Stars Will Be Out (And Some Sitting Out) This Weekend In Denver

The #2 ranked North Dakota Fighting Sioux travel to Denver to take on the preseason #1 Pioneers. Tons of great players will be featured, led by DU Senior forward Rhett Rakhshani, who is 6th in the WCHA in scoring, and 2nd in goals.  Tyler Ruegsegger is 5th in the conference with 5 goals. He is tied with, among others, North Dakota’s Jason Gregoire.

North Dakota has jumped out to an uncharacteristically hot start this year. Usually they hover around the .500 mark before taking off in the 2nd half, but this year they already have 7 wins. They also sit in 2nd in the WCHA with 11 points, just 2 behind league leaders Colorado College. Denver meanwhile has put together a good start, currently in 3rd in the WCHA, but with 2 games in hand on both North Dakota and Colorado College. However, Denver has outscored their opponents by just 1 goal, so perhaps the start is semi a mirage?

But, this weekend’s series will be notable for who is not there moreso than who is. Hobey Baker candidate Chay Genoway (4-6–10) won’t be there as he is still woozy from a hit he suffered last Friday night against St. Cloud. Meanwhile, Denver may or may not be without Sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch and goalie Marc Cheverie. Wiercioch sprained his right MCL against Alaska-Anchorage, and I doubt he will play this weekend, as Denver won’t want to rush him back. Cheverie, meanwhile, suffered a gruesome injury when a skate slashed through his leg in the series against Minnesota State. Cheverie targeted this weekend for a return, but the team would like to hold him out for an extra week.

Regardless of if those three play, it should be a fantastic series, but there’s no doubt it would be one of the matchups of the year if they do play.