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

WCHA Round 1 Storylines

Rau earns another WCHA weekly honor
Junior center Chad Rau, who stuck a dagger into DU’s heart last Friday with a pair of third-period goals just 12 seconds apart, has been named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. After helping Colorado College to a 5-2 victory in the series opener in Denver, Rau added an assist in Saturday’s 3-1 triumph at the World Arena as league-champion CC completed its weekend sweep of the Pioneers. The Tigers have secured the coveted MacNaughton Trophy, as well as the Gold Pan, but now must re-focus on a new set of goals. Their next target is a WCHA playoff title and the Broadmoor Trophy, and the quest begins this weekend in a best-of-three playoff series at home against the University of Alaska Anchorage. Winner of the first-round match-up advances to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn., next week, with selections for the NCAA tournament scheduled to be announced on Easter Sunday (March 23). Rau, one of three All-America candidates on CC’s roster, leads the team in scoring and is fourth among WCHA players overall with 40 points in 35 games. He ranks second in the country with 27 goals, including a nation-best six shorthanded.

This Week’s Storylines
• After clinching two coveted pieces of hardware – the Gold Pan and MacNaughton Trophy – with a pair of emotional victories over archrival Denver last weekend, the Tigers need to re-focus on a new opponent and set of goals. Their next target is a WCHA playoff championship and the Broadmoor Trophy, which CC has never claimed, and the mission starts with a best-of-three playoff series against Alaska Anchorage.
• Winner of the first-round match-up advances to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn., preceded next week by the league’s annual awards banquet and followed by NCAA tournament selections on Sunday, March 23.
• Colorado College swept both regular-season series against the 10th-place Seawolves, prevailing twice at Sullivan Arena in December and twice more at the World Arena in January. UAA has won only once – a 5-4 overtime victory last season – in 20 all-time appearances at the CSWA, where the Tigers are 16-2 in 2007-08.

Tigers Hope Home-Ice Mastery Over UAA
Continues in First-Round Playoff Series

Post-Season Under Way: Colorado College opens its “second” season at home this weekend when the league champion and top-seeded Tigers play host to 10th-seeded University of Alaska Anchorage in a best-of-three, first-round Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series. Faceoff at the World Arena (7,343 seating capacity) is 7:37 MDT on Friday, 7:07 p.m. MDT on Saturday and, if a third game is necessary, 7:07 p.m. MDT on Sunday.

For the Record: CC, which finished 21-6-1 in conference play, is 26-9-1 overall after sweeping archrival University of Denver last weekend. The Tigers won the series opener, 5-2, at DU’s Magness Arena on Friday, then thumped the Pioneer by a 3-1 count at home on Saturday...Alaska Anchorage, which was idle last weekend, finished 3-19-6 in WCHA play and is 7-19-8 overall.

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. Game 2 (Saturday) of this week’s playoff series with Alaska Anchorage can also be heard in metropolitan Denver on KKFN 950 AM and KJCD 104.3 FM. 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…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...This week’s playoff games against UAA will not be televised, Fox Sports Net North will produce four of five games at next week’s WCHA Final Five from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Local coverage in Colorado Springs is yet to be announced.

In the Rankings: The Tigers have climbed to No. 3 in this week’s national polls conducted by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC is tied for first in the Pairwise computer rankings and has regained the No. 2 spot in InsideCollegeHockey.com’s (INCH) power rankings.

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 221-118-25 (.641) in 364 games behind the bench, including a 23-7-1 (.741) mark against Alaska Anchorage, and has guided the Tigers to five NCAA playoff berths in his previous eight campaigns. Dave Shyiak (Northern Michigan ‘93) is in his third season as head coach at UAA, where he owns a record of 26-67-14 (.308).

The All-Time Series: Friday marks the 60th all-time contest between Colorado College and UAA, in a rivalry that started on Jan. 5, 1984. The Tigers lead the overall series by a 45-11-3 margin, including a 30-2 record in Colorado Springs and a 19-1 mark at the World Arena, where CC swept the Seawolves, 6-1 and 5-2, in mid-January after winning twice (1-0 and 4-1) earlier in Anchorage. The teams have met in seven previous post-season games, with Colorado College sweeping first-round series at home in 1995, 2002 and 2003. UAA won the play-in game at the WCHA Final Five in 2004.

Scouting the Seawolves: Alaska Anchorage’s top three scorers – all sophomore forwards – are Josh Lunden with 24 points (13g,11a), Kevin Clark with 23 (7g,16a) and Paul Crowder with 22 (7g,15a). Clark and Crowder each have struck for a pair of game-winning goals, while Lunden and freshman forward Craig Parkinson share the team lead with three power-play tallies apiece. Sophomore goaltender Jon Olthuis is 6-15-8 in net with a 2.89 GAA and .886 saves percentage.

