
It all gets going tonight as the Golden Bears square off against the Denver Pioneers. The 3-games in 3-days schedule certainly doesn't favor Alberta and their opponents are no pushovers either.
The Pioneers have been a highly respectable program for decades and have produced a plethora of NHL talent including soon to be Hall of Fame inductee Glen Anderson. Paul Stastny and Matt Carle are two recent stars who began to shine as Pioneers.

Sunday night's game has them taking on Air Force, which can't really be described as a NCAA power but they aren't to be underestimated either. Players don't normally go on to fame and fortune from this program because, well because they obviously have an inclination to join the U.S. Air Force.

Monday night the Golden Bears will face what might be the stiffest test, at least according to the recently released NCAA poll. The Colorado College Tigers are the 5th ranked program in the NCAA just edging the Pionners to 6th.

As for Alberta, they might not be household names for a lot of fans but they have some players who can definitely be considered late bloomers with pro potential. Netminder Aaron Sorochan is now in his 4th year with the Bears and has two National Titles under his belt. Ben Kilgour is the senior player on the squad and after a terrific WHL career with the Tri-City Americans, he'll have pro options in 2009-10.

Ian MacDonald, Jason Fransoo, Jesse Gimblett, Eric Hunter (CHI & NYR)... these are all players worth keeping tabs on because their careers won't end when their CIS eligibility expires.
My personal prediction for the Bears this weekend: 1-1-1 with a win against Air Force, a tie either tonight in Denver or on Monday against Colorado College.
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