michigan College of Mines (MCM), then Michigan College of Mining and Technology (MCMT), and, in 1964, greatly expanded academic offerings propelled the school to its current designation as Michigan Technological University Although engineering is MTU’s dominant reputational claim to fame and still accounts for some 55 percent of all enrollment, the University also offers more than 120 degree programs, including natural and physical sciences, computing, business, technology, environmental studies, arts, humanities and social sciences.

Michigan Tech is ranked among the top half of all 249 national universities in U.S. News & World Report’s "America’s Best Colleges" and is ranked a "tech powerhouse" by the Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges." Michigan Tech is also ranked among the top 500 universities in the world by Shanghai Jiaotong University and number 159 in the nation by Washington Monthly Magazine. In 2007, PC Magazine ranked Michigan Tech the seventh most wired campus in the nation, and U.S. News and World Report ranked five graduate engineering programs among the best in the nation: earth sciences, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and materials science and engineering.

Michigan Tech students are primarily from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois, and about 11 percent are from outside the United States.

Michigan Technological University's Enterprise Program is considered by many to be the University's defining feature. Originally designed and implemented in the fall of 2000, the Enterprise Program allows students from different disciplines to work together to function as a professional company.

About Michigan Tech Hockey Program
Michigan Tech has one of the deeper and more interesting history and traditions in all of college hockey, dating back to the turn of the 20th century. At that time, (especially for a four year period between 1903 and 1907), the little copper mining town of Houghton, Michigan was the start and epicenter of early professional hockey in North America. With Copper being pulled out of the nearby mines, entertainment was needed for the miners, and early professional hockey was seen just the ticket, some ten years before the founding of the National Hockey League in 1917. The top pro players in all of Canada and the United States were recruited to play for the local team, the Portage Lakers, who became “world champion” in that era with a number of players that were later enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. That era ended when Canadian teams began offering more money, but for a while, Houghton will be always known as the birthplace of pro hockey.

At the turn of the century, local entrepreneurs had built a large indoor arena called the Amphidrome (left) to house the new sport, and it wasn’t long before the local college kids also began playing against local teams. Michigan Tech (then called the Michigan College of Mines) students first laced up the skates in around that time (see photo). By 1913, the local entrepreneurs also created a trophy called the MacNaughton Cup (named after the president of the local mining company, James MacNaughton) that was presented to local amateur teams. That trophy is now presented to the WCHA regular season champion, and remains under the stewardship of Michigan Tech.

The first school sponsored team appeared in 1919, and by 1920-22, Tech was facing teams such as Michigan, Notre Dame and Minnesota as well as local non-college teams in a sporadic, independent schedule. Some of the first coaches of the early Michigan Tech teams were Leon Harvey, Elmer Sicotte, Carlos (Cub) Haug, and Ubald J. (Bert) Noblet. Tech also played its early games in the Amphidrome, until it burned down in 1927, and was replaced by a quickly-constructed second wooden Amphidrome that year. That second arena, later renamed Dee Stadium in the 1940s (named after the builder, James Dee) would become the hockey home of the Huskies until the early ‘70s, and still stands today as a municipal ice arena for the City of Houghton.

By 1929-30, the school wanted to become more ambitious with its hockey program and then-coach Bert Noblet arranged for the hockey team to go on an Eastern tour to play against prominent Ivy League schools, such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Tech went winless on the tour but made the East aware of its hockey program. Additionally that season, Michigan Tech also whipped a local team from Eagle River, 30-0, to set a national one game scoring record that still stands.

While Michigan Tech continued to play hockey through the 1930s and 1940s, the Huskies accrued only two winning seasons in those 20 years. In 1948, Amo Bessone was named head coach of the Huskies. Bessone who would later become a legend coaching at Michigan State, had to deal with a terrible tragedy when on Jan. 14, 1950, Huskie player Bob Gitzen and team manager Dick Loutit were killed in an early morning bus accident on the trip home from a series at Michigan State. Bessone moved on to coach North Dakota in 1951, to be replaced by Al Renfrew. Michigan Tech then joined the newly formed Midwestern Intercollegiate Hockey League (the forerunner of today’s WCHA) that season. Renfrew’s next four seasons did not produce a winner, but in his 5th season, Renfrew’s 1955-56 squad went 21-7 to finish second in the league, and beat Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., 3-1, to earn the school’s first NCAA tournament bid to the Broadmoor Ice Palace in Colorado Springs for the four-team NCAA tournament. Michigan Tech won its first NCAA game in the semi-final, beating Boston College, 10-4 with the help of four goals from Ron Stenlund, but two nights later, the Huskies lost to Michigan, 7-5 in NCAA final. While Michigan Tech may have lost the championship game that night, the foundation was being laid for the glory years of the Michigan Tech hockey program.

The ‘glory years’ are synonymous with one big name: coach John MacInnes (left), who was named head coach at Michigan Tech on Nov. 30, 1956. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he had played goalie for the University of Michigan in the 1940s and also played for the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL before coming to MTU, where he would go on become one of the NCAA’s great coaching legends from 1956 to 1983, compiling a record of 555-295-39.

MacInnes’ first major milestone game would come in 1960, when Michigan Tech upset the U.S. Olympic Team, 5-2, in Houghton. That U.S. team went on to win the Gold Medal in Squaw Valley, Calif. the next month. Later that season, Michigan Tech beat North Dakota 4-3 and 5-4 in the WCHA playoff series held in Houghton to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston. Michigan Tech beat St. Lawrence 13-3 in NCAA semifinal game behind hat tricks from Gerry Fabbro and Lou Angotti. Michigan Tech also set an NCAA record, netting five goals in a span of 2:51 in that game. That record still stands today, but that would be the end of the joy that season, as the Huskies lost to Murray Armstrong’s Denver Pioneers, 5-3, in NCAA final at the Boston Arena (left).

The next season, Tech got a little bit of revenge on the Pioneers, when on December 12, 1960 Tech beat Denver 3-2 in Houghton on a Jerry Sullivan goal, overcoming a 2-0 first period deficit to hand the Pioneers their only defeat in DU’s magical 30-1-1 season, a Denver season that is regarded by many as one of the finest seasons in college hockey history.

1961-62 was a season for the ages at MTU as the Huskies went 29-3, with all three losses to Michigan. Michigan Tech was red hot down the stretch and did not lose a game after Jan 6, running off 12 straight before beating Minnesota 3-2 in overtime to record its first-ever first-place finish in the WCHA, and winning the school’s first ever MacNaughton Cup. Later, Michigan Tech stuffed Michigan and Michigan State in the WCHA playoffs, earning a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in Utica, N.Y. where they obliterated St. Lawrence (6-1) and Clarkson (7-1) to claim the team’s 20th straight win and the 1962 NCAA Championship.

In 1964-65, the Huskies put together another magical year (24-5-2), defeating North Dakota 6-4 in Grand Forks to win the school’s second WCHA Championship and the MacNaughton Cup, a memory that is captured in the famous photo of legendary Hall of Fame goalie Tony Esposito (left) holding the Cup. "We had a tremendous hockey team at that time," recalled Esposito. "We were generally rated number one in the nation by most of the coaches and polls during the period (fellow MTU goalie) Rick (Best) and I played on the team." And it was a true rotation. During the 1965 playoff run, each goaltender took a turn versus Minnesota in the first round of the WCHA playoffs (Best with an 8-4 victory and Esposito a 3-3 tie), and Esposito was in net for the 6-4 championship over North Dakota. Advancing to the NCAA semifinals in Providence, R.I. , Best forged a 4-0 victory over Brown University, the first shutout by a goaltender in the first 18 years of NCAA playoff hockey. Esposito then anchored the Huskies in the championship game, an 8-2 blowout of Boston College to win the 1965 NCAA title. He would grow to be a famous goalie with the Chicago Black Hawks, and is likely the most famous name to ever be associated with MTU.

Another MTU WCHA title followed in 1966 (23-6-1), but the Huskies were unable to make the NCAAs as a result of a WCHA playoff loss to Michigan State.

In 1969, Michigan Tech won the WCHA at 21-9-2 overall and won the WCHA playoff games over Michigan State and Michigan, making the Frozen Four again in Colorado Springs, and losing to Cornell 4-3 in overtime in the NCAA semifinals. MTU’s Al Karlander scored a hat trick against Cornell’s famous goaltender Ken Dryden, who would become an NHL Hall of Famer when his NHL career began with Montreal after the NCAAs. Karlander’s first tally was :07 into the contest - an NCAA record that still stands today. Dryden’s Cornellians then fell to the Denver Pioneers, 4-3 in the NCAA title game, marking Denver’s 5th NCAA title.

In 1970, Tech again made the NCAA tournament after finishing tied for second place in the WCHA, only to lose to Clarkson in the NCAA semis, 4-3 and again to Wisconsin 6-5 in the third place game. And in 1970-71, Tech was excellent again, going 25-6-2 and winning the WCHA regular season title, but falling in the WCHA playoffs to North Dakota, 6-4.

The final MTU game played at Dee Stadium was on January 13, 1972, and their next game was played at the newly constructed $2.8 million, 3,000 seat Student Ice Arena on the Michigan Tech campus, which would later be named for MacInnnes, and is still the home of Huskies’ hockey.

In 1973-74, The Huskies had another WCHA Championship with a 29-9-3 overall record, and once again, found themselves in the NCAA Frozen Four, winning the first game 6-5 over Harvard, and facing league nemesis Minnesota for the NCAA Championship. However, the Gophers beat the Huskies 4-2 in the title game.

The 1975 season (32-10) would be the most recent high water mark of MTU hockey, and marks the last time a Huskies’ team would hold the NCAA trophy aloft. After finishing second in league play, the Huskies dumped Notre Dame and Michigan State in the WCHA playoffs. In the Frozen Four that year in St. Louis, the Huskies beat Boston University 9-5 in the NCAA semifinals, and on March 14, 1975, Michigan Tech got revenge for the 1974 NCAA loss to Minnesota and whipped Herb Brooks’ Minnesota team, 6-1, to claim MTU’s third NCAA Championship Trophy

The Huskies met Minnesota once again in the 1976 NCAA Championship game for the third consecutive year. It is the only time in NCAA history that two schools have met three consecutive years in the NCAA title game, and this time, it was Minnesota that emerged victorious in a title game played at the old DU arena in Denver. The Huskies had won the WCHA that year and advanced to the NCAA final with a double overtime 7-6 win over Brown University.