Recapping the DU Series: While CC’s upperclassmen stepped up to help the Tigers clinch the MacNaughton Trophy at Magness Arena on Friday, it was the sophomore class stealing the spotlight in Saturday’s rematch. Junior center Chad Rau (Eden Prairie, MN) struck for a pair of goals just 12 seconds apart early in the third period in the series opener, breaking open a tight game that saw senior left wing Scott Thauwald (Rochester, MN), senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN) and senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN) stake the Tigers to leads of 2-0 and 3-1. Second-year players picked up the slack at home a night later, as right wingers Mike Testwuide (Vail, CO) and Matt Overman (Bloomington, MN) scored within 1:40 of the opening period and left wing Bill Sweatt (Elburn, IL) added a tally in the middle frame. Sweatt also had an assist in the game, while sophomore forwards Addison DeBoer (Spring Lake Park, MN) and Brian McMillin (Roseau, MN) teamed up to set up the game winner by linemate Overman. Junior forward Eric Walsky (Anchorage, AK) collected a pair of assists in Friday’s victory, when freshman goalie Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) made 28 saves. Junior Drew O’Connell (Anchorage, AK) got the call between the pipes on Saturday, and also responded with 28 stops in the 3-1 triumph.

Tradition of Success: This year’s regular-season championship is Colorado College’s third in the last six seasons, sixth in the last 15, and ninth overall in the program’s 70-year history...The Tigers own an impressive winning percentage of .663 (387-186-43) dating back to the 1993-94 campaign, when they claimed their first league title since 1957...CC, which is hosting a first-round playoff series for the 15th time in the last 17 years, has advanced to the WCHA Final Four or Final Five on 10 of the previous 14 occasions, and is eyeing the program’s 11th NCAA playoff bid since 1995.

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 on Easter Sunday (March 23). CC also hosted a regional in 2004 but did not qualify for the tournament that year.

Stellar Between the Pipes: Bachman, who last week was named National Rookie of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association for the second time 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. The All-America candidate gave up one or fewer goals in 13 of his 25 conference starts, and has allowed two or fewer in 22 of his 30 assignments overall, posting a 1.77 GAA, .934 saves ratio and .783 winning percentage (23-6-1) including non-league outings. He’d played in 12 straight prior to last Saturday.

Milestone for Rau: Rau, who has scored eight goals in the last six games, now has lit the lamp twice or more in a contest on nine occasions this season. His second tally in last Friday’s victory at DU earned him membership in Tiger Hockey’s elite “Century Club” for players with 100 or more career points. The All-America candidate continues to lead the nation with six shorthanded tallies this season. His career-high 27 red lighters overall and 23 in league play rank No. 1 among all WCHA players. He added an assist on Saturday, giving him 19 points (13g,6a) in 12 career appearances against Denver.

Blue Line Warrior: Hillen, whose power-play goal just 20 seconds into last Friday’s victory over the Pioneers at Magness Arena improved his career-high total to 33 (6g,27a) for the season, continues to rank in a tie as the nation’s top-scoring defenseman. One of just five CC players to appear in every game this season, the All-America candidate has collected 18 points (3g,15a) in the last 14 outings. He also ranks No. 1 among all WCHA players with his 27 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 10 of 11 DU power plays last weekend.

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 91-percent mark overall (131 for 144), have held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 15 of the last 18 outings, as well as in 25 of 36 for the season. While allowing only 13 PPG all season, including just eight in 28 conference games, CC has scored 10 shorthanded goals including eight in league play.

When It Counts Most: Kilpatrick, who was credited with his fourth game-winning goal of the season last Friday, now has factored in on a team-high eight GWG for the season and 24 overall during his four years as a Tiger. He’s scored four and and assisted on four in 2007-08. The senior winger tied with teammate Hillen for ninth place among WCHA scoring leaders in league play, each with 23 points. More than 22 percent of Kilpatrick’s 107 career points at CC have come at the expense of Alaska Anchorage.

Tiger Bites: With last week’s sweep, Colorado College retained possession of the Gold Pan, which is awarded annually to the regular-season series winner between CC and Denver. The Tigers have claimed the trophy nine times in its 15 years of existence...Colorado College is 14-3-1 in its last 18 outings overall during the months of January, February and March...Hillen’s PPG last Friday marked the fifth time this season that CC has scored in the opening 25 seconds of a period...The quick goals by Rau that night marked the fourth time in 2007-08 that Colorado College has scored twice within a minute. Including a 10-1-1 record in exhibition games, the Tigers are 168-59-8 (.732) in 235 all-time appearances at the World Arena since opening the facility a decade ago.

