Tigersuncaged.blogspot.com

The season is in full swing and so is the new website located at tigersuncaged.blogspot.com
I did a recent comparison of the two sites in analytics and realized that this site is still receiving HUGE amounts of traffic which is great, but nothing is current on here. The last update I did was when the season ended. So, if you haven't already, please bookmark http://tigersuncaged.blogspot.com as your new source for Colorado College Tiger hockey commentary. I think it's a great site and much simpler and easier to use, aside from the blue link glitch that I can't seem to fix! So click on over and check it out!

We've Moved!

If you haven't already, check out the new site!

Tigers Uncaged

The new blog site is all set up and running! It's pretty bare-bones at the moment with no posts but it's ready to go and all further posts will be off the new site. Traffic is starting to pick up noticeably now that the season is only a month away so I figured it's a great time to get the site started. Check it out and leave some comments!

http://TigersUncaged.blogspot.com

It's Official, Mike Guentzel is a Tiger

Rumors yesterday came true as Mike Guentzel became the new assistant coach at CC. Despite the job posting still up on the website yesterday (haha for the comment) it looked like they had their man.

"I am very pleased to have Mike join Colorado College and the Tiger family,” said head coach Scott Owens. “I personally have had the chance to follow Mike's coaching career and watch him grow into an elite NCAA coach. Mike will add a wealth of knowledge and experience to a veteran Tiger team. He is an exceptional person that has an unbelievable track record of developing athletes, recruiting and winning at both the WCHA and national level. I look forward to working with Mike on a daily basis.” CC Athletics

Read the full story here

New Blog Coming

The votes are in and the new blog is being set up. I wish I could have had my regular season viewership so more people could have voted but that's how it goes, big thanks to those that did vote. I'm working on the new site now and am having some template issues so no promises on the launch date but it will be soon. And thanks gmf1a for the DU logo comment, I've always thought the jersey was just a bunch of colors sneezed onto the front for a logo but a taco is by far the funniest correlation I've ever heard! The DU Taco will be fondly brought up at the appropriate time...

Mike Guentzel to be named assistant coach

Fellow blogger Goon has reported that former Gopher assistant Mike Guentzel will be named CC assistant coach this afternoon (wed.) after resigning from Minnesota in April. No official word on the CC website but I'll be sure to post when I find out. Here's the current report

"Floating Tiger Head" in the basement

A recent poll of WCHA logos by The Hockey News ranked CC as having the worst logo in the league with the explanation that "True, they’re one of the oldest teams in the NCAA and their logo reflects it, but it’s not the best tiger in the world." It may not be the best out there, but their logic is retarded. Did I mention that the Gophers' upside-down W was the first? Personally I think North Dakota and Duluth are the top two and DU is last (no, not because they suck but because they are the Pioneers and their logo is a hawk, bring back Denver Boone!) CC's tiger may not be the fiercest, but one look and you know the team is the Tigers. If I get a chance this week I'll rank em myself based on style and function with no bias, so stay tuned.
However, I think that we do have the best goalie mask in the country!












Summer is nearing an end, be sure to VOTE FOR THE NEW SITE!!
Expect the new blog site to launch shortly after Labor Day weekend!

Falcon Faux-pas

Being an advertising person I tend to analyze design material a little more than most and I love to catch bad typos in copy (and no I'm not immune to gaffes!). For example; the recent Images Magazine says that Old Colorado City is located just west of Colorado Springs. To the casual reader that's a "yup". To most locals it's an "ummm, OCC is PART of Colorado Springs". Small, but WRONG.

Why is that remotely interesting? The Air Force Falcons football/hockey schedule was stuck in the Gayzette today and I noticed a fun little error that seems insignificant but is thoroughly embarrassing to whomever designed it. While looking at the date CC plays at the Academy (I was planning on going but it's the day after Thanksgiving and I'll be happily sitting in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln yelling profanities at the visiting team from Boulder) and I noticed the asterisks at the bottom on the hockey side
" *Mountain West Conference Game ". Catch it? AFA plays hockey in the AHA, other sports are Mountain West, as the opposite football page indicates. Obviously the designers (who should know everything about their client) missed an elementary part of their besig and probably used the same template.
AND something I just noticed as I was posting this; the Mountain West 10 year anniversary logo is placed in the photo, whoops!!
Considering there is no such thing as the Mountain West in college hockey and how much the agency gets paid this is pretty embarrasing.

CCHA to go one-on-one to decide games

Every hockey fan has an opinion on the shootout in the NHL and especially college hockey. Well now the arguments will increase as CCHA has decided to implement the SO to decide their games for 08-09. It will be interesting to see if 1) it draws the "excitement" that those in charge want (without being a ratings gimmick) and 2) if other conferences follow in line before the season starts. Time will tell, all the details from CCHA here

Norm Bazin leaves the Tigers for a Chance to Have His Own Team

Tigers' assistant coach Norm Bazin has left the program to become the head of New York's Hamilton College (DIII).
""It is with mixed emotions that I leave Colorado College, which has given my family and me so many favorable memories," Bazin said. "We will miss the friendships we've made on campus and in the wonderful community of Colorado Springs. I'd like to thank Colorado College and especially head coach Scott Owens for allowing me to be a part of those championship teams. Although the timing of this departure isn't ideal, I certainly believe CC will be able to find a quality replacement with the type of program that Scott and Ken operate. " CC Athletics

Some of the rumored replacements are Eric Rud (was CC's assistant coach in 04 while Bazin was recovering from a car crash) and Matt Lindsay who is a former Tiger and is an assistant with Princeton, an 07 tournament team.
Best Wishes Norm!!

Official CC Press Release

Newspaper brief here

Season Previews Begin

The College Hockey blog takes a quick overview of the Tigers and places them tentatively at number 4. As expected, Chad Rau and Richard Bachman are the expected stars for the upcoming season. Oh and the site also follows in my footsteps of incorrectly spelling the WCHA Champion trophy ;)

McCulloch's back for a 5th season and NHL Development Camps

The Tigers will get Scott McCulloch back for a 5th season after qualifying for a medical redshirt his freshman season. Read the full story here
Another fun article from the other day covered the Tigers who have been selected to join the NHL development camps and hang out with their (hopefully) future teams. Picturing Bachman suiting up in Marty Turco's stall has to bring a smile to your face! Full Story

Note: Since a certain Gayzette reporter has decided not to link to my blog I will no longer be posting her stories (with due credit of course) here on the blog, simply links, sorry if there is any inconvenience, HA.

Future of Blog Exciting and More Marty

I'm getting really excited about the new site that will make it's debut this fall for the new season. I've had the banner designed for a few months and started playing around with the new name on the banner. Let me just say, it's going to be awesome! A little hint and irony, the banner will be very similar to the new CC website design, which was not at all planned (aka I didn't copy it). I had this design about a month before I saw the new CC site so this accidental similarity should work out pretty well. I'm hoping the voting will pick up and we can start to see the front-runner. Right now, my tiny summer traffic has kept the low vote total pretty close so it's wait-and-see for now. As far as the new site, Google/Blogger have added some sweet new features that I'll be implementing on the site. I could add them on this one now but I'm going to try as hard as I can to hold off and keep them for the new site. One of the new features will be a blogroll with live update RSS feeds below the link, making it easier to see what the other teams and their bloggers are up to. Speaking of blogroll, apparently this blog isn't worthy of the new Gayzette blogroll. No surprise there, considering how I like to spell the paper ;). Skae, on the forums, looked into the matter and I have yet to get a response, haha. Anyway, enough of that. Hope summer is going well for everyone and be sure to check out my political blog I've started!
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Opinion: Sertich always concerned with the big picture
By DAVID RAMSEY


Marty Sertich has the skills and the smarts to play for the Colorado Avalanche.

The question is - and always has been - if he's strong enough. The Avs obtained Sertich on June 10 from the Dallas Stars for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2009 entry draft.

Sertich, 25, stands 5-foot-8 and weighs, at best, 165 pounds, but his size, or lack of it, never has held him back.

And he's skating in a hockey era made for him. Since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the league has been smart enough to emphasize grace over brutality.

Sertich has been sneaking through defenses and finding ways to score all through his career. He ranks among the more prolific scorers ever to play for Colorado College.

He won the 2005 Hobey Baker Award - college hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy - the same year he led CC to the Frozen Four.

He collected 52 points - 27 goals and 25 assists - last season for the Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League.

