DU Week Storylines: Hardware at Stake

The Tigers will look to hoist the MacNaughton Cup on their rivals home ice

From CC Athletics
DU last obstacle in quest for league title
While Colorado College and the University of Denver settle their annual battle for the Gold Pan this weekend, a lot more than the bronze mining utensil are on the line for CC. The Tigers, who take on DU at Magness Arena in Friday’s series opener before returning to World Arena for Saturday’s regular-season finale, need two points to clinch a share of their third Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship in the last six years. They head into the weekend with a two-point lead over second-place North Dakota, which owns a 15-game (14-0-1) undefeated streak dating back to early January. The Fighting Sioux play host to St. Cloud State, which is fighting for a home-ice playoff berth, in a pair of games at Engelstad Arena.

This Week’s Storylines
• As if Lady Destiny herself wrote the script, the Tigers’ hopes of hoisting the MacNaughton Trophy and entering the league playoffs as a No. 1 seed come down to their final two regular-season games against the University of Denver. If CC can’t clinch at least a share of the WCHA title in Friday’s series opener at DU’s Magness Arena, they’ll get one last chance in Saturday’s rematch at the World Arena.
• Colorado College heads into the weekend with a two-point lead over second-place North Dakota, which owns a 15-game (14-0-1) undefeated streak. The Fighting Sioux play host to St. Cloud State, which is fighting for a home-ice playoff berth, in a pair of games at Engelstad Arena.
• Third-place Denver, which is six points behind CC and four behind the Sioux, can move up in the standings only with a sweep of its own as well as two victories by SCSU in Grand Forks. But the Pioneers will be shooting to regain possession of the Gold Pan, which it lost to the Tigers a year ago, and need at least three points to get it back.

League Title, Playoff Seeding, Gold Pan
At Stake on Final Weekend vs. Denver

Rivalry With A Meaning: While Colorado College and the University of Denver settle their annual battle for the Gold Pan this weekend, a lot more than the emblematic mining utensil are on the line for CC. The Tigers, who take on DU at Magness Arena (6,026 seating capacity) in Friday’s series opener before returning to World Arena (7,343 seating capacity) for Saturday’s regular-season finale, need two points to clinch a share of their third Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship in the last six years.

For the Record: First-place CC is 24-9-1 overall and 19-6-1 in league play after splitting with Minnesota State University at home last weekend. The Tigers won the series opener, 5-2, on Friday but dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to MSU in Saturday’s rematch... Denver is 22-11-1 overall and 16-9-1 in league play, good for third place in the WCHA standings. The Pioneers split at Michigan Tech last week, winning 2-0 on Friday before losing 2-1 on Saturday.

On the Air: All CC games this season, home and away, are broadcast live throughout Southern Colorado on KYZX (103.9 FM The Eagle), featuring Ken Landau with the play-by-play. Pre-game shows start 17 minutes before faceoff. All broadcasts can be heard worldwide via the Internet, from a link at CCTigers.com. Landau also is host of the Tiger Hockey Coach’s Show, which airs from 6:30 until 7:30 p.m. (MT) Tuesdays, on The Eagle…Saturday’s regular-season finale against DU will be televised live from the World Arena by CET (Comcast Entertainment). The telecast can be viewed on channel 4 throughout Southern Colorado, including Colorado Springs and Pueblo, as well as on channel 5 in metropolitan Denver and points north and west. CET’s viewership reaches approximately 750,000 homes along the Front Range. Live video streaming of all Tiger home games this season is available, courtesy of B2 Networks, via a link at CCTigers.com. Cost is $6 per game.

In the Rankings: The Tigers is No. 5 in this week’s national polls conducted by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC is tied for fourth in the Pairwise computer rankings and has dropped from second to third the power rankings published by InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH), which has Denver at No. 8. The Pioneers are seventh in the other two polls, as well as sixth in the Pairwise.

Coach’s Corner: Scott Owens (Colorado College ‘79), who has recorded more victories than any head coach in the history of Tiger Hockey, is in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater. Owens is 219-118-25 (.640) in 362 games behind the bench, including a 22-15-2 (.590) mark against Denver, and has guided the Tigers to five NCAA playoff berths in his previous eight campaigns.

The All-Time Series: Friday marks the 266th official meeting between Colorado College and DU in a rivalry that started on Jan. 6, 1950. While CC has dropped only one of the last seven decisions (4-1-2) dating back to the 2005-06 regular-season finale in Denver, the Pioneers own a 152-103-10 all-time advantage and a 7-5-2 edge in the last 14 games between the teams. Each won at home earlier this season. The Tigers are 14-6-2 in 22 all-time showdowns at the World Arena, as well as 12-6-1 in 19 previous outings at Magness Arena.

A Look at the Pioneers: George Gwozdecky (Wisconsin ‘78) is in his 14th season as head coach at DU, where he has compiled a record of 319-202-41 (.604). Gwozdecky is 468-325-62 (.584) in 22 years overall as a collegiate head coach. With the recent departure of sophomore Brock Trotter to the NHL, Denver’s top scorer this season is freshman forward Tyler Bozak, who has 29 points (15g,14a) in 34 games. Sophomore forward Rhett Rakhshani is next with 25 (13g,12a). Senior goalie Peter Mannino is 21-11-1 between the pipes, with a 2.16 GAA and .919 saves percentage.

History of the Gold Pan: Established by former head coaches Don Lucia of CC and Frank Serratore of Denver back in 1993-94, the Gold Pan has been awarded annually every season since to the team prevailing in the regular-season series between the two rivals. In the event of an even split of the four games, the team currently in possession of the authentic mining utensil keeps it. The Tigers have won the trophy in eight of 14 previous campaigns, including 2006-07.

Recapping the MSU Series: Senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN) and junior center Chad Rau (Eden Prairie, MN) scored twice apiece to fuel Friday’s 5-2 victory, as the Tigers battled back from an early 2-0 deficit. Hillen added a pair of assists in the triumph, while senior left wing Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.) provided the go-ahead and game-winning goal on a deflection at 16:53 of the second period. Colorado College built a 2-0 lead of its own after 40 minutes of play on Saturday, on tallies by junior forward Eric Walsky (Anchorage, AK) and Rau in the middle frame, but allowed Minnesota State to tie the contest with a couple unanswered goals in the third period. The Mavericks then needed only 16 seconds of overtime to strike for the game winner. Freshman goaltender Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) was stellar between the pipes both nights for CC, finishing with 33 saves on Friday and 32 more on Saturday.

