Juho Olkinuora replaced an injured Adam Murray during a loss at Michigan Tech on Oct. 28 and made his first start the following night, recording 27 saves to help DU escape the Western Collegiate Hockey Association series with a draw. Photo: Rich Clarkson and Associates/NCAA Photos

The journey across the ocean Juho Olkinuora made last summer en route to the University of Denver does not begin to compare to his odyssey since joining the Pioneers hockey program.

In just a few whirlwind months, Olkinuora, a freshman goaltender from Finland, has evolved from a last-minute insurance policy to a stopgap starter and, finally, into a player who should be a DU fixture for years to come.

A native of Helsinki, Olkinuora spent last season with Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League and hoped to continue his hockey career at the NCAA level. When no scholarship offers came his way, Olkinuora returned to Finland to contemplate a pro career in his homeland.

But Olkinuora got some good news when DU got some bad news. Sophomore goalie Sam Brittain underwent knee surgery last summer, sidelining him until at least the end of January, and the Pioneers were left without a bona fide backup for junior Adam Murray. Assistant Coach Steve Miller and former assistant Derek Lalonde scrambled to bring in a viable candidate, and soon Olkinuora was returning to the United States, eager to don DU’s crimson and gold.

Olkinuora was tabbed to serve as Murray’s backup but was thrown into the spotlight during the first half of the season as Murray battled nagging leg injuries.

“I wasn’t involved in recruiting [Olkinuora], but I’m sure it was done with the understanding of knowing what Sammy’s situation was and knowing that Adam was back and that there was a possibility [Olkinuora] might not play just because of the situation with the other two guys,” says assistant coach David Lassonde, who works closely with DU’s goaltenders.

The DU men’s ice hockey team faces off against WCHA conference rival Minnesota at Magness Arena on Friday and Saturday nights. Visit www.DenverPioneers.com for tickets and more information.

“Because of Sam’s situation and then Adam being hurt on and off the first part of the season, Juho has been — for lack of a better term, he’s been a savior,” Lassonde continues. “He’s done an excellent job when called upon under a situation he probably wasn’t expecting.”

Olkinuora replaced an injured Murray during a loss at Michigan Tech on Oct. 28 and made his first start the following night, recording 27 saves to help DU escape the Western Collegiate Hockey Association series with a draw.

Murray returned within a few weeks but soon aggravated his injury, leading to a string of 10 consecutive starts by Olkinuora from Nov. 25–Jan. 6. In the initial game of that stretch, Olkinuora posted his first career shutout, recording 38 saves in a 3-0 win against Princeton.

At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Olkinuora has relied heavily on his athleticism to make saves. Under the tutelage of Lassonde, Olkinuora believes his mental approach and positioning in the crease have improved tremendously.

“Mentally, I feel more comfortable. The guys have been very welcoming,” Olkinuora says. “I think that is a big reason why I have been improving. I used to be more like a guy who wobbles around and scrambles everywhere, in goalie terms.”

Ever so slowly, Olkinuora is falling back into the role he expected when he left Finland for Denver. Murray recently returned to action and has been sharing starting duties with Olkinuora. And with Brittain’s return looming, Olkinuora’s role could diminish further.

Nevertheless, Olkinuora says he could not be happier with the chain of events that brought him to DU. Throughout the season, Olkinuora has hovered at the edge of the top 20 nationally in goaltender rankings—a huge achievement for a guy with no scholarship offers less than a year ago. And he understands he could not have scripted his sudden success at DU any more dramatically.

“There are so many things about DU that I didn’t know when I committed to come here, but that I’ve realized are a real asset, a real treasure,” Olkinuora said. “It was a great decision, even if I didn’t know it all then. I didn’t do my research as good as I should have, but the facilities, the coaching staff, the academics, the teachers, the dorms … I’m glad to be here.”

