Predictions: East and West Regionals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews of the Pathetic Weekend Showing

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s not working.

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

It's Michigan State

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bracketology

Piggy-backing off my earlier post, the USCHO takes a look at the possible matchups if the selection was today (it's Sunday). Right now, CC would play Princeton and North Dakota would play cup-cake-conference Notre Dame. There is plenty of hypothetical reading for your enjoyment today.
Bracketology

Remaining Possibilities

DIY Pairwise predictor

CC-AFA Regional Battle Likely?

Milo Bryant takes a look at the possibilities of the Tigers playing the Falcons at the World Arena and some of the fears that Coach Owens has playing them. I would have to agree, I don't want the Tigers to play AFA simply because I think they have the best chance of knocking us out of the tournament.

CC vs. AFA in hockey tourney would be great for almost everyone
By MILO BRYANT

The West Regional in the NCAA hockey tournament begins at the World Arena in nine days.

The arena is home to the Colorado College Tigers, and they will be playing in the arena. The 16-team field will be announced Sunday, including the three other teams playing at World Arena.

CC could be quite familiar with one, possibly two, of those teams.

As soon as the Air Force Falcons won the Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament title - in double overtime, Tigers coach Scott Owens, listening on the radio said, "I think Air Force could be here."

For a few reasons, the Falcons are one of the last teams the Tigers would want to see.

"I have mixed feelings," Owens said, smiling. "This is supposed to be our backyard. Nobody else's backyard. ... It would be great for Colorado Springs. It would be great for the Front Range. It would be great theater.

"I'm not so sure it would be great for the head coach."

Laughter ensued.

Owens does his share of worrying - even though he has one of the country's best teams, even though the Falcons have yet to beat the Tigers under Owens' watch.

"One of the reasons is they come in as one of the hottest teams in the country. I think they're 8-0-1," Owens said. "So you're dealing with that. They've found a way to skin the cat, so to speak, or found another way to get it done without Eric Ehn. So, that's a concern.

"They beat Denver. It's been 2-1 with us the last two times we've played. And they're a good team. And they've got a little postseason swagger to them. Then watch Ehn sneak out at the last second to play."

More laughter.

There's a lot of truth said in jest. An Air Force-CC matchup would not only be a good matchup for the Springs. But it would be a good game, too. The Falcons do not fear the Tigers. The Tigers have a lot of respect for the Falcons.

The Tigers have had the better team, but the gap between the two has narrowed considerably. And it's not just because of the drubbing the Falcons gave the University of Denver. One tournament appearance, which the Falcons made last year, might be fluky, two - uhh, uhh.

Remember, the Falcons finished 3-2-1 against ranked teams this season. Few schools can boast a nonconference schedule as good as Air Force's. Fewer can boast a winning record against that schedule.

Then there's the Ehn factor. Falcons coach Frank Serratore said there is a 50/50 chance that Ehn could play the tournament's opening round.

"Oh, what an emotional scene it would be to see Ehn skate back on the same ice that he was carried off on a stretcher," Serratore said. "To have it all come around, I think that would be very special and emotional for everybody in that building."

Owens' emotions would be mixed - again. Still, it's all a long shot that any of it will happen.

If the Tigers are seeded No.4 overall, Air Force will surely be sent elsewhere for the sake of bracket integrity. It would be unusual for the No. 1 seed to play any team but the No. 15 or No. 16 seed.

If CC is beaten Friday and/or Saturday in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs and other top teams win this week, the Tigers could be seeded fifth through eighth overall, and therefore seeded second at the West Regional. In that hypothetical situation, a team such as Michigan could come to the Springs as the top seed.

If that happened, Air Force could be in the region as the fourth-seeded team.

Were that to happen, don't think that Owens would fail to see a bit of poetic justice playing out. In the 2003 NCAA Tournament, the Tigers were the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional. Michigan was the No. 3 seed, but at home in Yost Ice Arena, where it knocked off second-seeded Maine and then the Tigers.

Maybe crazier than that would be to see the three Front Range teams playing in the West Regional. Serratore, a former tournament committee member, sees it happening only if CC is the No. 1 overall seed and DU is the No. 8 overall seed.

"It would be wild," Owens said. "It would be absolutely wild if we played Air Force in the first game and Denver played Michigan State in the other game, all here. It would be unbelievable.

"It would be stressful as hell."

Nope, it would be great.