In 1980, the Huskies beat Denver 5-2 in Denver, Colo., as John MacInnes records his 502nd win to become college hockey’s then all-time winningest coach, and later that summer Michigan Tech announced that due to escalating travel costs, MTU would leave the WCHA to join the CCHA, along with fellow Michigan schools Nortthern Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan. Four years later, MTU rejoined the WCHA and has been there ever since.

In 1981, Michigan Tech completed two-game sweep of Providence in NCAA quarterfinal.

and made their 10th appearance in NCAA championships, where Michigan Tech was downed by Minnesota 7-2 at the Duluth Arena Auditorium in the NCAA semis. The Huskies did rally to finish 3rd by beating Northern Michigan in the consolation game. It would be the last time the Huskies would see the NCAA tournament, as they have not been back since.

On February 22, 1982, John MacInnes announced he was stepping down as head coach of the Huskies for health reasons, and in 1983, he died. The Glory Years of Michigan Tech would come to a grinding halt. No Michigan Tech team has had a winning season since 1983 and no MTU team has finished higher than 4th in the WCHA since then, and there has been no additional post-season hardware in the MTU trophy case, either.

Despite the lack of winning seasons, MTU has had a few wonderful moments to break up the many more recent years of disappointment, including 1994’s WCHA playoff defeat of top-seeded Colorado College (MTU had finished 10th in the regular season), 3-2 in overtime, to win series by a 2-1 count and pull off the biggest first-round playoff upset in WCHA history behind all-American goalie Jamie Ram. The game was the last ever at the historic Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, and cost CC a berth in the NCAA tournament. MTU, under coach Bob Mancini, would go on the WCHA Final Five, where the Huskies beat fellow UP rival Northern Michigan in the play-in game, but fell to Minnesota in the semi-final 6-1, as the magic playoff run expired.

In 1996, MTU had a 7th place finish in the WCHA, but managed another mini-playoff run, beating UMD in the first round, beating St. Cloud 4-3 in the WCHA Final Five play in game, then stunning eventual NCAA runner-up Colorado College 4-3 in the WCHA semi-final, only to run out of gas on day three against Minnesota in the WCHA final, 7-2. The Huskies would not be back to the WCHA Final Five until 2007.

In 2003, Jamie Russell become coach, and the high water mark of Russell’s tenure to date was in 2007, when 6th place MTU, behind the brilliant goaltending of Michael-Lee Teslak turned away all 18 Colorado College shots in a 1-0 victory in game three of a first round WCHA Playoff series. The win sent the Huskies to their first WCHA Final Five since 1996, where Wisconsin defeated MTU, 4-0.

Michigan Tech Traditions Winter Carnival
No Michigan Tech tradition can match Winter Carnival for national fame and overall involvement. The Winter Carnival started in 1922 and is held in February. Classes are suspended for two days and the event has grown to become one of the largest annual winter festivals in the nation. It features a huge, intricate snow statue competition on campus in which students (remember, a lot of MTU students are engineers in-training) construct snow and ice sculptures consistent with an annual theme. Some groups of students complete their work in a single evening, while the more grandiose are one month in the making. Statues must be pristine white and structurally sound; they must be self-supporting with no external scaffolding or hidden beams inside. Hockey also plays a big role at Winter Carnival and MTU usually plays well that weekend in front of rabid crowds, and a Winter Carnival King and Queen are crowned amid a variety of other winter activities.

Mascot
As the school mascot is the husky (specifically, Blizzard T. Husky), the school's sports teams are known as the "Huskies". While the nickname is far older, the live mascot, Blizzard, was christened via a campus-wide competition on January 31, 1997. The "T" in his name stands for "The." He is often seen skating in the hockey arena before and during home games and participating in various other activities.

School songs
The most famous MTU musical tradition started in the late 1940s, when the MTU band, famous for wearing striped mining overalls, begin playing the "Blue Skirt Waltz" (then a popular polka tune) at home ice hockey games between the second and third periods. During the song, the fans linked arms and swung back and forth to the music. The tradition stuck. For the last 60 years since then, the ritual is repeated every game, and has become known as “The Copper Country Anthem”. It is truly one of the great traditions in all of college hockey, and should be experienced by all fans of the game.

Michigan Tech also has an official fight song:
We'll fight, Tech, fight Engineers, For banners bright, Engineers. The northern hills will sound our cry. We'll ring your praises to the sky. Then fight, Tech, fight Engineers, For right with might, Engineers. We'll win the game, the glorious name, Of the Michigan, Michigan, Michigan Engineers.

Copper Country Anthem (Blue Skirt Waltz)
I dream of that night with you, Lady when first we met, We danced in a world of blue, How can my heart forget. Blue were the skies, And blue were your eyes, Just like the blue skirt you wore. Come back, blue lady, come back. Don't be blue any more.
Famous Michigan Tech Alumni
* Lou Angotti. Former NHL player
* Joe Berger, NFL Player - Dallas Cowboys
* Melvin Calvin, Nobel Laureate and discoverer of the Calvin Cycle
* Chris Conner, NHL Player - Dallas Stars
* Tony Esposito, former NHL Player and Hall of Famer- Chicago Blackhawks
* David House, former Vice President of Intel
* Randy McKay, former NHL Player - Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, and the New Jersey Devils when they won two Stanley Cups.
* Damian Rhodes, NHL Player - Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers
* Donald G. Saari, prominent game theorist
* Matthew Songer, CEO and founder of Pioneer Surgical Technology
* Andy Sutton, NHL Player - Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders
* John Vartan, mega-millionaire Pennsylvania businessman, developer, banker, restaurateur, and philanthropist
* Mike Zuke, former NHL Hockey player

About Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,010. It is the county seat of Houghton County. Due to its location in the northwestern portion of the Upper Peninsula, Houghton is isolated from the state of Michigan’s most populous areas. It is farther to travel from Houghton to Detroit than it is from Detroit to Washington, DC, or Louisville, Kentucky.

Houghton was named after Houghton County, which was named after copper pioneer Douglass Houghton. Despite the common belief that Douglass Houghton was the discoverer of copper in the area, Native Americans had mined copper in and around what would later be Houghton thousands of years before European settlement. "French explorers had noted... [its] existence [in the area] as early as the seventeenth century, [and in] 1772 Alexander Henry had prospected for copper on the Ontonagon River near Victoria. When Horace Greeley said, "Go West, young man" he was referring to the copper rush in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula.

Many Cornish (Welsh) and Finnish immigrants arrived in the Houghton area to work in the copper mines - both groups have had a great influence on the culture and cuisine of the local area. For example, “Pasties” (Cornish meat pies eaten by miners) are still sold in town as a local delicacy.

The last nearby mines closed in the late 1960s, but MTU is still the largest employer in the area. The first known European settler of Houghton was named Ransom Sheldon, who set up a store named Ransom's near Portage Lake, though it is unclear whether this was in the same building as the 1852 Shelden and Shafer drugs, sometimes described as "the first commercial building constructed in Houghton.

In 1854, Ernest F. Pletschke plotted Houghton, which was incorporated as a village by Sheldon, C[hristopher] C[olumbus] Douglass and Capt. Richard Edwards three years later. In Houghton's first days it was said that "only thieves, crooks, murderers and Indians" lived there. The postwar boom and increasing demand for copper wiring fueled the development of Houghton in the 1860s and 1870s.

By 1880 Houghton had become "a burgeoning city and in 1883, the railroad was extended from Marquette, Michigan.

The Portage Lift Bridge crosses Portage Lake, connecting Hancock and Houghton, Michigan, by crossing over Portage Lake, which is part of the river and canal system that crosses the entire peninsula. The Portage Lift Bridge is the worlds heaviest and widest double-decked vertical lift bridge. Its center span "lifts" to provide 100 feet of clearance for ships. Since rail traffic was discontinued in the Keweenaw, the lower deck is used to accommodate snowmobile traffic in the winter. This is the only land based link between the north and south section of the Keweenaw peninsula, and is crucial.

Houghton typically has long and snowy winters (due to lake-effect snow, with an average of 208 inches each year) It is sometimes said that Houghton has "two seasons: winter's here and winter's coming.” While Houghton's winters may be the subject of humor, residents take the subject of snow and winter very seriously. Houghton not only accommodates winter, but celebrates it, and whose residents generally enjoy the season by participating in a variety of outdoor activities. Among those activities are cross country skiing, snow-shoeing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, ice skating and outdoor hockey, among other activities.
Since Houghton and Hancock, Michigan are very near each other, their combined area is often referred to as "Houghton-Hancock," though the towns are often fierce rivals, something particularly manifested by the sports rivalry between Houghton High School and Hancock Central.

Tourism is a major industry in Houghton. Summer tourism is very popular, especially among those wishing to tour old mines, visit various historical sites, and camp. Winter tourism is also very active from November through April, for snowmobiling, skiing and other winter sports.
Houghton figures in the novels The Truth About Fire by Elizabeth Hartmann and A Superior Death by Nevada Barr, and the poem "The Idea of Children at Houghton, Michigan" in Gavin Ewart's Penultimate Poems. Much of Ander Monson's Other Electricities takes place in Houghton.

The SeriesDU leads the WCHA with 19 points, while Michigan Tech is 10th with four points so the obvious story is the league’s top team meeting the league’s bottom team. With DU claiming 6-0 and 6-1 wins at Michigan Tech earlier this season, it would be easy to think that the Pioneers should romp again on home ice.

However, this is the WCHA, where nothing is as obvious as it may appear.

DU is coming off a disappointing Denver Cup weekend where only 3 DU goals were scored, and the DU power play has sunk to 0-30 in the last four games and just 14.2% for the year, DU’s last man-advantage goal was scored by Patrick Wiercioch in the first period of the 6-1 win at Michigan Tech on Dec. 6, 2008, so hopefully, the Pioneers can generate some good opportunities to get the power play functioning again this weekend.

