Season Previews Begin

The College Hockey blog takes a quick overview of the Tigers and places them tentatively at number 4. As expected, Chad Rau and Richard Bachman are the expected stars for the upcoming season. Oh and the site also follows in my footsteps of incorrectly spelling the WCHA Champion trophy ;)

Can He Do it?

freshman Richard Bachman will look to carry his team to the title like Peter Manino in 2005 (photo by PCO)















Tigers will live or die by Bachman's play
Milo F. Bryant

We can talk all we want about the story lines heading this weekend's West Regional at World Arena.

There are many.

From two Hobey Baker Award finalists - who shouldn't be finalists over Colorado College goaltender Richard Bachman - to the defending national champions to teams playing at altitude and on a big sheet. We could go on and on. And over the next few days, we probably will.

But this weekend is going to boil down to the one thing it always boils down to in the college hockey playoffs - goaltending.

"You can't advance without good goaltending," CC coach Scott Owens said. "And even when you do have good goaltending, it's iffy. Like us last weekend - we had pretty good goaltending and it was still iffy. It was a big story in our league this year and it's always a big story in the postseason."

For Bachman, the story carries a little extra weight. All season the Tigers have trumped the "I.O.B." mantra - In Our Backyard. They've been about protecting the home turf.

The ability to protect it never is going to be more important than Friday when the Tigers face the defending national champion Michigan State Spartans.

As many big games as Bachman has played, the implications make this one and each after it - if there are any - biggest.

It's in Bachman's backyard now.

Remember, Bachman is a freshman. He's an incredibly talented, level-headed and smooth freshman. But he's still a freshman, and he's leading a team with a neophyte's amount of playoff experience.

As good as Bachman has been, he's going to have to be better if the home team wants to make that trip to Denver and play in the Frozen Four. Navigating the Tigers' way north is a lot of weight to put on a freshman's shoulders - even on the considerable shoulders of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Player of the Year.

"I try to keep everything about the same," Bachman said. "You do notice the pressure a little bit more. You know that every game could be your last game, but I think that helps. It brings the best out of you a little bit more, more of that competitiveness.

"It's not just a regular-season game. You're fighting for your playoff lives here. I love playoffs. I think it's the best time. You can really make a big difference for your team."

Bachman will be facing a Hobey Baker finalist in Jeff Lerg on Friday. Lerg played more minutes than any other goalie in the nation this year. But he wasn't as good as he was last season, and definitely not as good as he was in the 2007 NCAA Tournament when he led his team to the title.

Lerg was the epitome of a hot goalie then.

Can he repeat that type of play? Can he prove that the nation's coaches were correct in making him a Hobey Baker finalist based on this year's merits and not last year's success?

Can Bachman match that intensity?

"You want to be on those lists," Bachman said. "I've accepted it and kind of moved on. But having those other two goalies here, you want to show that you can be right up there with them.

"They've had tremendous seasons and deserve to be on that list. You want to be able to match their play and be able to exceed it. You want to step up for the hometown crowd."

Expect Bachman to match the play of the opposing goalies.

Even if he does, as Owens said, victory is still going to be iffy.

Tigers Get Season WCHA Honors-Bachman's a Stud

WCHA

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The Colorado College Tigers, Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and MacNaughton Cup team champions for 2007-08, also head up the list of post-season individual conference award winners, announced on Thursday, March 20 at the annual WCHA Awards Banquet and held at RiverCentre in Saint Paul. The awards ceremony marks the start of the 2008 Red Baron^TM WCHA Final Five championship, being held today through Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

Colorado College freshman goaltender Richard Bachman was named both WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Rookie of the Year, becoming only the second player in the 56-year history of the conference to earn both of those honors in the same season. He joins former University of Wisconsin and current NHL goaltender Curtis Joseph in that category, who captured both honors in 1988-89.

Joining Bachman as a major award winner for Colorado College was teammate and senior defenseman Jack Hillen, who was the choice of the league's head coaches as WCHA Defensive Player of the Year.

Named as WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year was Minnesota State University senior forward Joel Hanson while Mavericks' head coach Troy Jutting was chosen by the voters as WCHA Coach of the Year. Also honored at the banquet were St. Cloud State University sophomore forward Ryan Lasch as WCHA Scoring Champion, University of North Dakota senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux as WCHA Goaltending Champion, and the All-WCHA First Team, All-WCHA Second Team, All-WCHA Third Team, and All-WCHA Rookie Team.

The WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Rookie of the Year, and WCHA Coach of the Year awards are voted on by conference-member coaches, student-athletes, sports information directors and media. There are 80 voters total, with each member institution receiving eight ballots. The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year award is selected by league-member Faculty Athletic Representatives, while the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year is selected by the league's ten head coaches.

Bachman, the player of the year and rookie of the year, was third nationally (thru games of March 13) among Div. 1 goaltenders in goals-against average at 1.77, second nationally in saves percentage at .934, and tied for second nationally in winning percentage at .783 (23-6-1). He was also named to the All-WCHA First Team, is a two-time HCA (Hockey Commissioners' Association) National Rookie of the Month (Nov. and Feb.), and garnered five WCHA player of the week awards during the course of the season - two as Red Baron® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week and three as Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week. His hometown is Highlands Ranch, Colo., and he is a National Hockey League draftee of the Dallas Stars.

