Re: East Regional: #1 Denver v. #4 RIT; #2 Cornell v. #3 New Hampshire
I know very little about Denver but am excited that we will have the no. 1 seed here in town. I'd appreciate any comments describing their style and players to watch or any other insight.
Denver has been going back and forth with Miami for much of the season as the top team in college hockey in the rankings. They won the WCHA MacNaughton Cup, which, in my view, is the hardest trophy to win in the sport because the WCHA is the deepest league in the country, and the travel for a team like Denver is long distance, the arenas they visit are usually hostile and large, and the season is a long one.
Denver is a team that is built around good goaltending, speed and skill. They are not terribly physical, but their speedy transition game and great skill down low makes them a difficult to defend when they are on their game. There are 14 NHL draft picks on the team, and most of them will play some level of pro hockey when they leave campus.
Players to watch:
Denver's top player to watch is goalie Hobey Candidate and WCHA Goalie of the Year Marc Cheverie, a junior. When he is on his game, in my view, he's the best goalie in the country. He's tall, and relies on positioning to make good saves, rather than flamboyance. His stats are amazing when you consider the calibre of schedule that DU plays. He can win games on his own, and outside of a bad weekend last weekend, he's been very consistent. Chevy is backed up by freshman Adam Murray, who is rounding into good form after a bad start to his college career.
Rhett Rakhshani is the senior captain, a Californian and a Hobey Finalist and WHCA first teamer who led the WCHA in scoring - great hands, good speed and a big heart. His linemates are Tyler Ruegsegger, a gritty yet skilled Colorado-born senior forward and Joe Colborne, a sophomore WCHA Third Teamer 6-5 winger and first round draft pick of Boston who has great reach, and strong skills. This is one of the best first lines in the country.
The second line is more skill led by Jesse Martin, Kyle Ostrow and Anthony Maiani, who got hurt last weekend and is probably gone for the season. They aren't big, but they are crafty with the puck and deceptively fast. We'll see who replaces Maiani on that line. Saturday, it was little used sophomore Nate Dewhurst, who did pretty well.
The third and fourth lines are more grinders who get occasional points. Third line is keyed by senior plugger Brian Gifford, who is paired with freshmen Drew Shore and Chris Knowlton. They have some size and can get the puck deep, and occasionally score on the forecheck. Shore is the most skilled of the bunch, but Knowlton is playing really well right now.
Fourth liners are Matt Glasser, Brandon Vossberg and Shawn Ostrow, younger brother of Kyle. These guys usually come out after goals, or to provide energy and their job is not to get scored on. Glasser is hard working and speedy, Vossberg is a big bodied PK guy and the younger Ostrow is a work in progress.
On defense, Denver is hurting. They lost a couple of regulars to injury (Chris Nutini and William Wrenn) and they are doing their best to fill the holes. Patrick Wiercioch is the most talented d-man - a first team all WCHA selection and second round draftee of Ottawa. He's a more offensive minded d-man with good range and a great shot. Lately, he's been paired with John Ryder, who is Denver's best pure hitter. The second pairing is Matt Donovan, who played on the US Junior team and is a talented offensive minded freshman, along with John Lee, a stay-at-home type. The third pair is freshman Paul Philips, an offensive d-man who is starting to come into his own, and senior Cody Brookwell, a big and bruising stay-at-home d-man. DU's defense may not be as talented as Wisconsin, but considering there is only one senior, they usually do a decent job in front of Chevy.