DU is also still adjusting to losing its best player in Tyler Bozak to a regular season ending knee injury. DU figures to keep tinkering with line changes to compensate for the loss of Bozak. Look for the Pioneers to take lots of shots this weekend, as Michigan Tech’s goaltenders have not been able to save 90% of the shots this season.

With all the negatives of late, Pioneer fans do have some positives heading into this weekend, Anthony Maiani has caught fire with 2-13--15 during his career-high 10-game point streak, DU has also won its last five WCHA games, and the Pioneers are 9-3-2 at home and 4-3-1 against unranked opponents. The Pioneers also lead the WCHA in scoring offense at 3.67 gpg and are second in scoring defense at 2.24 gpg. The Pioneers are 12-1 when scoring three or more goals and 11-1-1 when scoring first. DU has also done a nice job on the PK as the Pioneers have allowed just six power-play goals in its last 14 games after allowing a power-play goal in six of their first seven games. The Pioneers will look to also to Jesse Martin (7-7--14) who has six goals in the last six games, and Rhett Rakhshani has a three-game point streak while rookie Joe Colborne has 12 points in his last nine games. Marc Cheverie has posted a 13-6-2 record with a 2.22 GAA and .923 Sv%. He is 14-6-2 with a 2.17 and .927 Sv% in 26 career games.

Michigan Tech will return to WCHA action at Denver after enjoying its first weekend off of the season, and if it seems like a while since Pioneer fans have seen Michigan Tech live in Denver, it’s true. The last time Tech played at Denver was Nov. 18, 2006. Michigan Tech has not only been struggling to win games, the Huskies have been bitten hard by the injury bug this season. Only six of the 27 players on the roster have played in every game this season.

Three Pioneers will look to keep Michigan Tech below three goals in a game because the Huskies are currently on a 21-game unbeaten streak when they score three or more goals. The last time Tech scored three goals and lost was a 5-3 loss at Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 6, 2007. Since then, the Huskies are 20-0-1 when they score 3 or more. All of Tech’s wins this season have come in games when it has recorded 20 or more shots.

The Pioneers will also want to keep their eyes on MTU Senior defenseman Geoff Kinrade who has had the most success against the Pioneers, recording three goals and two assists in 10 career games vs DU. He will be shooting for his 50th career point this weekend in Denver. The Nelson, B.C., native has 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points in 134 games.

Tech is coming of a big performance in it last time out as Sophomore Jordan Baker scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season to lift Tech to a 2-1 victory over No. 18 North Dakota at the 44th Annual Great Lakes Invitational Tournament on Dec. 28 at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena.

Prediction: DU is better, deeper and stronger than Michigan Tech, and will come into the series in an agitated state after not getting a win (0-1-1) in the Denver Cup. DU will not be dropping 12 goals on the Huskies this weekend, though. Expect DU to sweep 3-1 and 4-2.

Boston University

2009-01-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

(above) BU's Agganis Arena is one of the finest in college hockey

Wells Fargo Denver Cup
Magness Arena, Denver, Colo.
January 3, 2009

The No. 5 Denver (13-5-1, 9-4-1 WCHA) Pioneers may host the #3 Boston University Terriers from Hockey East in their Denver Cup Championship or Consolation Game on Saturday, Jan 3. Puck drop is set for either 4:07 or 7:37 p.m. MT on Saturday, depending on Friday’s DU result. If DU beats Holy Cross on Friday, The DU vs. BU/RPI game can be seen live at 7 pm MT on FSN Rocky Mountain which can be found on DirecTV channel 683 and Dish Network channel 414. Live Audio: Friday-www.denverpioneers.com. If DU does not advance to the title game, the 4:00 pm consolation game will shown by FSN tape delayed at 7pm MT
The series

Denver is 12-12-2 all-time against Boston University. DU last met BU on Nov. 25, 2005, when the Terriers edged DU, 1-0 at Agganis Arena in Boston.DU last beat BU in Denver in 2004.
Terriers to Watch

BU was picked to finish second in the Hockey East. The Terriers will be without leading scorer Colin Wilson (7-14--21) and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (3-9—12), who are competing for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. BU will lean on its strong blueline with Colby Cohen and Matt Gilroy and the goaltending of Kieran Millan (8-1-1, 1.79 GAA, .922 GAA). BU’s top goal scorer is Chris Higgins, and top power play producer Jason Lawrence will try to provide the offensive spark.

About BU
Boston University (BU) is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts, Although chartered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869, Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury, Vermont in 1839. The University organized formal Centennial observances both in 1939 and 1969.

With nearly 4,000 faculty members and more than 30,000 students, Boston University is the fourth-largest private university in the country and the city's fourth-largest employer. The University offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through 18 schools and colleges and operates two urban campuses. The main campus is situated along the Charles River in Boston's Fenway-Kenmore and Allston neighborhoods, while the Boston University Medical Campus is in Boston's South End neighborhood.

History
On 24–25 April 1839 a group of Methodist ministers and laymen at the Old Bromfield Street Church in Boston elected to establish a Methodist theological school. Set up in Newbury, Vermont, the school was named the Newbury Biblical Institute.

In 1847, the Congregational Society in Concord, New Hampshire, invited the Institute to relocate to Concord and made available a disused Congregational church building with a capacity of 1200 people. Other citizens of Concord covered the remodeling costs. One stipulation of the invitation was that the Institute remains in Concord for at least 20 years. The charter issued by New Hampshire designated the school the "Methodist General Biblical Institute", but it was commonly called the "Concord Biblical Institute."

With the agreed twenty years coming to a close, the Trustees of the Concord Biblical Institute purchased 30 acres (120,000 m2) on Aspinwall Hill in Brookline, Massachusetts as a possible relocation site. The Institute moved in 1867 to 23 Pinkney Street in Boston and received a Massachusetts Charter as the "Boston Theological Institute."

In 1869, three Trustees of the Boston Theological Institute obtained from the Massachusetts Legislature a charter for a university by name of "Boston University." These three were successful Boston businessmen and Methodist laymen, with a history of involvement in educational enterprises and became the Founders of Boston University. They were Isaac Rich (1801–1872), Lee Claflin (1791–1871), and Jacob Sleeper (1802–1889), for whom Boston University's three West Campus dormitories are named. Lee Claflin's son, William, was then Governor of Massachusetts and signed the University Charter on 26 May 1869 after it was passed by the Legislature.

The Boston Theological Institute was absorbed into Boston University in 1871 as the BU School of Theology.

In January 1872 Isaac Rich died, leaving the vast bulk of his estate to a trust that would go to Boston University after ten years of growth while the University was organized. Most of this bequest consisted of real estate throughout the core of the city of Boston and was appraised at more than $1.5 million. Kilgore describes this as the largest single donation to an American college or university to that time.

By December, the Great Boston Fire of 1872 had destroyed all but one of the buildings Rich had left to the University, and the insurance companies with which they had been insured were bankrupt. The value of his estate, when turned over to the University in 1882, was half what it had been in 1872. As a result, the University was unable to build its contemplated campus on Aspinwall Hill and the land was sold piecemeal as development sites. Street names in the area, including Claflin Road, Claflin Path, and University Road, are the only remaining evidence of University ownership in this area.

That year BU admitted women to all programs and became more and more non-sectarian over time.

Boston University established its facilities in buildings scattered through the less fashionable parts of Beacon Hill, and later expanded into the Boylston Street and Copley Square area before building the Charles River Campus after 1937. The University's main Charles River Campus follows Commonwealth Avenue and the Green Line, beginning near Kenmore Square and continuing for over a mile and a half to its end near the border of Boston's Allston neighborhood. The Boston University Bridge over the Charles River into Cambridge represents the dividing line between Main Campus, where most schools and classroom buildings are concentrated, and West Campus, home to several athletic facilities and playing fields, the large West Campus dorm, and the new John Hancock Student Village complex, of which Agganis Arena (2005) is the 6.300 seat showpiece and home to Terrier hockey.

Rankings
The School of Management and its MBA program are ranked highly among domestic schools.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Boston University 60th among national universities. Boston University was also ranked 21st among U.S. law schools, 34th among medical schools, 41st among business schools, and 68th among education schools.

About the BU Hockey Program
Boston University is one of America’s premier hockey programs, with a long period of national excellence, particularly in the 1970s and 1990s. In all, BU has won 4 National Championships and 5 runner-up trophies since the NCAA hockey tournament began in 1948. BU has also appeared the second most NCAA Frozen Fours - 20 times in 27 tournament appearances.

Every year the four major Boston area schools, BU, BC, Northeastern and Harvard meet at the TD Banknorth Garden for a mid-season tournament called the Beanpot. The televised tourney is a local institution, and a fierce battle for bragging rights. As of 2008, the Terriers have won 28 of 56 Beanpots and 11 of the last 14.

The BU program began in 1918, as one of several Boston schools that shared ice and game slots at the old Boston Arena, America’s oldest indoor arena, which was built in 1909 and now is known as Matthews Arena, the home of the Northeastern University Huskies. Like many schools of the era, the early BU teams played a limited schedule of mostly local opposition. BU lost its first ever game to crosstown rival Boston College 3-1, setting the stage for one of the bitterest rivalries in all of college hockey.

After winning only three games in the first five years of play and trying to get a program going under three different coaches (and a year with no coach at all), BU decided to get serious and hired George Gaw as coach, who had previously been coach at Princeton and Dartmouth for the 1924-25 season. BU went 7-5 under Gaw in that first season, including BU’s first-ever win over Boston College, marking the beginnings of a winning tradition, and Gaw’s 1928-28 campaign was his final and best year, as the Terriers went 6-2-1.

In 1928, BU hired Wayland Vaughan to take over for Gaw, and incredibly, Vaughan remains one of only four men to coach the Terriers since 1928. In the old New England League, Vaughan built the true foundation of the program, with 8 winning season in his 12 prewar years as coach. His debut year in 1928 saw the Terriers beat BC twice, enroute to a 9-2 record behind the ace goaltending of Sidney Silberberg.

In 1935, BU was led by seniors Johnny Lax and Paul Rowe, who were paired as an explosive line combination, leading BU to good stretch run to win five of the team’s final seven games, and whose play was so impressive that the two were named to the 1936 U.S. Olympic Team and paired for three game-winning goals in the US’s Bronze Medal performance in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Hitler’s Germany the next year.