Sure, he doesn't look like a dominating player, but he is one. Substance always trumps appearance.

Sertich is smart enough to refuse to rest on his past. He's working this summer at his home in Roseville, Minn., trying to add might and bulk to his still-thin frame.

He remains hungry for more. During most of his CC career, Sertich planned to play professionally in Europe, most likely Germany, but decided to chase his life-long goal following graduation.

He wants - he's always wanted - to play in the NHL. When Sertich was a child, he didn't watch cartoons. He watched hockey videos.

From the time he was 5, Sertich has schemed to travel to the game's pinnacle.

"I've had a great time," Sertich said of his time in Iowa, "but my goal is to make it up there."

By up there, of course, he means a place on the Avs roster.

He has a strong chance. Sertich plays the game with the blessing of a personal radar system. No, he didn't buy it. He just has a knack for avoiding mind-altering, career-threatening hits.

Defenseman Mark Stuart played three seasons alongside Sertich at CC. Stuart now plays for the Boston Bruins.

"He's a real smart hockey player," Stuart said, "and he's shifty. First of all, he knows you're coming and, second, he can get out of your way real quick."

Sertich laughed when asked about his ability to escape. He's never, despite years of challenging a wide assortment of hockey goons, suffered a concussion.

"I don't know," he said. "I'd say about 95 percent of it is luck. Maybe I'm wearing the right kind of helmet. Obviously, I don't go out there trying to hit people."

That's because he's smart. Sertich always has been adept at delivering pain in the way that matters most. He places pucks in the back of the net.

Marty's Coming Home

CC Hobey Baker award winner Marty Sertich was acquired by the Avalanche yesterday from Dallas bringing the star Tiger back to Colorado. He was a ton of fun to watch while playing for the Tigers so hopefully he'll make the team and will be in an Avalanche Uni next season (as opposed to a Lake Eerie uni, which isn't all bad). In something semi-related, the Dallas Stars parted ways with the Iowa Stars, their minor league affiliate (Anaheim snapped them up). Don't understand how/why teams do this, but the Avs were without an affiliate one season, the one time they didn't make the playoffs...

Read more:
Gazette

Dallas Stars Blog

Denver Post

Wikipedia Entry on Marty (the team has already been updated, but look closely at the place of birth...)

Voting Update

Since the votes are still somewhat close, I'm just going to leave the poll open for voting until September 1. The goal is to have the new site address, name and banners up by the first weekend in October when the 08-09 festivities start to kick in. Be sure to vote and be a part of the future of the site!

In case you missed it, Brett Wysopal has officially left the Tigers program. His decision was made March 29th just after the West Regionals' loss but was publicly confirmed by Scott Owens last week. The Tigers D is left very thin for the upcoming season. Full article here

Next Season's Schedule

Full 08-09 Schedule here

Opinion: CC tweaks schedule so finish doesn’t lead to ending
DAVID RAMSEY THE GAZETTE

Scott Owens wanted sizzle in the Colorado College-University of Denver rivalry.

When Owens returned to his alma mater to coach the hockey team in 1999, the arena-shaking fire had been drained from the CC-DU. Owens masterfully stoked the flames.

For five of the past six years, CC and DU ended the regular season with a homeand-home, rock-’em, sock-’em weekend bash that featured packed houses and wicked hitting.

The CC-DU rivalry is at full blaze, full of intensity and great hockey. Owens, no doubt, grabbed what he wanted.

He grabbed a little too much, as it turns out.

The Tigers have lost three straight NCAA Tournament games, which inspired Owens to take a fresh look at the DU series.

Next season, the Tigers and Pioneers again will meet four times, but the schools will stretch out the regular-season finale. CC and DU will play Oct. 31-Nov. 1 before splitting the final series between Feb. 13 and March 7, Owens said.

It’s a minor tweak to the schedule, but Owens hopes the change will deliver big results.

He wonders if placing two emotionally packed games at the end of the season drained his team in the postseason.

“I don’t think it’s a copout,” Owens said. “I don’t think it’s anything like that. We’re just trying to do something that will strengthen us in the postseason.”

The rivalry will return to two home-and-home weekends in 2009-2010 because of scheduling restraints, Owens said, but will feature the stretched-out version again in 2010-11.

It’s strange to say this, but the season-ending duel with DU was too overwhelming, too packed with thrills and history. It was just too much.

How could the Tigers top all this furious fun?

The answer is the problem. Owens has failed to revive his team after the matches with DU.

“There was an automatic, built-in letdown,” Owens said. “It’s just natural. It’s because the buildings were sold out and the excitement and the passion and the trying to one-up your archrival.”

This season, CC stomped DU in the final weekend. On March 8, the Tigers celebrated along with their fans, and they had plenty to celebrate.

The Tigers had won the MacNaughton Cup, symbol of supremacy in the Western Athletic Hockey Association, and the Gold Pan, symbol of college hockey supremacy in the state of Colorado.

At the time, no one could see disaster lurking in the near distance. Even as the Tigers celebrated their reign over a small hockey universe, they faced devastation in the battle for a larger, more important universe.

Three weeks after the Tigers’ hockey party, they were finished. They lost, on home ice, to Michigan State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

“There’s been so much at stake,” Owens said of the DU series. “It’s been very taxing mentally and physically as we head into the playoffs.”

Next season, he hopes, the taxes will be a little more reasonable.

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CC Athletics
Already looking ahead and moving forward after a highly successful 2007-08 campaign, Colorado College has announced another exciting hockey schedule for next season.

Highlights on the 2008-09 slate include 21 regular-season home games at the World Arena with two exhibitions, five non-conference outings and two dates apiece against Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals Michigan Tech, Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

Fans interested in season tickets should call 719-389-6324 or log on to CCTigers.com. Prices start at $274.50, with any first-round WCHA playoff games at home included in the deal. Renewal notices for existing season-ticket holders will be mailed out this week.

Tiger Hockey, the top winter collegiate sporting attraction in the state of Colorado, ranked fourth nationwide in total attendance during the 2007-08 campaign. The average attendance at CC home games officially was 6,932 as the team retained possession of the Gold Pan, claimed its third league championship since 2003, hosted a first-round WCHA playoff series as well as the NCAA West Regional, produced three All-Americans and finished with a winning record (28-12-1) for the 15th time in the last 16 years. Again, sellouts were common. Only Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota, which play in much larger facilities, drew more spectators than Colorado College’s impressive season total of more than 157,000.

Returning as flagship station for the CC Tiger Radio Network in 2008-09 will be 103.9 FM The Eagle, with live broadcasts of all games, home and away.

In addition to 14 league games, the ‘08-09 home slate features two against the University of Alabama-Huntsville (College Hockey America) and Sacred Heart University (Atlantic Hockey Association), as well as a single contest vs. Colgate University (ECAC). The Tigers, whose lineup will feature a number of outstanding players such as returning All-Americans Richard Bachman and Chad Rau, also play host to the University of Alberta and the United States Under-18 Team in a pair of exhibition outings.

They meet archrival DU for the first time over Halloween Weekend, playing at Magness Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, then coming home for a rematch at the World Arena on Saturday, Nov. 1. The second go-round is split up, as the teams meet again in Colorado Springs on Friday, Feb. 13, before wrapping up the regular season in Denver on Saturday, March 7. Also featured on CC’s road schedule are a two-game non-conference series at Clarkson University in October and an appearance at Air Force in late November, along with weekend trips to league opponents Minnesota State, Alaska Anchorage, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Michigan Tech for Winter Carnival.

Vote for the Future of the Blog!

Hey Tiger fans, it seems like the season has been over forever and yet we are just now hitting the off season in full. I've been fixated on the NHL playoffs and the Avalanche the past few weeks. The NHL might suck in general, but the playoffs are still awesome! I just wish they didn't have those restarted Stanley Cup Playoff logos in the zones; too big and too stupid. How about a simple symbol at center ice like the NFL does at the 25 yard lines? Oh yea and a little thing called Spring Football is consuming all my time. Nothing like 5 HUSKER articles a day and 80,000 at the Spring Game to keep your attention. But that's not what this is about, this is about YOU voting on the new name for the blog!
Up until now, the blog has kind of lacked an identity. Some refer to it as the "support CC blog" (the address), some the "Tiger Hockey blog", and some "Colorado College Tiger Hockey" (blog). The "support..." address came about from the original purpose of the blog: class project to raise awareness about our sweet team. Now it's morphed into game stats, pics, vids and commentary on all things Tigers and WCHA hockey. I really want this thing to have a name and a brand of it's own that we can all embrace and support. I've thought up a few names for the blog and put them on the poll at left. If you have an idea (nothing is too cheezy!!) check "other" and put your suggestion in the comments section. Round one of voting will end June 1, after that I'll put the best names up on the poll and let fans vote until the end of August. The winning name will go in the address bar and on the new banner (which is already designed). I realize that traffic is LOW right now but please vote and tell your friend to vote as well. YOU will decide the new name for the blog!!!