Hanson, the WCHA Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year Award recipient, is a senior and team captain at Minnesota State University who carries a cumulative 3.81 grade-point average as a Finance major. From Elk River, Minn., Hanson provided valuable leadership and his work ethic on and off the ice have been a key in the young Mavericks' team exceeding pre-season expectations. He is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete honoree and All-WCHA Academic Team member and has been a solid perfomer in each of his four years at MSU. Through games of March 13, he was the Mavericks' third leading scorer with 22 points (9g, 13a) in 36 games while over his 145-game collegiate career, he has produced 32 goals, 47 assists and 79 points. He has been named to the MSU Dean's List in each of his seven semesters and is a member of Beta Sigma Gamma, which is an international honor society based on academic achievement in the study of business. In addition to his role as captain, Hanson has been actively involved in school reading programs and is planning to pursue a career in financial planning. The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is determined from nominations made by the member institutions and each institution then has one final vote. The criteria is as follows: 1) must be a senior student-athlete, i.e. one who is finishing his competition as an eligible player in the WCHA; 2) consistently displays outstanding sportsmanship on and off the ice; 3) is a good student making satisfactory progress toward a degree; and 4) is a good hockey player who has performed consistently as a regular member of the team.

Hillen, a senior at Colorado College from Minnetonka, Minn., has been a catalyst at both ends of the ice for the league champion Tigers this season. As the choice of the league's head coaches as WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, he becomes the sixth different CC player - and seventh overall - so recognized since the award's inception for 1991-92. According to his coach Scott Owens, Hillen's on-ice efficiency and production has been one of the main reasons for the team's success. With a defensive corps that puts three sophomores and a freshman on the ice every night, the All-WCHA First Team performer plays close to 28 minutes per game and is one the ice in all situations. His plus-minus has been the best on the team, his penalty-killing efficiency is 97%, and he was tied at the top in scoring among Div. 1 defenseman as of March 13 with 33 points (6g, 27a) in 36 games. Hillen has been honored as a league player of the week three times this season - twice on defense and once on offense. Over 146 collegiate games thru March 13, Hillen had produced 72 scoring points (19g, 53a) and carries a 3.44 GPA as an Economics major at CC.

For the second time in his eight seasons behind the bench at Minnesota State University, Troy Jutting is the choice of voters as the WCHA Coach of the Year. He was previously honored with the award for the 2002-03 season. Jutting, a former Maverick player and 1986 graduate of MSU, led his club to a share of fourth place in the final regular season WCHA standings with a 12-12-4 league mark and to a first round home playoff berth, after starting the 2007-08 season 3-6-1. Since Nov. 17, he has led his young club to a 15-8-3 overall record and to a No. 10 ranking in the March 10 national rankings. Along the way, the Mavericks have recorded victories over nationally-ranked Wisconsin, St. Cloud State, Denver, and Colorado College.

The races for the 2007-08 individual WCHA scoring and goaltending titles were decided on the final weekend of the regular season, and the winners were forward Ryan Lasch of St. Cloud State University and goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux of University of North Dakota. The annual league scoring champion is based on total points produced in league games while the goaltending champion is based on goals-against average in league games.

A sophomore from Lake Forest, California, Lasch finished the 28-game conference season with 34 scoring points on 17 goals and 17 assists. An All-WCHA First Team selection, he finished one point ahead of Colorado College junior forward Chad Rau, who had 23-10-33 in 28 games. Overall this season and through games of March 13, Lasch ranked seventh nationally in points per game at 1.33, with 23 goals, 25 assists and 48 points in 36 games. The Huskies' second league scoring champion - Mark Hartigan earned the award in 2001-02 - Lasch was also a two-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honoree.

Lamoureux, a senior from Grand Forks, N.D., posted a league-best 1.74 goals-against average over 1686:40 of playing time and had a 18-7-3 record and .929 saves percentage. An All-WCHA Second Team choice, the HCA National Player of the Month in October and a three-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, Lamoureux also ranked No. 1 among Div. 1 goaltenders through March 13 in both goals-against average at 1.66 and saves percentage at .934 and was fifth in winning percentage at .706 with a 22-8-4 record. Finishing just behind Lamoureux in the league goaltending race was CC freshman Richard Bachman, who had a 1.75 goals-against average over 1505:27 of WCHA action, with a 19-5-1 record and .937 saves percentage. The WCHA season record for lowest goals-against average in conference games is 1.70, held by Denver's Buddy Blom and set in 1963-64. The second best season mark is 1.72 by DU's George Kirkwood in 1960-61.

Colorado College and North Dakota dominated the 2007-08 All-WCHA First Team, with the Tigers landing three players and the Fighting Sioux two, while St. Cloud State had one player selected. Named to the First Team were (statistics are final league games only): F - Chad Rau, Jr., Colorado College (28 gp, 23-10-33); F - T.J. Oshie, Jr., North Dakota (27 gp, 12-17-29); F - Ryan Lasch, So., St. Cloud State (28 gp, 17-17-34); D - Jack Hillen, Sr., Colorado College (28 gp, 4-19-23); D - Taylor Chorney, Jr., North Dakota (28 gp, 2-14-16); G - Richard Bachman, Fr., Colorado College (19-5-1, 1.75 gaa, .937 sv%).