By 1938, Vaughan fashioned BU’s first team to hit double digits in wins, as forward Al Carvelli led the Terriers to a 10-4 season, including two victories over Boston College and the team’s first victory over Harvard. Carvelli put up 84 points in 36 career games.

After World War II in 1946, Harry Cleverly (BU Class of 1937 and a three sport athlete at BU), took over the program as coach, and set a very high standard right off the bat, with seven consecutive winning seasons. In 1947-48, BU posted a 20-4 record, the best ever at the school to that point, narrowly missing out on an NCAA tourney berth, as the Terriers were led by the line of Ben Forbes, Don Cleary and William Kirrane with 88 points between them.

In 1949-50, All-American Jack Garrity re-wrote the BU record books, with 51 goals and 84 points (Still BU records today). Garrity, a returning WWII veteran, led the Terriers to their first two NCAA appearances in Colorado Springs. The first in 1950, saw the Terriers beat Michigan 4-3 in the National semis behind the goaltending of All-American Ike Bevins, but in the NCAA final, the Terriers fell to Colorado College in the Championship Game. In 1951, The Terriers returned to The NCAAs in Colorado Springs behind a 16-5 final record, but Michigan got revenge on BU for the previous year with 8-3 win in the semi-final.

Cleverly’s 1952-53 team also made it to the NCAAs in Colorado Springs on the basis on an 11-2 stretch enroute to a 14-7-1 final record, but the Terriers fell to Michigan once again (14-3). BU’s season success was keyed by the goaltending of Paul Kelley (the brother of BU teammate Jack Kelley, who would become BU’s next coach) and the scoring of Dick Rodenhiser’s 49 point season. Rodenheiser also scored the first ever goal in the new “Beanpot Tournament” at Boston Garden in 1952, and also later won a goal medal for the USA as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympics Team. BU had dominated the Beanpot in the years since it’s inception.

Despite a few strong teams in the later part of the 1950s, BU did not return to the NCAA tournament until 1959-60, when the Terriers were led by two-time all-American and team captain Bob Marquis from Montreal, who finished his career as the top goalscorer (98), assist man (66) and point producer (161) in the era of three year eligibility. Cleverly’s 1960 squad went 18-9 and was excited to play on the home ice of Boston Arena as a the host of the 1960 NCAA Tournament, but the Pioneers of Denver, gunning for their second NCAA title, shot down the Terriers 6-4 in the semi final. DU went on to beat Michigan Tech in the final 5-3, while BU was able to salvage third place with a 7-6 win over St. Lawrence.

Cleverly left BU as coach in 1962 with a record of 211 wins, 144 losses and 10 ties, and Jack Kelley (BU Class of 1952) took over as coach for the next 10 years of BU Hockey. Kelley’s third BU team won the ECAC regular season title in 1965 at 25-6, but was not selected for the NCAA tournament. However, Kelley’s next team in 1966 finished 27-8 and made the NCAAs in Minneapolis, only to fall to eventual champion Michigan State 2-1 in the semis. BU then fell to Denver 4-3 in the third place game. Kelley got revenge in 1967, when his 25-5-1 team won the ECAC title and beat Michigan State 4-2 in the NCAA tournament in Syracuse to advance to the NCAA Championship game, but BU could not get more than one goal past the great Ken Dryden in the Championship game, with Cornell winning the title 4-1. A crowd favorite on the ‘67 team was 5-foot-5 Herb Wakabayshi, a Canadian of Japanese descent, who had 51 assists that year, an ECAC record, who would become an all-American and BU Hall of Famer.

The 1971 season was a breakthrough for Kelley and BU, as the Terriers went 28-2 and won the first NCAA title in school history in their seventh visit to the NCAA tournament. BU beat the Denver Pioneers by a 4-2 count in the semis and punched through in the title game against Minnesota, 4-2 in Syracuse, N.Y behind the all-tourney play of forwards Don “Toot” Cahoon and Steve Stirling, both of whom would become college hockey coaches later in life.

The next season was even more special as the Terries were to become back to back NCAA Champions, as BU player David Warner recalls:

“We (BU) were edged by Cornell, 3-2, at the Syracuse Holiday Tournament final as the Big Red avenged the previous season’s 6-5 ECAC consolation game loss, which put BU into the 1971 NCAA tournament. Later, Cornell came into our new Walter Brown arena for the season finale and beat us again, 3-2, for our only home defeat that season. That win earned Cornell the top seed in the upcoming ECAC tournament at Boston Garden. Going into the 1972 ECAC tournament, we had only lost four games all year, two of those to Cornell. Everything that was to happen from here on out was magical and would impact hockey at BU for the next 35 years.

“Those two losses were enough for us to remember and, as a group, rise up and smother Cornell, 4-1, in the ECAC final and shut them out 4-0 in the NCAA championship game. The 1971-72 BU team was like no other. There was a confident locker room attitude that carried out to the ice surface. This team was explosive on offense and stingy on defense. There were 18 players that had been on both NCAA teams. It might just have been the greatest collegiate team ever assembled.”

With a second NCAA title under his belt, Kelley left BU for a job in pro hockey, and BU hired Leon Abbott from RPI. Abbott lasted not even a year and half, and a young former BU player, Jack Parker, took over as coach of the team six games into the 1973-74 season. He’s been there ever since, and has become one of the great coaching legends in college hockey history.

Parker’s next four teams would win the ECAC tournament and his next five BU teams would all make the NCAA tournament. The 26-5-1 1974 squad lost to Herb Brook’s Minnesota team 5-4 at the Boston Garden in the NCAA semis, setting the stage for a heated 1970s rivalry with Minnesota. In 1974-75, Terriers went 26-5, winning the ECAC tourney, but fell in the NCAA semis to Michigan Tech 9-5 in St. Louis, only to beat Harvard in the third place game.

Once again in 1975-76, the Terriers were excellent, cruising to a 25-5 record, a league title, an ECAC tourney title and another NCAA Frozen Four appearance in Denver, where they got into a huge first period brawl with Minnesota in a game won by the Gophers, 4-2, ending another great season with bitter disappointment.

In 1976-77, Parker’s Terriers went 22-11 and once again won the ECAC tournament, and found themselves with another NCAA Frozen Four chance, but this time Michigan, with a crowd advantage in the old Detroit Olympia, ended BU’s chances for the NCAA title with a 7-5 victory.
Finally, in 1977-78, the Terriers broke through for their third NCAA title, but did not have a chance to play the nation’s top team that year. Denver (33-6-1) was ranked #1 for much of the year, was denied a chance at the NCAA tournament due to a NCAA rules infraction involving Canadian junior expenses situation, similar to the situation involving BU’s Bill Buckton and Peter Marzo that was throw out of court in 1974.

BU, behind the excellent goaltending of future U.S. Olympic hero Jim Craig, went on defeat Wisconsin 5-2, and arch-rival Boston College, 5-3, for the NCAA title that year in Providence.

The Terrier program entered a relatively quiet period in the 1980s, with only one league tournament championship and only two NCAA tournament appearances in 1984 and 1986, where the Terriers were bounced on home ice twice, first by eventual champion Bowling Green in 1984, and by Minnesota in 1986 in two-game total goals series.

But Parker’s teams of the 1990s set another standard of excellence at BU, with nine consecutive NCAA appearances in the decade, backed by 5 League titles and 4 league tourney titles.

In 1989-90, the Terriers, with three 50+ point scorers Tony Amonte, Joe Sacco and Shawn McEachern, went 25-17 and earned an NCAA berth with a #4 seed. BU faced North Dakota at home, and won the three game series after dropping the first game. BU was awarded a trip to East Lansing to face top seeded Michigan State on its home ice, and beat the Spartans in the three game series, coming back once again to win the final two games after dropping the opener. BU then returned to Michigan for the Frozen Four, this time facing Colgate in the National semifinal at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Raiders held on for a 3-2 win over BU, ending the fairy tale playoff run in the NCAA semis.

The next season in 1990-91, the Terriers were determined to get back to the Frozen Four, beating Michigan and Clarkson to earn a berth in the NCAA final in St. Paul, where they faced the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the title game. BU had four players with 60 points or more that season (Amonte, McEachern, Dave Sacco and Dave Tomlinson) and an offensive explosion in the title game was not unexpected. In fact, BU scored 7 goals in the game, but Northern Michigan scored 8, the last one coming in the firth hour of play in triple overtime off the stick of Darryl Plandowski to win it for the Wildcats - another difficult game for the Terrier faithful.

Three years later in 1994, BU once again racked up another Hockey East title and Tournament Championship with a 34-7 record and the 54 point scoring of Mike Pomichter, BU returned to another Frozen Four in St. Paul after dispatching Wisconsin in the East Regional 6-3 in Albany. Facing the University of Minnesota before at least 15,000 Gopher fans in St. Paul, the Terriers whipped the Gophers by a 4-1 score to reach the title game, only to run into a buzz saw of Lake Superior State, who won the NCAA title over BU by a 9-1 final score.

Stinging from that loss, BU got revenge the next season in 1994-1995, crushing Lake Superior State 6-2 in the NCAA Regional in Worcester, Mass before a delighted local crowd and earning a ticket to the Frozen Four just down the road in Providence, R.I. The Terriers easily beat Minnesota 7-3 to advance to the title game, where Hockey East rival Maine awaited them. This time the Terriers rose to the occasion and beat Maine 4-2, and won the school’s fourth NCAA crown. That Terrier team went 31-6-3, winning the Hockey East Regular Season and Playoff Championship as well, led by three 50+ point scorers, Chris O’Sullivan, Mike Grier and Jacques Joubert.

Hopes were high for the 1996 BU edition, who were led by Jay Pandolfo and Chris Drury, each with 67 points. BU waltzed to a 30-7-3 record and a Hockey East regular season title. Entering the Albany Regional as a top seed, the Terriers edged Clarkson 3-2, sending BU to the Frozen Four once again, but Michigan ended the Terrier season 4-0 on the slushy ice of Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum in the national semifinals. The Wolverines went on to beat Colorado College for the title.