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

New Rankings

Even though we are now fully into the post-season, the rankings are still out there and the Tigers are on the move again. CC is now numero uno in the INCH power rankings, up to second in both the national polls (below) and has dropped to #4 in the latest power rankings, probably due to the results of the teams that jumped over them. No worries though, the actual selection will be different and the letters WCHA will have a big effect on the Tigers final landing spot.
Another interesting development is Air Force winning the AHA tournament and clinching their spot in the NCAA Tournament. This means that both Colorado Springs teams, and all three Colorado teams will make the NCAA Tournament-a pretty awesome feat. It is also possible that the Falcons could open up at the World Arena, although having two teams playing in their home city might not sit well with the powers that be. Although, if you put all three teams in different regionals, there is the possibility of them all making the Frozen Four...in Denver. How crazy would that be?!

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
March 17, 2008

No.	Team (First-place votes)	Points	Last Poll
1.	Michigan (28)	500	1
2.	Colorado College (4)	466	3
3.	Miami (2)	420	5
4.	New Hampshire	418	4
5.	North Dakota	404	2
6.	Denver	331	8
7.	Boston College	285	9
8.	St. Cloud State	262	10
9.	Michigan State	244	6
10.	Clarkson	196	7
11.	Notre Dame	173	12
12.	Minnesota	107	15
13.	Boston University	93	13
14.	Minnesota State	90	11
15.	Princeton	33	NR

Also receiving votes: Harvard 23, Wisconsin 20, Ferris State 4, Air Force 4, Niagara 4, Northern Michigan 2, Vermont 1.

USCHO.com/CSTV Poll

March 17, 2008

No.	Team (First-place votes)	Points	Last Poll
1.	Michigan (41)	989	1
2.	Colorado College (5)	922	3
3.	Miami (1)	869	4
4.	North Dakota (3)	866	2
5.	New Hampshire	837	5
6.	Denver	740	8
7.	St. Cloud State	653	9
8.	Boston College	649	T10
9.	Michigan State	600	6
10.	Clarkson	529	7
11.	Notre Dame	483	12
12.	Minnesota	408	15
13.	Boston University	376	14
14.	Minnesota State	363	T10
15.	Princeton	287	16
16.	Harvard	261	17
17.	Wisconsin	176	13
18.	Vermont	170	19
19.	Niagara	94	NR
20.	Cornell	53	NR

Also receiving votes: Minnesota Duluth 42, Air Force 35, Northern Michigan 34, Ferris State 30, Michigan Tech 12, Colgate 10, Masachusetts 6, Bemidji State 3, Quinnipiac 2, Army 1.

Final Stretch Begins

The Tigers would be smart to just call this weekend's series the beginning of the post-season. With the McNaughton trophy on the line, as well as NCAA Tourney seeding, there is little room for error. North Dakota is on an 11 game winning streak and has jumped into a tie with the Tigers (though the Tiger have 2 games-in-hand) but playing like those extra 4 points don't exist should be enough motivation for the Tigers to finish strong before heading to the Excel Center for a chance at the WCHA Tournament Title.

CC Athletics

This Week’s Storylines
• With home ice already secured for the opening round of the WCHA playoffs a month from now, Colorado College heads to Minnesota Duluth this week in a heated battled for the program’s sixth regular-season title in the last 15 seasons. Although North Dakota has pulled into a tie for first place, the Tigers still hold the upper hand with a pair of games in hand with UND as well as a six-point lead over third-place Denver.
• CC, which is 14-1 at the World Arena this season but just 7-7-1 on the road, is 31-42-2 (.427) all-time in Duluth after splitting there in January 2007. The Bulldogs have eight NHL draft picks on their current roster.
• If the Tigers can win four of their remaining six games, they will finish no worse than co-champions with the Fighting Sioux. And, while sixth-place UMD also still has a mathematical chance of catching Colorado College in the league standings, it would take six Duluth victories and six CC losses for that scenario to occur.

CC Icers Put Title Hopes On the Line
In Crucial Series at Minnesota Duluth

Stretch Drive Resumes: Colorado College tries to give its regular-season title hopes a shot in the arm this week when the Tigers travel to the shores of Lake Superior for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against the University of Minnesota Duluth. Faceoff at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (5,294 seating capacity) is 7:37 p.m. CST Friday and Saturday. With the exception of a potential appearance at the WCHA Final Five in mid-March, this will be CC’s final out-of-state road trip of the 2007-08 campaign.

For the Record: The Tigers, who were idle last week, are 21-8-1 overall and 16-5-1 in WCHA play after splitting a pair of home-ice decisions with St. Cloud State on Feb. 8 and 9. Colorado College skated to a 5-3 victory in the series opener, but fell to the Huskies by a 4-2 count the next night. CC currently is tied for first place with North Dakota, but has six games remaining compared to just four for the Fighting Sioux…Minnesota Duluth is 12-10-6 overall and 8-9-5 in league play, good for sixth place in the WCHA standings, after earning a split at Michigan Tech last weekend. UMD bounced back to claim a 3-2 victory on Saturday after falling 5-2 to the Huskies on Friday. The Bulldogs, who still have their eyes on a home-ice playoff berth, trail fourth place Minnesota State and Wisconsin by three points but have two games in hand with both those teams.

