Game Night!

Alright, the blog is back after some technical issues this week. The goal was to change the actual address of the site but I ran into some complications, SO, I just added another address to the site. You can enter the current address "www.supportcctigerhockey.blogspot.com" OR you can enter "tigerhockey.info". Both will get you to the same place but I will be publicly using the new one, something about it rolling off the tongue easier :).
So, most of you are probably wondering why its 9pm and I'm just now putting up the info for the game, games are usually over in about an hour from now right? Not so tonight. CC is on Alaska Time Zone this weekend which is 2 full hours behind Colorado. I never even knew this existed so I had to go do some research. The game is scheduled to start at 9:37 Mountain time so while you are waiting, here is some reading from the week:

Anything you could ever want to know about the game is found on the CC Athletics site

From the USCHO Week in WCHA
No. 4 Colorado College @ Alaska-Anchorage
Poll Movement: CC — stayed put after splitting with DU. UAA — went from receiving five votes to three after being idle.
Overall Records: CC — 8-4 (8-2 WCHA). UAA — 4-3-3 (1-3-2 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: CC leads the all-time series 41-11-3.
Top Scorers: CC — Chad Rau (9-6-15). UAA — Kevin Clark (5-6-11).
Goaltenders: CC — Richard Bachman (10 gp, 8-2, 1.70 GAA, .944 sv %). UAA — Jon Olthuis (9 gp, 3-3-3, 2.93 GAA, .888 sv %).

From the WCHA blog
Colorado College at Alaska Anchorage
Friday – 10:30 p.m. CST
Saturday – 10 p.m. CST

The first place Colorado College Tigers will look pad their four-point lead over DU for first place in the WCHA as they head north to take on Alaska Anchorage this weekend. They key to these games will be the Seawolves’ ability to slow down CC’s high-octane offense, which is led by the likes of Chad Rau, Jimmy Kilpatrick, and Billy Sweatt. They are averaging 3.6 GPG in WCHA play; the Seawolves have been scoring just 2.17 GPG in conference play, and go up against one of the conference’s best goaltenders in the form of Tiger freshman Richard Bachman, who has been the biggest surprise of the season so far. Expect CC to handle UAA handily in one night, but don’t be surprised if the Seawolves push the Tigers to the limit in one of the two contests.

IMPORTANT BLOG NOTICE!

The blog will be down Tuesday night until Thursday night as it transitions over to its new domain name: TigerHockey.info
For those of you who have the old address bookmarked, don't worry! It will still work and will redirect you to the new name. Nothing will change just the name but I felt it was more appropriate and relevant to the site!

Media Rivalry

If you haven't read it already, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post recently wrote in his blog about the CC-DU series. Naturally, some over sensitive fans got mad about "bias" in his blog and wrote him letters. Naturally, he wrote a response to that in his next blog, saying it's all in perception and of course, the Denver Post is a state wide paper (and the best by far) so they cover everything. Now we have some bickering going on in the comments section (like usual). Great huh? Here is what I have to say about that, so what? It's college hockey! Just sit back and watch. Yea we hate DU and they hate CC, but we all live in freaking Colorado! So hate each other when we play and just sit back and watch and quietly route for the CO teams the rest of the season. There are plenty of other teams to hate for better reasons: michigan just cuz it's michigan and they suck at life, notre dame because they think they are entitled to the world, and any boston area team for any sport because the media loves them and they think they rule. Sorry New Englanders, but I would rather take my 65 degree sunny December's than your crappy humid, wind, dreary, snow-filled winters. So what if your live in Boston, we live in freaking Colorado!

Splitsville, CC 2 DU 3

The Tigers go 1-for-6 on the power play and fall 3-2 as DU rebounds at home Saturday night.