The 1997 season was the last time the Terriers played in the Frozen Four, and for Denver fans, the moment of BU’s ascension to Milwaukee is burned into memory, as Denver’s Paul Veres hit the pipe in the 3-3 overtime game and BU’s Chris Drury scored moments later to end the Pioneers’ season and win the regional 4-3 in Worcester before a partisan BU crowd. BU went on the Frozen Four, beating Michigan in overtime to secure another chance for an NCAA title. But North Dakota ended BU’s dream with a 6-4 win at the Bradley Center in the title game.
Since that 1997 season, the Terriers have made seven more NCAA appearances but have been unable to emerge from the Regionals, prompting some notes of dissatisfaction from some of the BU faithful. Among the more recent disappointments was the 2005-2006 season, where the Terriers won both the Hockey East regular season and tournament, but fell 5-0 to arch-rival Boston College in the Regional in Worcester.

BU Traditions
Rhett is the official costumed mascot of the Boston University Terriers and has been the BU mascot since 1922. The often snarling, bi-pedal black and white Boston Terrier was named after the male lead in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, because "No one loves Scarlett more than Rhett" referencing Rhett Butler's affection for Scarlett O'Hara (scarlet being BU's primary color). In recent years Rhett has frequented Boston University games, events, and dining halls wearing his scarlet and white double-zero hockey jersey. Like all mascots, Rhett and the terrier logo are ubiquitous at athletic events. Rhett has participated in several ESPN "This is SportsCenter" commercials and competed three times in the Universal Cheerleading Association's mascot nationals, placing as high as fourth in 2002.

Fight song: "Go B.U."
Go BU, Go BU!

Sing her praises loud and true!

We'll fight for our alma mater,

On to sure victory!!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Go BU, Go BU!

Down the field (ice) to score anew!

Our hearts are with you as you meet the foe.

We hail you, Ole BU!

Famous BU alumni

Business
· Norman Barron, Founder, Marshalls Department Stores

· Alessandro Benetton (SMG BSB 1988) Chairman of 21 Investimenti S.p. A, and Duty Chairman of Benetton Group

· Fred Bronstein, President, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

· Mickey Drexler, (MBA 1968), Chairman & CEO, J. Crew

· Susan Evans, Co-Founder, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

· Kenneth Feld (SMG 1970 BSB), CEO, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus

· Sidney Feltenstein, (BA 1962), CEO, A&W and Long John Silvers restaurants

· Paul Fireman, founder, Reebok

· Bonnie Hammer, President, Sci-Fi Channel

· Ted Harbert, President, E! Networks

· Edgar J. Helms, founder of Goodwill Industries

· Toshimasa Iue, (MBA 1989), President & COO, Sanyo

· Bruce Karatz, (BA 1967), CEO, KB Home

· Damian Kozlowski, (MS), CEO, Citigroup Global Wealth Management

· Mitchell Modell, CEO, Modell's Sporting Goods

· Edward Zander, (MBA 1975), Chairman & CEO, Motorola, former President Sun Microsystems

Public Service
· Martin Luther King, Jr. (STH PhD 1955), 1964 Nobel Peace Prize; Civil Rights Leader

· William Cohen, (JD), former U.S. Secretary of Defense, former U.S. Senator, former U.S. Congressman

· David Mulford (MA GRS 1962), U.S. Ambassador to India

Governors
· Lincoln Almond, (JD 1961), former Governor of Rhode Island

· John Lewis Bates (CLA A.B. 1882, LAW LL. B. 1885), former Governor of Massachusetts.

· Albert O. Brown, (LL.B. 1884), former Governor of New Hampshire

· Fred H. Brown, (attended LAW 1904/06, no degree), former Governor of New Hampshire, former U.S. Congressman

· Paul Dever, (JD 1926), former Governor of Massachusetts

· Samuel D. Felker, (LL.B. 1887), former Governor of New Hampshire

· Judd Gregg, (JD), U.S. Senator, former Governor of New Hampshire

· Gary Locke (JD 1975), former Governor of Washington

· J. Howard McGrath, (JD 1929), former U.S. Senator, former Governor of Rhode Island

· William Russell, (LL.B. 1879), former Governor of Massachusetts.

· David I. Walsh, (LL.B. 1897), former U.S. Senator, former Governor of Massachusetts

United States Senators
· Edward Brooke III, (JD), first African-American U.S. Senator since Reconstruction (MA), Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient

· William M. Butler, (LL.B 1884), former U.S. Senator (MA)

· William Cohen, (LL.B. 1965), former U.S. Secretary of Defense, former U.S. Senator, former U.S. Congressman

· J. Howard McGrath, (JD 1929), former U.S. Senator (see Governors)

· Thomas J. McIntyre, (JD 1940), former U.S. Senator (NH)

· Robert Upton, (LL.B. 1907), former U.S. Senator (NH)

· David I. Walsh, (LL.B. 1897), former U.S. Senator (see Governors)

United States House of Representatives
· Joseph E. Casey, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Antonio Colorado, (BS 1962) Resident Commissioner in US Congress from Puerto Rico

· Paul Cronin, former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· John Crosby, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Emilio Q. Daddario, (law), former U.S. Congressman (CT)

· Norman D'Amours, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (NH)

· Louise Day Hicks, former U.S. Congresswoman (MA)

· Brian J. Donnelly, (BS 1970), former U.S. Congressman (MA), former US Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago,

· Charles Douglas III, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (NH)

· Forrest Goodwin, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (ME)

· Daniel Granger, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (RI)

· Arthur Healey, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· John Patrick Higgins, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Barbara Jordan, (JD), former U.S. Congresswoman (TX)

· Charles Joyce, (Newbury Seminary, pre-1850), former U.S. Congressman (VT)

· Ambrose Kennedy, (JB LAW 1906), former U.S. Congressman (RI)

· James Maloney, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (CT)

· Jim Marshall, (JD), U.S. Congressman (GA)

· Connie Morella, former U.S. Congresswoman (MD), former Maryland State Senator

· Frank Morse, former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Henry Naphen, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Jeremiah O'Connell, former U.S. Congressman (RI)

· Ernest W. Roberts, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Ferdinand St. Germain, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (RI)

· Charles Sprague, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Robert Stafford, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (VT)

· Walter Stiness, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (RI)

· John Sullivan, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Joseph Walsh, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

· Edward Wason, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (NH)

· George Williams, (JD), former U.S. Congressman (MA)

Film, performing arts, television, radio, popular culture
· Joan Baez, folk singer

· John Cazale, Golden Globe Award nominated actor, best known for role as "Fredo" in The Godfather

· Michael Chiklis, Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winning actor

· Geena Davis, (SFA'79)Academy Award winning actress

· Rocco DiSpirito, Chef, restaurateur, television personality The Restaurant

· Olympia Dukakis (SAR BS 1953, SFA MFA 1957), Academy Award winning actress

· Faye Dunaway, Academy Award winning actress

· Paul Michael Glaser, actor (Starsky and Hutch)

· Norman Greenbaum, musician, "Spirit in the Sky"

· Mariel Hemingway, Academy Award nominated actress, granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway

· David E. Kelley, (JD), television producer, husband of Michelle Pfeiffer, His father, Jack Kelley, coached BU Hockey

· Tom Magliozzi, (MBA, PhD) co-host of Car Talk

· Julianne Moore, Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning actress

· Kevin O'Connor, (GSM MBA '99) host of This Old House

· Rosie O'Donnell (dropout), actress, comedian

· Paul Reubens (dropout), actor. (Pee Wee Herman)

· Howard Stern, (CGS non degree program 1974, COM BS 1976), controversial radio host and self-declared "King of All Media"

· Marisa Tomei (attended CFA 1983, Hon. DFA 2002), Academy Award winning actress

· Alfre Woodard, Emmy Award winning and Academy Award nominated actress

Journalism, non-fiction film and broadcasting
· Mike Barnicle, Journalist, Radio Host

· Joe Concannon, (deceased), Sports writer, Boston Globe

· Erica Hill, anchor, CNN Headline News

· Bill O'Reilly, (MS '75), Radio & Television personality

· Anthony Tommasini, Chief Music Critic, New York Times

· Nina Totenberg, (COM 1965) correspondent for National Public Radio

· Gary Tuchman, (COM 1982 BS) reporter, CNN

Sports
· Harry Agganis, professional baseball player

· Tony Amonte, NHL hockey player

· Shawn Bates, NHL hockey player

· Raja Bell (transferred to Florida International University), NBA basketball player

· Rocco Benetton former chief executive of the Benetton Formula One team.

· Cindy Blodgett, Former WNBA Player, Assistant Basketball Coach

· Billy Brooks, NFL's Buffalo Bills '93-'95

· Tom Burke, (Law LL.B. 1897) Olympic Champion

· Butch Byrd, Professional Football Standout

· Mickey Cochrane, Hall of Fame Baseball player

· Jim Craig, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

· Rick DiPietro, NHL hockey player

· Andy Dorman, Major League Soccer soccer player

· Chris Drury, NHL hockey player, Hobey Baker Award winner

· Mike Eruzione, Captain, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

· Dick Farley, College Football Hall of Fame coach

· Foge Fazio, NCAA football Coach, NFL football coach

· Mike Grier, NHL hockey player

· Mike Jarvis, NCAA Basketball Coach

· Jim "Crash" Jensen, Former NFL football player

· Shawn McEachern, NHL hockey player

· Freddy Meyer, NHL hockey player

· Jack O'Callahan, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

· Jay Pandolfo, NHL hockey player

· Gary Plummer, NBA player

· Rick Pitino, NCAA & NBA Basketball Coach

· Tom Poti, NHL hockey player

· Ed Ronan, NHL hockey player

· Travis Roy, Hockey player paralyzed and now a leading activist for spinal cord injury

· Dave Silk, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

· Mike Sullivan (hockey), NHL Hockey Player, NHL Coach

· Keith Tkachuk, NHL hockey player

· Ryan Whitney, NHL hockey player

· Scott Young, retired NHL player

Miscellaneous
· F. Lee Bailey, (JD '60), Renowned lawyer

· Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, late wife of John F. Kennedy, Jr.

· Tipper Gore, Former 2nd Lady of the United States

· Hadassah Lieberman, wife of U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman
About Boston

Boston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England."