* Thank you whomever corrected my MacNaughton "fauz pas", it's nice to know I've got copy editors out there reading the blog!

Owens must change style, not coaching address

By DAVID RAMSEY

If you remain baffled and angered by Colorado College's season-ending 3-1 loss to Michigan State, you're not alone.

Coach Scott Owens is hurting, too. He, like thousands of Tigers hockey fans, wonders how one of the best rides in CC history ended in an ugly wreck.

"It's tough, really tough," Owens said. "You know what? I still haven't let it go. I'm still bothered by it. I'm bothered by it because of the opportunity that we had. It's very tough. It's tougher than I had imagined.

"I really liked this team, and it was a really good team and all of a sudden it's done."

I've enjoyed a few good laughs since CC lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at World Arena. I've laughed after reading e-mails and message boards that trumpeted this silly message:

Owens must go.

That's ridiculous. He's proven himself a master of the long dance known as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association season. He's won the WCHA regular-season title three times in the past six seasons.

Go? No way, but he must change.

He must grow as a coach. The emperor of the regular season must find a way to thrive in the games that matter most.

Owens understands how to build and motivate teams for the epic grind of the WCHA season.

He struggles to prepare for the nearly instant rewards - and punishments - of the NCAA Tournament, which concludes today and Saturday at Pepsi Center.

No way the Tigers should have lost to Michigan State. They enjoyed the luxury of home ice, where they had compiled an 18-2. They were more talented.

They lost anyway.

The loss follows a pattern for CC. Owens has coached five teams to winning percentages of 65 percent or higher. This season's team cruised to the WCHA Final Five with a 28-9-1 record.

Yet bad times in the NCAA often follow good times in the regular season. Owens has five wins, six losses in the tournament, where he's lost three straight times.

In the NCAA Tournament, defense rules. The game slows down, grows more violent. Grace and skill lose importance.

All this spells doom for the Tigers, who usually lack the required ingredient of intimidation. It's no accident Owens took his only trip to the Frozen Four in 2005 with Mark Stuart in the lineup.

Stuart, who plays for the Boston Bruins, offered a rare blend. He enjoyed reading Shakespeare, and he enjoyed knocking opponents silly on the ice.

He was skilled, but also supremely dangerous. He even frightened teammates with his wicked smack-downs in practice.

Owens needs to persuade another Stuart to skate for the Tigers. This won't be easy. Large, gifted defensemen are reluctant to transport their skills to the sprawling, Olympic-size ice at World Arena. They prefer to rumble in more cramped surroundings.

Still, Owens must try. He spent last week scouring the upper Midwest, seeking a player who could bring a more sinister touch to his Tigers.

Early this week, Owens still wasn't sure he would attend the Frozen Four. This makes sense. It's excruciating to stand there as a mere spectator when you should be in the fight for the title.

Hillen Makes His Mark

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


CC's Hillen impresses in Islanders debut
By GREG LOGAN
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - There are easier ways to make your NHL debut than parachuting into the thick of the Islanders-Rangers rivalry, but that's what Colorado College defenseman Jack Hillen did Thursday at Nassau Coliseum. He went from playing Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional a week ago to playing defense for the Islanders against such Rangers stars as Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury.

When he was fielding free-agent offers from NHL clubs, Hillen was anxious to test himself at the top level, and the Islanders were happy to provide it.

"If this was one way to try to get me to come here, it worked," Hillen said.

"I didn't really know until Sunday that this was a possibility. It snuck up on me pretty quickly. I'm a little nervous, but it's more excitement. I'll try not to make it that big of a deal, just enjoy it. Focus on the game, but also take in a little bit of the surroundings because this only happens once, playing your first NHL game."

With 17:51 left in the first period, Hillen took the ice with Radek Martinek in what ranked as the Islanders' top pairing against Drury's line. If he had jitters, it didn't show. Midway through the first period, Hillen made a deft cross-ice pass through traffic to spring forward Frans Nielsen open at the Rangers' blue line.

Hillen would log 20 shifts and 15:39 of ice time, and he wasn't on the ice for any of the Rangers' goals in their 3-0 win. He took his first penalty in a good cause stopping a dangerous rush by the Rangers' Ryan Callahan, and he added one shot, one hit and one takeaway. But it was his passing and poise that impressed Islanders captain Bill Guerin.

"Jack played as well as anybody I've ever seen in their first game, especially against your biggest rivals," Guerin said. "He just handled himself great."

Hillen's was one of many new faces in the Islanders' injury-depleted dressing room, but fellow Minnesota native Kyle Okposo, who made his NHL debut seven games earlier, was no stranger to him. They played against each other last season when Okposo was at the University of Minnesota. They're staying at a hotel adjacent to the Coliseum, and Okposo clued Hillen in on what to expect.

"He told me he was real nervous," Hillen said of Okposo's debut. "That's to be expected. If you weren't nervous, you'd be maybe not human. But the thing I keep thinking about is that a lot of players I've played against are doing well in the NHL. So, I know I can play up here. You just have to have confidence in your ability no matter where you're playing."

Those weren't empty words from Hillen. There was no hesitation in his passes or his decision-making. One of the Islanders' best power-play cycles came with him at the left point, controlling the flow and putting a shot on goal.

Asked if there was any sense of awe, Hillen answered firmly. "No, there was none. I'm not going to play scared out there."

NHL game No. 2 of his career is against the Rangers again tonight, but this time at Madison Square Garden, one of the loudest venues in the league. "I'm excited," Hillen said. "It's a historic building, and I'm looking forward to playing there. Plus, I would like to get a win in my first NHL experience. That's the most important thing."

Spoken like a pro.

More Hillen Signing Links
Newsday.com
NYI Fan Central
NY Post
FanBlog

What the NHL Should Change

With the Tigers out of the Frozen Four and the Avalanche battling down to the wire for the division title, I've been thinking a lot about the NHL: both good and bad. I've been formulating a list in my head about things I would love to see the league do to make it more entertaining, a la the WCHA. First, here are a few highlights of things I think they are doing right:

New Logo: I like the silver shield, it looks more modern, aggressive, and less like a construction sign.

4-on-4 OT: so much fun to watch the fastest 4 players from each team scream up and down the ice with the next goal being the game winner. The ice is more wide open, which alludes to a need-to-fix further down.

Shootouts: Nothing showed me the shootouts are entertaining more than at the West Regionals when hundreds of fans were clustered around a small TV to watch the Avs beat Edmonton, fun stuff and it adds uniqueness to the sport.

Things to change
1) UNIFORMS
I don't care what Reebok, sorry, RBK paid for these things, but they obviously didn't find professional designers to do most of them. Vertical stripes on hockey jerseys look ridiculous on most teams, Colorado and Edmonton to name a few. How come some teams like New Jersey and Detroit have almost no change, while other teams look stupid (some concepts were even worse!) The whole idea is dumb, hockey players aren't supposed to have tight uniforms and the whole concept of "new hip image" has made the NHL the laughing stock of the sports world. Even the AHL teams are victims.
On an Avalanche note: I wish the Avs would return to the more reddish color instead of flat maroon. The unis during the '96 season were a great color/shine combination. Of course, anything is better than the weird sleeve color combination now.

1.5) HOME TEAM IN WHITE/ALT.
Nothing can be good about the home team in dark if the reason was to sell more merchandise. NHL, fix this. We don't want to see the opponents in white every night, we want to see their colors. Plus, in a weird way, it looks like the home team is "highlighted" when in white. Whenever I play NHL '08 (with my custom Tigers team of course), I make sure to correct this problem.
If you want the home team to wear dark on occasion, bring back the 3rd jerseys. Those were fun

2) ICING
No-touch icing should be put in place immediately, like tomorrow. Something about seeing to grown men going full speed at a wall doesn't seem to safe to me. Plus, it wastes time and is boring to watch when one player casually skates after it. Think of how much extra time in the offensive zone a team would have if a clearing attempt was brought back as soon as it crossed the end-line?!