The unyielding glare from the added glut of cameras will be difficult to miss. As will the familiar faces of the talking heads who will be reporting the action courtside. And, if all goes according to plan, there will be a vibrant atmosphere within Magness Arena as Pioneers fans look to show the country what the excitement is all about in the Mile High City.

Scott promised to bring big-time college basketball to DU when he arrived prior to the 2007–08 season, and on Saturday part of that dream will be realized in front of a national audience as the Pioneers take on Sun Belt Conference rival Middle Tennessee in a showdown that will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The national television appearance is a reward for the Pioneers’ strong start, but it also is an opportunity to showcase a team making a strong push toward a postseason bid. Just don’t tell that to Scott. Although DU is enjoying its best run during his five seasons at the helm, Scott has been busy repeating his take-it-a-game-at-a-time mantra. And he does not want that to change just because the spotlight is suddenly growing brighter.

“I’ve been stressing it all year—don’t get too high, don’t get too low,” Scott says. “In this sport, within one game you have good times, you have bad times. You’re going to have good games; you’re going to have not-so good games. You can’t get concerned with that. You have to move on to the next game. You have to move on to the next play within a game. You have to move on to the next shot. And you can’t concern yourself with anything that might happen in the future. It doesn’t matter.”

ESPN decided to air the DU-Middle Tennessee tilt in part because the clubs arguably have been the most consistent performers in the Sun Belt.

Middle Tennessee has led the league’s East Division throughout the season, beginning the week with a 20-3 overall mark and an unblemished 9-0 conference mark that has given the Blue Raiders a comfortable cushion atop the East Division.

Despite a second loss in three games last Saturday at Arkansas-Little Rock, DU remains in the thick of the West Division race with UALR, North Texas, and Louisiana-Lafayette. All four teams started the week within one game of each other in the six-team division. The Pioneers have shuttled in and out of the Collegeinsider.com mid-major top 25 poll and this week are ranked atop the “others receiving votes” category, which essentially means DU is ranked 26th in the nation among mid-major programs.

Saturday’s nationally televised match will be DU’s third contest against teams ranked in the top 10 of this week’s mid-major poll. Early in the season, DU suffered home losses against No. 3 St. Mary’s and No. 9 Iona, which needed a late comeback and overtime before finally dispatching the Pioneers. Middle Tennessee is ranked sixth.

“That’s why we came here—to play in big games that put Denver basketball on the map in some ways,” senior guard Brian Stafford says. “We’re excited for that. We haven’t worried about that at all at this point. It’s just going to be like any other game. We’re going to prepare the same way and hopefully give our best effort.”

While the Pioneers remain focused on larger prizes, such as the Sun Belt crown and a potential postseason appearance, Saturday’s appearance on ESPN2 nevertheless will be a crowning moment for a program that has slowly battled its way into national relevance.

“Obviously it’s the first time it’s happened since I’ve been here,” senior forward Rob Lewis says. “It’s amazing to see the progression from the first year we were here, and there was no chance we would ever be on ESPN, to now where we’re contending at the top of the division. ESPN and other national outlets have recognized that. It’s cool. It feels good that the hard work has paid off.”

Dave Flemming will call the play-by-play, and Sean Farnham will serve as the color analyst. This is the first time ESPN has broadcast a DU men’s basketball game from Magness Arena.

The basketball game highlights an exciting weekend for Denver Athletics. Additionally, the women’s basketball team hosts Middle Tennessee in a battle of the Sun Belt Conference West and East Division leaders. The game time was changed to 4:30 p.m. as the second half of a doubleheader with the men.

The No. 15 Pioneer hockey team plays No. 11 Colorado College at Magness Arena at 7:37 p.m. Friday. The game, which marks the 282nd time the two archrivals have met, will air live on ROOT SPORTS.  Denver needs two points to retain the Gold Pan Trophy for the third consecutive season.

The No. 15 DU gymnastics team hosts the prestigious Burnsley Invitational, featuring Iowa State and Alaska Anchorage, at 6 p.m. Saturday at Hamilton Gymnasium. Men’s and women’s tennis also are in action at Denver Country Club and Colorado Athletic Club-Monaco, respectively. Visit DenverPioneers.com for more information.

