Tigers Limp Out of Tournament

The Tigers WCHA Final Five woes continued as CC loses to North Dakota 4-2 in the consolation game Saturday afternoon. Once again, the opposing goaltender got hot against CC, this time is was J.P Laoureux, stopping 33 shots, a night after looking pretty average. It's a blessing and a curse to play in the WCHA. Blessing being strength of schedule and great hockey every night; curse being any one can win any game and the tournament gives each team that chance. The Tigers ruled the regular season but weren't up to the task on the smaller ice surface battling for the elusive Broadmoor Trophy. CC will still make the NCAA Tournament and will play Friday at the World Arena but will not be the number one seed. BUT it may actually be a better bracket for the Tigers.
Right now it looks like New Hampshire, Notre Dame, Minnesota State and CC out here in the Springs. The Tigers would open up against Notre Dame. Notre Dame has not played on an Olympic sheet this season. However, there could be some changes due to conferences, travel etc.
Pairwise This Afternoon, the Tigers are 5th

The selection will be unveiled at 9AM on ESPN 2 Sunday morning. I'll try to get the tournament information up Sunday afternoon since it is Easter Sunday it's very significant for myself, way above my love of hockey.
Game stats here

Tonight, DU will take on Minnesota for the Broadmoor Trophy. I'm looking for Minnesota to win this one; they are on a roll and always play well in the post-season. Most people thought we would see, and hoped for, a CC-ND battle pitting most people's top two teams in the country. The game is live on FSN at 6:07PM

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!

WCHA Rules the Roost-Tigers Drop

The weekend split cost the Tigers one spot in both polls today as they dropped to 5. North Dakota finally jumped over Michigan to take the number on spot giving the WCHA the throne. I know most CC fans will hate me saying this, but I'm kind of glad the Sioux are first. I am a CC fan first, but I will always been rooting for the conference to beat other conferences and take in the top awards, even DU. This could turn out even better if the Tigers win the conference and ND stays in the top spot. Currently, the WCHA has 7 of the top 15 spots in the USA Today polls and 8 of the top 20 in the USCHO poll.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
March 3, 2008

No.	Team (First-place votes)	Points	Last Poll
1.	North Dakota (24)	497	3
2.	Michigan (8)	476	1
3.	New Hampshire (2)	445	2
4.	Miami	397	5
5.	Colorado College	385	4
6.	Michigan State	334	6
7.	Denver	296	7
8.	Clarkson	292	9
9.	Boston College	216	8
10.	Minnesota State	196	10
11.	St. Cloud State	157	13
12.	Notre Dame	119	11
13.	Wisconsin	114	14
14.	Minnesota	42	NR
15.	Providence	31	NR

Also receiving votes: Minnesota Duluth 24, Boston University 18, Princeton 14, Harvard 9, Ferris State 7, Niagara 6, RIT 4, Army 1.

USCHO.com/CSTV Poll

March 3, 2008

No.	Team (First-place votes)	Points	Last Poll
1.	North Dakota (37)	982	2
2.	Michigan (12)	952	1
3.	New Hampshire (1)	895	3
4.	Miami	839	5
5.	Colorado College	820	4
6.	Michigan State	739	6
7.	Denver	679	7
8.	Clarkson	648	10
9.	Minnesota State	568	9
10.	Boston College	554	8
11.	St. Cloud State	468	12
12.	Notre Dame	437	11
13.	Wisconsin	420	13
14.	Minnesota	257	17
15.	Princeton	246	14
16.	Boston University	202	16
17.	Providence	195	19
18.	Minnesota Duluth	194	15
19.	Harvard	154	20
20.	Niagara	57	NR

Also receiving votes: Vermont 51, UMass Lowell 31, Northeastern 21, Ferris State 18, Michigan Tech 16, Army 15, Cornell 11, RIT 11, Bemidji State 8, Union 4, Quinnipiac 2.

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;)

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.

In Case You've Missed It

There was some excitement up in Minnesota Saturday night as the Gophers and the Fighting Sioux went at it, literally. Between a coach flipping the bird and a wild post-OT handshake there wasn't much hockey to be remembered. Thankfully, internet enthusiasts have captured everything for the enjoyment of those of us who were still gloating about demolishing the ECAC leaders. Enjoy!

UPDATED: North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol has been suspended 2 games for his now famous screen shot above.

Offense Returns-Big Win Ensues

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

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








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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News and Notes for the week

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

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

Here's the Storylines from CC Athletics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Rankings and the weekend wrap-up

Not much changed this weekend in the USCHO poll this week for the Tigers as they remained number 9 (same as the USA Today poll as well). Miami Ohio remained in the top spot while North Dakota fell from 2nd to 3rd, with Michigan leap-frogging to that spot. The Tigers opponent this weekend, Minnesota Duluth, is currently ranked 15th in both polls.
The WCHA blog takes a look at the WCHA this past weekend and the importance of the Tigers gaining the split in their "marquee matchup."