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

From 3-8-08 CC vrs...

Nickelback's new version of the song as the Tigers came onto the ice was an ominous indicator as to how the regular season would finish off for the Tigers and Pioneers. The first period was fast, fun, and featured 2 goals by the Tigers to get the gold-clad World Arena rocking. It looked like it was going to be a blowout as the Tigers seemed to score every time they took a shot. When Bill Sweatt scored 2:37 into the second period on the Tigers 8th shot, the students started to chant "hey hey hey, good bye!". Whether it was directed at the enraged Peter Manino as he slowly made his way to the DU bench flailing his arms, or the Pioneers chances, it was fitting. I was ready to see the Tigers drop a 7 spot on their rival. Instead we got something resembling the old Gold Kings games. DU decided that since they couldn't score, they would simply fight...a lot. The rest of the game was marred by chippy play and a whopping 110 minutes of penalties on 43 calls...and Shepherd missed half of them. His calls were erratic and didn't make much logical sense. Behind a play, a Tiger was grabbed and hauled down at the blue line when the play was deep in the other end. Instead of interference on DU, Hillen got a hooking call that none of the 7,780 in attendance saw. That's the way the rest of the game went, chippy with no real flow. Between the 19:00 mark of the third period and 40 seconds left, there were at least 4 whistles which prompted me to yell out "just finish the game!!" which elicited laughter from he entire section.
The trophy presentation was cool to watch, way better than the presentation of the Big XII North trophy to the Huskers 2 years ago I saw. The Gold Pan seemed to be a quick "um, cool, where's the big one?" to the players, but still cool to see. It was great seeing the players take turns hoisting the MacNaughton Cup, each one getting his own roar from the crowd. If the Tigers can survive this physical onslaught (something that plagued them in losses to DU during the Tigers last McNaughton Cup season) they should be set for an amazing run.
Fun notes from the game:

• Drew "I never smile for pictures" O'Connell got the start in net tonight and played extremely well. He made numerous saves that made me look twice to see if it was number 30 who had snuck back into net. Great game by the junior.
• Best noise at the game: had to be the air horn that one fan had and blasted after each Tiger goal
• Best moment: the Arena cameras caught a young fan holding up the "WCHA regular season Champions" t-shirt, which resulted in a standing ovation from the packed arena. Pretty cool.
• DU who? All of us in the Springs know that there are far more DU alums running around showing off their colors that CC alums but you would not have known it last night. Aside from the DU students that came down, Pio fans were scarce. I think I saw 2 while grabbing a beer at intermission. Who woulda thought?
• Best sign: a girl in the CC student section had a sign "We got the better Testwuide!!!"
• Students alive and well: The CC students were loud, rowdy and jumping around like the old days for the entire game. So much so that we caught at least 2 students being escorted out by security. Personally, I think unless someone is a physical danger they should let them be, they are isolated from the rest of the fans but whatever, it was fun to see the whole section jumping around.
• Unified crowd: After the second, no third, fourth? round of fighting instigated by DU, every fan in the arena joined in a "DU SUCKS!" chant that was almost eerie it was so loud.
• My pics from the game came out freaking awesome so take a look at the slide show in the post below, I was impressed with myself, haha.
• Milo Bryant had a great article about the game in the paper today. Maybe it was great because he noticed the same things I did? Either way, he is by far the best writer at that paper and I'll make sure to drop him some props in his article comment section. Read his article here
• And finally: the throwbacks were back again!! I'm not sure if it was planned before Sunday or not but it was a great treat for the fans. Judging from the merch in the stands, those are by far the biggest seller. I may be temped to shell out for one myself, they are just so freakin sweet!

That should be enough reading to keep everyone occupied for a while. Great finish to the season and now the Tigers turn their attention to Alaska Anchorage. A team Owens says is tough in the playoffs and he sounded like he was ready to battle a 3 game series. We'll see. UAA is arriving in the Springs Tuesday to get acclimated so altitude shock won't be a factor. Should be a great series. Hopefully the Tigers can bring the Broadmoor Trophy back home and win the WCHA Tournament!

Going out in Style

The Tigers rocked the throwbacks once again and netted a 3-1 win over rival DU to finish out the season. CC got 3 early goals, chased Manino from the net 2 minutes into the second period, then weathered 37 minutes of cheap-shots, fights and random penalties and blatant misses (Sweatt was tackled twice in the same spot and blind referee Shepherd even tackled one of our players) to get the win. I've got the pics up followed by the CC Athletics Summary of the game. I'll put up my observations about the game sometime Sunday, peace!