Several additional events have been planned in conjunction with the basketball games, including performances by a cappella group Urban Method, which finished third on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” last season, and a student shot to win $50,000 at halftime of the men’s basketball game.

Prior to the game, beginning at 11 a.m., students and fans are invited to the Driscoll Lawn, where various student groups will have spirit stations set up and the DU Grilling Society will serve free food to those in attendance. At 1 p.m., the pep band, cheerleaders and dance team will help parade fans into Magness Arena for the game.

The Denver men’s basketball team is 16-6 overall and 6-3 in the Sun Belt Conference, currently in a tie for second place in the SBC West Division. DU’s wins include Saint Mary’s, currently No. 16 in the nation, and Southern Mississippi, which is No. 11 in the RPI. Middle Tennessee is 20-3 overall and 9-0 in the SBC, leading the East Division.

Men’s and women’s basketball individual game tickets range from $9-$15, and gymnastics tickets are $9. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. The hockey game against Colorado College is sold out.

DU students are admitted to all Denver men’s and women’s basketball games free with their Pioneer Card.

Saturday’s meet will be streamed live on Pioneer Vision.

“We are thrilled to get to compete in front of our home crowd for the first time this season,” head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart says. “This meet provides a great chance to see the two Division I gymnastics programs in the state of Colorado.”

The Pioneers are 84-4 all-time against Air Force and 6-5 all-time against Centenary.

Sophomore Melodie Pulgarin Linero (Barcelona, Spain) won the Pioneers’ first event of the season Jan. 20 at No. 22 Missouri, winning the All-Around with a 38.900.

Individual and season tickets are on sale for the 2012 season. For information, visit www.DenverPioneers.com or call the Ritchie Center Box Office at 303-871-2336.

Emiko Smith averaged 5.0 assists as a freshman and improved to 5.8 assists a game last year as a sophomore. Heading into Wednesday’s home game against Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State, Smith has averaged 6.4 assists while recording a career-best scoring average of 8.8 points a game. Photo: Rich Clarkson & Associates

Sometimes it’s all about who you know.

Erik Johnson, head coach of the University of Denver women’s basketball team, will never argue that point. Particularly when he considers the fortuitous recruitment of junior point guard Emiko Smith.

Smith recently etched her name in Pioneers lore by breaking the program’s all-time assists record, a mark she may eventually put out of reach with a full season-plus still remaining in her collegiate career.

Yet Johnson stumbled upon Smith, a Los Angeles native, by accident.

It was during the 2008–09 season, Johnson’s first at DU, when the coach heard from Steve Smith, Emiko Smith’s coach at Windward High School and a voice from his past. Coach Smith (no relation to Emiko) had been head coach at Division III Dominican University when Johnson was a player at nearby California-San Diego in the early 1990s. Over the years, the pair maintained a relationship.

Even though the Pioneers already had their point guard of the future in Jenny Vaughan, a Canadian national team member — and even though it was quite late in the recruiting process — Coach Smith nonetheless felt compelled to bend Johnson’s ear about his shifty point guard who was getting overlooked.

Fortunately for DU, Johnson listened.

“Emi was a player that I think was way, way under the radar,” Johnson says. “We knew she was a great passer. We knew she could pass; we knew she could handle the ball. We knew she was going to be solid. I wish I could take credit and say I knew this kid was going to be unbelievable.

“There are only like two coaches in the world who remember me when I was a player,” Johnson continues. “[Coach Smith] called me up and said, ‘EJ, I’ve known you for 20 years. I promise you, this is your point guard. There is a package in the mail with DVDs. Don’t call me back until you watch the DVDs.’”

As soon as Johnson received the package, he called in his staff—assistants Yvonne Hawkins, Shelley Sheetz and Lisa Faulkner—for an impromptu video session.