Tigers DUmp Pioneers

The Tigers scoring explosion continued Friday night with a 5-1 stomping of DU at the World Arena. The Tigers were a step ahead all night and took advantage of every opportunity to frustrate and bury their I25 rivals. Chad Rau led the way with 3 goals and Bachman was again stellar in net with 28 saves and lots of help from his teammates. At one point in the second period, the puck was headed for the net and with no more than one inch to spare, it was batted away in mid-air by a CC defender. The game could have been much worse for DU. In the third period, after CC scored goal number 5, Denver lost their class. Fights ensued and the penalty boxes were loaded (at one point DU had 4 in at one time). After the smoke had cleared and the wrestling matches were through, CC came out with a rare 4 on 3 power play. Minutes later, a DU player lost his composure and blasted a Tiger from behind in front of the CC bench and received a 5 minute penalty. CC held the puck in the DU zone almost the entire 5 on 3 portion of that penalty and registered 7 shots on goal with each and every one causing the World Arena crowd to jump to its feet. By this time, "DU SUCKS" was ringing constantly across the arena as the Pioneers desperately tried to get any puck away from a Tiger. No luck as the Tigers played like they had glue on their sticks and skated around and through the men in red. CC looked great all night, especially since they were up against the number 3 team in the nation who was also on a roll. Let's hope the change of venue tomorrow night doesn't change a thing!
USCHO Box Score

Sign of the night: "you can't spell DUmb without DU" held up by a young girl

Sightings of the night:

• Janet Testwuide walked by me twice on the way to the press box sporting her split CC/DU jersey, pretty sweet uni

• I also spotted a Lincoln Stars hat and sweatshirt a few rows in front of me. Of course, that is where current Tiger Steve Schultz played last season (among numerous other WCHA players) and also the team I was watching through college the past 4 years.

• With the DU box overflowing, the fans around the box took to jeering the players. In a rare sighting, the players yelled back. As the play continued, I could see the DU players in the sin-bin looking toward the fans (obviously yelling), the fans would look over and yell back. At one point the entire section stood up and cheered. Wish I could have heard that exchange!

2 hours until the puck drops

Profiles of the DU-CC series by the du blog/RM news and the wcha blog

One step short

The DU blog pokes fun at CC's low moments over the past...well the past. The biggest thing I've noticed is that CC is always good and always has a competitive team, they are always just one step short, ya know, second best. I still remember the loss to Michigan in the 1996 National Championship game, might have been the first game I ever watched (and until I read the actual article the day after, I thought the game was played in Michigan because of all their fans...though we might have had 40 instead of 35 dg, haha). Oh and it should be noted that freakin Marty Turco was the Michigan goalie that year, ya know the stud NHL goalie? Anyway, CC has suffered way too many years (50!) without a title. The remaining alums are all holed up at Village at Skyline now just waiting for the sun to set that one last time (just remember Grandpa, no smoking while you are on your oxygen...)
I remember the game a few years in 05 back against DU in the sweet all WCHA Frozen Four. I skipped class to watch CC finally beat DU after 3 straight losses, a time when it mattered most. Instead, I saw DU score 6 power play goals and embarrass our proud program on ESPN. Yikes.
It's been rough, maybe this year will be the year. Heck, even winning the Broadmoor Trophy would be nice since it was named after the freakin resort they used to play at! Maybe all this waiting keeps us coming back for more, hoping for the Tigers to finally break through and get some national respect (and a big shiny trophy!). Whatever the case, it leaves most of the loyal fans die-hards and keeps the band-wagoners out (Rockies anyone?). 2 days until some amazing WCHA action!!!

DU, CC hit top 5

In the newest USCHO poll, the Pioneers and landed and 3 and 4 respectively setting up a HUGE weekend series this week. DU jumped up one spot while CC jumped three places after sweeping (and kicking the crap out of) Wisconsin last weekend. UW is now 12. The WCHA remains strong with 7 teams in the Top 20. CC and DU are ranked the same in the USA Today poll this week with North Dakota at 5 instead of 6. Miami OH and evil michigan remain 1-2.

Yo Tiger Fans!