In Case of a Tie: Should Colorado College and North Dakota finish in a dead heat for first place, it’s likely that a third tiebreaking procedure would need to be used in determining which of the co-champions is the top seed for the WCHA playoffs. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, and the teams split their only two games of the season more than four months ago in Grand Forks. The second is league victories, which also could end up equal. The third tiebreaker, which the Tigers lead by a plus-six margin heading into this week’s action, is goals differential in conference play for the entire season.

Best at the Blue Line: Hillen, whose four points in last Friday’s victory improved his career-high total to 32 (5g,27a) for the season, now ranks as the top-scoring defenseman in the entire nation. One of just five CC players to appear in every game this season, the All-WCHA/All-America candidate has collected 17 points (2g,15a) in the last 12 outings despite being held without one on Saturday. He also ranks No. 1 among all WCHA players with his 27 assists, leads the Tigers with 17 points (2g,15a) on the power play and is a key member in Colorado College’s nation-best and league-leading penalty killing efforts, which blanked the Mavericks on eight power-play chances last weekend.

Turning the Tables: The Tigers, who boast a 93.1-percent PK ratio in WCHA play (94 for 101) to go with their 91-percent mark overall (121 for 133), have held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 14 of the last 16 outings, as well as in 24 of 34 for the season. While allowed only 12 PPG all season, including just seven in its 26 league games to date, CC has scored 10 shorthanded goals including eight in conference play. The latest addition to the list was Rau’s unassisted empty netter last Friday, which came at 19:37 of the third period during Minnesota State’s fifth power play of the night.

Back on Track: Rau, who has struck for six goals in the last four outings after suffering through a seven-game drought without one, now has scored two or more in a contest on eight occasions this season. His late tally in last week’s series opener gave him a nation-leading six shorthanded tallies for the campaign. His career-high 25 red lighters overall and 21 in league play lead all WCHA players. He also leads the Tigers with seven on the power play. Another All-WCHA/All-America candidate, he heads into this week’s series with Denver needing only two more points to become the 71st member of Colorado College’s elite “Century Club” for players with 100 or more during their collegiate careers.

Consistently Stingy: Last Friday marked the 21st time in 29 starts overall this season that Bachman has allowed two or fewer goals. Owner of four shutouts in league play, the rookie sensation has given up one or fewer goals in 13 of his 24 WCHA assignments and continues to lead the league in all major goaltending categories. Also an All-WCHA/All-America candidate, he currently is tied for first nationally with a .934 saves percentage, is third in the country with an overall GAA of 1.76 and is fourth with winning percentage of .776 (22-6-1).

Special Honor: Senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN), who extended his point-scoring streak to six consecutive games with an assist in both outings last week, is among a dozen players nationwide selected to participate in the third annual Frozen Four Skills Challenge, to be held April 11 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Kilpatrick currently is tied with teammate Hillen for ninth place among WCHA scoring leaders in league play, each with 22 points.

Tiger Bites: McCulloch now has scored five game-winning goals this season, tying him for the team lead with Rau...Connelly, who took a pass from Hillen before unleashing the shot that deflected in off McCulloch last Friday, has assisted on a CC-best seven game winners...Hillen’s game-tying power-play goal just 25 seconds into the middle frame on Friday marked the fourth time this season that Colorado College has scored in the opening half minute of a period...Including a 10-1-1 record in exhibition games, the Tigers are 167-59-8 (.731) in 234 all-time appearances at the World Arena since opening the facility a decade ago...CC’s three power-play goals in last Friday’s victory over the Mavericks represent a team single-game high for 2007-08.

Also, the CC bookstore is rumored to be having a 15% off sale of all GOLD Tiger apparel the next 3 days. Just a rumor, not shameless plug cuz I'm not getting paid for it!

A history of attacking chickens

David Ramsey (one of the few credible writers at our crappy paper) takes a look at some of the wild moments in the DU-CC rivalry. Personally, I think arena security has taken away a lot of the wildness that the students used to bring to the game. Just watching security come down and scold rambunctious students every 2 minutes takes so much out of the game. Oh and Mr. CC president, the chants at the games are part of hockey, not some "blatantly homophobic" rant like you said, get a life. I'm ready to see the Tigers hoist their hardware on the Fagness arena ice Friday night!

CC-DU Rivalry Has Cooled, Memories Haven't
David Ramsey

Once, not so long ago, players who battled in the Colorado College-University of Denver hockey series dodged animals, dead and alive.

These were good times, at least in the view of Cal Sandbeck.

He was blessed with a great view of the insane era of the CC-DU hockey series. He served as a tough defenseman for DU from 1974 to 1978.

On one visit to The Broadmoor Arena, Sandbeck swears he saw a black swan, greased pigs and rats tossed on the ice. All were alive. Three fights broke out, and a referee was knocked groggy trying to restore peace.

All in one night. And, yes, CC and DU somehow managed to play a hockey game amid the anarchy.

The Tigers and Pioneers tangle Friday night at DU and travel to World Arena for Saturday’s regular-season finale. Friday marks the 266th meeting in a wild, wonderful series that stretches back to 1950.

The ridiculous, borderline criminal flavor of the series is gone. Fans still shout mean, at times obscene, words, but decline to toss beasts on the ice.

“I don’t think the rivalry is quite the same,” Sandbeck said, regret in his voice.
He now enjoys a peaceful life as owner of the Dog Bar and Grill in Cuchara, nestled two hours south of Colorado Springs in the Spanish Peaks.

Yet he enjoys returning to the nights when students didn’t travel to the arena to watch a game. They came to party.

“It wasn’t so much about the hockey, but the atmosphere,” Sandbeck said. “But, oh, I loved it. The more fans were involved, the more fun it was as a player. It was just part of having fun.”

CC coach Scott Owens isn’t quite as nostalgic as Sandbeck, which makes sense. Getting hit in the shoulder by a frozen chicken can leave a mental tattoo on any man.

During the 1978-79 season, CC goaltender Owens stood in front of the net at the old DU Arena, which closely resembled a barn.

He was minding his own business, when some bright light in the DU student section tossed a chicken that crashed into Owens’ shoulder.

Owens looked around, saw a chicken with its head, another without its head and a fish with a beady eye that kept staring at him. He wasn’t even surprised by the carnage.
Just another mad night in the CC-DU series.

“It wasn’t a deal that you would throw your stick in the air and start howling,” Owens said. “There was a lot of that stuff going on.”