“We put the DVDs in and we watched for about 10 minutes,” Johnson says. “Shelley got up and said, ‘Yep, that’s her.’ Lisa got up and said, ‘Yep, that’s her.’ Me and Hawk just sat there and decided we ought to offer this kid a scholarship. We were fortunate that I listened to an old friend.”

As fate would have it, Vaughan left the program before Smith’s freshman season, and the California native has been a fixture in the Pioneers’ lineup ever since. During a home win against Troy on Dec. 28, Smith made history.

As she does so instinctively, Smith found the open teammate in freshman Jordan Johnston. And when Johnston knocked down the three-pointer, Smith earned assist No. 428, surpassing Heather Holter (1989–93) as the Pioneers’ all-time leader.

Smith was recognized at Magness Arena during the next timeout and again during the following home game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Dec. 31.

“It’s a huge honor and a huge accomplishment,” Smith says. “It’s definitely not only me. It’s all my coaches and teammates and past players. It’s a culmination of everything, and I hope to make it an even greater accomplishment and make an even higher mark for future DU point guards to reach.”

Smith has continued to improve, even as her role has evolved this season.

As a freshman and sophomore, Smith routinely piled up assists by simply passing the ball to a trio of 1,000-point scorers — Kaetlyn Murdoch, Britteni Rice and Brianna Culberson. This year, with Rice and Culberson gone and Smith tasked with providing additional offense, it was easy to foresee a dip in her assists total. That, however, has not been the case.

Smith averaged 5.0 assists as a freshman and improved to 5.8 assists a game last year as a sophomore. Heading into Wednesday’s home game against Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State, Smith has averaged 6.4 assists while recording a career-best scoring average of 8.8 points a game.

Even though Johnson has asked Smith to become more offense-minded, her increased forays into the lane have led to open looks for her teammates as frequently as they have led to baskets by Smith. She hopes to keep padding her assists total long enough to help DU win its first Sun Belt Conference tournament title in its final season in the league.

“As a point guard, you want to be a high-assists kid, but you also want to be a huge contributor to the team,” says Smith, who also is on pace to break her own single-season assists record. “I didn’t plan it to happen, but I’m glad it did. Being a point guard, you want to reach goals like that. To do it halfway through my junior year, it’s a great feeling.”

Colorado State Volleyball Associate Head Coach Jesse Mahoney has been named volleyball head coach at the University of Denver, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations Peg Bradley-Doppes announced recently.

Mahoney succeeds Beth Kuwata and becomes the sixth head coach in DU volleyball history since the program’s inception in 1983. Mahoney spent seven seasons under legendary head coach Tom Hilbert with Colorado State, including four as associate head coach. Mahoney helped the Rams to a 188-55 record, seven NCAA tournament appearances and five Mountain West Conference championships in his seven seasons.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jesse into the Pioneer family,” Bradley-Doppes says. “Jesse is a well-known, respected coach at the regional and national levels. He is a teacher of the game and is a very articulate coach. Jesse has a strong understanding of the student-athlete and the expectations here at the University of Denver. He has the competitive drive and passion to take our volleyball program to the next level.”

While at CSU, Mahoney put together three recruiting classes ranked in the nation’s top 25 by PrepVolleyball.com. The 2007 class was ranked 14th in the country, the 2008 squad stacked up as No. 22, and the 2010 class rated as No. 15.

“First and foremost, I’m thankful to Peg Bradley-Doppes and her associates for offering me this opportunity,” Mahoney said. “It was clear during my visit how much pride everyone has for the University of Denver, and I immediately felt at home. I’m very excited about the support, commitment and expectations for the volleyball program. I’m looking forward to meeting the student-athletes and eager to get in the gym and begin working.”

A native of Boulder, Colo., Mahoney received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from CU in 1995 and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1999.