Tigers split series with North Dakota

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

Weekly stories across the blogwaves

The Sioux Sports Talk looks at this weekend's match-up and the team's current profiles and predicts a series split with CC taking Friday and North Dakota coming back and handling the Tigers Saturday night. This article is highlighted by a comment saying that CC will be tamed into submission, do I hear hundreds of annoying responses being thought up at this moment?

The Tigers performance this past weekend was perfect for UNH, as they were awarded the College Hockey News' team of the week. Let's hope the Tigers don't the the "privilege" of causing that to happen again this weekend.

One last important reminder, the CC vs North Dakota game will be on the CW Friday night here in the Springs. The puck will drop at 6:37pm mountain time. I've never watched a game on that channel so I'm interested to see how the coverage will be. The last game that was televised here was the Minnesota series, which FSN beamed us the local Minnesota feed. So be it, at least we get to watch!

New polls with a new numero uno

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

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

Tigers Swept by UNH

A week after sweeping the highly-ranked Gophers, UNH returned the favor by sweeping the Tigers in their first road series of the young season. The Tigers have fallen victim to allowing a quick goal after their own 3 times already this season and last night was no exception. After CC tied the game at 2 at 9:52 with their second power-play goal of the game, the Tigers surrendered the go-ahead goal a mere 16 seconds later. CC has now lost 5 straight to UNH and will look to rebound this weekend when they travel to North Dakota to take on the Fighting Sioux who lived up to their #1 ranking after demolishing Michigan Tech.

No warmup games next season

The Gazette announced (parts of) the Tiger's schedule today and it's front-loaded with some tough teams. While the D-1 football teams are pounding D-II opponets, the Tigers will be opening against WCHA regular and post-season champ Minnesota, followed by trips to New Hampshire and North Dakota. It looks like we will find out really fast just how good next year's team will be. Some other highlights include a Thanksgiving home-and-home with DU and a Jan. 19th meeting with North side rival Air Force.

ND's Duncan wins Hobey

At least one thing went right for North Dakota and the WCHA. Ryan Duncan walked away with the Hobey Baker award for the best college hockey player in the country. By the way ESPN was talking about BC's team, one would have thought their entire team would have won it! As of Thurday night, it seemed that Notre Dame's goaltender David Brown would have had it because of their steller season, sitting at #1 for the last half of the season. Notre Dame is another team that I can't stand because of their unjustified media attention that seems to follow them everywhere (in football, when was the last time they won a bowl game?!) Air Force's Eric Ehn was also one of the final three. This suprised me because, being a Coloradan, one would think I would know who he was. Nope, never had heard of his Hobey qualities. Just a hunch but maybe the voters suffered from a similar lack of knowledge like me. The National Championship is tonight, pitting evil BC against Michigan State. I'm hoping the Spartans can pull it out because I don't think I could tolerate hearing about BC being national champs all summer long!

Game over for WCHA

It was a battle until the end but the evil east knocked off the WCHA as BC used 2 empty net goals to seal the victory over North Dakota. The end of the game was the biggest moment in this one. Down 1 goal, ND had an empty net and BC cleared the puck with what appeared to be icing. Instead, a BC player (I don't really care about their names) beat the Sioux back and put it in the empty net. Seconds later, North Dakota scored and was within 1 with 16 seconds left leaving all of us to wonder what could have happened had they not be slow on the strange play earlier. BC sealed it off with another empty-netter with 3 seconds left. This leaves the champtionship to be decided between BC and Michigan State. Personally I will be going for State since it's been forever since their last title. The WCHA streak of titles is over at 5 straight. It's too bad but the future is bright for the WCHA and we will be back in force next season to take over Pepsi Center!

Spartans: 4 Bears: 2

My initial instinct and prediction about this game was wrong as Michigan State pulled out a 4-2 win against the Maine Bears. I thought that MS would show some fight and keep it close and they definately did just that. Maine pulled out to a 2-0 lead before the Spartans took over the game and finished it off. Hopefully tonight ND will take a cue from MS and beat the evil team from the East; BC

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!

Frozen Four Set

The 2007 Frozen Four is all set to begin Thursday night in St. Louis. The WCHA is left with one surviving team out of 3. North Dakota took out regular and postseason WCHA Champ Minnesota in OT on Sunday night to return to the Frozen Four once again. They are joined by Michigan State (who took out Notre Dame), Boston College and Maine. North Dakota is the clear powerhouse here with 7 national titles (all the rest each have 2) and coming out of a conference that was won the last 5 National Championships and 6 out of the last 7. BC and Maine won in 2001 and 1999 respectively. Michigan State is the underdog of the 4, last winning a title in 1986 but having been to the Frozen Four last in 2001. It will be a great final 3 games beginning Thursday afternoon at 2pm MST on ESPN2 followed by BC and ND at 6pm MST. Personally I am pulling for ND because of the WCHA conference and I hate the east coast teams, if you can believe that I could hate a team from the east haha. I'm excited that the games will be on ESPN2 and aren't going to be in the middle of the day like when CC and DU played a few years back. The final will be Saturday night at 5pm MST on ESPN and hopefully help give college hockey more exposure!

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.