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...Neither game of this week’s series at Minnesota Duluth 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.

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 is tied for fourth in the Pairwise computer rankings and is still second in the power rankings published by InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH), which has Minnesota Duluth at No. 16. The Bulldogs are 13th in other the two polls, but in a three-way tie for eighth 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 216-117-25 (.638) in 358 games behind the bench, including a 15-10-2 mark (.593) against Minnesota Duluth, and has guided the Tigers to five NCAA playoff berths in his previous eight campaigns...Scott Sandelin (North Dakota ‘86) is in his eighth season calling the shots at UMD, where he owns a record of 121-153-37 (449).

The All-Time Series: Friday marks the 156th meeting between the Tigers and Bulldogs in a rivalry that started on Jan. 4, 1961. Colorado College owns a 79-71-5 advantage in the previous 155 after sweeping UMD, 5-3 and 3-0, at the World Arena last November. CC has won six of its last eight outings overall against the Bulldogs, including a split at the DECC last season when it rallied from behind for a 4-2 victory in Game 2 after suffering a 4-3 loss in the series opener.

Scouting the Bulldogs: UMD’s top point producer through 28 games is junior center MacGregor Sharp, with 16 points (6g,10a) including a pair of game-winning goals. Four other Bulldogs have 14 points apiece. Sophomore goalie Alex Stalock is 12-10-6 between the pipes, with a 2.20 goals-against average and .918 saves percentage.

Recapping the SCSU Series: Senior left wing Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.) recorded his third career hat trick, and the team’s second of the season, as Colorado College won its 14th consecutive home game with a 5-3 victory in the series opener. The visiting Huskies ended CC’s streak by skating to a 4-2 triumph the next night, despite being out-shot by a 40-30 margin. McCulloch scored once in each period, including a shorthanded goal just 24 seconds into the second and an empty-netter in the final minute of the third, to pace the Tigers in Game 1. Sophomore right wing Mike Testwuide (Vail, CO) and sophomore defenseman Kris Fredheim (Campbell River, B.C.) also struck for first-period goals that night, while freshman goalie Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) needed to make only 18 saves. Bachman added 26 more stops in Saturday’s loss, when freshman center Tyler Johnson (Cloquet, MN) scored once and added an assist on a tally by junior forward Eric Walsky (Anchorage, AK). Sophomore defenseman Nate Prosser (Elk River, MN) helped set up two goals on Friday, including McCulloch’s shorthanded game winner, while two other blue-line specialists – senior Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN) and sophomore Brian Connelly (Bloomington, MN) – each collected an assist in both games. Bachman joined Prosser with an assist on McCulloch’s GWG in the first contest.

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. The Tigers have surpassed the 20-victory plateau for the 13th time in the last 15 seasons. Starting in 1993-94, when they went 23-11-5 overall and won the first of three consecutive WCHA regular-season championships, they have posted a winning record of 382-185-43 (.661). They’ve earned 10 NCAA playoff bids during the stretch and skated to five regular-season titles in all, claiming four outright and sharing another.

Five Named Scholar-Athletes: Led by McCulloch, who now is a three-time recipient, a school-record five Colorado College players have earned the prestigious WCHA Scholar Athlete Award for 2007-08. Joining McCulloch among this year's honored Tigers are junior defenseman and second-year winner Jake Gannon (Roselle, IL), along with Hillen and sophomore forwards Brian McMillin (Roseau, MN) and Bill Sweatt (Elburn, IL). To earn the award, which was initiated during the 2005-06 season, student-athletes at WCHA member schools must have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale, for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or cumulatively for all terms at the institution. A total of 78 men and women, including 24 repeat honorees, from WCHA teams qualified this season.

Penalty Killing Prowess: While junior center and team scoring leader Chad Rau (Eden Prairie, MN) continues to pace the nation with five shorthanded tallies, the Tigers also are tied for first in the country with nine SHG as a team. They’ve held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 10 of the last 12 games, as well as in 20 of 30 for the season, while allowing only 12 PPG overall. CC ranks second nationally in penalty killing, one spot ahead of Minnesota Duluth, with an 89.7-percent success ratio.