CC blog spot
So I was looking through the analytics of my site and realized that, of my season high of visitors yesterday, the majority were referrals from our "fan forums" that were responsible for my first slew of interest late last season when I got started. I'm flattered by all the interest there is out there in TigerLand. Reading all your comments just gives me that much more enthusiasm for keeping this blog rockin! Oh and the song is a remix of Remember the Name by Fort Minor with some DJ/digitizer guy name Maclane that ads the symphony-ness.

You guys all rock! I've been getting tips and compliments from dggoddard my fellow blogger of the DU Pioneers, pretty sweet. We will see how sweet it is this particular week ;) I know that Kate Crandall has a blog as well that provides us that insider prospective while I take the fan perspective. I've been a little disappointed in her printed articles though. Her story about the UW game focused on when the Tigers were scoring (PP vs EVEN), I kinda felt that went completely away from the point that they KILLED the Badgers! Oh well, she's the professional writer and I'm just the amateur ;) I still would like to meet her in person though, ya know, blogger to blogger, haha.

Thanks for spreading the word, the more you do that, the more this blog will bring you!

Tigers bury Badgers 6-1

It was close when first puck was dropped and not much past that. CC dominated Wisconsin en route to a 6-1 blowout Saturday night. About the only thing UW had tonight was more shots. They looked sloppy with the puck and misplayed countless pucks off the boards, which of course can always be attributed to an unfamiliar arena. We were debating after the game whether CC looked that good or Wisconsin was just that bad. I think it was a little bit of both. Wisconsin's star goalie Shane Connelly only lasted 2 periods giving up 5 goals on 22 shots. CC's Richard Bachman looked sharp again making 31 saves and only allowing 1 goal on a quick rush to start the third. Once the Tigers got their 6th goal it turned ugly as Wisconsin tried hard to beat up the Tigers and start a fight after almost every whistle. It was a pathetic display of sportsmanship and after one penalty, Billy Sweatt simple laughed and pointed up at the jumbotron.
We sat behind the student section for the first time at a CC game (I sat there a loong time ago for a Gold Kings game) and I must say it was a blast. With the vertical view of the arena it was easy to see plays develop and open passes. And me being a college student only 6 months removed, it was great to get back in that atmosphere. Good times. Pics will be up shortly

Bathroom quote of the night: While we are all waiting after the second intermission (5-0) in line a Badger fan walks in and a CC fan says "hey, bend over!". Hilarious! and all in good fun, no butts or feelings were hurt.

From the stands: Some obvious new fans were behind us when the CC students chanted their first "Connelly you suck d*ck!". From behind me "what did they say?!", "sounded like "you suck d*ck". I readily confirmed what they had heard and let them know that the opposing goalie is the weekly victim of that chant. They loved it.

Box score from USCHO

In case you missed it

Here are some of the pre-series news, notes and stories for your Saturday afternoon enjoyment.

Wisconsin looks to see what they are made of in The Springs

The Wisconsin Hockey blog looks at the challenges of the Tigers #1 goaltender as well as general notes about the Badger team.

Open ice and thin air are the topics on the Badger Herald

The solid Denver Post blogger Mike Chambers takes a look at the early Hobey Baker possibilities in CC goalie Bachman and DU goalie Mannino

The Tigers go for the sweep tonight in the official BLACKOUT GAME!!!
WEAR BLACK!!!! GO TIGERS!!!!

Tigers win Friday night 4-3

The Tigers use a 2nd intermission pep-talk among players to pull out the first of two against a tough Wisconsin team. CC athletics coverage here and box score here
Official USCHO coverage from the battle Friday night and David Ramsey takes a look at Jimmy Kilpatrick's road to the game winning goal.

Tigers #2 in WCHA Power Rankings, Bachman wins Rookie of the Week

The CC website takes a look at this weeks story lines including Freshman Goalie Richard Bachman and his amazing start to the season. He leads all WCHA goaltenders .962 save percentage and an unblemished 5-0 record. CC brings an undefeated home record into the weekend against a very tough Wisconsin team. The WCHA blog places the Tigers at number 2 in the WCHA power ranks behind DU, one week until that huuuge series.