Last week was a busy week for the Crimson and Gold skiers. They made up the slalom races of the CU Spenser Nelson Memorial Invite in Breckenridge, Colo., where freshman Trevor Philp (Calgary, Alberta) finished in second place, fresh off his first FIS World Cup race in Switzerland. The Nordic team closed out the CU Invite in Steamboat Springs, Colo., helping Denver to a fourth-place finish overall. DU’s Kate Dolan (Bozeman, Mont.) and junior Andrew Dougherty (Anchorage, Alaska) finished sixth and seventh, respectively in their freestyle race. Last Saturday and Sunday was the first leg of the Denver Invitational. Behind another second-place slalom finish by Philp, the Pioneers currently sit in third place, behind Utah and Colorado.

Denver has a 7-1 home record this season, winning by an average of 14.1 points per game. Junior point guard Emiko Smith is DU’s all-time assists leader, surpassing Heather Holter (1989-93). Senior forward and co-Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Kaetlyn Murdoch is averaging a team-best 17.9 points and is currently on the brink of achieving a pair of milestones. Murdoch is fourth in all-time scoring (1,620 points) at DU and second in career blocks (257). The Texas native is 30 points shy of tying Tammy Baca (1989-93) for third in career scoring and two blocks short of owning the school record for blocks in a career.

Women’s basketball individual game tickets range from $8-$11. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted free to all men’s and women’s basketball games with their Pioneer Card.

This Week’s Pioneer home schedule

DU head backetball coach Joe Scott goes over a play whiel assistant coach A.J. Kuhle, left, looks on. Photo: Rich Clarkson & Associates

Like many longstanding personal and professional relationships, this one had humble beginnings.

And neither Joe Scott nor A.J. Kuhle had the slightest inkling it was one that would endure for more than a dozen years and counting. Yet endure it has, and the duo remains hard at work toward lifting the University of Denver men’s basketball team to heights they enjoyed when they coached together at the Air Force Academy.

Kuhle, an assistant coach for the Pioneers, was Scott’s first recruit when he began his tenure as Air Force’s head coach in 2000. Scott then brought Kuhle on board when he took over at DU in 2007.

“Thinking back, it seems like it was yesterday, but it was a long time ago,” says Kuhle, a native of Concord, Calif. “We talked on the phone throughout the course of the year … they brought me out on an official visit, and that was my first introduction to him and the Air Force Academy. This was late senior year, and I was a late signee. After sitting down and having a talk with coach and seeing the facilities there and listening to the plan that he wanted to implement to build the program, it made sense to who I am and how I could help.

“I think the main thing was the detail of his plan and the opportunity to play basketball at that level and get a great education. Very similar to the things we have here — you play at a high level against good competition every year, and then you’re going to get an education that’s valued from yourself and from the outside. You have kind of unlimited opportunities afterwards there.”

By his own admission, Kuhle was not a top-flight recruit when he first visited Scott at Air Force.

Kuhle was a late bloomer, a scrappy talent out of Northern California with lanky arms and a gritty disposition that belied his fair complexion.

Scott recognized these traits, and another critical one as well. Kuhle was a gym rat through and through, boasting the sort of work ethic and determination that would allow him to maximize every ounce of talent he owned. It was these sorts of traits Scott believed were required to lift Air Force from its perennial doldrums into the NCAA tournament.

“I think what was really important was that he went to a really good high school and played for a really good high school team with a really good high school coach,” Scott says. “What was most important to me, and what I think came through the most, he wanted to go somewhere where he would get a good education and where he was going to be able to play Division I basketball and try to get to be as good as he could be. I think he really wanted to be good at basketball. That’s what I remember the most.

“For me, starting out on my first [head coaching] job, those are the kinds of guys you want to get. Those are the kinds of guys you want to build a program around. They are gym rats. They want to be good. They are going to do whatever they can to make the program better. I think that is why it is important that we got him. That provides a foundation you can build off of.”

Kuhle and his Air Force teammates helped put together the Falcons’ first winning season in 25 years while earning the program’s first NCAA tournament berth in 42 years at the end of Kuhle’s senior season in 2004.