Offense From the Blue Line: Hillen, whose career-high 25 points overall (3g,22a) this season leads all WCHA defensemen, continues to strengthen his case as an all-league and potential All-America candidate. One of just six CC players to appear in every game this season, he has collected 10 assists in the last eight outings and has at least one in nine of the last 10, including six straight heading into this week’s series in Duluth. Hillen also leads the Tigers with 12 points (1g,11a) on the power play...Prosser, who has assisted on four GWG among his 17 points (3g,14a) overall, leads the Tigers with a +14 plus-minus rating for the season and has recorded six multiple-point games...Connelly takes a five-game point-scoring streak into this week’s series opener at UMD. He’s collected one in nine of the last 10 outings, improving his season total to 15 (3g,12a), and has assisted on a team-high five game-winning goals.

Freshman Packs a Punch: Bachman, who continues to lead all WCHA goaltenders with a 1.84 GAA and .775 winning percentage (15-4-1) in league play (15-4-1), has collected three assists in 2007-08 including a pair on game-winning goals. His .931 saves percentage in 20 conference outings ties him for first. His overall goals-against average (also 1.84) is third best in the nation, and his .929 saves ratio ties him for fourth. The All-WCHA/All-America candidate has allowed two or fewer goals in 18 of his 25 starts overall.

Tiger Bites: Nine different Colorado College players have struck for game-winning goals this season, while 10 others have assisted on at least one. Rau has scored five and McCulloch four to lead the team...Senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN), who last month became the 70th member of Tiger Hockey’s elite “Century Club” by collecting his 100th career point, has factored in on 22 game winners – including six this season – during his four years at CC... The Tigers have bounced back to score within 30 seconds of an opponent’s goal four times this season and have struck in the opening 25 seconds of a period on three occasions...Colorado College is 15-3-1 when scoring first in a game, 9-1-1 when tied after the opening period and 15-1 when entering the final 20 minutes with a lead...CC has scored three or more times in a period 11 times this season, including twice in one game, and is 9-1 when doing it.

On the eve of the 'Four

Tomorrow at 2pm Mountain Time the Frozen Four will officially kick of with Maine and Michigan State then followed at 6pm by the WCHA rep. North Dakota and much hyped Boston College. As ESPN does a brief overview of the games, I would love to open it up and see what everyone thinks will happen tomorrow and then Saturday night. Personally, I will pick Maine to take out Michigan State in a close game early. The reason for this is not because I want it to happen (I don't like the east teams that have a media following) but simply because of experience. Maine is consistly in the top 10 each season and has won a National Title recently. However, State does have an experienced coach that will keep it close and I would love to see them pull it out but I think they will be slightly overmatched in this one.
Later tomorrow night I am going to pick the WCHA North Dakota Fighting ----- (they lost their appeal so who knows what they will be next year). This boils down to a hatred of all things BC on all the websites and highlights and wanting the WCHA to win it all again. Also, ND took down a rolling Minnesota team and has really come together late in the year, a team that I personally thought wouldn't even make the WCHA tournament not too long ago. BC plays a weaker schedule and I think will be worn down in a close game, but I'll take ND somewhere in the range of 5-3. I will also pick them to win it all over Maine Saturday night; they will be on a roll and Maine will be tired after beating a pesky up-and-coming Michigan State team. These are my unscientific picks, let's hear yours!

The wait until the NCAA Frozen Four is Almost Over

I know some of us are dying to watch the games this Thursday night and get some more college hockey in before summer starts. I hate how they have this large gap in the tournament but it is understandable because of the basketball madness going on. In the meantime, check out this nice article about college hockey recruiting. I follow the football side of things and thought that was nuts, but they don't sign players to contracts at 14 like the big time Canada teams do, it's crazy stuff. Let's hope the recruiting this past year helps bring CC back into the NCAA Frozen Four next year so we will be waiting the see US play and not a WCHA rival!

Gophers come back to spoil Falcons upset bid

Air Force came out in full force in their first ever NCAA Tournament appearence and almost got away with a win against the Minnesota Gophers at the Pepsi Center Saturday. It looked like it may happen when AF took a 3-1 lead 5 minutes into the 3rd period until the Gophers woke up and scored three goals to finish off the Falcons and avoid a 2nd straight 1st round loss in the NCAA Tournament, nonetheless to another AHA team. This was an interesting game for a fan of CO hockey simply because it pitted a home town team against the WCHA powerhouse from the north. Personally, I would have liked to see AF win since it was their first time ever in the tourney, but I really like to see the WCHA do well, even if Minnesota has dominated almost everyone this year. At least it's not DU right?!

In other conference news, St. Cloud State was eliminated in the first round, falling 4-1 to the Maine Black Bears on Friday night, leaving the WCHA with 2 surviving teams. When I wrote this entry, North Dakota was up on evil Michigan 7-5 early in the 3rd period.