Owens wants to make one thing clear. He doesn’t want to see animals, dead or alive, on the ice this weekend. Still, he’s not sure he would change the past.

“Sure, it was borderline idiotic,” he said from his office at World Arena, “but, ah, I don’t know. It’s a fine line between borderline idiotic and humorous.”

Owens insists he no longer seethes with hatred for all things DU. He takes care to mention his “respect” for the Pioneers.

This word inspires laughter from Dave Delich, CC’s all-time leading scorer. Delich roomed with Owens at CC and remains a close friend. They eat lunch several times a month.

“Respect?” Delich said, chuckling. “Oh, sure. I’m sure Scott has a distant respect for them.” He placed heavy emphasis on the word “distant.”

He clearly remembers a moment from the 1975-76 season. CC goaltender Eddie Mio was briefly knocked silly at DU by — what else? — a frozen chicken tossed from the student bleachers.

Delich helped carry a mumbling Mio to the CC bench. He skated along, dodging dead animals, listening to jeers from the crowd that supported his enemy.

He hasn’t forgotten. He never will.

“It’s that one special place,” Delich said. “I will never feel comfortable on that campus.”

Delich looks forward to watching Saturday’s game at World Arena.

Friday night at DU?

For some reason, he can’t quite bring himself to make the trip.

DU pondered new uniforms to up attendance

Despite all their championships banners prominently displayed in the arena and an over-inflated sense of self-worth, DU officials have been struggling to keep pace with CC in average attendance this season. Currently, the "mighty" Pioneers rank only 9th in the country in attendance opposed to CC, which ranks 4th with a full thousand more fans per game. According to an "anonymous" source within the DU athletic department, there was talk of bringing out "special jerseys" midway through the season to raise fan interest (ala NHL switching to dark at home...another rant for another time). "We had the freshman try them out during practice one day" stated the unnamed source "and they looked good, flying by in that bright pink. The problem arose when we tried photographing them, the uni's just weren't very photogenic." Looking at the test-shoot photo, perhaps it was the players that weren't photogenic enough?

Game Pics Updated: Tigers Moving On

I finally got my pics up from the game last night, they are in the game pics section to the left. Something about a loss like that doesn't make it too exciting to post, although some of the pics are pretty sweet...if I'm allowed to comment about my own pics :). And when the weather goes from 74 to 29, well, let's just say it doesn't go well with my cold. If you haven't already, be sure to check my pics from my Saturday adventure in Red Rocks Park. I'm loving my tan from the CO sunshine!
As far as the game, I've decided to move on to the future instead of living in the past. So all I will say about last night is that it happened and the Tigers are better for it. In the long run, a huge dose of humility should do the Tigers good. Instead of bordering on a cocky swagger, the Tigers should have more bite in the coming weeks with a chip on their shoulder. Look for Scott Owens to dig out the best in this team and learn from what happened last night. I know he was extremely disappointed and will be looking to take advantage of the final weekend.
Which brings us to the rivals up I-25. Had North Dakota lost tonight (they won 2-1 in OT), the Tigers would have still gained their MacNaughton Cup share. Instead, they are looking at battling for 2 trophies this weekend in an already intense rivalry. The Tigers need just 2 points for a tie of the WCHA title and 3 for an outright win. Also, the Tigers need 2 points to retain the Gold Pan. The Gold Pan is held based on winning it outright, right now it's 2-to-2, so if the teams split, the Tigers will retain. Friday night will be a battle of bitter taste since both the Tigers and Pioneers came off losses that each team should have won. In case you haven't seen already, letsgodu has already launched their theme of the week. If the Tigers can sweep this weekend, we will be seeing the Tigers in the Frozen Four playing for a championship. If they split, it will be a good run but they will be up and down enough to give fans a heart attack. If we get swept? Well, thinking that is just blasphemy! Should be a fun series and a great week, I'll try to have some ongoing commentary for your entertainment, oh and if anyone has a theme for the week let me know so we can have it properly displayed;)

Abondoning teammates for $ signs

It's official, DU's Brock Trotter has left his team in the stretch run and signed with the Montreal Canadians of the bribing NHL. This follows on the heels of Minnesota's Kyle Okposo bailing for Long Island earlier this season. If you're unfamiliar with the situations, Mike Chamber's has a good article dealing with the NHL playing on greed. Apparently he thought he was too good and should be treated as the best player ever to walk through the doors a Magness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly crying over the fact that DU is without a big scoring threat coming down the wire, but I love college hockey and something like this damages the game. The NHL is struggling while college hockey has a strong niche following and doesn't suffer from the hyper-commercialization that plagues NCAA basketball and football. It lets us fans really feel like we are part of the team. Oh, and we don't have hideous jerseys we are forced to stare at (the sole reason I don't watch the Avs anymore, those stripes make me go crazy!) I'm hoping either the NCAA or the WCHA sets up new rules next season to prevent this mid-season treason from happening. The WCHA should be concerned, having the most talent in the NCAA.
One of the best commentaries I have ever read came from an unlikely source, the Gazette, today that detailed this whole situation. David Ramsey hit the who the nail right on the head.

NHL should not raid college hockey during the season
By David Ramsey
THE GAZETTE
February 10, 2008 - 5:15PM

The NHL is doing a terrific job of attacking a fast, wonderful game. The league axed the 2004-05 season while owners and players engaged in a civil war.

And now, just when hockey fans are beginning to forgive the foolishness, NHL clubs are raiding college teams, swiping key players and enraging fans.

On Thursday, the University of Denver announced redshirt sophomore Brock Trotter had signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Trotter will soon play for the Canadiens’ top minor-league team in Hamilton, Ontario.

Trotter apparently tumbled into still-mysterious disciplinary troubles at DU. Ah, but the NHL offered a convenient, lucrative escape route. He left his teammates and bolted into the Canadiens’ open arms.

Wade Arnott, Trotter’s agent, defended his client.

“He didn’t walk away from his team,” Arnott told Canadian Press.

Hate to disagree, Wade, but that’s exactly what Trotter did.

Trotter’s departure follows Kyle Okposo skipping away from coach Don Lucia and the Minnesota Golden Gophers in December.

Okposo fled to the New York Islanders, saying he was unhappy with his “development” in Minnesota. Translation: The ultra-talented Okposo didn’t think he was being coddled enough. He now plays for the Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ minor-league team, in Bridgeport, Conn.
Colorado College coach Scott Owens doesn’t see the trend invading Colorado Springs, but he’s still uneasy.