3) OLYMPIC ICE
For economic reasons this will never happen; all the new arenas are built for the smaller ice sheet. BUT, imagine how much more wide open it would be if there was that extra space on the ice? Look at CC play; more speed and more room to move at the World Arena. NHL players sometimes look like big kids playing in the sandbox on the NHL ice. The Olympics are always a ton of fun to watch because it's played on the bigger ice sheet.

4) RELOCATION
The NHL keeps whining about declining revenue. Well, quite putting teams where they don't belong! I know there are fans everywhere BUT, because of hockey's origins it would probably make sense to put teams where it actually snows once in a while! Here's my little plan

Teams to move or remove: Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa, Florida, Columbus and maybe a SoCal team

• Nashville has a cool logo, but can't sell tickets. Kansas City wants a team again so why not move a semi-established franchise into the new Sprint Center and see how they do. They would be a nice close rival to the Avalanche and provide the Midwest with an alternative to the pathetic Blues. If their fail, give em the axe
  
• Atlanta Thrashers: fold the team and call it a day. I would say relocate but the name and new uniform gets them the permanent axe.
• Tampa Lightning: had one good season and somehow won the Stanley Cup before the lockout, has quickly returned to the NHL basement. It might sound mean to do this to a warm-weather franchise but Canada needs more teams so off you go: either Quebec City or Winnipeg where hockey belongs.
• Florida Panthers: Are they still in the league? After Beezer in '96 they vanished, which they should. Expansion team didn't work out down there, see ya.
• Columbus Blue Jackets: Never understood why they put a team there, doesn't ring a bell as hockey land but they just appeared one day. BUT, if the NHL wants experiments, send em to Vegas where everyone claims a team is needed (the only exception to the "snow rule")
  
• Anaheim or LA: I know LA is big and can support two teams but it doesn't make sense for a struggling league to have two teams in one market. The Kings have the history and the name, the Ducks are a pretty good team now. So what do you do? Logic would say leave the tradition and send the newbies off to Canada (Quebec or Winnipeg, whoever didn't get one earlier) and risk betraying the fans. I'll go aggressive and send the Kings to Canada and leave the Los Angeles Ducks (or dare we say the Southern California Ducks)?
• Bonus-Phoenix Coyotes: They have the fan base, population, and facilities but remember this is a struggling league and Phoenix makes as much sense as Miami. We'll give Wayne a couple more years but he's been put on notice.

5) ORIGINAL CONFERENCE and DIVISION NAMES: Bring back names like the Norris Divsion and Prince of Whales Conference. Sounds kind of kooky but it adds a uniqueness and tradition to the sport and distinguishes it from all other U.S. sports that have geographic distinctions. Plus, you don't end up with weird division associations like Colorado and Minnesota in the Northwest and D.C. in the southeast.

There you go, axe two teams, move 2 back to the hockey homeland and try out hockey in Vegas and KC. Will any of this all happen? Nashville has the biggest chance, followed by Atlanta. The likely destination will be KC for the newest team and the Winnipeg area for the other.

There's my take, I'm sure I'll add to and tweak this throughout the week. If you want more "what should the NHL really be like"isms, check out ESPNHL that was dreamed up during the lockout.
~PCO

Tigers at the Frozen Four

Figured I would lend a hand to the guys over at the forums who are gathering in Denver for the Frozen Four. CCTig has a thread going on planning for the fans to meet, link here
and here's a comment I recieved on Monday's entry:
"Hey those of you thinking about going to the FF, don't forget that since our cc team ain't playing that "The Jimmy" is in the skills contest. So there is still hope for some reprieve! Have to check on the time but I believe it is Friday near the Hobey announcement time, maybe??? Lets try and go support him with some real CC cheer!"

The Skills Contest is Friday, April 11 at 5:30PM-tickets here

Hillen to the Pros

CC defenseman Hillen signs with Islanders

By KATE CRANDALL

Colorado College senior defenseman Jack Hillen signed a two-year contract with the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Hillen, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year, is expected make his NHL debut Thursday and Friday in the Islanders’ final two games, a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers.

“I’m pretty excited and nervous,” said Hillen, who took a red-eye flight to New York on Monday and was in New York to watch the Islanders take on the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. “I don’t quite know what to expect. But I’m just really happy with my decision to be part of the Islanders organization and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun in this next week getting used to some things and doing whatever I need to do next year to get back to the highest level. Who knows what’s going to happen, but I’m just happy to be here right now.”

As the nation’s top-scoring defenseman, Hillen finished second among all Tigers’ scorers with six goals and 31 assists. Hillen, who was undrafted, was also named first-team all-WCHA.

“Our whole staff is very excited for him,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “It’s nice to see a player be rewarded for doing it the right way. In four years, he put in his time. He improved, he developed, he had a great senior year and then he had the opportunity to sign a pro contract. . . . We’re thrilled.”

Hillen will see a familiar face when he skates for the first time with the Islanders today. Former Minnesota forward Kyle Okposo made headlines when he gave up his final 2½ seasons of eligibility in December to sign with the Islanders.

“We are very proud that Jack made the decision to join the Islanders,” general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “He was one of the prized college free agents for good reason. He is an excellent puck-moving defenseman and our scouting staff is really impressed by his competitive spirit.”

At Least We're Not the Cubs

Thanks to Grubinbox on the forums for that headline. Despite the Tigers' disappointing finish, there are a lot of things to take from the season; both accomplishments and experience.
1) The Tigers won their 9th McNaughton Cup and first outright regular season title since 2002-03, giving them the most steady regular season of any team in the country.
2) The Gold Pan remained in the Springs for the second consecutive season after winning the season series against DU 3-1. Denver has been a strong program worth using as a measuring stick, and the Tigers scored very highly.
3) Returning to the Final Five: despite a poor showing, the Tigers returned to the Excel Center after a 2 year hiatus and gave most of the team valuable post-season experience. Have to build a strong foundation to win that first Broadmoor Trophy.
4) Return to the NCAA Tournament: The Tigers got to play at home for the first game of the tourney; a very unique opportunity that most teams don't get. Again, the team gained a ton of experience despite being destined to lose the game, no matter how many shots they took!
5) DU still sux: despite what bragging rights their fans thing they have earned with the Broadmoor Trophy, the fact is the McNaughton Cup is much harder to win. DU's Trophy: 4 wins, CC's Trophy: 26 Wins
More to come

West Regionals Observations from the Seats

From 2008 NCAA Wes...

As most of you know, Notre Dame won the West Regionals and is headed to Denver as the "worst" team in the Frozen Four. Not one "expert" thought they would even beat New Hampshire and surely not CC. Well they thumped the Wildcats 7-3 and padded that with 2 empty-netters, and never had to play CC but knocked out the defending champs. Go figure. I sarcastically said in my predictions that every team I picked to win the first round would lose, and almost all did but that's another story for later. As for the regionals themselves, it was definitely weird having our own arena taken over and controlled by the NCAA. It was obviously a giant commercial for an entity that is nowhere to be found during the regular season. All board ads and ice ads were stripped and replaced with the regional teams and logos, no problem with that, just different. The jumbo-tron had the "floating Tiger head" removed and video was split between the internal closed-circuit cameras and the ESPNU feed. It was pretty sweet seeing the ESPN score bar on the screen, knowing we were on national TV (even if it was a premium channel).

• One thing that was annoying was the commercials shown during the breaks. They were all past hockey memories, NCAA Championship ads (lacking D-1 football of course since they don't have playoffs), an ad for Hockey East that I booed every time it was played, and stupid trivia games that never got a peep out of the crowd...except when George Gwozdecky was featured followed by boos.
• Being on TV provided us with something we rarely get at the World Arena, TV timeouts. They were frequent and looooong and really broke up the flow of the game. It was like being at a Huskers' game when it was on Saturday Night Football on ABC, really annoying.
  

• The announcing was a neutral announcer rather than our sweet standard. The bathrooms didn't have the usual radio feed which was unfortunate, I was looking forward to hearing Ken Landau's assessment of the game while I was taking a break. Speaking of bathrooms, because of NCAA rules I'm sure, there as no alcohol at the game! I was really looking forward to my regular Sunshine Wheat but was denied. Any casual fan will notice the love of alcohol at the games, from Jack and Coke to wine to micro-brews, we know how to enjoy a game.