CC sweeps Pioneers behind O’Connell
Led by the goaltending of Drew O’Connell, Colorado College put an exclamation point on a remarkable regular season Saturday in front of a very appreciative sellout crowd at the World Arena. O’Connell frustrated the University of Denver with 27 saves, backstopping a 3-1 victory that gave the WCHA champion Tigers a sweep of their weekend series against archrival DU. Sophomore wingers Mike Testwuide, Matt Overman and Bill Sweatt provided all the offense O’Connell needed, with Testwuide and Overman scoring just 1:40 apart in the opening period to give CC an early cushion. Sweatt also assisted on Testwuide’s power-play tally at 12:09 of that first frame, while another pair of sophomores –Addison DeBoer and Brian McMillin – combined to set up the game winner by linemate Overman at the 13:49 mark. With the triumph, their third in four games against Denver this season, the Tigers recorded their 21st conference victory of the campaign and continued to build momentum heading into next week’s first-round playoff series against Alaska Anchorage. And, after clinching the MacNaughton Trophy and Gold Pan a night earlier at Magness Arena, they were officially presented with both in front of the home fans. Colorado College, which will serve as host of the NCAA West Regional in three weeks, heads into the post-season with a 16-2 mark at the World Arena.

Trophy Ceremony Tonight to Wrap up the Season

In a classy move by the Tigers and Scott Owens, the Tigers delayed their trophy presentation to tonight, a move that will allow the home crowd to get a glimpse of both the MacNaughton Cup and the Gold Pan. Hopefully, the Tigers will play the full line-up most of the night but I'm guessing we will see a lot more from the young guys tonight, it will be interesting to see which of the 3 goaltenders will play. This game is essentially meaningless other than the fact we are playing DU. Both teams are in the WCHA and NCAA tournament and CC has locked up the #1 WCHA seed and will play host to Alaska Anchorage next weekend and will get a first round bye in Minneapolis should they beat UAA (it would be a MONUMENTAL upset if they were knocked out, considering this could be the best Tiger since most fans have been alive).

• The Tigers have now won 6 WCHA regular season titles in 15 years, and 3 in the last 6 years.

• CC is 7-1 in the past 8 games against DU, leaving the rivalry one sided at the moment.
• The Gayzette coverage of the game sucked so bad I'm wondering why they even bothered. It was obvious that Kate Crandall wasn't even at the game, and the pics were from the freaking AP. Oh, and you would think that winning the McNaughton Cup, in a hostile environment along with the Gold Pan, would be a big deal. Instead, there was a GIANT pic (obviously space eating so they don't have to write as much, like usual) of.......a Tiger getting checked. All that glamor at the game and you got that? That's why I never use their pieces, freaking terrible. DG's DU blog is better than that.
  
• If you are one of the lucky ones with tickets tonight, bring your camera for the trophy presentation after the game. I'm up high so my pics won't be too great but if anyone wants to send me a link of their pics or have some featured, just send me an email and I'll be glad to showcase them on the blog! (email is in my profile info)
• It may be a record crowd at World Arena tonight. Besides the regular seating, all student seats were sold, along with all the standing room only seats. Hopefully the corporate seats behind the penalty boxes will actually have people in them tonight and not be empty
• DG takes a look at the local media coverage today from "The Magness Massacre", a title that has a pretty nice ring to it doesn't it?!
• One more note, all of the Google run Blogger services crashed this morning so all of us Bloggers were running around in circles. Judging from the huge traffic this site got after midnight, the fans felt just as disconnected today!
• I was out on the city's east and north sides today (holy crap it's so different out there!), getting away from my southwest hideaway, and noticed 4 CC fans dressed in full apparel, which was nice to see. It's rare I get to see fans out in Tiger gear so that's fun (to all of you non-CS hockey fans, this city doesn't revolve around any particular team or school, you locals know:) )
• The game is on TV tonight, Comcast 4 in Colorado Springs and Comcast 5 in Denver. Other internet links can be found below under Friday night's preview.

~PCO

COLORADO COLLEGE TIGERS
2007/08 WCHA REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS!!!

CHAMPIONS!!!