“Is it wrong?” he asked, standing in the hallway Saturday after CC’s 4-2 loss to St. Cloud State. “Yeah, it’s wrong. It’s wrong because you’re abandoning your teammates.”

The NHL’s recklessness is a recipe for disaster. Swiping college players in midseason is about as wise as seeking nourishment by gnawing on your foot.

Showing disrespect to thousands of college hockey fans in Minneapolis and Denver is a great way to chip away at the NHL’s popularity, which is teetering anyway. The NHL can’t afford to be so ruthless, or clueless.

The league set a record — a dubious one — during Game 3 of last season’s Stanley Cup Finals. The game delivered the lowest prime-time ratings in NBC’s history.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should ban midseason college robberies. Today would be the ideal time to make such a proclamation.

Otherwise, gifted college players will be tempted. If they’re uncomfortable with their coach or playing time or teammates or campus girlfriend, they can skip away to an NHL paycheck.

Bettman hasn’t exactly shown strong leadership in this area. In December, a few days after the Okposo move, he said, “Nobody makes somebody leave college.”

Wake up, Gary. Please, wake up.

These middle-of-the-season exits will devastate the college game, but they’ll also slowly drain support for the NHL. It’s bad for both versions.

Bill Sweatt, CC’s sophomore star, isn’t sure of all the details in the Trotter and Okposo cases, but he does know he has no interest in his own quick exit.

“I would never leave my team during the season because you would be leaving your team behind,” he said. “I’m not a believer in doing something halfway.”

That’s the right attitude, but here’s the problem. Not everyone is so dedicated to his teammates. The NHL temptation shouldn’t be there for college malcontents and rule breakers.

Players can’t bolt in football or basketball and expect a fat paycheck as a reward. The powers who direct the NBA and NFL have their faults, but they don’t create collegiate chaos in the middle of a season. The NBA and NFL decline to dabble in self-destruction.

The NHL must close a door that never should have been left open.

Offense Returns-Big Win Ensues

The Tigers regain their offensive form with a 5-2 win over Clarkson Friday night. Tigers total a ridiculous 42 shots on goal. Unofficial stats here, more to come as it's posted.

In the chase for the WCHA lead, DU lost 5-1 to Minnesota State and North Dakota beat Minnesota in OT 2-1.








Colorado College Crushes Clarkson
Testwuide, Sweatt Combine For Four Points
by Candace Horgan/Contributing Editor USCHO

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 1) — After a disappointing weekend last week at Michigan Tech, the No. 6 Colorado College Tigers looked to regroup at home. Coach Scott Owens mixed up his lines, and a new top line of Mike Testwuide, Chad Rau and Bill Sweatt lead the Tigers to a 5-2 win over the No. 10 Clarkson Golden Knights. Testwuide had two goals and 11 shots on goal, while Sweatt had two assists.
Clarkson: Team Page | Schedule
Colorado College: Team Page | Schedule

“It was nice to get back home on the big sheet, and it was very nice to score five goals,” said Owens. “It was even nicer to have the puck in their end most of the time. I think that Billy has the outside speed and can open things up, Chad’s just a solid player, and Testwuide, as long as he’s doing things like a power forward, he’ll be effective. They were able to sustain very well.”

The game started slowly, with both teams feeling each other out on the ice. The Golden Knights pounced first on a crazy bounce. Adam Bellows took a slap shot from the right point that hit a Tigers’ skate in front of the net. The puck came right to Chris D’Alvise in the slot, and D’Alvise took one stride to his left and fired it top corner stick side at 1:58.

“I thought we had a good start to the game,” said Golden Knights’ coach George Roll. “We had some real good chances in the first, but they wore us down. Offensively, we haven’t seen a team like that that cycled the puck as well as they did.”


The Tigers absorbed that blow however, and started peppering Golden Knights’ goaltender David Leggio. At 10:48 of the period, Tyrell Mason was whistled for slashing when Mike Testwuide got behind the defense on a breakaway and cut across the crease. Mason’s slash disrupted Testwuide just enough that he couldn’t get his backhand past Leggio.

As the ensuing power play ended, the Golden Knights failed on a clear and the puck came to Jimmy Kilpatrick in the left corner. Kilpatrick passed it to Eric Walsky at the bottom right of the left circle, and Walsky fed it cross-crease to Scott McCulloch alone on the far post. McCulloch fired it into the empty net at 12:49.

The Tigers built on that momentum, and spent most of the rest of the period keeping the Golden Knights bottled up in their zone with an aggressive forecheck. However, despite firing 14 shots on net in the period, twice that of the Golden Knights, they were unable to grab the lead.

The second period opened up a little more. Bryan Rufenach made a nice defensive play with his stick to break up a Tigers’ two-on-one chance early.

Clarkson regained the lead at 4:03 when Brandon DeFazio sprung David Cayer on a breakaway. Cayer skated low, cut to his backhand and lifted it top corner stick side.

“We’re just not used to playing on that ice,” said Roll. “We tried to stay inside in the dots, but I think the biggest problem with us was the transition game. We threw a lot of pucks up the middle of the ice, and against them, that’s where they burn you. We have to do a better job of keeping the game along the wall.”

The Golden Knights couldn’t build on that momentum however, as the Tigers quickly used their speed to start generating more chances.

“We used the width of the ice,” said Testwuide. “Tonight we were using both sides of the ice.”

At 8:31, Bill Sweatt came flying down the left side. As he cut to the net, he fell to the ice, but still slid the puck on net. Leggio tried to poke check it away, but it came right to Testwuide at the bottom of the left circle, and he backhanded it in along the ice.

“The bounces were there tonight,” said Testwuide. “Billy made an unbelievable rush. He has such great speed wide and he got a shot to the net, and I went five-hole on my backhand.”

Buoyed by the goal, the Tigers started flying all over the ice. Scott Thauwald had a chance from down low, but got tied up by a Clarkson defender. Leggio made two huge saves with his glove, one on a laser from Andreas Vlassopoulos from the left circle, and a highlight reel save when Sweatt came flying down the left side and fed it to Testwuide coming down the right side. Leggio somehow managed to scoop up Testwuide’s tip-in try from the slot.

“We finally got to turn it into a big sheet game, and I think that was key for us,” said Owens. “We had a lot of people chipping in.”

It seemed to be only a matter of time at that point, and the Tigers struck late. Kilpatrick picked up the puck low on the left side and banked a pass behind the net to Vlassopoulos in the right corner. Vlassopoulos one-timed a pass to McCulloch in the slot, and McCulloch lifted it top corner stick side at 17:16 to give the Tigers the lead heading into the third.

