Tigers Ready to Add More Hardware
CC Athletics
This Week’s Storylines
• Preparing for their first appearance at the WCHA Final Five since 2005, the Tigers won’t know who their semifinal opponent is until after Thursday’s play-in contest between St. Cloud State and Minnesota is settled. CC will meet the winner at 7:07 CDT Friday, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., with hopes of advancing to Saturday’s championship game against either North Dakota or Denver.
• Colorado College split both of its regular-season series with SCSU, winning the opener of each before falling the next night, and swept the Gophers at the World Arena back in October in the teams’ only meetings to date.
• In addition to the Broadmoor Trophy, which Colorado College never has won as WCHA playoff champion, an automatic bid to and No. 1 seeding for the NCAA tournament also are at stake this week. Regardless of what happens, however, the Tigers know they will play in the West Regional a week later at the World Arena.
Icers Take Aim at Broadmoor Trophy
In First Trip to Final Five Since 2005
Elusive Title Within Reach: Colorado College resumes its “second” season in St. Paul, Minn., this weekend when the league champion and top-seeded Tigers return to the Red Baron WCHA Final Five for the first time in three years. CC, which is looking for its first-ever conference playoff crown, will take on the winner of Thursday’s play-in game between St. Cloud State and Minnesota in Friday’s late semifinal contest. Faceoff at the Xcel Energy Center (18,064 seating capacity) is 7:07 p.m. CDT. North Dakota and Denver, the No. 2 and 3 seeds, will meet in Friday’s earlier semifinal, at 2:07 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s third-place and consolation games also are scheduled for 2:07 and 7:07 p.m., respectively.
For the Record: The Tigers, who finished 21-6-1 in conference play, are 28-9-1 overall after eliminating the University of Alaska Anchorage in two games of their best-of-three opening-round playoff series at the World Arena last weekend. The Tigers won Friday’s opener, 4-1, then rallied from behind twice on Saturday before prevailing by a 3-2 count in sudden-death overtime...Minnesota, which advanced with Sunday’s 3-2 double-overtime victory over Minnesota State in Game 3 of their first-round series in Mankato, is 17-15-9 for the season. St. Cloud State is 19-14-5 after sweeping Wisconsin, 3-0 and 4-3 in overtime, in their best-of-three set at SCSU’s National Hockey Center.
In the Rankings: The Tigers, who have climbed to No. 1 in this week’s InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH) power rankings, are No. 2 in the national polls conducted by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC is No. 4 in the Pairwise computer rankings, which simulate the selection and seeding process for the NCAA tournament.
Coach’s Corner: Scott Owens (Colorado College ‘79), who has guided the team to more victories than any other head coach in the history of Tiger Hockey, is in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater. Owens is 223-118-25 (.643) in 366 games behind the bench, including an 18-14-2 (.559) record against St. Cloud State and a 12-19-1 mark (.391) against Minnesota. This year’s upcoming appearance in the NCAA tournament will be CC’s sixth during Owens’ reign.
CC at the Final Five: Colorado College competed for the first time at what was then the WCHA Final Four in 1992. The Tigers are 12-12 in 24 all-time games at the league’s showcase event, including a 3-7 mark in the semifinals, after defeating Minnesota (3-0) and losing to Denver (1-0) in their last trip to St. Paul in 2005. They’ve reached the championship contests on three occasions (1995, 2003 and 2005), and are 6-1 in third-place games after prevailing in the last six in which they’ve played, from 1996 through 2002.
The Rivalries: Colorado College is 40-29-4 all-time against St. Cloud State, which upset the Tigers in a first-round playoff series at the World Arena two years ago in the teams’ most recent post-season meetings. CC is 81-154-7 in 242 previous games against the Gophers, who had won six consecutive decisions in the rivalry prior to losing, 3-1 and 2-1 in overtime, at the CSWA back on Oct. 19 and 20 of this campaign. The Tigers are 74-128-9 all-time vs. North Dakota and 105-152-10 vs. Denver.
Recapping Last Week’s Series: It was CC’s underclassmen who stole the spotlight in the sweep of Alaska Anchorage, as freshman center Tyler Johnson (Cloquet, MN) fueled Friday’s victory with the game-winning goal and an assist, and sophomore right wing Mike Testwuide (Vail, CO) emerged as the hero a night later. Testwuide, who also staked CC to a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the series opener, ended Saturday’s nail biter with his third tally of the weekend at 2:58 of overtime. He earlier tied the contest at 5:54 of the third period and assisted on sophomore left wing Bill Sweatt’s (Elburn, IL) red lighter at 4:22 of the second. Sweatt and senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN), who also assisted on Johnson’s goal the previous evening, combined to set up Testwuide’s dramatic sudden-death effort. Freshman goaltender Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) backstopped both victories, making 27 saves on Friday and 18 on Saturday. Senior wingers Scott Thauwald (Rochester, MN) and Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.) also found the back of the Seawolves cage during the third period on Friday, when McCulloch’s empty netter with 20.1 seconds remaining put an end to any UAAcomeback hopes.