Members of the 2007-08 All-WCHA Second Team are: F - Andreas Nodl, So., St. Cloud State (28 gp, 15-16-31); F - Ryan Duncan, Jr., North Dakota (28 gp, 9-19-28); F - Garrett Roe, Fr., St. Cloud State (27 gp, 11-17-28); D - Chris Butler, Jr., Denver (28 gp, 2-10-12); D - Chay Genoway, So., North Dakota (23 gp, 5-13-18); G - Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, Sr., North Dakota (18-7-3, 1.74 gaa, .929 sv%).

Named to the 2007-08 All-WCHA Third Team were: F - Tyler Bozak, Fr., Denver (28 gp, 12-12-24); F - Blake Wheeler, Jr., Minnesota (28 gp, 10-13-23); F - Kyle Turris, Fr., Wisconsin (26 gp, 6-13-19); D - Robbie Bina, Sr., North Dakota (28 gp, 1-16-17); D - Jamie McBain, So., Wisconsin (25 gp, 2-14-16); G - Peter Mannino, Sr., Denver (16-11-1, 2.38 gaa, .913 sv%).

Members of the 2007-08 All-WCHA Rookie Team are: F - Kyle Turris, Fr., Wisconsin (26 gp, 6-13-19); F - Tyler Bozak, Fr., Denver (28 gp, 12-12-24); F - Garrett Roe, Fr., St. Cloud State (27 gp, 11-17-28); D - Ryan McDonagh, Fr., Wisconsin (28 gp, 3-4-7); D - Cade Fairchild, Fr., Minnesota (28 gp, 2-8-10); G - Richard Bachman, Fr., Colorado College (19-5-1, 1.75 gaa, .937 sv%).

Seven players who were named to this season's All-WCHA First, Second or Third teams were also honored with selection to the 2007-08 All-WCHA Academic Team. They were: Chad Rau, F, CC; Ryan Lasch, F, SCSU; Jack Hillen, D, CC; Ryan Duncan, F, UND; Chay Genoway, D, UND; Robbie Bina, D, UND; and Peter Mannino, G, DU.

Voting for annual post-season awards in the WCHA is done by conference-member coaches, players, sports information directors and media. Points for the all-league teams are awarded on a five (1st team vote), three (2nd team), and one (3rd team vote) basis. The WCHA Defensive Player of the Year is selected by the head coaches while the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year is chosen by institutional representatives.

Here come the honors

It was only a matter of making it official for the Tigers' freshman goaltender as Richard Bachman won the INCH player of the week award for his beyond-human performance against Duluth last weekend. Bachman also landed the Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week alongside teammate Andreas Vlassopoulos who won the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week. Full reviews from WCHA and INCH below for your gloating pleasure.

INCH Player of the Week

RICHARD BACHMAN
Colorado College

His Statistics: 2 GP, 2-0-0, 60 saves, 0 GA, 2 shutouts

His Impact: While Bachman's feats on the ice against Minnesota Duluth last weekend — becoming the first goalie in Colorado College history to shut out an opponent in both ends of a road series — were certainly remarkable, the fact that he was even in the lineup was no small feat.

The freshman goaltender missed practice Wednesday and Thursday to attend his grandmother's funeral in Salt Lake City and didn't join his teammates in Duluth until the wee hours Friday morning. Showing no ill effects from the demanding week, Bachman stopped 31 shots in the Tigers' 3-0 win Friday, then made 29 saves in a 4-0 win Saturday.

The consecutive whitewashes give Colorado College a four-point lead over second-place North Dakota in the race for the WCHA regular-season title with four games remaining. They also propelled Bachman to the national lead in both goals against average (1.71) and save percentage (.935). He also ranks third among Division I goaltenders behind Michigan's Billy Sauer and Miami's Jeff Zatkoff with 21 wins.

WCHA Players of the Week

CC's Vlassopoulos, & Bachman Named Red Baron® WCHA Players of the Week

Colorado College centerman Andreas Vlassopoulos has been named Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Feb. 26-March 3

Feb. 26, 2008

Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Andreas Vlassopoulos
Sr., F, Colorado College

MADISON, Wisc. - Colorado College centerman Andreas Vlassopoulos, who produced four scoring points while helping the league-leading Tigers to a two-game conference road sweep at Minnesota Duluth last weekend, has been named Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Feb. 26-March 3.

A 5-11, 180-pound sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif., Vlassopoulos scored two goals and set up two others in the back-to-back shutouts, fired four shots on goal, and earned a +3 plus-minus rating as Colorado College opened a four-point lead in the race for the WCHA's regular season championship and MacNaughton Cup.

Last Friday (Feb. 22) night, he scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner, as the Tigers defeated host UMD by a 3-0 count. Then last Saturday evening, Vlassopoulos came back to set up two of Colorado College's four goals in a 4-0 victory over the Bulldogs. In addition to his four points, hd won 19 of his 36 face-offs.

On the 2007-08 season now, Vlassopoulos is tied for third in scoring overall among his CC teammates, showing 26 points in 32 games played with seven goals and 19 assists. Over his 57 games as a Tiger, he has 42 career points (12g, 30a).