“I thought he (Leggio) kept us in the game and gave us chance to win,” said Roll. “It was a barrage against him tonight.”

The Tigers continued forechecking and got a power play opportunity at :32 of the third. Sweatt and Testwuide quickly capitalized. Sweatt skated down the right side and cut hard to the net, then threw it into the crease, where Testwuide stuffed it past Leggio at 1:49.

“It was a relief to get the fourth goal,” said Owens. “Their sticks are so good; they’re very opportunistic. You’re sitting there at 3-2, and even though you’re outshooting them, you’re worried about it, so that was a big goal for us.”

Tigers’ forwards continued to buzz for chances. Thauwald had an open net from the low slot, but his shot dribbled wide when Dan Reed got him tied up. Leggio continued to come up big, robbing Rau on a one-time chance and making a big glove save on Tyler Johnson’s chance after a giveaway by Rufenach.

With just over seven minutes left, the Golden Knights got their first power play and looked to close the gap. Instead, the Tigers nabbed a shorthanded goal. When a Clarkson forward couldn’t handle a pass at the bottom of the left circle, Brian Connelly came racing up and grabbed the puck and skated down the right side. He skated low before passing the puck through the slot to Thauwald, who backhanded it into the near side at 13:31.

“I thought he (Thauwald) played well all night long,” said Owens. “Maybe a fresh look on his line, and he gets on that shorthanded situation, he’s a different player; he plays like a big skill guy out there. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.”

The two teams faceoff again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.

News and Notes for the week

The Tigers return home once again and put their undefeated record on the line against Clarkson. After two less-than-stellar weekends, the Tigers look to get back on track. Although the Tigers have only lost once in the past 8 games, last weekend felt like losing expert. Blame it on their own success that we have jaded expectations now. Teams are going to go through tough stretches, it's how they come out of them that will determine what they are truly made of.
And if your as uni-obsessed as I am Saturday night will be a treat. The Tigers will be wearing a throwback uni to celebrate their first game ever back in 1938. Look for some close-ups Sunday of the ancient replicas.

If you believe media hype, today's INCH will get a rise out of your blood pressure. They tout Miami's goaltender as if he's the greatest thing ever "Jeff Zatkoff of Miami is the nation's leader among goaltenders in winning percentage and save percentage". Up until Michigan Tech shelled Bachman Saturday night, he had been riding that title for some time, no mention of that on their site. INCH also has the Tigers as the team with their stock falling and looking to get knocked out of their own regional after losing their top spot in the WCHA to DU and North Dakota. Seems awfully far-fetched after only losing once. I guess if I was paid to sensationalize sports and get fat making people mad, I would.
DU should have at least tied UW and got pounded the next night, rose in the polls without playing last weekend and are touted as a national contender. I'm not saying they aren't, but the logic of these predictions is odd and mis-informed (see previous fat-writer statement). Although I can't shake this feeling of fear with North Dakota. They have a recent history of having blazing finishes, should be a crazy stretch run!
~PCO

Here's the Storylines from CC Athletics

This Week’s Storylines
• Celebrating the 70th anniversary of its hockey program, Colorado College plays host to Clarkson University in a two-game non-conference series between nationally ranked league leaders at the World Arena. While CC remains first in the WCHA standings, five points ahead of North Dakota and six ahead of Denver (which has four games in hand), the Knights own a five-point cushion in the ECAC Hockey League.
• The Tigers, 3-3 against non-WCHA opponents so far in 2007-08, are a perfect 11-0 at home (13-0 including a pair of exhibition victories), where they will play seven of their remaining 10 regular-season games.
• After the series with Clarkson, CC launches into its annual “stretch drive” with just four weekends of league play left before the first round of the WCHA playoffs. With the NCAA West Regional being held at the World Arena, the Tigers could be home for as many as 10 more outings in all.

Icers Aim to Regain Winning Form
In Non-League Series vs. Clarkson

Return to League Play: Colorado College takes one final break from its Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule this weekend with a two-game series at home against Clarkson University. Faceoff between the Tigers and ECAC Hockey League-leading Knights at the Colorado Springs World Arena (7,343 seating capacity) is 7:37 p.m. MST Friday and 7:07 p.m. Saturday.

For the Record: Now 15-4-1 in WCHA play after tying (2-2) and losing (5-2) at Michigan Tech last weekend, Colorado College is 18-7-1 overall heading into this week’s action against the Knights...Clarkson, which skated to a pair of conference victories over Rensselaer (5-2) and Union (3-2) at home last weekend, is 15-7-2 overall and 10-3-1 in the ECACHL. The league-leading Knights are five points ahead of second-place Princeton in their standings.

In the Rankings: The Tigers have slipped to No. 6 in this week’s national polls published on Monday by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC also is sixth in the power rankings conducted by InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH), which rates Clarkson as No. 9 this week. The Knights are No. 10 in the other two polls.

Coach’s Corner: Scott Owens (Colorado College ‘79), who has recorded more victories than any head coach in the history of Tiger Hockey, is in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater. Owens is 213-116-25 (.637) in 354 games behind the bench, including a 3-0-1 mark (.780) against Clarkson, and has guided the Tigers to five NCAA playoff berths in his previous eight campaigns...George Roll (Bowling Green ‘86), currently in his fifth season at Clarkson, is 84-70-17 (.541) with the Knights and 208-148-34 (.577) in 12 years overall as a collegiate head coach.

On the Air: All CC games this season, home and away, are broadcast live throughout Southern Colorado on KYZX (103.9 FM The Eagle), featuring Ken Landau with the play-by-play. Pre-game shows start 17 minutes before faceoff. Landau also is host of the weekly Scott Owens Coach’s Show, which airs from 6:30 until 7:30 p.m. (MT) Tuesdays, on The Eagle. All broadcasts can be heard worldwide via the Internet, from a link at CCTigers.com…Live video streaming of all Tiger home games this season is available, courtesy of B2 Networks, via a link at CCTigers.com. Cost is $6 per game. Neither of this week’s games against Clarkson University will be televised. The next scheduled telecast is the regular-season finale against the University Denver on March 8, when CET (Comcast Entertainment Television) will carry the game live in Colorado Springs and Denver.