Chad Rau scores twice in 12 seconds to cap off a 5-2 stomping of rival DU to win the MacNaughton Cup and the WCHA regular season championship, as well as the Gold Pan. Pics and story up as soon as I can get em.
Box Score

CC Athletics
Tigers claim WCHA title and Gold Pan with 5-2 victory at Denver
How sweet it is! With one game left in the regular season, Colorado College is undisputed regular-season champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, having clinched its third McNaughton Trophy in the last six years against none other than arch-rival University of Denver. The Tigers wasted no time at Magness Arena on Friday, grabbing an early advantage on senior captain Scott Thauwald’s tally just 2:17 in the contest, then methodically finished off DU to the tune of 5-2. The victory, combined with St. Cloud State’s 1-1 tie at North Dakota, clinched the title outright for CC heading into Saturday’s rematch with the Pioneers at the World Arena. Chad Rau scored a pair of big goals, his 26 th and 27 th of the campaign, just 12 seconds apart early in the third period to thwart any Denver comeback hopes. The Tigers battled to leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the second frame, on red lighters just 20 seconds in by Jack Hillen and another by Jimmy Kilpatrick with 3:09 left. But the Pioneers cut the deficit to one for the second time in the opening minute of the final session before Rau worked his magic. CC also retained possession of the Gold Pan, claiming the mining utensil for the ninth time in its 15 years of existence regardless of what happens on Saturday. Freshman goaltender Richard Bachman made 28 saves in Friday’s win, while Erik Walsky set up a pair of goals.

Tigers Down Pioneers, Clinch MacNaughton Cup
Rau Nets Two to Seal Victory, Win Gold Pan

by Theresa Spisak/WCHA Correspondent

DENVER (March 7) — Scott Owens couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present.

On the same night he celebrated his 52nd birthday, Owens’ Colorado College Tigers shut down their archrival, the University of Denver Pioneers, 5-2, as well as clinched the MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA’s best team. Earning state bragging rights by retaining the Gold Pan was just the icing on the cake.

“It was a Gold Pan to boot,” said Owens. “You win the WCHA outright; you know what, I’m just very proud of our kids. We earned the championship. We talked about that last Saturday that we didn’t play particularly well in the end, but we didn’t back into it. We didn’t sit around and wait for North Dakota to tie or to lose or to do this. We went out and earned it in a difficult building to play against a very good team.”

“I thought we gave ourselves a chance; I thought CC played a very smart road game” never relinquished the lead,” said DU head coach George Gwozdecky.

The Tigers struck first blood just over two minutes into the opening frame. Scott Thauwald wristed an Eric Walsky pass five-hole on Pioneer goaltender Peter Mannino from just outside the dot in the right face-off circle.

The two teams played a very high-tempo, back-and-forth period with each team getting chances, but DU kept it a one-goal game.

Thanks to a late Pioneer penalty, the Tigers started off the second period on the power play and capitalized 20 seconds in. Jack Hillen made it 2-0 when he fired a blast from the point that went high stick-side on Mannino (30 saves).

The Pioneers got in the board with a little over six to play in the third with a goal off a face-off. DU won the draw back to Andrew Thomas who shot the puck. The puck bounced off of CC netminder Richard Bachman’s pads to Kyle Ostrow who slammed home the rebound.

However, the Tigers regained their two goal cushion with three minutes to go when Jimmy Kilpatrick picked up the puck in front of an out-of-position Mannino and shot it into a virtually open net.

“I thought the second period was the critical difference to the game,” said Gwozdecky. “Once we scored that first goal, we had, oh boy, three gorgeous chances. I think we hit two posts, we missed a wide open net and other great opportunities and it could have been a real difference in the change of the momentum of the game and the score of the game at that time.”

Jesse Martin made it a 3-2 game 61 seconds into the third period, wristing a CC turnover in off the post short-side behind Bachman (28 saves).

“We made it a little difficult on ourselves by having that turnover to start the third period,” said Owens. “But, like the whole season’s been with a fair amount of adversity, we fought through in the third period and we prevailed.”

However, five and a half minutes later, the Tigers went up 5-2 thanks to Chad Rau scoring two goals just 12 seconds apart. With the goals, Rau also scored his 99th and 100th points of his career.

“I didn’t realize that; Kilpatrick told me on the bench and I was like, ‘Oh, whoa’,” said Rau.

“The second one, Mikey [Testwuide] , he tried dumping it in and it hit the ref so it was a good bounce there and I don’t know, Mannino kind of came out at me and I just kind of held on to it,” he explained. “Billy Sweatt and Mikey both drove the net so it was kind of wide open for me and got the empty net there, pretty much.”

“[The first one] was an NHL shot, I thought,” said Owens. “He’s a big game player for us, he wants the puck at crucial times. But our top guys, Jack Hillen, Richard, they stepped up, Chad; they made plays �” it couldn’t have been a better ending.”