Historical Perspective: CC’s 28 victories to date in 2007-08 represents its sixth most ever in a season. The Tigers won 33 games in 1995-96, 31 in 2004-05, 30 each in 1994-95 and 2002-03, and 29 in 1998-99. Since the 1993-94 campaign, when they claimed their first regular-season title since 1957, they have compiled an overall record of 389-186-43 (.664). Two weekends ago, Colorado College hoisted the MacNaughton Trophy for the sixth time in the last 15 seasons. CC has won nine league titles overall – in 1951-52, ‘54-55, ‘56-57, ‘93-94, ‘94-95, ‘95-96, ‘02-03 and ‘04-05 (tie with Denver) prior to this season.
Road to the Frozen Four: With the NCAA West Regional scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, at the World Arena, the Tigers will enjoy the home-ice advantage in their quest to reach the Frozen Four at the Pepsi Center in Denver two weeks later. The entire 16-team field for the NCAA tournament, including the other three schools participating in Colorado Springs, will be announced at 9:30 a.m. MDT on Easter Sunday (March 23). CC also hosted a regional in 2004 but did not qualify for the tournament that year.
CC’s Rookie Standout: Bachman, who has been named National Rookie of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association twice (in October and February) this campaign, finished the regular-season with a winning percentage of .780 (19-5-1), saves ratio of .937, and four shutouts in league play – all WCHA bests. His GAAof 1.75 in conference play, as well as the .937 saves percentage, both are single-season school records. The All-America candidate gave up one or fewer goals in 13 of his 25 conference starts, and has allowed two or fewer in 24 of his 34 assignments overall, posting .797 winning percentage (25-6-1), a 1.75 GAA and a nation-leading .935 saves ratio overall in all games.
Threat From the Blue Line: Hillen, the nation’s top-scoring defenseman with 36 points (6g,30a), now has assisted on six game-winning goals this season after helping to set up both last weekend. One of just five CC players to appear in every game so far in 2007-08, the All-America candidate has collected 21 points (3g,18a) in the last 16 outings. He also ranks No. 1 among all WCHA players with his 30 assists, leads the Tigers with 18 points (3g,15a) on the power play and is a key member in Colorado College’s nation-best and league-leading penalty killing efforts, which succeeded on four of five UAA power plays last weekend. He earned WCHA Player of the Week honors (twice Defensive and once Offensive) on three occasions this campaign.
Turning the Tables: The Tigers, who finished with a league-best 92.9-percent penalty-killing ratio in WCHA play (104 for 112) to go with their nation-leading 90.5-percent mark overall (133 for 147), have held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 16 of the last 20 outings, as well as in 26 of 38 for the season. While allowing only 14 PPG all season, including just eight in 28 conference games, CC has scored 10 shorthanded goals including eight in league play. Junior center and All-America candidate Chad Rau (Eden Prairie, MN), the WCHA’s top goal scorer with 27 tallies overall, leads the nation with six SHG and tops Colorado College with seven on the power play.
Spreading the Wealth: Johnson, who has missed only one game while centering Colorado College’s third line for most of the season, is the 11th different Tiger to score a game-winning goal in 2007-08 as well as the 21st to factor in on one. Eight have 20 points or more. Senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN) has been involved in a team-high eight game winners, scoring four and assisting on four, while Rau and McCulloch have scored five apiece to lead CC in that category.
Tiger Bites: Colorado College is 16-3-1 in its last 18 outings overall during the months of January, February and March...Testwuide’s early tally last Friday marked the sixth time this season that CC has struck in the opening 40 seconds of a period, and was the team’s quickest of the season to start a game...Rau, who was held to just an assist last weekend, has scored two or more goals in a game on nine occasions in ‘07-08...The Tigers are 2-2-1 in overtime games this campaign... Kilpatrick has been involved in 24 game-winning goals altogether during his four years at CC, scoring nine and assisting on 15...Sweatt has collected five points (2g,3a) in the last three games to surpass his total of last season...Colorado College’s 2007-08 roster includes 10 Minnesota natives.
Subjects
Broadmoor Trophy,
CC Tigers,
wcha playoffs