The All-Time Series: Friday’s series opener marks just the ninth meeting between Colorado College and Clarkson in a rivalry dating back to March 14, 1957, when the teams played each other in the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs at the old Broadmoor Ice Palace. CC, which won that game (5-3) en route to claiming its second national championship, is 7-0-1 all-time against the Knights including a two-game sweep (6-1, 3-0) at the World Arena in November 2001. The Tigers won (3-2) and tied (4-4) at CU’s Cheel Arena in October 2003. They also beat Clarkson in NCAA tournament play in 1997 (5-4) and 1998 (3-1).

Scouting the Opposition: The Knights are led up front by senior Steve Zalewski (15g,7a) and junior Chris D’Alvise (8g,14a), who have 22 points. The two veteran forwards have combined for eight power-play goals and five game winners, while junior Shea Guthrie has scored four GWG. Senior Nick Dodge ranks among the national leaders with three shorthanded tallies. Senior goaltender David Leggio is 15-6-2 between the pipes, with a 2.07 GAA and .926 saves percentage. Clarkson is 13-0-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in a game.

Recapping Last Week’s Games: A power-play goal by sophomore right wing Mike Testwuide (Vail, CO) at 12:02 of the third period got CC even on Friday, and some clutch goaltending by freshman Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) preserved the 2-2 tie in the series opener at Michigan Tech. Testwuide redirected a shot by sophomore center Andreas Vlassopoulos (Los Angeles, CA) with 7:58 left in regulation after the Huskies took their first lead of the night at 4:01 of the third frame. Bachman, who finished with 31 saves, made 16 in a scoreless second period and four in the five-minute sudden-death session, including three from point-blank range. Freshman winger Stephen Schultz (Westbury, NY) scored his fourth goal of the season 6:27 into the contest. The Tigers out-shot MTU by a 35-19 margin in Saturday’s 5-2 loss, when they got tallies from sophomore defenseman Nate Prosser (Elk River, MN) and senior right winger Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN). Prosser also added an assist on Kilpatrick’s power-play tally with that pulled Colorado College to within 3-2 in the final minute of the second period. Senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN) helped set up a goal in each game.

Thorn in CC’s Side: The Tigers now have beaten Michigan Tech only once in the last seven meetings between the teams, going 1-4-2 and scoring only nine goals against the Huskies dating back to January 2007, when they also tied (2-2) and lost (1-0) in Houghton. In addition, Tech prevailed in a best-of-three playoff series at the World Arena last March, blanking Colorado College (1-0) in the decisive Game 3 after winning a 2-1 overtime decision in Game 1.

Bittersweet Milestone: Not only did the Huskies end CC’s season-best seven-game (6-0-1) undefeated streak on Saturday, but they also spoiled an otherwise special night for Kilpatrick, who became the 70th member of Tiger Hockey’s elite “Century Club” with his career-best 12th tally of the season. Among Kilpatrick’s 100 points (34g,66a) during his four seasons at Colorado College have been eight game-winning goals, including three this campaign. He’s also assisted on 13 more GWG. He’s logged six multiple-point games so far 2007-08, and currently ranks ninth among WCHA scoring leaders with 18 points (9g,9a) in league play.

Offense From the Blue Line: Colorado College’s defensive corps continues to be a major contributor to the team’s offensive production after combining for five points (1g,4a) in last week’s series at MTU. The six regulars have accounted for 24.2 percent (9g,43a) of the team’s 215 (85g,130a) total points this season. Hillen now leads the Tigers with his career-high 16 assists for the season. He’s collected five in the last six games. Hillen’s 19 points overall this season tie him for second place among all WCHA blue-line specialists. He’s logged at least one in 15 of 26 outings. He and Prosser, who recorded his fourth multiple-point game of the season on Saturday to bump his ‘07-08 total to 13 (3g,10a), rank fourth and sixth, respectively, among the team’s scoring leaders. Sophomore Brian Connelly (Bloomington, MN) who also helped set up Kilpatrick’s goal on Saturday, is tied for eighth with 11 (2g,9a) including assists on five game winners.

Special Teams Update: Last Friday’s 2-2 tie at Michigan Tech marked the seven consecutive contest and 17th game overall this season in which CC held its opponent scoreless on the power play. Although the Huskies snapped the streak with a PPG at 13:56 of the opening period on Saturday, the Tigers continue to lead the WCHA with a 92.5-percent (74-for-80) success rate for penalty killing in league play. Their 89.9-percent (98-for-109) mark overall also is the league’s second best, and ranks in a tie for third nationally...Colorado College’s own power play, which went 2-for-7 last weekend, has clicked at least once in a season-best six consecutive games as well as in 19 of 26 for the season. It ranks second among WCHA teams in league play (18.8 percent) and overall (20.4 percent) after going 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) during the current six-game streak.

This Week’s Festivities: The Tigers will wear throwback jerseys for Saturday’s game with Clarkson to commemorate CC’s first-ever hockey game in January 1938. On Friday, the Center Ice Club will hold a luncheon at the Colorado Springs Country Club, 3333 Templeton Gap Road, starting at 11:45 a.m. Special guests will include former players such as Bob Bartlett, goaltender for the inaugural 1937-38 team; Hall of Famer Art Berglund (1960-63); All-American Peter Geronazzo (1992-1996); Bob McCusker (1956-58), who earned All-America honors and scored four goals as the Tigers defeated Michigan, 13-6, for the 1957 NCAA championship; goaltending legend Marty Wakelyn (1982-86), CC’s all-time leader in saves with 3,630 stops; and Milo “Mike” Yalich (1947-50), captain of the 1950 NCAA Championship team that beat Boston University, 13-4, for the national title.

Tiger Bites: Colorado College is 163-57-8 (.732) in 228 all-time appearances at the World Arena, where it played for the first time on Jan. 23, 1998. That includes a 50-10-3 mark (.817) mark against non-WCHA opponents...Senior left wing Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.), who hopes to return to the lineup this week, has missed the last four games with an injury after appearing in 103 consecutive outings...CC has outscored its opponents, 33-19, in third-period play over the course of the season...The Tigers lost last Saturday despite out-shooting MTU by a 35-19 margin. Their 17 shots on goal in the middle frame represent a team season high for a single period, and their 65 SOG overall in the weekend series also were their most against any opponent in 2007-08...Eight different CC players have been credited with at least one game-winning goal this season, while 18 have factored in on one. Including last Friday’s 2-2 tie in Houghton, Colorado College is 3-2-1 this season in games that have been deadlocked after 40 minutes of play. The Tigers are 3-4 when trailing after two periods and 12-1 when ahead after two.