From then on, the proverbial wind slowly went out of the Pioneers sails and Bachman clamped down to seal the victory and win the MacNaughton Trophy outright.

“[Winning the MacNaughton] is a testament to the way we’ve played the whole year so it’s great to finally get it, secure it,” said Rau.

“I think we can play better, but my hat’s off to the WCHA champion. They deserve it,” said Gwozdecky.

The Tigers will hoist both trophies tomorrow night after the two teams face-off again.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to hoist it after a win tomorrow,” said Owens. “It’s the right thing to do, not to parade it around in their building. I have a lot of respect for Denver and that’s something I wouldn’t want to have done to me.”

As mentioned, the two teams play each other again tomorrow night at the Colorado Springs World Arena. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. MST.

20 Minutes from the Title

After 2 periods of play, the Tigers hold a 3-1 lead over DU. North Dakota has tied with St. Cloud State in their game leaving the Tigers 2 points away from the outright MacNaughton Cup title.
Thauwald scored 2 minutes(ish) into the first, Hillen scored under a minute into the second and Kilpatrick capped off the second with a goal with 2 minutes remaining in the second.

Let the Fight Begin

From 2007 Tiger Ho...

After a week of frozen chickens, banner-bashing and trash talking it's time to play the game. Puck drops at 7:37PM in Denver. If you are looking to check out the game tonight I rounded up the links to keep track of the action. Unfortunately, the game isn't on TV tonight (though B2 picks up the jumbotron feed), but it will be Saturday night down here in the Springs. I'm looking forward to the Tigers hoisting the MacNaughton Cup AND Gold Pan on DU's home ice tonight!!

Keep track of the live stats

Online radio link

B2 Networks Arena Feed (scroll about halfway down)

The New York Times decides to pay attention to the Rocky Mountain state, strange huh?!

In Colorado Springs, the game can be heard live on 103.9 FM

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!

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;)

Beautiful Day in Colorado

For all of you who are fortunate enough to live in this amazing city, I hope you got out and enjoyed today's weather. My dad and I went over to Red Rocks Canyon Park and did some sweet mountain biking. The thermometer in my truck read 74 at the highest today and it felt every bit that, if not more. I'm looking forward to sporting a nice new sunglasses tan tonight to watch the Tigers win some hardware! Should be a good tough game but I think the Tigers will have enough motivation to pull it out. Did anyone else notice that the stupid Gazette picture in the paper shows the Mavericks wearing blue jerseys? I assure you, they are purple and the letsgomavs pics prove it, no idea how the heck you can make purple into aqua with a camera. They are so purple that Ken Landau even called them the Vikings at one point last night, honest mistake since they are from MN and have the same color and a similar logo. Anyway, bring your cameras tonight in case we get to see the MacNaughton Trophy presentation. Until then, enjoy some wicked sweet pics I took today below. And since it's supposed to snow tomorrow, they should come in handy when we are all moping around hating snow!
~PCO

This Week's Story Lines

From CC Athletics

This Week’s Storylines
• The Tigers are in position to clinch at least a share of the MacNaughton Trophy as WCHA regular-season champions for the third time in six years and the sixth time in the last 15. All they need to do is beat Minnesota State University twice at the World Arena, where they won 14 consecutive games this campaign before losing (4-2) to St. Cloud State on Feb. 9.
. • With the NCAA playoffs now only a month away, Colorado College’s chances of playing in the West Regional on its home ice are looking better and better. If the 16-team tournament were to start today, CC would be a No. 1 seed in the West.
• Minnesota State will be no pushover, however. The Mavericks have been one of the nation’s hottest teams since mid-January, winning seven of their last nine games and climbing into NCAA playoff contention themselves. MSU swept the Tigers the last time the teams met, a year ago in Mankato.

Regular-Season Title Within Grasp
As CC Plays Host to Minnesota State

Hour of Truth at Hand: Colorado College shoots to clinch its third regular-season championship in six years this week when the Tigers meet Minnesota State University in a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at the World Arena (7,343 seating capacity). Faceoff is 7:37 p.m. MST Friday and 7:07 p.m. MST Saturday. The Tigers need four points in their final four games to assure themselves of no worse than a tie for first place in the final WCHA standings.

For the Record: First-place CC is 23-8-1 overall and 18-5-1 in league play after skating to a pair of shutout victories (3-0 and 4-0) at Minnesota Duluth last weekend. The Tigers, who wrap up the regular season next week with an away-and-home series with archrival Denver, currently own a four-point lead over second-place North Dakota and a six-point cushion over third-place DU...Minnesota State is 16-12-4 overall and 10-10-4 in league play, good for a fifth-place tie with St. Cloud State in the WCHA standings. Despite dropping a 4-2 non-conference decision at home to Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday, the Mavericks have won seven of their last nine outings. .