No. 4-ranked Colorado College (23-8-1) is home this weekend to take on WCHA-rival Minnesota State in Friday and Saturday games at the Colorado Springs World Arena.

Also nominated this week were: Rhett Rakhshani, F, DU.

Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week

Richard Bachman
Fr., G, Colorado College

MADISON, Wisc. - Colorado College goaltender Richard Bachman, who recorded back-to-back shutouts in a two-game road series against league-rival Minnesota Duluth last weekend, has been named Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week for Feb. 26-March 3. Bachman previously earned the weekly rookie honor on Nov. 13 (vs UM) and Nov. 27 (vs DU).

A 5-10, 172-pound freshman from Highlands Ranch, Colo., Bachman stopped all 60 shots on goal in the series for a perfect 1.000 saves percentage while becoming the first Colorado College goaltender in 70 years of Tiger Hockey to post back-to-back shutouts in a two-game road series.

Last Friday (Feb. 22) night at the DECC in Duluth, Minn., he recorded 31 saves and blanked the host Bulldogs on all seven of their power-play chances as CC skated to a 3-0 victory.

Then last Saturday (Feb. 23) evening, Bachman registered a total of 29 saves in a 4-0 Colorado College victory over UMD, including 14 in the third period, and again blanked the Bulldogs on both of their man-advantage opportunities.

On the 2007-08 season, Bachman leads the nation (men's Div. 1) in goals-against average at 1.71 and in saves percentage at .935. He also ranks second nationally in winning percentage at .796 on a 21-5-1 record, and has four shutouts in this his rookie season. He has given up one or fewer goals in 13 of his 22 WCHA starts and has allowed two or less in 20 of his 27 assignments overall.

Also nominated for the award this week were: Tyler Bozak, F, DU; and Patrick White, F, UM.

Back-to-Back

Bachman shines again as the Tigers roll to another shutout, 4-0 over Minnesota-Duluth.

Tigers Sweep Buldogs
Bachman Extends Shutout Streak
by Kevin Pates/Special to USCHO

DULUTH, Minn. (Feb. 23) — There were a couple of questions Saturday night at the DECC as Minnesota-Duluth finished a Western Collegiate Hockey Association men’s series with No. 2 Colorado College:

Would the ice surface hold up after four games in 12 hours? Could the Bulldogs crank up their offense at home?

High school games at 10 a.m. and noon, followed by the UMD women against St. Cloud State at 3:30 p.m., had already given the rink a workout.

The ice was OK, but things didn’t get much better for the Bulldogs. First-place Colorado College showed exceptional speed and skill in a 4-0 victory before a crowd of 5,182, aided by two Chad Rau power-play goals.


Colorado College star freshman goalie Richard Bachman, ranked first in the WCHA for save percentage (.932) and goals-against average (1.77), gained an amazing third straight shutout against UMD, a streak of 197 minutes and 46 seconds over four games total. It marked the first consecutive road series shutouts in Colorado College’s 70 years, and it gave the Tigers a four-point lead in the WCHA over second-place North Dakota with four games to play. Bachman had 29 saves.

“We won the league my freshman year and I remember how special it was,” said Colorado senior defenseman Jack Hillen of Minnetonka, Minn. “It’s something we’re looking forward to and we wanted to start the last six games on the right foot.”

The Tigers (23-8-1 overall, 18-5-1 WCHA) started with a 3-0 win Friday and never let UMD into the series.

Going into Saturday’s game, UMD had lost consecutive games just once this season, at Colorado College on Nov. 9-10. The Bulldogs (12-12-6, 8-11-5) hadn’t been shutout in consecutive home games since being swept by Minnesota 2-0 and 7-0 in 1995-96. The Tigers outscored UMD 15-3 in four wins this season.

“We had some momentum in each game and the shots were even for both games [favoring UMD 60-56] ; the difference is, Colorado College scored on its chances,” said UMD junior defenseman Josh Meyers. “They’re by far the fastest team we’ve played. They made the plays and buried their chances.

“It’s tough to lose when you put 30 shots on a goalie each night and don’t score. Colorado likes a skating game and I don’t think we played in their face enough.”

Winger Eric Walsky finished a two-on-one break with Matt Overman in the first period for the Tigers, and Rau’s two power-play goals made it 3-0 after two.

Rau, a junior center from Eden Prairie, Minn., hit with 3:02 left in the first period and finished a nice passing play late in the second to make the Tigers 2-of-3 on power plays against the No. 2-rated penalty killers in Division I. He has 21 goals this season and 49 in his career.

“You hang in there with a team, then make a mistake and it feels like the game is over; their team speed kept leading to odd-man rushes and breakaways,” said UMD goalie Alex Stalock. “At this time of the year, you can’t be happy by not picking up any points. We have to find a way to do something about it.”

Winger Jimmy Kilpatrick scored on a tip at the right edge of the crease at 8:04 of the third period, a play which gave Hillen a third straight assist in the game.

“We played a good methodical team game and our defensive corps was really good,” said Colorado College coach Scott Owens. “They defended well and got the puck moving north. Hillen might be the best defenseman in our league.”