Tuesday Tiger Stuff

Denver Post writer Mike Chambers has a pretty good blog column on the website about college hockey. Granted, it's mostly about DU (funny how that works...) but heck, I would rather read that then our pathetic libertatian Gazette here in the Springs. Chambers points out that CC and DU have both helped to contribute to Minnesota having the worst start in school history. Looks like we can relate to something....at least until the 23rd....oh and our friend dggoddard from the DU blog has made his mark in the comments section of the blog already :)

In other CC news, I discovered another hockey blog that covers a lot of just general sports, but has a few pieces about the Tigers this season as well as past players Mark Stuart and Brett Sterling. Check it out

New USCHO Polls

The Tigers move up two places to #7 in this week's USCHO poll. Wisconsin comes in at #9 after a weekend split with now #5 North Dakota. This week, the WCHA lands 7 of the top 20 teams in the nation. Not bad eh? Complete rankings here

Tigers sweep Duluth behind Bachman's shutout

CC finished of Duluth tonight 3-0 to improve to 5-3 (5-1WCHA) before a big showdown with Wisconsin next weekend. Freshman Richard Bachman stopped 34 shots to earn the shutout for the Tigers. More to come as the weekend rolls on.
From USCHO: The No. 9 Colorado College Tigers are probably more concerned with wins and standings, and their impressive 3-0 shutout win, coupled with Michigan Tech's loss to St. Cloud State, vaulted the Tigers into sole possession of first in the ever-competitive WCHA. In the process of doing so, Tigers' coach Scott Owens earned his 200th career win.

Tigers fight to 5-3 victory behind explosive 2nd period

The Tigers started the game with two passes in front of their own net that almost resulted in own-goals. The Tiger finished the game fighting off a tough Minnesota-Duluth team to win 5-3. In between those events was a tough, hard-fought game of two teams that seemed to be evenly matched. The Tigers would play sloppy, the Bulldogs would capitalize. The Bulldogs would break down defensively, the Tigers would slam one home. The second period began 1-1 and ended with the Tigers up 5-2. CC scored on a magnificent break-away and a tipped goal that was controversial (at least according to UMD). The crowd seemed fairly relaxed most of the game, probably due to the fact that we don't know a lot about UMD and so they are a virtual no-name. I was impressed with them though, they were tough and very physical and refused to die. They killed off a 5:00 major during the third period and often had a man open outside the crease. Tomorrow night should be exciting as both teams will make their adjustments and go at it again at 7pm. I have numerous fun pictures from this game that I will put up tomorrow night, as well as links from the game as they accumulate! The official recap is here

I need to confess that I was wrong about the "blackout" turns out that the official night is next Friday night against Wisconsin (who beat North Dakota tonight, by the way). However, a number of people wore black tonight which was really cool. Here's an idea that I had last season as well. What if we ALWAYS wore black on Fridays and gold on Saturdays? How cool would that be? Imagine coming to play the Tigers; a top WCHA team, in high altitude, loud crowd and on top of it they can change colors between the 2 games?! It might just be a minor annoyance, but an annoyance none-the-less.

2 Hours before gametime!

In 2 hours from right now the Tigers drop the puck with Minnesota-Duluth. Here's the weekly run-down and quick over view of tonights game. Look for Bachman to be in net and

WEAR BLACK!!!

Black Friday

A fan reminded me of this, WEAR BLACK TONIGHT! The only publicity has been a mini-line in a Gazette ad so here you go, let's black out the World Arena!



WEAR BLACK TONIGHT!!!

Blog Updates

Hey all, as you can see above, I've added a new video box to the blog. I'm trying to have that "ESPN.COM" approach with their SportsCenter Minute and show video on the page. It's just an experiment for now pending the reaction of the regular visitors to this blog. The one flaw in it is that its bigger than I would prefer and I have no control over the videos that get in. I have it set to show hockey, Colorado college, and Colorado-so we will see how it interprets that. Also, I realize that I have fallen down on the job with my "You know your a hockey fan when" piece so, in the meantime, I'm going to put up a poll about some of the best things about CC hockey and see what you all like. Stop by often and vote as many times as it will let you! Hope everyone is having a great week, we hit 6% humidity and 73 degrees here in The Springs today so I can't complain! It's supposed to be over 70 for the next few weeks again; CC hockey Friday and Saturday nights and hitting the trails in between, I LOVE THIS STATE!