In the Rankings: The Tigers remain No. 4 in this week’s national polls conducted by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC has climbed into a tie for second in the Pairwise computer rankings and is still second in the power rankings published by InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH), which has Minnesota State at No. 10. The Mavericks are ninth and 10th in the other two polls, and tied for 11th 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 218-117-25 (.640) in 360 games behind the bench, including an 18-9-1 mark (.661) against Minnesota State, and has guided the Tigers to five NCAA playoff berths in his previous eight campaigns...Troy Jutting (MSU ‘87) is in his eighth season as head coach at his alma mater and overall in the collegiate ranks. He owns a career record of 124-141-38 (.472).

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. This Friday's game against Minnesota State will be picked up in Denver on KEPN 1600 AM, courtesy of the CC Tiger Sports Network. 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 game of this week’s series against Minnesota State 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 marks the 33rd all-time meeting between Colorado College and Minnesota State, which will see each other for the first time this season. CC, which owns a 22-9-1 advantage in the rivalry, was undefeated (9-0-1) in 10 games against the Mavericks before being swept (3-2, 6-4) in Mankato a little more than a year ago. The Tigers are 14-4 all-time against MSU at the World Arena after winning the last six decisions dating back to a 9-6 loss on March 1, 2003.

Scouting the Mavericks: MSU’s top point producer through 32 games is sophomore forward Trevor Bruess, with 25 (7g,18a), while junior forward Mick Berge leads the team with 16 goals including three game-winners. Junior netminder Mike Zacharias is 15-9-4 between the pipes, with a 2.13 goals-against average and .921 saves percentage.

Recapping the UMD Series: Freshman Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) made 31 saves on Friday and 29 more on Saturday to become the first goalie in the 70-year history of Tiger Hockey to record shutouts in both games of a weekend road series. Friday’s opener was scoreless until midway through the second period when sophomore center Andreas Vlassopoulos (Los Angeles, CA) and junior center Chad Rau (Eden Prairie, MN) lit the lamp just 25 seconds apart to give Bachman and Colorado College a 2-0 lead. Vlassopoulos, who added another tally early in the third period that night, collected a pair of assists in Saturday’s 4-0 victory to finish with four points for the weekend. Rau also scored twice on Saturday, while senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN) set up each of CC’s final three goals. Junior forward Eric Walsky (Anchorage, AK) struck for the game winner just 8:12 into the contest, finishing a two-on-one rush with sophomore winger Matt Overman (Bloomington, MN). Senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN), who assisted on the GWG by Vlassopoulos in the series opener, completed Saturday’s scoring at 8:04 of the final frame.

A Truly Golden Era: Colorado College, which will host a first-round playoff series for the 15th time in the last 17 seasons, has advanced to the WCHA Final Four or Final Five on 10 of the previous 14 occasions and earned 10 NCAA playoff bids since 1995. Starting in 1993-94, when the Tigers went 23-11-5 overall and won the first of three consecutive WCHA regular-season championships, they have posted a winning record of 384-185-43 (.663). That string of success has lifted CC’s all-time record above the .500 mark, at 1,042-1,041-96, for the first time in 36 years, since January 1972.

Poise of a Veteran: Bachman, whose overall goals-against average of 1.71 and saves percentage of .935 are the best in the nation, has allowed two or fewer goals in 20 of his 27 starts this season. Owner of four shutouts, including three consecutive over UMD, the All-WCHA/All-America candidate has given up one or fewer goals in 13 of his 22 WCHA assignments. He leads the league in all major goaltending categories, both overall and in conference play.

Bulldog Nightmares: While Bachman now has blanked Minnesota Duluth for 197 minutes and 46 seconds dating back to the third period of a 5-3 victory over the Bulldogs on Nov. 9, Vlassopoulos has collected eight (4g,4a) of his season total of 26 points against them. He also had a goal and assist in a split at Duluth last season, giving him 10 career points (5g,5a) in six career games against UMD. He became the 10th different Tiger to score a game-winning goal this season with his tally at 8:46 of the second period last Friday, and has moved into a tie for 11th place among WCHA scoring leaders with 19 points (6g,13a) in league play.

Offense From the Blue Line: Hillen, whose career-high 28 points overall (3g,25a) this season continues to lead all WCHA defensemen, continues to strengthen his case as an all-league and All-America candidate. One of just six CC players to appear in every game this season, he has collected 13 assists in the last 10 outings. Hillen also ranks No. 1 among all WCHA players with his 25 assists, leads the Tigers with 14 points (1g,13a) on the power play and is a key member in Colorado College’s nation-best and league-leading penalty killing efforts.