UMD coach Scott Sandelin reworked all of his lines following Friday’s loss, yet the Bulldogs still found it rough going offensively. Bachman had one tough stop in the first period, gloving Michael Gergen with 4:56 left. Seconds later, Gergen was called for spraying Bachman with ice chips and that led to the Tigers scoring on a power play.

The No. 10 Bulldogs are 0-3-1 the last four home games while scoring just two goals total in that stretch. The Bulldogs started the season 4-0-3 at the DECC, but are 2-4-2 the last eight, and are clinging to seventh place in the WCHA, one point ahead of Minnesota.

“All weekend we were looking for that goal to give you a little spark, some life, and couldn’t find it,” said Sandelin. “When you never find it, it zaps you mentally. They’re a tough team to play catch up with, especially with the way their goalie’s playing.”

UMD remains home this Saturday and Sunday against North Dakota.

CC Athletics
Title within reach after sweep in Duluth
Only four points now stand between Colorado College and a third MacNaughton Trophy in the last six years. The Tigers, who have four games remaining before the first round of the WCHA playoffs, continued to zero in on the regular-season title with Saturday’s 4-0 victory at Minnesota Duluth that completed a series sweep of the Bulldogs. Once again, freshman goalie Richard Bachman stood tall between the pipes, making 29 saves while posting his fourth shutout of the campaign, second of the weekend and third in a row against UMD. Junior center Chad Rau, who snapped a seven-game goal-scoring drought a night earlier, popped in his 21st and 22nd tallies of the season to fuel CC’s 11th triumph in 14 games and 23rd overall in 2007-08. Both of Rau's goals came on the power play. Eric Walsky and Jimmy Kilpatrick also scored in the whitewashing, while senior defenseman Jack Hillen set up each of the last three red lighters. Walsky provided the only goal Bachman would need, starting and finishing a nice two-on-one rush with Matt Overman at 8:46 of the opening period. Bachman became the first Colorado College goalie in history to blank an opponent on consecutive nights on the road. The Tigers, who play host to Minnesota State University at the World Arena next Friday and Saturday, can clinch a tie for first place in the final league standings with a pair of victories over the Mavericks, regardless of what second-place North Dakota does in its series at Duluth.

Tigers Rock

Sorry for the delay, busy Friday night and Saturday morning. Listening to the game Friday night, I can see why Bachman was the story in the papers. He was on fire dominating a resilient team in their bush-league arena. One thing of note, Kate Crandall said that Bachman arrived in Duluth after midnight Friday night...kinda hard to play a game when you arrive 6 hours after it started isn't it? I understand it is probably a poor use of terminology for what day "midnight" falls on but c'mon, you call yourself a freakin journalist? That paper makes all of us who hold journalism degrees look like amateur bloggers! ;)

USCHO story below

Tigers Tame Bulldogs
Freshman Phenom Bachman Records Third Shutout of Season
by Kevin Pates/Special to USCHO

DULUTH, Minn. (Feb. 22) — Freshman goalie Richard Bachman handled a difficult week and Colorado College survived a lack of numbers to move closer to a Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title Friday night at the DECC.

Colorado College gained sole possession of first place with a 3-0 victory over Minnesota-Duluth before 4,632 spectators.

Bachman, who attended the funeral of a grandmother on Thursday in Salt Lake City, Utah, arrived in Duluth about 12:15 a.m., saw the DECC for the first time at a morning skate, and then shut out the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs for a second straight game.

The No. 4 Tigers (22-8-1, 17-5-1 WCHA) took a two-point lead over North Dakota, which is playing out of the league this weekend. UMD (12-11-6, 8-10-5) dropped from sixth to seventh in the WCHA, being passed by St. Cloud State after a 4-1 home win over Michigan Tech.

“My family understood what I had to do, that I had to come here and play, and I had to play well for my family,’’ said Bachman, who is from Highlands Ranch, Colo., and leads the WCHA in goals-against and save percentage. “We kind of rose above everything and that’s a good sign for our team.

“Duluth was throwing shots hard at us and crashing the net. They were right with us the whole game.”

What the Tigers had to survive was losing winger Addison DeBoer to a shoulder injury nine minutes into the game and then losing defenseman Nate Prosser to a checking-from-behind major penalty with three minutes left in the first period. Two other forwards are out because of injuries.

Colorado College coach Scott Owens liked the effort he got. Centers Andreas Vlassopoulos and Chad Rau scored goals 25 seconds apart in the second period, and Vlassopoulos added a goal early in the third. Bachman had 31 saves.

“We scored some nice goals, then tried to let Duluth back in the game with a slew of penalties, but we looked quick all night and got a huge win,’’ Owens said. “Richard stood tall and looked confident. He’s the main reason we’re in first place, and we don’t apologize for that.”

UMD’s Alex Stalock was also strong in goal as the Bulldogs led in total shots 31-28. The WCHA’s top two penalty-killing teams were also perfect in that category as UMD went 0-for-7 and Colorado College 0-for-8 on the power play.

Bachman, who beat UMD 3-0 on Nov. 10 in Colorado Springs, Colo., now has a shutout streak against the Bulldogs of 137 minutes, 46 seconds. The Tigers are 10-2-1 in 2008.