Boston city proper had a 2007 estimated population of 608,352, making it the twenty-first largest in the country. Boston is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.4 million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the country. Greater Boston as a commuting region includes parts of Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine; it includes 7.4 million people, making it the fifth-largest Combined Statistical Area in the country.

In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city on the Shawmut Peninsula. During the late eighteenth century Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the peninsula. After American independence was attained Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center, and its rich history now attracts 16.3 million visitors annually. The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), and first college, Harvard College (1636), in neighboring Cambridge. Boston was also home to the first subway system in the United States.

With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and a center for medicine. The city's economy is also based on research, finance, and technology – principally biotechnology. Boston has been experiencing gentrification and has one of the highest costs of living in the United States, though remains high on world livability rankings.

The Game
Should Denver face BU, it should be a great game between a pair of top 5 teams. BU will be missing two of its top players in Colin Wilson and Kevin Shattenkirk, who are with the US Junior Team in Ottawa, while the Pioneers will be missing their top player, Tyler Bozak, due to injury.
DU has done well against ranked teams, and I expect BU is the one team DU wants to play in this tournament.

DU has the slightly better offense (second nationally at 3.89 GPG vs. BU’s #5 offense at 3.56 GPG. Slight Edge Denver.

BU has a statistical edge on defense at 2.12 GPG (10th) while DU is whisker behind at 2.16 (12th nationally). Slight edge BU.

Special teams see BU with a far better power play (third nationally at 22.9%, but DU has a better PK at 88.3%.

Prediction: BU may be a slightly better team, but with Denver playing at home, I think were going to have a 3-3 tie, followed by a shootout to decide the winner (assuming the teams actually play each other, of course). In that case, I think BU will edge the Pioneers.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

2009-01-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

(above) RPI's Houston Fieldhouse

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Wells Fargo Denver Cup
Magness Arena, Denver, Colo.
January 3, 2009

The No. 5 Denver (13-5-1, 9-4-1 WCHA) Pioneers may host the RPI Engineers from the ECAC 3-13-1 overall, 2-5-0 ECAC) in their Denver Cup Championship or Consolation Game on Saturday, Jan 3. Puck drop is set for either 4:07 or 7:37 p.m. MT on Saturday, depending on Friday’s DU result. If DU beats Holy Cross on Friday, The DU vs. BU/RPI game can be seen live at 7 pm MT on FSN Rocky Mountain which can be found on DirecTV channel 683 and Dish Network channel 414. Live Audio: Friday-www.denverpioneers.com. If DU does not advance to the title game, the 4:00 pm consolation game will shown by FSN tape delayed at 7pm MT

The Series

DU is 11-1 against RPI dating back to 1954 when the two teams first met. The only Pioneer loss to RPI in history came in RPI coach Seth Appert’s coaching debut game in Denver in 2006, when Appert turned the tables on his old team behind Jordan Alford’s 38-save performance.
Engineers to Watch

Sophomore forward Chase Polacek leads Rensselaer in scoring with four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 17games. Freshman Patrick Cullen (7 goals, 5 assists) and sophomore Tyler Helfrich (3 goals, 7 assists) are right behind with 12 and 10 points, respectively. However, Helfrich was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his knee, and will miss this weekend's Denver Cup. Helfrich suffered the injury in the first period the Engineers' 3-1 loss to Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 13. Sophomore Bryan Brutlag (1 goal, 3 assists) leads the team’s defensemen with four points. In goal, Senior Mathias Lange has played 68.3% of the games, posting a 3.08 goals against average with a .910 save percentage and a 2-9-1 record, while freshman Allen York is 1-4-0 with a 4.17 average and an .881 save percentage.

About Rensselaer
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, known as Rensselaer or RPI, is a private research university located in Troy, New York. The Princeton Review remarks, “Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is simultaneously the oldest technological school in the country and the most modern school of technology in the U.S. It’s like George Jetson meets Archimedes.”

RPI was founded in 1824 by statesman, soldier, land-owner and New York Lt. Governor Stephen Van Rensselaer for the "application of science to the common purposes of life", and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world. The institute is known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace, and has over 6,000 students on its main campus in Troy, part of the Capital District of Albany, N.Y. on the Hudson River.

Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's first senior professor and appointed the first board of trustees. On December 29 of that year, the president and the board met and established the methods of instruction, which were rather different from methods employed at other colleges at the time. Students performed experiments, explained their rationale, and gave their own lectures rather than listening to lectures and watching demonstrations.

The school opened on Monday, January 3, 1825 at the Old Bank Place, a building at the north end of Troy. The opening was announced by a notice, signed by the president, and printed in the Troy Sentinel on December 28. The school attracted students from New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The fact that the school attracted students from afar is attributed to the reputation of Eaton. Fourteen months of successful trial led to the incorporation of the school on March 21, 1826 by the State of New York. In its early years, the Rensselaer School had greater resemblance of a graduate school than of a college.

During this period, the Rensselaer School, renamed the Rensselaer Institute in 1832, was a small but vital center for technological research. The first Civil Engineering degrees in the United States were granted by the school in 1835, and many of the best remembered civil engineers of that time graduated from the school. Important visiting scholars included Joseph Henry, who had previously studied under Amos Eaton, and Thomas Davenport, who sold the world's first working electric motor to the institute.

In 1847, alumnus Benjamin Franklin Greene became the new senior professor. Earlier he had done a thorough study of European technical schools to see how Rensselaer could be improved. In 1850 he reorganized the school into a three-year polytechnic institute with six technical schools. In 1861 the name was changed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

RPI enjoyed a period of academic and resource expansion under the leadership of President Palmer Ricketts. During Rickett's tenure, enrollment increased from approximately 200 in 1900 to a high of 1700 in 1930. Another period of expansion occurred following World War II. Enrollment for the 1946 school year was so high that temporary dormitories had to be constructed. Fifty surplus metal military barracks, each housing 20 students, were arranged into a trailer-park like camp over a mile from campus nicknamed "tin town.” This arrangement was used by students until new freshman residence halls were opened in 1953.

RPI is known for the following “firsts”
* 1824 - The institute is founded and eventually becomes the first continually existing technological university in the English-speaking world
* 1835 - The institute awarded the first civil engineering degree in the United States
* 1898 - The first association of Latin American students in the United States was formed at RPI, called the Union Hispano-Americans. This organization would later merge with other like-minded organizations and form the first Latin American fraternity in the United States, Phi Iota Alpha, in 1931.
* 1909 - Alumni of Pittsburgh, PA provide funds for the Pittsburgh Building. This was the first time in American history that the alumni of a single city raised enough money to build a building on a college campus
* 1961- The institute awarded the first accredited environmental engineering degree in the United States.
* 1980 - The institute founds the first business incubator wholly sponsored and operated by a university.
* 2007 - The institute is possibly the first university to start an undergraduate major in Video Game Design.

In 1999, RPI gained attention when it was one of the first universities to implement a mandatory laptop program.

1999 also saw the arrival of President Shirley Ann Jackson. A graduate of MIT,. She brought with her the "The Rensselaer Plan" an ambitious plan to revitalize the institute. While Jackson had had some tough times with the faculty, many advances have been made under the plan, and Jackson has enjoyed the ongoing support of the RPI Board of Trustees.

The Newsweek/Kaplan 2007 Educational College Guide proclaimed Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute one of the 25 "New Ivies", an elite group of 25 schools that provide an education equivalent to schools in the Ivy League. RPI ranks among the top 50 national universities in the United States according to US News & World Report. The same source ranks RPI 24th for "Best Value" in undergraduate education. In 2005, the School of Engineering was ranked 18th in the nation for undergraduates, and 34th in the nation for graduates. Four of the graduate engineering programs are ranked in the top 20 (electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, industrial engineering and mechanical engineering), seven of 11 are ranked in the top 25, and all are ranked in the top 40 in the nation. U.S. News also put the graduate applied mathematics program at 20th.

About the RPI Hockey Program
RPI first laced up the skates around the turn of the century, and the beginnings of the program were rough. For the first 14 seasons of the hockey program, RPI never had a coach, and up until 1938, didn’t play more than 6 games per year. There were also only three winning seasons – 1903-04 (1-0), 1906-07 (2-1) and 1927-28 (2-1-1). Prior to 1912, RPI played in different outdoor locations in nearby Cohoes, NY and Albany. In 1912 an outdoor rink was constructed on what is now RPI’s Anderson Field in Troy. It had no formal name, but was usually called the RPI Hockey Rink. There was also a rink on what was then Avenue B (now Sage Avenue). This outdoor rink was constructed and used each year until the program was suspended after 1938, with the exception of the 1936-37 season. That year the rink was built on the tennis courts that were formerly on the west end of '86 Field.

The RPI hockey program was resumed in 1949, when RPI was able to procure a surplus WWII Naval Warehouse from the US Government that had stood in Rhode Island during the war, and re-puposed it into a on-campus 5,000 seat hockey arena. If that story sounds familiar to Denver fans, it’s because Denver’s old DU arena (1949-1997) was also a Naval WWII surplus drill hall (from Idaho), that DU also re-purposed into a hockey arena. RPI’s Houston Fieldhouse still stands today as the home of RPI hockey, named after then RPI president Livingston Houston.

Ned Harkness, who came to Rensselaer as an assistant lacrosse coach in 1945, convinced Houston that he would be the right man to guide a men’s hockey team. Harkness focused on building tight bonds with his players, not intimidating them. In those days, however, RPI had no athletic scholarships or residence halls to lure student athletes – players lived in apartments or houses in town. Harkness’ first two RPI teams had losing records, but by 1951-52, the Engineers stormed out to a 15-3 record and a second place finish in the Tri-State League (4-1), but not quite good enough for an NCAA bid.

The 1952-53 season saw the Engineers improve in the league to 4-0-1 to win the league title and fashion a 12-game unbeaten streak down the stretch that was a strong enough performance to earn one of the two Eastern bids to the NCAA tournament in Colorado Springs, the first such bid in school history. However, John Mariucci’s Minnesota team downed RPI, 3-2 in the semi final to end title hopes. RPI was able to beat up on BU, 6-3 for third place, with RPI finishing 15-4-1.

