![\"Denver](\"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/images\/colorscans\/20092010\/Cheverie.jpg\")
<\/p>\n“It was really good to be around him and see his practice habits, and obviously becoming good friends was a good overall experience for sure,” Cheverie said of Mannino.<\/p>\n
One thing his teammates have noticed about Cheverie’s play this season is his calm demeanor, which the team seems to feed off of.<\/p>\n
“I always tell people I think his leadership on this team is huge, and that drips down,” said Rakhshani. “Every single game he plays, he’s ready to go, and I think everyone else on our team feeds off that preparation.”<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot less uncertainty,” said Cheverie, when asked about his play this season. “If you look at this time last year, now that I’ve proved myself, I know I can play at this level and succeed and excel, and once you know that, there’s no real reason to panic. If you’re focused and relaxed, chances are you’ll have a good game.”<\/p>\n
Cheverie’s play is one reason for the Pioneers’ success this season. Denver is ranked No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll and is first in the WCHA.<\/p>\n
“Last year was a year where he played a year on a regular basis, and I think the confidence he gained from that, the understanding and know how of what it takes to play at this level, together with what he’s done with his strength and conditioning in the off-season, based upon how he played, I think those are the reasons he’s continued to improve and develop like he has,” said Gwozdecky.<\/p>\n
Now a veteran, Cheverie finds himself in the mentoring position that Mannino had with him a few years ago, as he helps freshman Adam Murray adjust to the speed of college hockey, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.<\/p>\n
“In practices or when the goalies go out to work on things, he’s always there, helping them out and encouraging them,” said Ruegsegger. “I think as the starting goalie, that’s your job. I know Mannino did it with Cheverie and I think he’s passing the torch along.”<\/p>\n
For Denver, which has a young defensive core, having Cheverie is a huge boon, and helps the team play better.<\/p>\n
“I think you don’t want to look at it that way, that if the puck gets behind us then ‘Chevs’ will save it, but I think you still have to be very defensive and I think our team has learned that if we’re not being very good on defense, then Chevy will save us out from time to time,” said Rakhshani.<\/p>\n
Echoed Gwozdecky, “I think it helps them relax and helps the whole team feel more comfortable. They don’t have to be mistake-free. Marc is there and is going to correct many mistakes they make in front of him. I think whether it’s the young ‘D’ corps or those old veteran guys, it’s the same feeling of the confidence you have knowing that you’ve got a guy back there who can make you look pretty good at times.”<\/p>\n
For Cheverie and the rest of the Pioneers, however, the goal is getting back to the NCAA tournament and doing better than they have the past two years, where they flamed out in the first round. Cheverie acknowledges that there is some pressure from being the front-runner, but isn’t worried about it right now.<\/p>\n
“We might be No. 2 or No. 3, but it doesn’t matter until those PairWise Rankings come out. I don’t even pay attention to them. I’m looking forward to getting back there, but we have a long season ahead of us.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In his junior year, Marc Cheverie has already set a Denver record for shutout minutes and seems poised to lead the Pioneers deep this season. Candace Horgan reports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n