“It was a feeling-out process in the first period and in the second we got going, then we had some lapses,’’ said UMD captain Matt McKnight. “Our effort was decent for the most part, but three breakdowns ended up in three goals in our net.
“We talked about it all week that Colorado likes to skate up and down the rink, and we wanted to slow it down and cycle the puck. We cycled the puck, but you still have to get pucks to the net.”

The Tigers lost Prosser, a sophomore from Elk River, Minn., with 2:44 left in the first period on a checking-from-behind major as he knocked UMD winger Andrew Carroll head-first into the sideboards.

In the second period, Vlassopoulos connected from the right circle on a sniping shot at 8:12, and, following a UMD turnover at neutral ice, winger Mike Testwuide found Rau alone in front of Stalock for a goal at 8:37. For Rau, a junior from Eden Prairie, Minn., it was his 20th goal of the season.

The Bulldogs, home for the first time in five weeks, made Bachman work the last two periods.

He gloved Justin Fontaine’s shot in the second, stopped McKnight from close range midway through the third and got a leg on a Jordan Fulton shot late in the third.

But the Bulldogs couldn’t break through and lost for the third time at home this season.

“We made some bad mistakes and they cost us at least two goals,’’ said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. “You have to bear down a little more. We’ll have to play as hard and keep creating the same chances.”

Game Day Reading

Tigers Are Getting Net Results From Freshman
David Ramsey-Gazette

Colorado College’s hockey team is ripping along with eight wins and a tie in 10 games, a two-point lead atop the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings and the nation’s No. 4 ranking.

The road to Denver and the April 10-12 Frozen Four looks clear and inviting, a relatively easy ride including a regional at the World Arena.

Why all the optimism?

There are a few dozen reasons, but the biggest is Richard Bachman. He’s a mere freshman. He’s also one of the nation’s best goaltenders.

The Tigers’ most-troubling question mark prior to the season — who would succeed Matt Zaba in the net — has transformed to an exclamation mark.

Coach Scott Owens leaned back in his office chair Thursday afternoon, a few minutes before taking the ice for practice.

He was pondering where the Tigers would reside without Bachman. This isn’t a favored subject for the coach, and he was frowning.

“Where would we be?” Owens said, shaking his head. “I hate to say. We certainly wouldn’t be where we’re at. He’s been consistent. He’s been timely. He’s given us a chance to win.”

He sure has.

Bachman leads the WCHA in goals-against average (1.71) and save percentage (93.7). He leads the nation in win percentage with his 18-4-1 record.

He’s been steady and dependable but has also delivered glimpses of Patrick Roy-style theatrics with an assortment of sprawling robberies.

He’s durable, eager to play in back-to-back games. Owens was nervous about using Bachman in both wins over Clarkson last weekend.

“But he looked sharper on Saturday than he did on Friday,” Owens said.

Owens won’t confirm Bachman will play both games this weekend against St. Cloud State.

“We’ll see,” the coach said with a slight smile. “These are big games. Can’t give too much away.”

Despite Owens’ attempts to be coy, expect Bachman to play Friday and Saturday, in part because the Tigers are off the following week.

“I feel great,” Bachman said Thursday. “I’m ready to go both games.”

One of Bachman’s best qualities is his confidence. He declined to waste time wondering if he, as a freshman, was worthy to do battle against college hockey veterans.

He just skated in front of the net and started snuffing shots.

And he refuses to let himself get depressed despite enduring nights that could have pushed him to hockey sorrow.

On Jan. 26, he suffered through a long night at Michigan Tech, surrendering five goals on only 19 shots. He often looked befuddled, and so did his fellow defenders.

He refused to gripe about his lack of support, and he declined to let one poor game rattle him.

“You’re bound to hit a bump on the road every once in a while,” he said, “and you might as well get it over with.”

He was smiling, which makes sense. Not many bumps appear on his — or his team’s — horizon.

Columnist David Ramsey can be reached at 476-4895 or david.ramsey@gazette.com. Check out David's blog, David Ramsey Says What? at daveramseysez.blogspot.co

This Week’s Storylines (CC Athletics)
• Colorado College will try to shut down three of the WCHA’s top five scoring leaders this weekend when the league-leading Tigers play host to St. Cloud State University in a pair of key games at the World Arena. It’s the first of just four remaining regular-season series for CC, which is in position to clinch home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.
• The Huskies return to the CSWA for the first time since eliminating Colorado College in a best-of-three playoff series almost two years ago. The teams split a series in St. Cloud earlier this season.
• The Tigers, 8-1-1 in their last 10 outings overall, remain perfect at the CSWA, where they have won 13 consecutive games (15 including a pair of exhibition victories) this campaign. They stay home for five of the remaining eight regular-season dates, as well as potentially five more in the league and NCAA playoffs.

Tigers Looking to Pad WCHA Lead
In Rematches With St. Cloud State

Return to League Play: With the non-conference portion of its regular-season schedule completed, first-place Colorado College launches its 2007-08 stretch drive with a crucial Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at home this weekend against St. Cloud State University. Faceoff between CC and the Huskies 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 20-7-1 overall after last week’s home-ice sweep (5-2, 6-1) of ECACHL leader Clarkson University, the Tigers are 15-4-1 in WCHA play with a two-point lead over second-place North Dakota in the league standings. They do have two games in hand with UND, which is idle this weekend...St. Cloud State, which hasn’t played since losing both games (5-3, 5-3) of a home-and-away series with Minnesota State University on Jan. 25 and 26, is 11-12-3 overall and 6-10-2 in league play. The Huskies currently are ninth in WCHA standings, but are just five points out of third and have games in hand with all but two of the teams ahead of them.