The 1953-54 season began with seven consecutive victories. But in the championship game of the Rensselaer Invitational Tournament, the Engineers lost 4-1 to St. Francis Xavier of Canada. However, in league competition in the Tri-State League, Rensselaer was rolling right along, sweeping the season series against Clarkson, Hamilton, Princeton, and Middlebury.

Then came a disastrous trip west with three non-league games against the University of Denver and Colorado College. Rensselaer limped home after losing all three by a combined score of 19-8. On Feb. 12, 1954, Rensselaer dropped its fifth game, a costly 5-4 decision to St. Lawrence at Appleton Arena in Canton.

But St. Lawrence still had to come to Troy. The teams were scheduled to meet on the last night of the regular season, March 5, 1954. Tickets were impossible to find. The game had been sold out for months. The game exceeded the high expectations. Reports from the time claimed it was one of the most exciting, closely contested games ever staged at the Field House. With Rensselaer’s 4-2 triumph, the two teams wound up tied atop the league standings. A vote by coaches and officials would determine which of the two teams would represent the Tri-State League at the NCAA Tournament in Colorado Springs. Boston College, as champion of its league, had already earned its berth as the other Eastern college to qualify for the tournament.

To the surprise of many, Rensselaer received the invitation over St. Lawrence.

That only seemed to make the team more of an underdog. The team was seeded fourth in the four-team field.

“I know one thing, they weren’t calling us ‘RPI’ when we went out to Colorado Springs,” Captain Frank Chiarelli said. “They were calling us ‘RIP’ for ‘Rest in Peace.’ ’’

Michigan, top seed in the tournament and three-time defending national champion, discovered Rensselaer’s talent firsthand. After all, Boston College, the East’s top team, had been flattened 12-1 by Minnesota in the other semifinal game. What could poor little Rensselaer do against mighty Michigan?

On that night, March 12, Rensselaer left Michigan on the short end of a 6-4 defeat. Winger Gordie Peterkin ’55 got the winning goal and a hat trick for emphasis in the upset victory. The victory marked a milestone for the Rensselaer hockey program. It was the first time it had ever beaten a Western school, and it wiped out the bitter taste of the three-game battering they had taken at the hands of Denver and Colorado College earlier in the season.

Rensselaer jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Minnesota in the championship game March 13. But the Golden Gophers rallied. And, when they took a 4-3 lead in the third period, it appeared as though the RPI fairy tale was about to end.

But RPI had other ideas. Chiarelli dug the puck out of the corner and centered it to Peterkin in the slot. The 5-foot-6 winger snapped off a shot, which slipped through the Minnesota goalie’s pads and into the net.

“It’s still the single most exciting moment of my life,’’ said Peterkin, a retired engineer living in Ottawa. “You go through life with your ups and downs but nothing ever really comes along like that again. I was so close to the goalie I couldn’t see the puck go in,- I didn’t know what was happening until Magadini tackled me. Then I threw my stick away and started screaming.’’

Despite another tri-state league title in 1957, the Engineers would not return to the NCAA tournament until 1960-61 in Denver, when St. Lawrence knocked the Engineers out at the DU arena by a 6-3 score. However, the 30-1-1 Pioneers demolished St. Lawrence 12-2 in the most lopsided NCAA title game ever, so perhaps RPI was fortunate not to face the Pionees that year. The Engineers then joined the ECAC (as well as playing the Tri-State League) in 1961-62) where they’ve been ever since.

In 1963-64, Harkness went to Cornell and Rube Bjorkman took over the RPI program, and in his 18-8 lone year in Troy, he didn’t win any league hardware, but his team did secure another NCAA bid, as the Engineers once again returned to Denver and the DU Arena, site of the 1961 and 1964 NCAA tournaments. This time the Pioneers beat RPI 4-1, and RPI went on to beat Providence 2-1 for third place. Michigan, behind Red Berenson’s leadership beat DU in the final to win the title. Bjorkman left for UNH the next season, and RPI settled into 20 year period dry period without another NCAA bid, and never finishing higher than third place in the ECAC. A succession of coaches including Garry Kearns, Leon Abbott and Jim Salfi were unable to get RPI back to ECAC or NCAA prominence.

Enter new Coach Mike Addesa in 1981, who in just a few years, built RPI’s greatest era of hockey in the early and mid-1980s. Addessa recruited a nucleus of fine players including RPI career assist and points Adam Oates (who went on to a stellar NHL career), John Carter, a goal scorer who benefitted from Oates’ passes, and a host of other supporting players who went on to NHL careers including Ken Hammond, Mike Dark, George Servinis, Mike McPhee, Darren Puppa and Kraig Nienhaus.

RPI’s 1983-84 team went 32-6 and 17-3 in ECAC play, with 5 of the 6 losses by only one goal, and winning the ECAC title, the first in school history, rolling to ECAC tourney victories over rival Clarkson and BU in the Boston to clinch a home NCAA bid to host a quarterfinal series. North Dakota spoiled the fun with a 9-6 two game total goal series victory. The bar had been set very high for the next season, and RPI delivered the greatest performance in school history in 1984-85.

The Engineers started play in November with a pair of wins over Canadian schools, but dropped their ECAC opener to St. Lawrence 5-3 on home ice, rebounding to beat rival Clarkson the next night 5-3. The next week, the Engineers flew to Grand Forks to face the always powerful fighting Sioux of North Dakota. RPI dropped the first game in overtime to the Sioux, 7-6, but played their best game of the young season the next night, waxing the Sioux 8-2 on UND’s home ice. That game would be the turning point of the season, as RPI would not lose another game all season en-route to a 35-2-1 record and the school’s second NCAA title. With Oates dishing passes to scorers like Carter and Servinis, and Darren Puppa in the nets, no one could stop RPI. The Engnineers waltzed the rest of the way undefeated to an ECAC regular season title, then thumped Cornell 5-1 and Harvard 3-1 to win the ECAC tournament in Boston. With home ice in the first round of the NCAA’s secure, RPI dispatched Lake Superior State 10-6 in the two game total goals series to earn a trip to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to face Brett Hull, and Hobey Baker winners Bill Watson and Tom Kurvers and their Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in the NCAA semis. RPI eeked out a 6-5 victory in triple overtime, as Carter’s power-play slap shot ticked the stick of a UMD defenseman and beat UMD goalie Bob Mason to send the Engineers to the finals against Providence within 24 hours.

Providence was a solid team but had fought their way to the NCAA’s behind the superlative goaltending of Chris Terreri, whose second half of the season carried his team to the brink of glory. But RPI was patient, and when George Servinis finished off a second period shorthander to send RPI up 2-0, it was just enough. Puppa held off the Friars the rest of the way for the school’s second NCAA crown, 2-1. RPI had established a modern era benchmark for excellence that dominated the middle part of the decade, and unfortunately for RPI fans, 28 years have passed since Servins scored the last NCAA goal for RPI.

Addessa was never able to get his subsequent RPI teams to the mid-80s level of excellence (or an NCAA tournament berth, and left under difficult circumstances in 1989. Buddy Powers became coach in 1989, and was able to get RPI back to a 3rd place finish in the ECAC and an NCAA tournament berth by 1994, but UNH blanked the Engineers 2-0 in RPI’s Albany backyard regional. The next season in 94-95, Dan Fridgen took over the coaching reins, and despite a 6th place finish in ECAC play, his RPI squad caught a little lighting in a bottle, and won the ECAC tournament in Lake Placid, beating Colgate and Princeton to earn an NCAA auto bid and a trip to Madison, Wis, where Minnesota bagged a little revenge for 1954 with a 3-0 shutout of RPI.

Fridgen had some more 20 win teams, but without any further serious playoff successes, Fridgen left in 2006, when Denver assistant Seth Appert, fresh off two NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005 , took over the program in 2006-2007. While Appert’s early teams have struggled on the ice, the foundation of success is being laid in Troy, as Appert is landing strong recruits and generating some campus enthusiasm.

RPI Traditions
The official nickname of some of the school's Division III teams was changed in 1995 from the Engineers to the Red Hawks. However the hockey, football, cross-country, tennis, and track and field teams all chose to retain the Engineers name. The Red Hawks name was, at the time, very unpopular among the student body; a Red Hawk mascot was frequently taunted with thrown concessions and chants of "kill the chicken!" In contrast, the official 80’s hockey mascot known as The Puckman has always been very popular. The Puckman is an anthropomorphic hockey puck with an engineer's helmet.

The hockey team plays a significant role in the campus's culture, drawing thousands of fans each week to the Houston Field House during the season. The team's popularity even sparked the tradition of the hockey line, where students line up for season tickets months in advance of the on-sale date. Another tradition since 1978 has been the "Big Red Freakout!" game held close to the first weekend of February. Fans usually dress in the schools colors Red and White, and gifts such as tee-shirts are distributed en masse.

Fight Song
Hail, Dear Old Rensselaer
Words & Music by Charles S. Root '34

Hail, dear old Rensselaer, the college of our heart.
For dear old Rensselaer, each man must do his part.
True sons of Rensselaer, we'll always strive to be.
Now, dear old Rensselaer, hail to thee.
Hear the tramp, tramp, tramp of marching feet.
Hear the rat-tat-tat of drums that beat.
Hear the voices ringing loud and sweet.
Hear that mighty shout of...
Hail, dear old Rensselaer, the college of our heart.
For dear old Rensselaer, each man must do his part.
True sons of Rensselaer, we'll always strive to be.
Now, dear old Rensselaer, hail to thee.

Famous RPI alumni
Business
* Marshall Brain, founder of HowStuffWorks.com
* Gary Burrell, founder of Garmin
* Bruce Carbonari, President of Fortune Brands, CEO from January 2008
* James Crowe, (1972), co-founder and current CEO of Level 3 Communications [1]
* Nicholas M. Donofrio, (1967), director of research at IBM, trustee.
* J. Erik Jonsson, (1922), co-founder and former president of Texas Instruments Incorporated, and mayor of Dallas.
* Joseph Gerber, (1947), founder of Gerber Scientific.[2]
* George Knapp, (1876), industrialist, founder of the Union Carbide Company.
* William Mow, (1959) Founded apparel maker Bugle Boy in 1977.
* Curtis Priem, (1982) NVIDIA co-founder, architect of first PC Video Processor, and many that followed, trustee.
* John Rigas, co-founder of Adelphia Communications.