• Speaking of enjoying the game, most of us have come to love the soundtrack that goes with the Tigers instead of a band. Luckily, it played most of the game but it had to compete with the Spartan band. USCHO said that we "got a treat" hearing the bands from ND and MSU but they were the most obnoxious things EVER at a game! They got a rude awakening from CC fans with boos and a couple middle fingers directed their way. Most of the fans around us were EXTREMELY annoyed with the musical noise echoing around the arena. It's fine outside at football games or inside at high school basketball games, but not hockey. Thank goodness the arena music drowned it out most of the time for the Tigers game, not the earlier game however as the Notre Dame band was almost non-stop. Their ending "victory" song sounded like a funeral song, another reason why I hate that school with a passion.

• One of the funniest things was during the second intermission. I came out of the bathroom to find a couple hundred people crowded around the TV next to a snack bar. No other NCAA games were on so I was curious what the deal was. Turns out the Avs were in OT against Edmonton and headed for a shootout. By the time the SO started, the crowd had tripled in size and cheers were loud as the Avs went 3-for-3. Any ND fan was probably wondering what the heck that was all about, gotta love CO!
• Personally, I thought the style of hockey by the other three teams was very different than the WCHA. Not as skilled skating, passing or hitting. Notre Dame players fell down about every minute and Michigan State, instead of griding along the boards or digging, simply fell down and let the Tigers' fall on top. They played the puck in the corners a lot and fell on it hoping to get a whistle instead of playing up-tempo like the WCHA. I was not impressed with either Cup Cake team, even if they won. New Hampshire played more of CC's style. CCHA hockey just looked sloppy and the goaltending was the single reason why the Tigers didn't win. Bachman did fine, not excellent, but good enough to win - the offense just couldn't bury the biscuit through no fault of their own.
• The Arena was decidedly against New Hampshire for obvious reasons: the Tigers would face the weakest opponent Saturday night (of course they had to win first...). Personally, I wanted the Wildcats to win for hockey-purity reasons. The Tigers had been swept earlier in the season and would get a chance at revenge, UNH was clearly a better team and was more fun to watch since ND looked like retarded boys on skates, and I flat out HATE Notre Dame and all the stupid favoritisms they get just for being who they are.
  
• The Tigers wore the 70th anniversary Unis again which I'm sure pleased the fans. Judging from the apparel the crowd, the throwbacks not only out-represented the other jerseys but all other merch. as well! I'm seriously tempted to lay down a wad of cash and purchase the entire collection: black, yellow alternate and throwback. I got my white one last week on sale at Red Mountain sports and love it. You can't go wrong with hockey sweaters, there is just something unique and cool about em, no matter how many you have!
• One funny note; I titled David Ramsey's article "sometimes a good spanking is all you need" regarding the Tigers' beat-downs at the Final Five. Of course I didn't think about how that title would show up in google searches. Turns out people like to search the word "spanking" and that entry popped up 8 times in a day in searches from places like Madrid and even one from Tbillsi, Georgia. I'm sure it will be much more after this bullet point, haha
  

That's all I got for now, if I remember any more "observances" from the game I'll add to it. Tomorrow I'll run through the highlights of the season and why the 3 game skid wasn't all bad for the Tigers. (if you need some goalie humor, check out the vid below. Never heard of this goalie but he sure loves the camera and microphone!)
~PCO

Frozen Four is Set

Michigan will play Notre Dame and
North Dakota will play Boston College

Season Complete: What's Next for the Blog

First off, thanks to everyone who has stopped by the site the past week to check out the Tigers. You set the all-time record Friday for visits in a day, a lot from across the country which was really cool. Saturday also had an extremely high number of visitors, which is pretty sweet considering the Tigers were ousted the night before. I have plenty to write about the games Friday night and the overall "feel" of the regionals, but I think I'll save it for tomorrow and lump it together with the season wrap-up for the Tigers; I'm too busy enjoying my weekend to sit down and write for a few hours;) So fear not loyal readers, I'll have fresh content throughout the day tomorrow. For now, enjoy the pics from both games Friday night: my dad and I combined for some awesome shots including Prowler acknowledging us as he skated by and my dad's super-zoom on Bachman.
For those that weren't at the game, I will emphasize that the Tigers didn't play poorly Friday at all, they look crisp for the most part and definitely skated, passed, and had more intensity than the Spartans. BUT, it was made painfully clear why their goalie was a Hobey finalist. Any other guy in net would have allowed 5 goals at minimum, that's how many chances the Tigers had. But, it wasn't to be and they got valuable experience instead. They also shouldn't feel too bad though after Notre Dame, the team a lot felt was the weakest in the tournament and didn't deserve to even be there, cruised to the Frozen Four. DU was demolished and AFA gave up a late 2-1 lead and lost to Miami in OT. North Dakota and Wisconsin play tonight for the WCHA's Frozen Four participant; and for the love of all that is right in the college hockey world, I hope one of those teams wins the National Championship!
Happy Sunday and look for the Regional Wrap and season wrap this week!
~PCO

Pics from Friday Night

CC Athletics Recap
Spartans advance as Lerg shuts down Tigers
Jeff Lerg is guilty of grand larceny. The junior goaltender made a season-high 41 saves to lead third-seeded Michigan State to a 3-1 victory over second-seeded Colorado College in Game No.2 of the NCAA West Regional at the Colorado Springs World Arena. The Spartan victory set up an all-Central Collegiate Hockey Association regional final on Saturday night against Notre Dame, which upset top-seeded New Hampshire, 7-3, in the first game of the day. Lerg was brilliant in the opening period, when the Tigers outshot MSU 12-2. Both teams had three power-play opportunities, but were only able to muster one shot on goal apeice. Michigan State broke the stalemate midway through the second period when junior left wing Tim Kennedy lifted the rebound of a Jeff Petry shot past a sprawling Richard Bachman on the power play. Jeff Dunne doubled the Spartan lead with 1:57 remaining in the second period on a one-timer from the right circle. MSU stunned the Tigers with seven seconds left in the period when Chris Mueller took a feed from Kennedy and beat Bachman with a slaphot in the top left corner. The Tigers scored their only goal midway through the third period when Andreas Vlassopoulos won a draw back to Derek Patrosso, who put a shot between Berg’s pads to give CC life with 7:53 to play. With the Spartans protecting their lead in the final 20 minutes, Colorado College had a 17-9 advantage in shots on goal, but was unable to crack the MSU defense a second time. Bachman finished with 20 saves for the Tigers, who saw their season end with a 28-12-1 record.

Tigers' Amazing Season Cut Short

CC came out flying and shot the daylights out of the Spartans, but in the end it wasn't to be as the few breaks in the game went Michigan State's way and the Tigers fell 3-1. More to come tomorrow afternoon (I'll be at the Denver International Auto Show most of the day) but for now, thanks for the great season guys, we still love you and the season was a blast to watch!

GameTracker

Here's the link to the CSTV GameTracker if you want to follow the games online.
At last check, Clarkson was up 2-1 on St. Cloud in the middle of the third period. The Huskies are being out-shot 39-19. (I picked SCSU to win 4-1, woops!)

Game Day Material

photo by Kevin Kreck













The day of the regionals is here and it's fitting that the Springs is frosted with freezing rain from over-night. I can't remember the last time there was freezing rain like this. BUT, it was 70+ degrees earlier this week so it's no surprise, gotta love spring in CO. If you are just trying to survive work and get to tonight fear not, there are plenty of links to read. Some have interesting thoughts about the tournament (like Clarkson reaching Denver), most are east coast bias like usual. My poll looks like it's shaping up how I figured it would with CC, Michigan and North Dakota handily owning their regionals and the North East regional a complete toss-up. It's too bad the games aren't on normal TV. ESPN has pulled an NFL Network move and put all the regionals on ESPNU, a channel most standard cable subscribers don't get. Stupid, but I can't do anything about it.
I'll be at both games tonight so the blog won't be updated until near midnight or Saturday morning, but I'll have plenty of pics from both games. GO TIGERS!!!