In the Rankings: The Tigers have climbed back to No. 4 in this week’s national polls published on Monday by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC is a strong second in the power rankings conducted by InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH). St. Cloud State continues to receive votes in the polls, but is not ranked in any of them.

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 215-116-25 (.639) in 356 games behind the bench, including a 17-13-2 mark (.563) against St. Cloud State, and has guided the Tigers to five NCAA playoff berths in his previous eight campaigns.

The All-Time Series: Friday marks the 72nd meeting between Colorado College and St. Cloud State. CC leads the rivalry by a 39-28-4 margin after splitting with the Huskies at the National Hockey Center in mid-December. The Tigers won the series opener, 3-1, but dropped a 4-2 decision the next night. They’re 10-8-1 (.553) in 19 previous games against SCSU at the World Arena.

A Look at the Huskies: Former University of Minnesota assistant Bob Motzko (St. Cloud State ‘87) is in his third season as head coach at his alma mater, where he owns a record of 54-36-14 (.649). Also on the SCSU staff is former Colorado College captain (1995-97) and assistant coach (2004-05) Eric Rud, who joined the Huskies prior to the 2005-06 campaign. The team’s top scorers, all forwards, are sophomore Ryan Lasch (18-18–36), freshman Garrett Roe (15-19–34) and sophomore Andreas Nodl (12-18–30), who rank first, second and fifth, respectively, in overall points among all WCHA players. Sophomore goalie Jase Weslosky is 8-9-0 between the pipes, with a 2.46 goals-against average and .918 saves percentage.

Recapping Last Week: Sophomore right wing Mike Testwuide (Vail, CO) scored a pair of goals in each game, including the game winner midway through the first period on Saturday when he also added an assist, to fuel CC’s seventh series sweep of the season. Senior left wing Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.) struck three times against the Golden Knights, including twice on Friday, while senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN) collected a pair of assists in both games. Clarkson led twice (1-0 and 2-1) in the series opener, before McCulloch’s power-play tally at 17:16 of the middle frame put the Tigers ahead to stay. Senior forward/team captain Scott Thauwald (Rochester, MN) capped the night’s scoring with a shorthanded goal at 13:31 of the third period. Senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN) and sophomore left wing Bill Sweatt (Elburn, IL) joined Hillen in logging two assists apiece in the 5-2 victory. An unassisted goal by sophomore defenseman Brian Connelly (Bloomington, MN), who set up Thauwald’s SHG a night earlier, staked Colorado College to an early lead on Saturday before Testwuide got rolling. Sweatt and freshman center Tyler Johnson (Cloquet, MN) also scored in the 6-1 triumph, while sophomore defenseman Nate Prosser (Elk River, MN) helped set up two goals. Freshman goalie Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) made 15 saves on Friday and 21 more on Saturday before giving way to freshman Tyler O’Brien (Stowe, VT) with 5:35 left. O’Brien stopped all four shots he faced in his CC debut.

National Recognition: Testwuide’s performance last week earned him accolades as INCH (Inside College Hockey.com) national Player of the Week. With the five-point, he nearly doubled his season total of six (2g,4a) heading into the series. He now has 11 (6g,5a) in 20 games, surpassing his production as a freshman last season when he finished with 10 (8g,2a) in 29 outings. He is the only Colorado College player this season to score four goals in a series.

Winning Habit: The Tigers have reached 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 381-184-43 (.662). They’ve earned 10 NCAA playoff bids during the stretch.

Stock Keeps Rising: Hillen, whose career-high 23 points overall (3g,20a) this season leads all WCHA blue-line specialists, 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 eight assists in the last six outings and has at least one in seven of the last eight, including four straight heading into this week’s series with St. Cloud State. He and Prosser, whose 15 points (3g,12a) also represent a career high, each have assisted on three game-winning goals in 2007-08 after combining to set up Testwuide’s on Saturday. Connelly, who has 13 points (3g,10a) altogether, has assisted on a team-leading five GWG. The three defensemen have combined for nearly 21 percent (51) of Colorado College’s 243 points this campaign. Hillen also leads the Tigers with 12 points (1g,11a) on the power play.

One Hundred and Counting: Kilpatrick improved his career points total to 102 (34g,68a) with his two assists last Friday, when he and sophomore center Andreas Vlassopoulos (Los Angeles, CA) combined to set up McCulloch’s game-winning goal late in the second period. Kilpatrick, who became the 70th member of Tiger Hockey’s elite “Century Club” a week earlier at Michigan Tech, now has factored in on 22 game winners during his four years at CC. He’s had a hand in six GWG this season, one less than junior center Chad Rau’s (Eden Prairie, MN) team high of seven, having scored three and assisted on three.