Tiger Better be Ready Saturday Night, AFA is no Joke

Falcons Stun Pioneers
Fairchild's Hat Trick Sparks Air Force
by Candace Horgan/Contributing Editor USCHO

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 18) — Before a crowd of 2,657 at the Cadet Ice Arena, the Air Force Falcons took a huge step forward, stunning the No. 4 Denver Pioneers 5-2. Matt Fairchild got his first career hat trick and Andrew Volkening made 29 saves, including shutting down the Pioneers on a two-minute five-on-three, to seal the win.

“I expected us to get one of these; as I told the boys, ‘There’s one off the bucket list for me,’” laughed Falcons’ coach Frank Serratore afterwards. “We haven’t been afraid of these teams for a long time.”

Air Force got the better of the play in the first period. Denver looked tentative with the puck, as if they thought perhaps that all they had to do was show up and they would win. Instead, the Falcons’ forecheck tied the Pioneers up in their own end frequently. and the Pioneers gave up several two-on-one opportunities that tested Mannino early.

“The team’s been pumped up all week to play these guys,” said Fairchild. “Everybody was energized for the game.”


The Falcons top line of Josh Frider, Eric Ehn and Derrick Burnett buzzed all over the offensive end of the ice, getting numerous scoring chances. They finally capitalized on a two-on-one at 8:03 when Ehn carried the puck down the left side of the slot and passed it over to Burnett, who fired a perfect shot top corner past Mannino’s glove.

“Getting that lead was huge,” said Serratore. “These teams are tough to beat, and they’re even tougher to beat when you have to come from behind.”

The Falcons continued to generate numerous chances. Fairchild had a good shot from the slot that Mannino just got his right pad on, and Fairchild hit the near side post on a shot from the right side circle on a power play.

With under two minutes in the period, Michael Mayra was whistled for interference and the Pioneers looked to have a good chance to score. They moved the puck around the perimeter well and had some good shots, but Falcons’ goalie Andrew Volkening stood tall.

With time ticking down, the Falcons cleared the puck into the Pioneers’ zone, and Fairchild went in on the forecheck. Rhett Rakhshani emerged from the left side boards with the puck, took a few strides, and tried to poke the puck one-handed to Jesse Martin. Fairchild intercepted the puck and skated in alone on Mannino and shot. Mannino made a save with his left pad, but the puck lay just to the right of his pad, and Fairchild grabbed the rebound and slid it behind Mannino at the 19:55 mark of the period, sending electricity racing through the crowd.

“Well, Brent Olson went in; he was doing all the hard work,” said Fairchild. “He knocked it loose, so it was right in the middle. I just swatted at it and got the breakaway. Anytime you score a big goal, especially shorthanded, it’s a big confidence booster.”

If anybody thought that perhaps the late goal would wake the Pioneers up, they were mistaken. The Falcons continued to dominate all aspects of the game. The Pioneers looked slow, and the Falcons continued to out-hustle them to loose pucks, whether in their defensive zone to clear it or in the offensive zone to get more chances on Mannino.

The Pioneers started to press and get some chances, the Falcons counterattacked well, and at 11:03 made it 3-0 when Josh Schaffer, Josh Print and Mike Phillipich broke in three-on-two. Schaffer ended up pouncing on a rebound in the slot, lifting it past Mannino.

Fairchild continued to be a strong presence on the ice, and at 15:09 Brent Olson grabbed the puck in the left corner and fed it to Fairchild right on the doorstep. Fairchild quickly lifted it top corner stick side to make it 4-0.

“You’ve never prepared to have a 4-0 lead over the number four team in the country,” said Serratore. “All of a sudden, the players, subconsciously, start playing defensively, start playing to protect the lead, and only bad things can happen when you do that.”

Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky pulled Mannino at that point and replaced him with Marc Cheverie. It was the second game in a row that Mannino was pulled.

The Pioneers finally got a hard-working goal late in the period. Kyle Ostrow picked up the puck behind the net, fought off a man and threw it out front to Patrick Mullen. Mullen tried to shoot it, but the back ended up getting knocked back to Tom May,and wristed it past Volkening at 19:07.

“I went into the locker room after the second period when Denver had just scored and they were all talking about the things they needed to do in the defensive zone,” said Serratore. “I said ‘Guys, screw that, we know what to do in the defensive zone, but I got a better idea; let’s play in the offensive zone and we won’t have to worry about it.’”

Unlike the Falcons, the Pioneers were unable to carry any momentum from their late goal over to build on in the third period. However, at 7:37 of the period, the Pioneers had a golden chance when they were awarded a two minute five-on-three when Brett Nylander was called for tripping and Scott Kozlak was called for hooking.

“That was just something I knew we needed to get through without them getting on the board,” said Volkening.

The Falcons knuckled down however, content to let the Pioneers move the puck around the perimeter, wasting time instead of firing shots on Volkening.

“You have to just stay calm,” said Fairchild. “You got into that situation, and you just have to kill it off.”

Gwozdecky pulled Cheverie with a little over five minutes left, trying desperately to spark his squad. The Pioneers got several shots on, but at 15:08, Fairchild got the puck along the left side boards and fired a sharply-angled shot into the empty net.

“I’m very surprised, shocked, disappointed,” said Gwozdecky. “Something’s not right with our team. Something’s right because the effort for a number of guys isn’t there. I can handle losing, but it’s unacceptable when you have too many guys not competing at the level they need to compete at. Something has happened over the last couple of weeks that has us in a rut.”

The win was the first for Air Force against the Pioneers in 19 years, and the highest-ranked opponent they’ve beaten since they beat Colorado College in 1975, a team the Falcons will play Saturday night. It was also Serratore’s first win against a WCHA opponent since he took over as the Falcons’ coach.

“I could be politically correct and say it didn’t matter, but I would be lying through my teeth and I’m not a very good liar,” said Serratore, of getting the win over his former team. “--

Tiger Sweep Alaska

The Tigers continued their offensive roll as they swept UAA this weekend with a 5-2 victory tonight. In other news directly related to the Tigers, DU was crushed by Wisconsin 7-2 tonight as Wisconsin got it's first road victory of the season. This gives the Tigers a little more breathing room at the top of the WCHA standings (though DU has 2 more games left more that the Tigers) and could easily bump CC to #2 in the national polls. We will see how the voters respond. Either way, great weekend by the Tigers and it's great to see them continue their strong season.

Could Colorado teams dominate the Tourney?!