NCAA Tournament Selection

With the NCAA Tournament ready to start in full force, it's always fun to look at the selection process and drama that some teams had to endure. There are a few things that I have found to be a little off about this tourney. Granted, I'm not a selection process expert and will never try to be, but I have to wonder why the WCHA was only give 3 spots since it is widely considered to be THE top conference in the country and had 5 teams finish the season strong. Based on late season play, Wisconsin should have gotten a bid and even Denver could have been given serious consideration. I know I've seen numerous articles talking about this topic. Hockey East has 5 teams from a conference that is almost universally considered a weaker conference than the WCHA. It just proves the point I have been mentioning since I started this thing; the media are fixated on the teams out east and pass over the stronger WCHA, just because it's not on the E-coast. Another thing that urked me was that two of the best teams in the tourney (North Dakota and Minnesota) are in the same bracket. Yes Denver's Pepsi Center is "WCHA Home Turf", but this bracket also ensures that at least 1 WCHA team will not make the Frozen Four. I can't help but think that is has something to do with the all WCHA Frozen Four a few years back. Seems to me we are getting the short end on this one!

AF gets a taste of the WCHA

In a little twist of fate, Air Force has won their conference and will be heading to the NCAA Tournament up the road at Pepsi Center. The "crappy" team of the area has beaten out the two powerhouses and gets the pleasure of playing against none other than Minnesota in the first round (a team that won the Broadmoor Trophy and was knocked out in the first round last year.) AF will get a taste of our conference and it will be interesting to see what they are made of. I'm all for the power of the WCHA, but it would be fun to the the team from N. Colorado Springs take out one of the best teams in the country.

Kissin your sister-CC DU tie 5-5 in season finale

At least they got a point and the Pan. The Tigers and Pioneers battled it out in the last game of the season and ended up with one of the most loathsome results: tying the arch rival. Granted, we will take the points but feeling equal to a rival isn't good. However, CC did win the season series 3-0-1 and didn't lose to the Pioneers, something that has haunted them for the past few seasons. CC will open at home ice next Friday (march 9th) and may still have a shot at the NCAA Tourney. For now, it's time to enjoy the Gold Pan and get ready for at least 2 more home games!

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!

The free-fall continues

CC entered this weekend with a lot on their side. They were facing a team with a less-than-impressive record, they were coming off back-to-back 3-2 losses to Minnesota and were in a perfect position to get 4 points and move into 3rd or 4th place in the conference. Instead, the Tigers let two extremely important games slip away and dropped into 5th place in the conference and only 1 point ahead of Michigan Tech with the showdown vrs. DU looming on the horizon. The Tigers are probably going to lose the chance to host a first rounder at home for the conference playoffs and may have just been swept out of NCAA tourney selection. Tonight was especially tough since things started out so well. The Tigers held Minnesota State without a shot in the first 12 minutes of the game, had a 5-3 advantage and came up 1 goal just 2 minutes into it. However, the Mavericks used a flurry in the late 2nd and 3rd periods to break it open with 5 goals and win 6-4. The Tigers have struggled of late getting goals and it's shown with an 0-5-1 record in the past 3 weeks. I just hope that this doesn't hamper recruiting because we need some top players to come in and give this team a shot of adrenaline for next season. As for next week, I'm hoping we will pull it together for the I25 Rivalry and use the rivaly aspect to get some motivation and determination for those games.

Weekend swept away

The only positive that can come out of this weekend was that Minnesota is probably the best team in the country, however, being swept at home is never ever a positive thing. The Tigers held it to 0-0 until near the end of the 2nd period when they let in 2 goals in under 5 minutes. However, the Tigers scored 2 quick goals in the first 8 minutes of the 3rd period to tie it but Minnesota got the win with a goal 22 seconds later that proved to be the game winner. It's too bad that CC missed a chance to gain points this weekend. A win against Minnesota would have given them a quality win and better placement in the PairWise rankings but instead they are now facing the strong possibility of not making the NCAA tournament. We are going to need nothing less than a sweep this next weekend against Minnesota State or we can kidd the post season goodbye. The Tigers are now (16-13-3).

As far as attendance and my goal of creating fan interest: the Arena had 7809 fans tonight which is a good jump over the 7790 the night before (both were sellouts so it's nice to see it over capacity). I need to do some digging into season tickets since it looks like Saturdays are consistently higher in number which alludes to Sat. only packages. The one thing I'm worried about is how many of these fans were Gopher fans. I've been to games against those teams from the North and have often felt outnumbered. If anyone has any stories from the game I would love to hear em! (either side)