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Falcons beginning to earn respect from state rival Pioneers

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published January 18, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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University of Denver hockey coach George Gwozdecky cringed and smirked somewhat when he used a certain metaphor to describe the team at the Air Force Academy.

While referring to last season's Falcons squad, which stormed through the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs and nearly toppled top-seeded Minnesota in the first round of the West Regional at the Pepsi Center, Gwozdecky said Air Force might have flown "a bit under the radar."

The pun certainly was not intended, but more important to Gwozdecky and the Pioneers is the admission the Falcons are firmly entrenched on every opponent's radar.

Air Force, which again leads the midmajor AHA, gets its annual shot at the Front Range's traditional hockey powers this weekend when it hosts No. 4 DU tonight and visits No. 3 Colorado College on Saturday night.

"Air Force is in an even better position this year than last year," Gwozdecky said. "This year, they have been a model of consistency, the best team in their league. I don't think they are catching anybody by surprise. They may have the best team they've had in many years."

The Falcons have played well enough to ascend to the top of the AHA, but most observers agree the team has yet to consistently put together its best hockey.

Air Force has recorded a single series sweep since October and still is readjusting to the return of forward Mike Phillipich.

He posted 44 points last season, relieving some of the scoring burden from Hobey Baker Award finalist Eric Ehn, but missed 12 games because of an early knee injury before returning for the past six games.

Ehn is not quite scoring at the torrid pace he set last season, but the senior still is tied for fifth in the nation with 18 assists.

"We know they're a good team, and they're a team that prides themselves on their work ethic," Pioneers defenseman Chris Butler said. "You know they never are going to take a shift off. We have to play that same way, not only this game, but every game the rest of the season."

CLARIFICATION: DU officials refuted a report earlier this week made by the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's supervisor of officials regarding the controversial replay decision in the Jan. 11 against Wisconsin.

The claim was made that referee Randy Schmidt, who erroneously disallowed a Badgers goal that would have sent the game into overtime, watched a still frame of a split-second glitch in which the clock flashes all zeroes for a moment between 1 second remaining and 0.9 of a second remaining.

DU said freezing the video feed at such a juncture was not possible and that Schmidt watched the actual all-zero clock footage at the game's end, by which time the goal already had caromed out of the net.

On Thursday, the WCHA announced it had denied an appeal filed by Wisconsin seeking reinstatement of a point in light of the error.

Denver at Air Force

* When: 7 tonight.

* Where: Cadet Ice Arena (2,502 capacity), Air Force Academy.

* Records: Denver, 17-5; Air Force, 11-7-4.

* TV/radio: FSN Rocky Mountain; KCKK-AM (1510) in Denver and KKLM-AM (1300) in Colorado Springs.

* Leading scorers

Denver Pos. G A Pts.

Brock Trotter LW 12 17 29

Tyler Bozak C 10 11 21

Tyler Ruegsegger C 10 10 20

R. Rakhshani LW 7 8 15

Kyle Ostrow C/LW 8 5 13

Coach:

George Gwozdecky

Air Force Pos. G A Pts.

Eric Ehn C 6 18 24

Brent Olson RW 11 11 22

Jeff Hajner RW 8 10 18

Greg Flynn D 3 15 18

Josh Frider LW 7 6 13

Coach:

Frank Serratore

Notes: DU plays host to Bemidji State, which is coached by Serratore's brother, Tom, on Saturday at Magness Arena (7, no television, KCKK-AM 1510). . . . These are DU's final nonconference games of the season. . . . DU is ranked third in the season's first PairWise poll, which mimics the method used to select the NCAA tournament field. . . . Frank Serratore was Gwozdecky's predecessor at DU, where he compiled a 49-92-9 record in four seasons.

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