CC Athletics looks at the Tigers and their battle with Michigan State tonight

The local coverage of the West Regionals and the teams

USCHO has regional previews as well as "more coverage" aka east coast bias

INCH features Air Force on the homepage and offers more informed regional previews

ESNPU has some writers that have randomly decided to cover college hockey starting today and have some odd "expert" predictions, aka "who's everyone else picking"

College Hockey News has enough goodies to waste the rest of the afternoon

The Gazette does their best to look like they actually care

Predictions II : Northeast and Midwest Regionals

Northeast Regional-Worcester, MA
Saturday-2PM Air Force vs Miami
Miami has been rolling through their season with the #1 offense in the country beating on Cup Cake Hockey Association opponents and they will get a rude awakening against the Falcons. AFA has been up to WCHA standards this season, stomping DU and playing toe-to-toe with the Tigers. Eric Ehn may be back to give the Falcons a spark. I'm going with the North-side team here.
Prediction: AFA 4, Miami 3

Sunday-5:30PM Minnesota vs Boston College
This game should be a battle. BC is the Hockey East Champion, a league that most view as second behind the WCHA. BC has tournament experience and will be looking to prove their league is better. Minnesota is riding their late season and tournament momentum, despite losing to DU in a game that could have gone both ways. Minnesota is also experienced and physical. If their goaltending is on (like it was against the Tigers), they will defeat the evil east coast Eagles.
Prediction: Minnesota 4, BC 2

Regional Final-Saturday 2:30PM
In a rematch of last year's regional in Denver, the Falcons and Gophers will battle it out again, this time for a spot in Denver. Close, physical game that will go down to the final 5 minutes, or even OT. I think Minnesota's momentum and experience will carry them in this one.
Prediction: Minnesota 3, AFA 2

Bottom line: The Gophers will grind out the win but the stretch run and battle with AFA will catch up with them next weekend and their season will in Denver against...

Midwest Regional-Madison, WI
Saturday-4:30PM Wisconsin vs Denver
After winning the Broadmoor Trophy, DU is rewarded by being placed in the Badgers home building for the opening round-the only all WCHA game tomorrow night. The Pios lost 7-2 the last time they played up in Madison and that has to play a little bit into their heads this weekend. UW will be pumped up at getting another chance and being the only sub-500 team in the tourney (thank you WCHA schedule). This is a toss up but I'm going to give the edge to DU and their tourney experience. It won't be pretty and I wouldn't be surprise to see it go into an extra period or two, and the referees will make all the correct calls this time ;)
Prediction: DU 3, UW 2

Sunday-1:00PM North Dakota vs Princeton
I don't care what anyone says, this is not going to be close. I don't care if Princeton won their tournament, NoDak is too good and will be salivating at the chance to get revenge against DU. WCHA speed and strength will end this quickly as UND eases up in the third period and begins preparation for DU.
Prediction: UND 5, Princeton 0

Regional Final-Saturday 5:00PM
North Dakota can't be happy with what happened at the Ex last weekend and will relish the chance to knock DU out of the tournament and send them home with the Pepsi Center in view from their campus. NoDak will be physical and will score early and put DU in a 3 goal deficit which they have struggled with all season. DU will lose their cool near the end of the game and big, border line illegal hits will dominate the 3rd period.
Prediction: UND 4, DU 1

Bottom line: North Dakota heads to Denver to round out the WCHA crew in Denver.

Final Words:
You heard it here, the WCHA will again ruffle the feathers of the NCAA and dominate the Frozen Four, just as they did in 2005. What, you expected me to say something different?! ;). I'm going to go with my gut and put CC winning 3-2 over North Dakota for their first national title in 50 years. These two are, in my mind, the best teams in the country and it would be a shame for them not to meet again, with CC defending their state and knocking off the mighty Sioux.
Of course there is the distinct possibility that every one of my Friday night picks could lose, in which case I hope you enjoyed the writing!
~PCO

*The bracket I used for the times and dates was incorrect, these two regionals take place Saturday and Sunday

Predictions: East and West Regionals

Predicting WCHA games is like trying to predict the weather in Colorado. Just like it can be snowing downtown and 70 degrees at the World Arena, any weekend allows any team to win. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the NCAA Tournament should be slightly easier to predict. The biggest intangible with these games is who reacts to the pressure and who folds up and collapses. I'll run through each bracket and try to give the best bet on who will head to Denver. Obviously I'm going to be CC biased but to be perfectly honest, they will win it all IF they can score like they were used to (4+ goals a game average) and don't get caught up in the atmosphere, like last weekend. (all times below MT)

West Regional-Colorado Springs World Arena
Friday, 4PM Early Game-New Hampshire vs Notre Dame
I'm looking at New Hampshire taking out Notre Dame with relative ease. ND hasn't played on an Olympic sheet all season and is coming out of the Cup Cake Hockey Association, UNH plays home games on Olympic ice and was consistent all season.
Prediction: UNH 4, ND 1

8PM Night Game-Colorado College vs Michigan State
If the Tigers play their game (fast and high scoring), the defending champions should be sent packing Friday night. CC is at home and played one of the top 3 hardest schedules in the country. Michigan State is a 3rd place CCHA team. However, the experience from last season's title run will give them an advantage in the intangible category, the World Arena crowd should give the Tigers comfort. Look for a fast, high-tempo game.
Prediction: CC 5, MSU 3

Regional Final-8PM Saturday
If the Tigers can beat the defending champs, they will continue their run Saturday night and knock off New Hampshire. The Tigers were swept the second weekend of the season against the Wildcats and will be hungry for revenge and running on adrenaline after knocking out the Spartans. New Hampshire will be worn down by games end, CC clinches with an empty-net goal with 1:20 left and punches their ticket to Pepsi Center.
Prediction: CC 4, UNH 2

Bottom line: Colorado College reaches the Frozen Four 75 miles north of home

East Regional-Albany, NY
Friday Early 2PM St. Cloud State vs Clarkson
Much debate has been made about this matchup because of the seeding. However it won't matter as the WCHA will win this one. CC dominated Clarkson this season 5-2 and 6-2 and St. Cloud has given the Tigers fits, splitting 2-2 and ending the Tigers undefeated home record. Their tough and never-die attitude will take them far and only another WCHA team will beat em. I think the Huskies will be the Cinderella/pest team in this tourney and cause everyone headaches.
Prediction: SCSU 4, Clarkson 1

Friday Night Game 5:30 Michigan vs Niagra
Despite Michigan's weak schedule in a weak conference, the Wolverines will win game 1 handily against probably the lowest profile team in the tournament. Niagara did beat 1/2-WCHA team Bemidji in the CHA tournament but will suffer from the talent gap with UM. I hate Michigan but I'll take them in this one.
Prediction: UM 3, Niagara 1

Regional Final 5PM Saturday
Media darling Michigan will have their hands full trying to keep the Huskies on their leash. The Wolverines will struggle with the pest of the WCHA in a battle much tougher than they had expected. I think SCSU's grit and determination, not to mention conference experience, will carry them to Denver in a nasty battle.
Prediction: SCSU 3, UM 2

Bottom line: St. Cloud heads to Denver as the Frozen Four underdog

Look for the wide-open Northeast and Midwest predictions later tonight.

Colorado Is a Big Freakin' Deal

Those of you that know me know that I'm annoyingly proud of the state of Colorado and everything that we have. So I was extremely happy to check out the paper today to see the special section devoted to Colorado being the hotbed of hockey for the weekend. The photo-illustration by Mark Reis was phenomenal. Half of the image is above. Unfortunately, they cut off the burning Nike Bauer skate that is above the Colorado hockey puck, probably so people like me don't put it on their blog (which is ironic because I probably get more traffic and exposure than that paper does and I would give them more visitors, but another matter for another time). The section has some good articles, if you can find them. In true Gazette fashion, each page has a 1/4 page article and the other 3/4 is FULL OF ADS! Gazette, I don't care about Liberty Toyota, but I do care about the "Last Change a Boon" article buried on the upper left. Can you guys at least spare us the ads for a special section? Can you imagine those sweet Broncos posters from the Super Bowl years with a big Heuberger ad at the bottom? You guys actually had something good going on and you ruined it (and having to pay for it is no excuse, this is ridiculous). Kate actually did a good job on this one so I compiled all the article links for you to spare you from all the ads. However, the photo illustration is worth whatever the paper costs so if you feel compelled, go pick one up.

The hotbed of hockey

CC Refocusing

Home team draws a crowd

It's all about the line change

Sometimes a Good Spanking is All You Need

CC needed bad weekend
By DAVID RAMSEY

Sometimes, a smack upside the head is just what a team requires.

Colorado College's Tigers tumbled to consecutive defeats at the Final Five in St. Paul, Minn. They were, during one lost weekend, blindsided by all their faults.

Good for them.

This two-loss debacle is exactly what the team needs to fuel a run to the Frozen Four in Denver.