Tigers off to a good start

The WCHA blog takes a look at the movement in the Power Rankings this week and the fact that CC is 3-3, 3-1 Conference (first 2 games were exhibition) after playing Minnesota, New Hampshire AND North Dakota...all in the first 3 weeks of the season! I remember back when the schedule was released I wrote about how we will find our very quickly what these Tigers are made of. So far, I would say they are looking very good. Bring on Duluth!

New Rankings and the weekend wrap-up

Not much changed this weekend in the USCHO poll this week for the Tigers as they remained number 9 (same as the USA Today poll as well). Miami Ohio remained in the top spot while North Dakota fell from 2nd to 3rd, with Michigan leap-frogging to that spot. The Tigers opponent this weekend, Minnesota Duluth, is currently ranked 15th in both polls.
The WCHA blog takes a look at the WCHA this past weekend and the importance of the Tigers gaining the split in their "marquee matchup."

Tigers split series with North Dakota

Well, the Tigers went into the North Dakota series after being swept by New Hampshire in their first road series of the young season. Unfortunately, North Dakota was the team that came out flying and pounded the Tigers 6-2 and gave CC a three game losing streak. The Tigers struck back Saturday night and used a strong showing from Bachman in net to gain the split with a 4-1 victory and earned the split with number 1 North Dakota. Of course, we all would have loved to see the Tigers sweep the series, but a win is a win, especially on the road at the number one team in the nation. It's great to see that the Tigers have a stud in net now with their freshman. This was one of the biggest question marks coming into the season after losing Zaba last season. Despite being swept out east, the Tigers are still looking very good for the rest of the season and have some good momentum going into this weekend's home series against Minnesota-Duluth.
Speaking of "out east", New Hampshire was upset by Northeastern on Saturday night for the first time in 20 games. Hats off to NE as they beat the number 3 team in the nation.
Another series that might have been a shocker to some, was DU sweeping Minnesota and leaving the Gophers at 0-4 in the WCHA for the first time....ever. Either CC and DU are REALLY good, or Minnesota is REALLY BAD!

A thanks to those reading the blog

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have taken the time to hop over and check out this blog. Wednesday was the highest number of visitors to date this season! I'm hoping this is an indication that the content I'm putting up is of interest to college hockey fans both in Colorado and beyond. It looks like people are spending more than a mere 3 seconds on the site too (2 minute average) so I'm looking to build on that and give you all a great source for Tiger information and D1 college hockey!!
Speaking of outside CO, I noticed that none of my visitors today are from CO, NONE! Most have been from Minnesota today, specifically East Grand Forks. So, instead of looking this up and doing research on this town, I'll throw it out to those of you who paid a visit to the site today, is it treason to be a ND fan in Minnesota, even if you are on the border?!!

Like I've said before, I don't care who your team is, just so long as you love great college hockey and want to see more of it!!

Weekly stories across the blogwaves

The Sioux Sports Talk looks at this weekend's match-up and the team's current profiles and predicts a series split with CC taking Friday and North Dakota coming back and handling the Tigers Saturday night. This article is highlighted by a comment saying that CC will be tamed into submission, do I hear hundreds of annoying responses being thought up at this moment?

The Tigers performance this past weekend was perfect for UNH, as they were awarded the College Hockey News' team of the week. Let's hope the Tigers don't the the "privilege" of causing that to happen again this weekend.

One last important reminder, the CC vs North Dakota game will be on the CW Friday night here in the Springs. The puck will drop at 6:37pm mountain time. I've never watched a game on that channel so I'm interested to see how the coverage will be. The last game that was televised here was the Minnesota series, which FSN beamed us the local Minnesota feed. So be it, at least we get to watch!