Magness Arena home for Mayfield

Scott Mayfield's crimson and gold Denver jersey may have fit in with the color scheme at Magness Arena, but it definitely stood out among his New York Islanders teammates.
The Islanders were practicing at the University of Denver on Saturday and when the defenseman walked into his college rink, the jersey was waiting for him in his stall. He insists it wasn't planned, nor was getting to practice at his alma mater, but Mayfield made sure to enjoy the experience.

"I saw it on the schedule and it was exciting, it's nice to come back," Mayfield said. "The jersey was just hanging in my stall. A little fun and games here."

Mayfield played two seasons for the Pioneers, racking up 29 points (7G, 22A) over that span. Mayfield made two NCAA tournament appearances during his time at Denver and was on the NCAA All-Academic team in 2012-13.
He was right at home at Magness Arena, where he still comes to train and skate in the offseason. It's an intimate arena with steep seats (6,026 for hockey), a loud student section in the end zone where Denver shoots twice and a host of banners in the rafters. It's one of the few hockey arenas that has a skiing national championship banner, but that seems fitting at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
"Looking around always brings back memories," Mayfield said.
Denver had always called to Mayfield, even when he was a kid. There was a family connection as his father Andy went to law school at Denver and his brother Patrick went to the Air Force Academy about an hour outside of the city. He said he got his first Pioneers jersey at 10 years old and had a one-track mind, visiting only one school when applying to college.

"I had always wanted to play here since I was little," Mayfield said. "The second they offered I took it. I looked other places, North Dakota and Miami of Ohio were probably the two others, but the second I came here I loved it."
(Had he gone to North Dakota he would have played with Brock Nelson, but instead the two played against each other in the 2012 WCHA Final, with Nelson and UND winning 4-0.)
Denver is Mayfield's adopted home. The St. Louis native now lives in Colorado during the offseason, as does his parents and his girlfriend's family. He's expecting 40 friends and family to be at the Islanders-Avalanche game on Sunday and is looking forward to playing professionally at Pepsi Center for the first time, just down the road from DU.
"It is my second home, so it's definitely special," Mayfield said.