Kuhle, a four-year letterman under Scott, immediately went to work for his alma mater, joining Air Force’s staff as an assistant the following year, even after Scott had moved on to his own alma mater, Princeton.

“It was a lot of hard work. (Scott) stressed it from the beginning that it would take that,” Kuhle says. “You have to have a group of guys that are willing to sacrifice to work the long, hard hours to put enough time in to become successful at basketball and really understand how to play the game the right way, where you are only caring about the end result, and that’s winning.”

That is the exact sort of atmosphere Scott and Kuhle are trying to cultivate at DU. With most of the team set to return after a season marred by a series of crushing injuries as well as the addition of several freshmen expected to make immediate contributions, Scott and his long time protégé believe this upcoming season could be the one in which DU finally turns the sort of corner the duo witnessed together at Air Force.

“I think the map to get to the same level of success is the same,” Kuhle says. “Obviously different pieces, different cogs you’re putting in, different players — all those things. It’s trying to mold those pieces to really make that same model successful. We’re getting close with the guys we have incoming and the team we’re returning.”

Scherr has more than 20 years in sports management leadership, including serving as chief executive officer of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and executive director of USA Wrestling. He was introduced at a news conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the conference will be headquartered.

“I am honored to have been selected by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference to become its first commissioner,” Scherr says. “I am grateful to the athletic directors and coaches of our conference’s member institutions for their support, confidence and trust. We have just 21 months before we drop the puck to launch our first season and there’s a lot to accomplish. This is a once-in-a-career opportunity, and I look forward to leading a conference — including the eight outstanding hockey programs with their coaches, staffs, student-athletes and fans — that has the potential to become the premier single-sport conference in intercollegiate athletics.”

The eight member institutions of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference are: University of Denver, Colorado College, Miami University, University of Minnesota-Duluth, University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University.

Scherr will immediately begin building a staff and working on several organizational functions and projects, including hockey operations and competition, business development and marketing initiatives.

Scherr served as CEO of the USOC from 2005–09, overseeing 45 Olympic sports and directing the day-to-day operations of an organization dedicated to providing unparalleled service and support to America’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. During that time, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team collected 110 medals — the most ever for an American Olympic team in a non-boycotted games. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Team USA finished an impressive second with 25 Olympic medals — the highest total for an American team in a Winter Games held outside of the United States.

Scherr was interim CEO of the USOC from 2003–05 and led the organization through a critical period that resulted in the most comprehensive reorganization of its governance and management structures in history, culminating with sweeping changes to the USOC constitution and bylaws and the appointment of a new, 11-person board of directors in May 2004. He was chief of sport performance for the USOC from 2000–03.

A former Olympian and a world silver and bronze medalist in men’s freestyle wrestling, Scherr served as executive director of USA Wrestling from 1990–2000. He successfully reorganized and restructured the national office, resulting in record levels of athlete and coach memberships, initiated a financial turnaround and spurred an upsurge in wrestling participation and medals.

Most recently, Scherr was founder and CEO of 776 Original Marketing in Colorado Springs, a company he started in 2009 to provide marketing and public relations services. Clients have included national governing bodies, international federations and other sports organizations.

Scherr has been inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Nebraska Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was NCAA Division I wrestling champion for the University of Nebraska in 1984, USA Wrestling Man of the Year in 1994 and a member of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team in 1986, 1988 and 1989.

Scherr graduated from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1985 and earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1989.

“The selection of Jim Scherr as our first commissioner is the culmination of a thorough, national search to identify an exceptional sports business executive who will provide the leadership, vision and credibility to make our new conference the benchmark for excellence in collegiate hockey,” says Brian Faison, athletic director at the University of North Dakota. “While the position attracted dozens of very impressive candidates, Jim distinguished himself as someone who exceeded the leadership criteria established by our athletic directors. Jim’s depth of experience will serve the conference well, and we are delighted he has agreed to accept this important position.”