Mike Chambers of the DenverPost wrote an awesome article about the 3 thriving Colorado teams this season and the possibilities that lay ahead. Can you imagine having the 3 major hockey programs in Colorado all playing at the World Arena and/or Pepsi Center this post season?!!
Here is the full story:

Nation's best feel Front Range power

DU, Tigers and Falcons could forge a Colorado connection in the NCAA postseason fields

By Mike Chambers The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 12/24/2007 11:52:26 PM MST

The NCAA Tournament West Regional will return to Colorado Springs in March, and two weeks later Denver (Pepsi Center) will host the Frozen Four for the first time since 1976.

So naturally, this season began as a big one for Front Range college hockey.

At the midway point, however, it has grown bigger — given that all three of Colorado's Division I teams appear to be NCAA Tournament contenders.

Air Force, the University of Denver and Colorado College are a combined 34-13-3 and each sits atop its league standings. Never before have the Falcons, Pioneers and Tigers made the NCAA Tournament field in the same year. But this could be that year.

Air Force (9-4-3), the defending Atlantic Hockey Association tournament champion, leads the AHA with 17 points, and DU (14-4) and CC (11-5) are tied for first in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 22 points — nine ahead of third-place Minnesota-Duluth.

The Falcons, because of a weaker schedule, likely would have to win the AHA tournament — same as last season — to get into the 16-team national field.

The Pioneers and Tigers have thrived while playing two of the country's three most difficult schedules, and both likely will be among the top five in the all-important Pairwise Rankings when that poll — which mimics the formula of the NCAA selection committee — makes its annual debut in a few weeks.

Each Front Range team returns from the Christmas break with holiday tournaments this weekend. Air Force goes to Minneapolis, CC to Tampa, Fla., and DU hosts the Denver Cup.

Heading into the season's second half, The Post offers its all-Front Range first team for the first half:

F Brock Trotter, DU, So. — Leads the Pioneers in goals (10), assists (11) points (21) and game-winning goals (three). He has 66 points in 63 career games and will only get better.

F Eric Ehn, AFA, Sr. — Has amassed a modest team-leading 21 points (six goals) despite playing without injured linemate Mike Phillipich for all but four games.

F Chad Rau, CC, Jr. — Has team-highs in goals (10), points (19), game-winning goals (four) and short-handed goals (two). He had a hat trick in a win over DU on Nov. 23.

D Chris Butler, DU, Jr. — He surprisingly hasn't scored a goal this season after producing a combined 17 in his first two seasons, but has otherwise been the best two-way defenseman in the WCHA.

D Nate Prosser, CC, So. — Has two power-play goals and leads the team with a plus-10. He's been the best among the Tigers' four underclassmen on the back line.

G Peter Mannino, DU, Sr. — CC freshman Richard Bachman has slightly better numbers, but Mannino (14-4, 1.80 GAA, 93.2 saves percentage) has a huge edge in experience and size.

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com

Tigers have big weekend, without setting foot on the ice

The CC hockey club could wake up Monday morning to a #1 ranking in the USCHO poll as Miami OH lost to Alaska-Fairbanks Saturday night, leaving the number one ranking up for grabs. As for CC's next series, DU swept St. Cloud this weekend leaving a tough team reeling. It will set up an interesting battle next weekend.

Tigers DUmp Pioneers

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

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

Sightings of the night:

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

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

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

One step short

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

DU, CC hit top 5

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

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

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

Tuesday Tiger Stuff

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

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

Tigers split series with North Dakota

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

New polls with a new numero uno

Previous number 1 North Dakota finds themselves dropping to number 2 in this week's USCHO/CSTV poll after falling to Teslak and Michigan Tech Saturday night. Miami of Ohio pounded UNO and jumped to number 1. I know nothing about this team (didn't really know they even had a team) so I will have to rely on the USCHO game stories to find out about them. Evil Michigan is number three (and deserves no link). After coming crashing back to reality this weekend, the Tigers find themselves at #9 behind Minnesota and DU at 8 and 7 respectively. Wisconsin rounds out the top 10 leaving the WCHA with 5 of the top 10 in this week's poll. Gotta love the WCHA, maybe we can get an all-conference Frozen Four again this year!!

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Miami	(39)	6-0-0	910	2
2	North Dakota	( 4)	3-1-1	833	1
3	Michigan		5-1-0	810	3
4	New Hampshire	( 3)	3-0-0	806	7
5	Boston College		3-1-2	722	5
6	Michigan State		4-1-0	682	8
7	Denver		4-2-0	591	6
8	Minnesota		4-2-0	589	10
9	Colorado College		2-2-0	522	4
10	Wisconsin		3-1-0	501	11
11	Clarkson		4-2-0	436	9
12	Maine		4-2-0	419	13
13	Michigan Tech		4-2-0	356	14
14	Notre Dame		4-3-0	344	12
15	Minnesota-Duluth		4-1-1	308	17
16	St. Lawrence		3-3-0	169	15
17	Rensselaer		5-2-0	134	NR
18	Niagara		4-1-0	83	NR
19	St. Cloud State		3-2-1	82	NR
20	Massachusetts		2-2-2	73	16
Others Receiving Votes: Dartmouth 51, Ohio State 45, Alaska-Anchorage 39, Air Force 36, Cornell 25, Mass.-Lowell 25, RIT 15, Holy Cross 10, Colgate 7, Quinnipiac 7, Vermont 7, Boston University 6, Merrimack 6, Nebraska-Omaha 3, Princeton 3, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 2, Providence 1

DU impressed with Tigers?!

The Tigers were being made fun of and mocked by our rival blog LetsGoDU last week due to the whole blackface fiasco. This week, however, dggoddard seemed to be pretty impressed with the Tigers' sweep of the Gophers over the weekend. Could there be a little respect building?? Ha, I doubt it! But at least they have taken notice and realize that we may have something special brewing. How big are the games going to be over Thanksgiving with these guys?!!!

A look into some future WCHA faces

Saturday night I got the opportunity to check out the Lincoln Stars take on Sioux Falls in the 3rd game of their USHL playoff series. There were numerous players on the ice who we will be seeing in the WCHA shortly. Currently on the Stars roster are; Jason Gregoire who is listed as a 2007 recruit and will play for DU and Steve Shultz who will be joining CC in the future.
Sioux Falls also had numerous players: Nick Dineen, who will be playing for CC, Alex Kangas-a goalie who will be playing for Minnesota. There may have been more but it's hard to find an accurate and up-to-date recruiting site, thanks for the comments updating my lack-of-USHL knowledge. Also, they had a very amusing intermission show with a human slingshot and one small girl that got launched hit super hard and bounced off; fortunately I had my camera with me so take a look!