Everything is in place for the short journey to Pepsi Center. The Tigers are blessed with experience, talent and home-ice advantage. To top it off, they enjoy the blessing of a wicked yet wonderful jolt of reality.

No. 2 regional seed CC plays No. 3 seed Michigan State, the defending national champion, at World Arena at 8 p.m. Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers delivered one of the grandest regular seasons in school history. They beat archrival University of Denver, the evil empire, in three of four games, claimed the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title by four points and roared into the Final Five with the expectation of glorious triumph.

What a difference a weekend makes.

In the hallway outside CC's locker room, forward Scott McCulloch talked softly about the losses. He was, he said, "embarrassed."

On March 8, the Tigers danced at World Arena with the MacNaughton Cup, symbol of their WCHA supremacy. Two weeks later, they stumbled off the ice in St. Paul, losers of two straight.

"It's always good to be brought back to earth for everybody," McCulloch said. "When you're winning, as much as you try not to, you start thinking you're unbeatable."

Despite recent bad times, the Tigers retain every reason to believe. They're 18-2 at World Arena.

Belief is the message offered by coach Scott Owens. He walks to a steady hockey beat, declining to soar too high or sink too low.

He's sticking to his beat, even after the losses. He's offended by the suggestion his Tigers were "jolted" at the Final Five.

"I'm probably not quite the alarmist that you are," he said. "We did not have success last weekend - there's no doubt - but we didn't play that poorly."

Don't think Owens is oblivious to his team's faults. He was bothered by his team's casual approach at the Final Five.

The Tigers, Owens said, weren't scrappy enough. They declined to swarm the net. They didn't play with the focused rage that carried them to a WCHA regular-season title.

Still, Owens hasn't transformed this week into an angry, middle-aged man. He's veering as far away as he can from, borrowing his words, "a negative over-reaction." He swears he's not worried.

"You know what," Owens said, leaning forward in his office chair. "I'm optimistic. When you look at the sum of our work, I'm optimistic that we will play well at home."

While the MacNaughton Cup rested behind him, Owens leaned back and asked himself two questions.
Is he depressed?

No.

Is he berating his players?

No.

Owens will not be moved. He's sticking, as always, to the hopeful approach.

He knows he lives in perilous times. One loss and World Arena will change from a happy hockey destination to a big, cold, sad room. One loss and a season of promise crashes to a halt.

Owens smiled.

"We're back in familiar surroundings," he said. "And I feel pretty good."

We'll soon see if he has grounds for all this radical calm.

Can He Do it?

freshman Richard Bachman will look to carry his team to the title like Peter Manino in 2005 (photo by PCO)















Tigers will live or die by Bachman's play
Milo F. Bryant

We can talk all we want about the story lines heading this weekend's West Regional at World Arena.

There are many.

From two Hobey Baker Award finalists - who shouldn't be finalists over Colorado College goaltender Richard Bachman - to the defending national champions to teams playing at altitude and on a big sheet. We could go on and on. And over the next few days, we probably will.

But this weekend is going to boil down to the one thing it always boils down to in the college hockey playoffs - goaltending.

"You can't advance without good goaltending," CC coach Scott Owens said. "And even when you do have good goaltending, it's iffy. Like us last weekend - we had pretty good goaltending and it was still iffy. It was a big story in our league this year and it's always a big story in the postseason."

For Bachman, the story carries a little extra weight. All season the Tigers have trumped the "I.O.B." mantra - In Our Backyard. They've been about protecting the home turf.

The ability to protect it never is going to be more important than Friday when the Tigers face the defending national champion Michigan State Spartans.

As many big games as Bachman has played, the implications make this one and each after it - if there are any - biggest.

It's in Bachman's backyard now.

Remember, Bachman is a freshman. He's an incredibly talented, level-headed and smooth freshman. But he's still a freshman, and he's leading a team with a neophyte's amount of playoff experience.

As good as Bachman has been, he's going to have to be better if the home team wants to make that trip to Denver and play in the Frozen Four. Navigating the Tigers' way north is a lot of weight to put on a freshman's shoulders - even on the considerable shoulders of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Player of the Year.

"I try to keep everything about the same," Bachman said. "You do notice the pressure a little bit more. You know that every game could be your last game, but I think that helps. It brings the best out of you a little bit more, more of that competitiveness.

"It's not just a regular-season game. You're fighting for your playoff lives here. I love playoffs. I think it's the best time. You can really make a big difference for your team."

Bachman will be facing a Hobey Baker finalist in Jeff Lerg on Friday. Lerg played more minutes than any other goalie in the nation this year. But he wasn't as good as he was last season, and definitely not as good as he was in the 2007 NCAA Tournament when he led his team to the title.

Lerg was the epitome of a hot goalie then.

Can he repeat that type of play? Can he prove that the nation's coaches were correct in making him a Hobey Baker finalist based on this year's merits and not last year's success?

Can Bachman match that intensity?

"You want to be on those lists," Bachman said. "I've accepted it and kind of moved on. But having those other two goalies here, you want to show that you can be right up there with them.

"They've had tremendous seasons and deserve to be on that list. You want to be able to match their play and be able to exceed it. You want to step up for the hometown crowd."

Expect Bachman to match the play of the opposing goalies.

Even if he does, as Owens said, victory is still going to be iffy.

All in the Family

If you haven't seen or heard about it, Colorado Hero Patrick Roy's son got into a fight in the Canadian league the other night, beating the crap out of a defenseless opposing goalie. Most people are fuming about this whole thing but I found it kinda funny, in a sick twisted way. Below is the fight, followed by Patrick's beating of Chris Osgood during the "good ol' days" for the Avalanche.

Hobey-Screwed

Milo's column last week alludes to the Tigers complete snuff by the Hobey committee. I don't care if we had a player that would have won it, but c'mon, the team had one of the best regular season's in the country and the hardest schedule of the top 5 teams. What a joke.

Hobey Baker committee’s snub of CC is pathetic
By MILO F. BRYANT

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Colorado College hockey team left the Western Collegiate Hockey Association awards ceremony with an impressive amount of hardware — and justifiably so.

But the thing that had folks in a River Center ballroom talking afterward was the huge snub the Tigers received.

Freshman goalie Richard Bachman joined senior defenseman Jack Hillen and junior forward Chad Rau on the WCHA first team. Hillen was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Bachman earned Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors.

There were many congratulations — as there should have been.

Then came the snub.

The Hobey Baker committee showed a video to release the names of the top 10 finalists for the nation’s highest college hockey honor. Seconds before the announcement a betting person would’ve put down his house that the Tigers would’ve had at least two and possibly three people on that list.

After the announcement, that man would’ve been homeless.

The Tigers were shut out of the top 10 Hobey Baker finalists.

Read that sentence again. They were shut out. The Tigers had the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Player of the Year and they were shut out of the top 10?

That’s pathetic.

Bachman, Rau and Hillen are three of the nation’s best players. They play on one of the nation’s best teams. They play in the nation’s best conference.

There are not 10 players in the country better than those three. If anyone can find 10 players, they’re looking in the National Hockey League.

“Shocked,” University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky said of his reaction. “Disappointed may be better. Disappointed and shocked.

“I’ll be very honest with you. We’ve got great respect for CC. As bitter as the rivalry is, we’ve got great respect for CC. . . . Richard Bachman and Chad Rau have had great years in the WCHA. And within the WCHA they were awarded accordingly. For them not to receive the national recognition of being in the top 10 — it’s just not right.”

No, it’s not.

The last time the WCHA Player of the Year failed to be named as a Hobey Baker top 10 finalist was during the 1989-90 season when the University of Wisconsin’s Gary Shuchuk wasn’t named.

Bachman was twice the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Rookie of the Month.

North Dakota’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is one of three goalies in the top 10 finalists list. Michigan State Jeff Lerg and New Hampshire’s Kevin Regan are the others.

In conference play, Bachman had a higher save percentage than Lamoureux. He had a higher winning percentage than Lamoureux. Had Bachman played the final regular season game he would’ve beaten Lamoureux in goals against average, too.

So Lamoureux, not even the best goalie in his own conference gets on the top 10 list, and Bachman doesn’t.

The only place where Lerg has proven to be better than Bachman is on the clock. Lerg played more minutes than any other goalie this season.

Bachman leads Regan in every major goalie statistical category.

So, what gives?

Some have said it’s because Bachman is a freshman. If that’s the case, the award shouldn’t be given. If it’s a freshman thing, then what’s the problem with Rau and Hillen?