Special Teams Update: The Tigers have held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 19 of 28 games this season, including both last weekend when Clarkson went 0-for-3 on Friday and 0-for-1 on Saturday. They’ve given up only 11 PPG overall in their 28 games, and rank third nationally with a penalty killing proficiency of .902 (101 of 112) including a .966 (28 of 29) mark over the last 10 outings...Colorado College’s own power play now has clicked for at least one goal in a season-best eight consecutive outings. CC went 3-for-12 last weekend, and is a sizzling 11-for-33 (.333) during its current eight-game streak.

This and That: By out-shooting Clarkson by a 42-17 margin in Friday’s 5-2 victory, the Tigers established a season high for shots on goal as well as a season low for SOG allowed in a game. Their 75 shots on goal overall in the weekend series also were their most against any opponent in 2007-08...CC, now 9-0-1 all-time against the Golden Knights, is an impressive 52-10-3 (.823) vs. non-WCHA opponents at the World Arena. With a 10-1-1 record in exhibition games, which includes two additional victories last October, Colorado College is 165-57-8 (.735) in 230 all-time appearances at the CSWA since opening the facility a decade ago.

Tiger Bites: Last Saturday marked the 10th time this season, including twice in a 6-1 victory over Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 11, that CC has scored three or more times in a period. The Tigers are 8-1 in those games...Testwuide is the ninth different Colorado College player to score a game-winning goal in 2007-08, as well as the 19th to factor in on one...Bachman, who improved his record to 18-4-1 with the two victories last weekend, has given up two or fewer goals in 18 of his 23 starts. He’s held CC’s opponent to one or fewer in 13 of them...McCulloch, who sat out the previous four outings with an injury before returning to the lineup last Friday, takes a personal five-game point-scoring streak into this week’s action. He’s doubled his season total with seven points (5g,2a) during the stretch...The Tigers are 14-1 this season when leading after two periods and 3-2-1 when tied after two.

Tigers Dominate for 45 minutes, survive frantic finish to win 2-1

CC came out flying full speed tonight, determined to get the early momentum and take Air Force off their high from last night's stomping of DU. CC looked faster and more skilled through the first 2 periods, swarming pucks and peppering AFA goalie Andrew Volkening and his white helmet with quality shots. Anytime there was a loose puck, two bright yellow streaks were right behind it.
The Tigers got a first period goal from Bill Sweatt and led in shots 16-4. Second period was more of the same, Air Force playing well but CC was a step ahead. The Tigers registered only five shots to AFA's 8 in an up and down battle. The Tigers notched their second goal when former Lincoln Star Steve Shultz smacked a loose puck into the back of the net. The third period was a battle from the start but the Tigers held the advantage until Falcon star player Eric Ehn was taken down by Sweatt and slammed into the board hard. We were sitting on the opposite end of the arena and you could just feel the crunch. His left left was crunched awkwardly and after about 10 minutes of being examined and stabilized by trainers, was taken off the ice on a stretcher. More on that when I find out, hopefully nothing too seriously. When play resumed, the World Arena crowd was so silent you could hear the coaches yelling from the benches, eerie. The Falcons finally got something going as you could see the Tigers begin to let up. AFA got their first and only goal by Scott Kozlak at 8:22. The two teams battled back and forth with the Falcons now a step faster. With 37 seconds on the clock (after another loooong delay in which the timekeeper forgot to start that clock on the play before) the Falcons swarmed the net, only to be denied by the nation's #1 goaltender Richard Bachman. The Tigers survived and kept the streak alive against the northside rivals with their 25th consecutive win and a record of 29-0 with one tie over the past 23 years.

Notes from the stands:
The officials made 2 painfully obvious errors in game management tonight. The first came with CC in the offensive zone and Steve Shultz passes the puck to the center of the zone, where not Tiger resided, and the puck flew down to the other side of the ice. The Tigers went to retrieve it but it was blown for icing. Last time I checked, you can't ice it in your own zone so, unless they made another call that we didn't hear, the blew it (in the Tigers favor).

With under 1 minute to play, the Tigers took a shot at the empty net. The puck was deflected by a Falcon defender's stick at the blue line(almost into the net) and it hit the wall and was blown dead for icing. Problem was, it was touched at the blue line by a Falcon, which should have just kept the play going.

The last error tails on the previous one. After the poor icing call, the clock was reset to 50 seconds remaining...the exact amount of time that was there on the previous face-off. So we sat through a long delay and the ref vanished into the replay booth and came out to report 37 seconds remaining. Usually fans argue that home ice advantage will tick a few clocks off. In this case, the Falcons almost gained back 20 seconds. The ensuing flurry proved that extra time could have been costly.

Fun note: there were two U18 teams sitting our section tonight. The Chicago Fury was all around us and was mostly CC or neutral fans. At least until Air Force scored and the kid right behind me decided to go 5-year-old and started yelling "CC sux! Colorado sux!" for about 5 minutes. As the final minutes wore on, any chant from the students to my left was followed by a yell in my ear. "Let's go Tigers!" "Tigers suck!". The kid was just looking for a fight and the kid sitting next to kept warning him "dude you need to watch yourself" and looked at me. I really didn't feel like spending the cold night in jail for smashing a little kid's nose in so I kept my eyes on the ice, wondering if the kid behind me wasn't hugged enough as a child.