Penalty Killing Prowess: The Tigers have held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 12 of their last 14 outings, as well as in 22 of 32 for the season, after shutting down all nine Minnesota Duluth opportunities last weekend, including seven on Friday. While Colorado College’s overall penalty-killing proficiency of 90.4 percent (113-of-125) ranks No. 1 nationally, its league-leading success ratio (92.5) in WCHA play is even better. CC has given up only seven PPG in its 24 conference outings to date, matching that total with seven shorthanded goals. The Tigers have scored nine SHG overall, five by Rau, who is tied for the national lead in that category.

Picking His Spots: Kilpatrick, who had missed the previous three games due to injury, returned to action last Friday and assisted on his fourth game-winning goal of the season. He’s also scored three GWG of his own, factoring in on seven altogether to tie Rau for the team lead. He’s figured in on 23 game winners overall during his four seasons at Colorado College, scoring eight and assisting on 15. His goal on Saturday gave him 104 career points (35g,69a) as a Tiger.

Back in the Groove: Rau’s second-period tally last Friday snapped a seven-game goal-scoring drought for the All-WCHA/All-America candidate, who shares the national lead with his five shorthanded goals and has been credited with five game winners. He’s now struck twice or more in a game on seven occasions this season after clicking a pair of power plays in Saturday’s 4-0 victory. His career-high 22 tallies overall and 18 in league play lead all WCHA players.

Tiger Bites: Walsky’s red lighter early in last Saturday’s triumph was his fourth game winner of the season, tying him with senior left wing Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.) for second place on the team...Connelly, who joined Kilpatrick in assisting on Vlassopoulos first goal on Friday, now has helped set up a team-leading six GWG in 2007-08. He added another assist on Saturday to extend his current point-scoring streak to seven consecutive games...The second-period goals within 25 seconds by Vlassopoulos and Rau last Friday represent Colorado College’s second quickest pair of the season. It marked the third time in ’07-08 that the Tigers have struck twice in less than a minute...CC now is 17-3-1 when scoring first in a game, 9-1-1 when tied after the opening period, 12-3 when ahead after 20 minutes, and 17-1 when entering the final 20 with a lead...Including a 10-1-1 record in exhibition games, the Tigers are 166-58-8 (.733) in 232 all-time appearances at the World Arena since opening the facility a decade ago.

CC going for the sweep! WEAR GOLD!

The Tiger's play their final regular season home game tonight against DU and have a chance to get the 3rd place seed in the WCHA playoffs that start next weekend. The Tigers clinched home ice for next weekend and tonight will decided the final seed. The Tigers can also sweep the season series against DU and potentially knock DU out of contention for the NCAA tournament. After beating tying us for the MacNaughton Cup, beating us in the WCHA final and in the NCAA tournament 2 years ago, I think this would be a great chance to get some revenge. For everyone going to the game, be sure to wear GOLD! The game is on ESPNU so let's make sure to show support for the Tigers with the chance for the whole country to see us on national TV (well, premium channel national TV, haha). The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:07pm Mountain Time. I'm hoping to head to a bar and watch the game and represent the Tigers and The Springs here in Lincoln!

A quick look at the next games

As most of you know, the Tigers are taking on the rival Minnesota Golden Gophers this coming Friday and Saturday nights. Of course coaching is the underlying theme of this series since Minnesota's Don Lucia was the Tigers coach from 1993-1999. In that time the Tigers won the regular season WCHA title 3 times (his first three seasons). After Don's first season, the Tigers made the NCAA tournament every year for the rest of his tenure, they finished 2nd in 95/96 and 3rd in 96/97. The second place finish was the heartbreaking loss to Michigan. He has had even better success at the helm in Minnesota as the Gophers won the national title in 00/01 and again in 01/02. They have reached the NCAA tournament in all but his first season as head coach and have also won the WCHA tournament 02/03 and 03/04. Only this past season has he won the regular season title with the Gophers. Currently, the Gophers are riding a 2-game win streak after sweeping Alaska Anchorage 8-2 and 2-1. According to the USCHO poll, Minnesota is currently #2 in the nation with a record of 23-5-3. The Tigers dropped to 14th after coming off a 1 point weekend but do have the leagues best home record on their side. As far as conference standings, Minnesota is #1 with 33 points, followed by St. Cloud with 29, Denver with 27 and CC with 26. This weekend's games are extremely important in both the Pairwise rankings as well as the conference race for the MacNaughton Cup.