“I’m actually surprised that none of them are up there,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “I thought we’d have a couple. I didn’t know which two they’d be but I thought we’d have a couple.

“Basically, you’ve got the top scoring defenseman in the country. You’ve got the Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. Yeah, I am a little surprised by that.”

I don’t know if it would’ve changed anything, but Colorado College didn’t have the best promotion of its players nationally. In this day, teams can’t rely on Internet message boards or college hockey Web sites to do their promotion for them.

Those who don’t do that, rightly or wrongly, get snubbed.

“It makes us want to get to the Frozen Four and get some more exposure because we have some unbelievable players on our team that didn’t get recognized,” Hillen said.

The Tigers, who are the second furthest team away from the Atlantic Ocean, played on the East Coast twice this season, and only once was up North. They played in Tampa the other games. Both of those trips happened before 2008. Few people remember specifics that far back.

They needed to be reminded, and CC did a poor job of doing that.

Contact Bryant at 636-0252 or milo.bryant@gazette.com. See his blog at milobryant.blogspot.com or catch him on KOAA’s Comcast Channel 9 most Wednesdays at 4 p.m.

Reviews of the Pathetic Weekend Showing

Maybe it was Kate Crandall broadcasting the infamous suspension reasons just before the games (for the sheer reason to make a name for herself and sell papers no doubt) or the Tigers were still thinking DU and decided to mimic the Pios pathetic stretch run. Either way, something happened to the Tigers this past weekend. They were sloppy, slow, and couldn't score to save (black) face. This should have been an easy sweep for the Broadmoor Trophy: DU was limping like a man just after "that surgery", Minnesota had been playing hockey for a week straight non-stop, and North Dakota had a so-so goalie and wasn't as fast as the Tigers. Instead we got CC laying an oblong egg against the Gophers, and deciding not to care about 3rd place and just go through the motions and get back to the Springs (not too mention NoDak's goalie playing lights out with his crazy name). DU decided to wake up and actually play hockey was rewarded with another B-moor Trophy (they are 5-0 in the Final Five), and also with a trip to Wisconsin for the tournament-a team that put up 7 on them last time they played. Now CC is a #2 seed at home and gets to take on the defending champs. Very do-able but still a challenge. If the Tigers play like their 18-2 home record, it's off to Denver they go. If they play like this past weekend, I'll be pretty glum in my 3rd row seat Friday night.


Tip-toeing won’t take Tigers far in playoffs
By MILO F. BRYANT

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Home is all that’s left for the Colorado College Tigers.

They spent too much time toiling around the Xcel Energy Center ice and not enough time playing what they like to call “Tigers’ Hockey” on Friday and Saturday.

Blanked at the Final Five — sounds like the title of a bad hockey book. It’s sad the Tigers would’ve starred as the incredibly humbled protagonist.

Couple Saturday’s 4-2 loss to North Dakota with Friday’s overtime loss to Minnesota and the Tigers put together a weekend that we haven’t seen since they lost twice to New Hampshire in late October.

On Friday, the Tigers ran into a hot goalie and deserve a break.

Saturday’s setback was different. The Tigers failed to put forth the same kind of effort as their opponent. For much of the game, North Dakota was the team playing as if it had something to lose or something to prove.

If a team can get dirty on the ice, North Dakota was the team getting dirty. North Dakota was more stubborn. It was everything the Tigers were throughout the regular season.

The Tigers worked their butts off all season to earn the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s regular-season title. Then they get into the playoffs and start tip-toeing around.

Tip-toeing isn’t what got them to the playoffs. It’s amazing they skated as if tiptoeing would somehow sustain them.

“For only a quarter of the time did we look like the true CC team that we’ve been all year,” senior captain Scott Thauwald said. “That’s not the way you want to play playoff hockey. If anything, you want to be more intense. You want to play better than you did in the regular season, and that just didn’t happen. The inconsistency was key.”

Saturday’s game should’ve been about the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s West Regional. Colorado College and North Dakota were No. 4 and No. 5 in the Pair-Wise rankings entering the game. The PairWise rankings are a simulation of the process used to pick the NCAA field. Conventional wisdom suggests the winner of the game would receive the fourth overall seed, and therefore a top seed in one of the four regionals.

The Tigers host the West Regional so they have to play there. Had they won Saturday, they would’ve been the top seed. Now they likely will be a No. 2 seed and have to beat a tougher opponent to reach the regional final.

We now have to ask ourselves: Which Tigers will show up next weekend at the World Arena?

North Dakota is one of the nation’s better teams. But there is no way North Dakota skates around the Tigers the way it did Saturday unless the Tigers are emotionally tapped or they’re simply giving a lackluster effort.

Look no further than North Dakota’s third goal Saturday.

Defenseman Chay Genoway took the puck near center ice and weaved his way between, around and by the Tigers’ Kris Fredheim, Brian Connelly and Thauwald.

The perplexing thing about the game is that the Tigers are built on speed. Yet they were not one or two steps slower. The Tigers were playing catch up much of the first two periods.

The Tigers skated as if they were on a perpetual penalty kill for much of the second period.

“It is surprising to me right now, at this point of the season, how inconsistent we are,” sophomore forward Bill Sweatt said. “We’ve got to figure it out and figure it out quick.”

Either teams have figured out how to keep the Tigers from scoring inside or the Tigers are not being gritty and aggressive enough to fight the puck inside and get the dirty goals. A majority of the Tigers’ shots are coming from the outside or from high in front of the goal.

That’s not working.

If the Tigers want to get to Denver and the Frozen Four, they better dig in and get some grit on their skates.

It's Michigan State

The Tigers will open up with Michigan State Friday and the WCHA lands 6 teams in the tournament, 3 in the Midwest Regional.

USCHO
The NCAA Selection Show is over and after all the games and all the speculation, the field of 16 has been laid out. As predicted using the PairWise Rankings, sub-.500 Wisconsin earned a bid and will host the Midwest Regional in Madison, Wis. But with a record-breaking six WCHA teams in the tournament, the committee threw a curveball in setting up the bracket, with three WCHA teams at the Midwest Regional. Still, if you start from the right principles, the bracket falls out without too much wrangling, says Jayson Moy.
Analysis

Albany (East)
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Niagara
No. 2 St. Cloud State vs. No. 3 Clarkson

Colorado Springs (West)
No. 1 New Hampshire vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
No. 2 Colorado College vs. No. 3 Michigan State

Madison (Midwest)
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 4 Princeton
No. 2 Denver vs. No. 3 Wisconsin

Worcester (Northeast)
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 4 Air Force
No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 3 Minnesota

DU Wins Broadmoor Trophy

At least it stayed in Colorado. DU battled to beat Minnesota to win the 2008 Broadmoor Trophy leaving the two Colorado rivals each champions of the league this season, CC got the regular season and DU with the post-season. However, neither of those matter as the battle for the national championship will begin this week.
It was an entertaining game, one that featured Minnesota getting some payback from last night when a centering pass hit their defenseman and went in their own net.
Game story here

Tigers Limp Out of Tournament

The Tigers WCHA Final Five woes continued as CC loses to North Dakota 4-2 in the consolation game Saturday afternoon. Once again, the opposing goaltender got hot against CC, this time is was J.P Laoureux, stopping 33 shots, a night after looking pretty average. It's a blessing and a curse to play in the WCHA. Blessing being strength of schedule and great hockey every night; curse being any one can win any game and the tournament gives each team that chance. The Tigers ruled the regular season but weren't up to the task on the smaller ice surface battling for the elusive Broadmoor Trophy. CC will still make the NCAA Tournament and will play Friday at the World Arena but will not be the number one seed. BUT it may actually be a better bracket for the Tigers.
Right now it looks like New Hampshire, Notre Dame, Minnesota State and CC out here in the Springs. The Tigers would open up against Notre Dame. Notre Dame has not played on an Olympic sheet this season. However, there could be some changes due to conferences, travel etc.
Pairwise This Afternoon, the Tigers are 5th

The selection will be unveiled at 9AM on ESPN 2 Sunday morning. I'll try to get the tournament information up Sunday afternoon since it is Easter Sunday it's very significant for myself, way above my love of hockey.
Game stats here

Tonight, DU will take on Minnesota for the Broadmoor Trophy. I'm looking for Minnesota to win this one; they are on a roll and always play well in the post-season. Most people thought we would see, and hoped for, a CC-ND battle pitting most people's top two teams in the country. The game is live on FSN at 6:07PM