Tigers win again, fans get to watch on TV

In a rare but pleasing move, those of us in the Colorado Springs region were treated to the Tigers and Badgers game on our local FSN channel. Granted, the coverage was from UW's "W sports" network but it was surprisingly good and generally unbiased. Of course the announcers were UW fans, but they seemed to genuinely appreciate college hockey and the talent and fortitude of the Tigers that is becoming more and more apparent. They were knowledgeable of the game, both teams, and the history between the teams and the WCHA in general. I was watching the Pittsburgh-Jags game and watching the Tigers during commercials (and man there were a lot of them). I missed the first period so I didn't see the "weird" goal that the Badgers got just seconds into the game, but I did see the Tigers play up-temp back and forth solidly for 1.5 periods. The Tigers completely dominated every aspect in the third period, registering a 16-3 shot advantage and relentless pressure. The go-ahead goal came on numerous own-end turnovers by UW and pressure by the Tigers. It was one of those sequences where you just sit and wait for them to score, knowing that it is coming. The Tigers took the lead and had numerous chances to extend that before the empty-netter sealed it. The Tigers took 4 faceoffs in the UW zone to the left (viewer right) of UW goalie Shane Connelly and won all four back followed by a quick shot and cover. After the third time, it was almost comical.
It was great to see the Tigers calmly come back and play a solid game on the road, a place they aren't quite comfortable with just yet. I'm sure teams will be terrified to be coming to the World Arena for the regionals, a place where the Tigers have only lost....haven't lost at this season (7-0 compared to 6-5 away). This team has flashes of greatness and will be fun to watch down the stretch. Remember, they are without Sweatt and Lampl so they can only get better when Sweatt returns (Lampl hopefully will be back within 2 seasons).
I'm excited to finally see the Tigers back at home for the first time since they stomped DU November 23rd, that's a heck of a road trip coupled with the Christmas break!