Humanities, arts, and social sciences
* Bobby Farrelly, director, writer and producer of such films as Shallow Hal and There's Something About Mary
* James Flaherty, actor and stand-up comedian.

Invention and Engineering
* Milton Brumer, (1923), chief engineer for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and George Washington Bridges in NYC.[5]
* Leffert L. Buck, (1968), civil engineer and a pioneer in the use of steel arch bridge structures, including the Williamsburg Bridge in NYC.
* Dr. Allen B. Dumont (1924), perfected the cathode ray tube and is considered the "father of modern TV"
* George W. G. Ferris (1881), inventor of the Ferris wheel
* Frederick Grinnell, (1855), inventor of the modern fire sprinkler.
* Walter Lincoln Hawkins, (1931), African American inventor of plastic telephone wire.
* Marcian Hoff, (1958), the "father of the microprocessor"
* Emil H. Praeger, (1915), designer of Shea and Dodger Stadiums, Tappan Zee Bridge, Arecibo Telescope and a renovation of the White House
* Washington Roebling, (1857), chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge.
* James Salisbury, (1844), physician and inventor of the Salisbury Steak.
* Raymond Tomlinson, (1963), inventor of the electronic mail (email) system.

Politics and public service
* Truman H. Aldrich, (1869), United States Representative from Alabama (1896-1897)
* J. Frank Aldrich, (1877), United States Representative from Illinois.
* Myles Brand, (1964), president of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).
* George R. Dennis, was a United States Senator from Maryland
* Lincoln D. Faurer, (1964), director of the National Security Agency and chief, Central Security Service from 1981 to 1985.
* Richard Franchot, US Representative from New York, (1861-1863).
* John Hammond, US Representative from New York, Civil War veteran and iron manufacturer [8]
* Walter F. Lineberger, US State Representative of California, 1917-1921.
* George Low, manager of NASA for the Apollo 11 project. Low was president of RPI from 1976 to 1984.
* John Olver, (1958), Massachusetts State Representative (D), since 1991.
* Ario Pardee, Jr., (1858), Commander during the civil war
* Ely S. Parker, Civil War Statesman, author of Appomattox Courthouse agreement.
* Clarkson Nott Potter, (1843), US Representative from New York, surveyor, lawyer and President of the American Bar Association
* Ivar Giaever, (1964), shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973 for discoveries on tunneling phenomena in Semiconductors.
* John L. Swigert Jr. (1965), an Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot, earned a master’s degree in aerospace science from Rensselaer’s Hartford campus in 1965 and in 1966 was selected by NASA in its 5th astronaut class. Member of Apollo 13. Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom,1970. State Representative for Colorado,1982.

Sports
* John Carter, (1986), NHL forward from 1986 - 1993.
* Erin Crocker, (2003), female NASCAR driver.
* Kevin Constantine, (1980), ice hockey coach - Head Coach of the San Jose Sharks from 1993 - 1995, the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1997 - 2000, and the New Jersey Devils from 2001 - 2002.
* Don Cutts, (1974), NHL and International Hockey League (1945–2001) goaltender from 1974 - 1984.
* Tim Friday, (1985), NHL defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings from 1985 - 1986.
* Joé Juneau, (1991), NHL forward from 1991 - 2004, top scorer at the 1992 Winter Olympics while playing for the Canadian Olympic hockey team.
* Ken Hammond, (1985), NHL defenseman from 1985 - 1993.
* Eric Healey, (1998), free agent, played in NHL with the Boston Bruins.
* Michael E. Herman, (1962), President of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball from 1992 - 2000.
* Mike McPhee, (1982), NHL forward from 1983 - 1994, won the '85-86 Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens.
* Matt Murley, (2002), NHL forward from 2003 - 2008.
* Kraig Nienhuis, (1985), NHL forward from 1985 - 1988.
* Adam Oates, (1985), NHL forward from 1985 - 2004, 6th on the NHL's all-time assists list.
* Matt Patricia, (1996), Linebackers Coach for the New England Patriots.
* Brian Pothier, (2000), NHL defenseman for the Washington Capitals.
* Daren Puppa, (1985), NHL goaltender from 1985 - 2000.
* Brad Tapper, (2000), NHL forward for the Atlanta Thrashers from 2000 - 2003.
* Graeme Townshend, (1989), Player Development Coordinator for the San Jose Sharks, NHL forward from 1990 - 1994.

About Troy, NY
Troy the county seat of Rensselaer County. As of the 2000 census, the population was 49,170. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties with the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital District. This area makes up the bulk of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with a population of 850,957.

The site of the city was a part of the Van Rensselaer grant of 1629. Dirck Van der Heyden was one of the first settlers. In 1707, he purchased a farm of 65 acres (26 ha) which in 1787 was laid out as a village.

A local legend that a Dutch girl had been kidnapped by an Indian male who did not want her to marry someone else gained some credence when two skeletons were found in a cave under Poestenkill Falls in the 1950s. One skeleton was female and Caucasian with an iron ring. The other was Native-American and male.

The name Troy (after the legendary city of Troy, made famous in Homer's Iliad) was adopted in 1789, and the region was formed into the Town of Troy in 1791 from part of the Rensselaerwyck Manor. The township included the current city and the town of Brunswick. Troy became a village in 1801 and was chartered as a city in 1816. In 1900, the city of Lansingburgh was merged into Troy.

In the post-Revolutionary War years, as central New York was first settled, there was a strong trend to classical names, and Troy's naming fits the same pattern as the New York cities of Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Ithaca, or the towns of Sempronius, Manlius, or dozens of other classically named towns to the west of Troy.

Northern and Western New York was a theater of the War of 1812, and militia and regular army forces were led by Stephen Van Rensselaer of Troy. Quartermaster supplies were shipped through Troy. A local butcher and meat-packer named Samuel Wilson supplied the military, and, according to an unprovable legend, barrels stamped "U.S." were jokingly taken by the troops to stand for "Uncle Sam" meaning Wilson. Troy has since claimed to be the historical home of Uncle Sam.

Through much of the 19th and into the early 20th century, Troy was not only one of the most prosperous cities in New York State, but one of the most prosperous cities in the entire country. Prior to its rise as an industrial center, Troy was the transshipment point for meat and vegetables from Vermont which were sent by the Hudson River to New York City. The Federal Dam at Troy is the head of the tides in the Hudson River and Hudson River sloops and steamboats plied the river on a regular basis. This trade was vastly increased after the construction of the Erie Canal, with its eastern terminus directly across the Hudson from Troy at Cohoes in 1825.

Troy's one-time great wealth was produced in the steel industry, with the first American Bessemer converter erected on the small Postenkill river in a small valley near the middle of the city. The industry first used charcoal and iron ore from the Adirondacks. Later on, ore and coal from the Midwest was shipped on the Erie Canal to Troy, and there processed before being sent on down the Hudson to New York City. The iron and steel was also used by the extensive federal arsenal across the Hudson at Watervliet, New York, then called West Troy. After the American Civil War, the steel production industry moved west to be closer to raw materials. The presence of iron and steel also made it possible for Troy to be an early site in the development of iron storefronts and steel structural supports in architecture, and there are some significant early examples still in the city.

On December 23, 1823, The Troy Sentinel was the first publisher of the world-famous Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "The Night Before Christmas" or "Twas the Night Before Christmas"). The poem was published anonymously. Its author has long been believed to have been Clement Clarke Moore, but its author is now regarded by a few to have been Henry Livingston, Jr.

Troy was an early home of professional baseball, and was the host of two major league teams. The first team to call Troy home was the Troy Haymakers, a National Association team in 1871 and 1872. One of their major players was Williams H. "Bill" Craver, a noted catcher and Civil War veteran, who also managed the team. Their last manager was Jimmy Wood, reckoned the first Canadian in professional baseball. The Troy Haymakers folded, and Troy had no team for seven seasons. Then, for four seasons, 1879 to 1882, Troy was home to the National League Troy Trojans. The Trojans were not competitive in the league, but they did have the biggest hitter in professional baseball, Dan Brouthers.[1] For the 1883 season, the Trojans were moved to New York City where they became the New York Gothams, better know later as the Giants. The Gothams had the same ownership as the New York Metropolitans of the rival American Association. As a result classic Met players became Giants, including Hall of Fame Pitcher Tim Keefe. Troy was also the birthplace of the famous player Michael Joseph "King" Kelly.

Troy has been nearly destroyed by fire three times. The Great Troy fire of 1862 burnt the W. & L. E. Gurley, Co. factory, which was later that year replaced by the new W. & L. E. Gurley Building, now a National Historic Landmark.

When the iron & steel industry moved to Pennsylvania and beyond, and with a similar downturn in the collar industry, Troy's prosperity began to fade. After the passage of Prohibition, and given the strict control of Albany by the Daniel P. O'Connell political machine, Troy became a way station for an illegal alcohol trade from Canada to New York City. Likewise, the stricter control of morality laws in the neighboring New England states, left Troy with openly operating speakeasies and brothels. Gangsters such as Legs Diamond conducted business in Troy. This gave Troy a somewhat colorful reputation through World War II. A few of the finer houses have since been converted to fine restaurants, such as the former Old Daly Inn. Like many old industrial cities, Troy has had to deal with not only the loss of its manufacturing base, but a drainage of population and wealth to suburbs and other parts of the country. Troy's population in 1910 was over 75,000, this is more than 50% higher than today. These factors have lead to a sizable degree of dilapidation and disinvestment, although numerous efforts have been made to preserve Troy's architectural and cultural past.

The Game

RPI is struggling this year to score goals, and while the defense and goaltending for RPI are improving, they simply don’t have the team speed or depth of firepower to hang with Denver, especially without Helfrich in the lineup. For RPI to have a chance for an upset, they are going to need great goaltending from Lange or York, and some further inside magic from Appert, who recruited many of the Denver players.

Denver should be able to work in transition with three better lines than RPI, and wear them down at altitude.

RPI hung with BU earlier in the season but have not yet beaten a ranked team, and I don’t expect it to be the Pioneers. I think Denver is playing strong hockey, has greater depth of talent at all positions, and should handle RPI if the teams should meet.

Prediction: Expect the Pioneers to beat RPI, 4-1.