West Regionals Observations from the Seats

From 2008 NCAA Wes...

As most of you know, Notre Dame won the West Regionals and is headed to Denver as the "worst" team in the Frozen Four. Not one "expert" thought they would even beat New Hampshire and surely not CC. Well they thumped the Wildcats 7-3 and padded that with 2 empty-netters, and never had to play CC but knocked out the defending champs. Go figure. I sarcastically said in my predictions that every team I picked to win the first round would lose, and almost all did but that's another story for later. As for the regionals themselves, it was definitely weird having our own arena taken over and controlled by the NCAA. It was obviously a giant commercial for an entity that is nowhere to be found during the regular season. All board ads and ice ads were stripped and replaced with the regional teams and logos, no problem with that, just different. The jumbo-tron had the "floating Tiger head" removed and video was split between the internal closed-circuit cameras and the ESPNU feed. It was pretty sweet seeing the ESPN score bar on the screen, knowing we were on national TV (even if it was a premium channel).

• One thing that was annoying was the commercials shown during the breaks. They were all past hockey memories, NCAA Championship ads (lacking D-1 football of course since they don't have playoffs), an ad for Hockey East that I booed every time it was played, and stupid trivia games that never got a peep out of the crowd...except when George Gwozdecky was featured followed by boos.
• Being on TV provided us with something we rarely get at the World Arena, TV timeouts. They were frequent and looooong and really broke up the flow of the game. It was like being at a Huskers' game when it was on Saturday Night Football on ABC, really annoying.
  

• The announcing was a neutral announcer rather than our sweet standard. The bathrooms didn't have the usual radio feed which was unfortunate, I was looking forward to hearing Ken Landau's assessment of the game while I was taking a break. Speaking of bathrooms, because of NCAA rules I'm sure, there as no alcohol at the game! I was really looking forward to my regular Sunshine Wheat but was denied. Any casual fan will notice the love of alcohol at the games, from Jack and Coke to wine to micro-brews, we know how to enjoy a game.

• Speaking of enjoying the game, most of us have come to love the soundtrack that goes with the Tigers instead of a band. Luckily, it played most of the game but it had to compete with the Spartan band. USCHO said that we "got a treat" hearing the bands from ND and MSU but they were the most obnoxious things EVER at a game! They got a rude awakening from CC fans with boos and a couple middle fingers directed their way. Most of the fans around us were EXTREMELY annoyed with the musical noise echoing around the arena. It's fine outside at football games or inside at high school basketball games, but not hockey. Thank goodness the arena music drowned it out most of the time for the Tigers game, not the earlier game however as the Notre Dame band was almost non-stop. Their ending "victory" song sounded like a funeral song, another reason why I hate that school with a passion.

• One of the funniest things was during the second intermission. I came out of the bathroom to find a couple hundred people crowded around the TV next to a snack bar. No other NCAA games were on so I was curious what the deal was. Turns out the Avs were in OT against Edmonton and headed for a shootout. By the time the SO started, the crowd had tripled in size and cheers were loud as the Avs went 3-for-3. Any ND fan was probably wondering what the heck that was all about, gotta love CO!
• Personally, I thought the style of hockey by the other three teams was very different than the WCHA. Not as skilled skating, passing or hitting. Notre Dame players fell down about every minute and Michigan State, instead of griding along the boards or digging, simply fell down and let the Tigers' fall on top. They played the puck in the corners a lot and fell on it hoping to get a whistle instead of playing up-tempo like the WCHA. I was not impressed with either Cup Cake team, even if they won. New Hampshire played more of CC's style. CCHA hockey just looked sloppy and the goaltending was the single reason why the Tigers didn't win. Bachman did fine, not excellent, but good enough to win - the offense just couldn't bury the biscuit through no fault of their own.
• The Arena was decidedly against New Hampshire for obvious reasons: the Tigers would face the weakest opponent Saturday night (of course they had to win first...). Personally, I wanted the Wildcats to win for hockey-purity reasons. The Tigers had been swept earlier in the season and would get a chance at revenge, UNH was clearly a better team and was more fun to watch since ND looked like retarded boys on skates, and I flat out HATE Notre Dame and all the stupid favoritisms they get just for being who they are.
  
• The Tigers wore the 70th anniversary Unis again which I'm sure pleased the fans. Judging from the apparel the crowd, the throwbacks not only out-represented the other jerseys but all other merch. as well! I'm seriously tempted to lay down a wad of cash and purchase the entire collection: black, yellow alternate and throwback. I got my white one last week on sale at Red Mountain sports and love it. You can't go wrong with hockey sweaters, there is just something unique and cool about em, no matter how many you have!
• One funny note; I titled David Ramsey's article "sometimes a good spanking is all you need" regarding the Tigers' beat-downs at the Final Five. Of course I didn't think about how that title would show up in google searches. Turns out people like to search the word "spanking" and that entry popped up 8 times in a day in searches from places like Madrid and even one from Tbillsi, Georgia. I'm sure it will be much more after this bullet point, haha
  

That's all I got for now, if I remember any more "observances" from the game I'll add to it. Tomorrow I'll run through the highlights of the season and why the 3 game skid wasn't all bad for the Tigers. (if you need some goalie humor, check out the vid below. Never heard of this goalie but he sure loves the camera and microphone!)
~PCO

Frozen Four is Set

Michigan will play Notre Dame and
North Dakota will play Boston College

Season Complete: What's Next for the Blog

First off, thanks to everyone who has stopped by the site the past week to check out the Tigers. You set the all-time record Friday for visits in a day, a lot from across the country which was really cool. Saturday also had an extremely high number of visitors, which is pretty sweet considering the Tigers were ousted the night before. I have plenty to write about the games Friday night and the overall "feel" of the regionals, but I think I'll save it for tomorrow and lump it together with the season wrap-up for the Tigers; I'm too busy enjoying my weekend to sit down and write for a few hours;) So fear not loyal readers, I'll have fresh content throughout the day tomorrow. For now, enjoy the pics from both games Friday night: my dad and I combined for some awesome shots including Prowler acknowledging us as he skated by and my dad's super-zoom on Bachman.
For those that weren't at the game, I will emphasize that the Tigers didn't play poorly Friday at all, they look crisp for the most part and definitely skated, passed, and had more intensity than the Spartans. BUT, it was made painfully clear why their goalie was a Hobey finalist. Any other guy in net would have allowed 5 goals at minimum, that's how many chances the Tigers had. But, it wasn't to be and they got valuable experience instead. They also shouldn't feel too bad though after Notre Dame, the team a lot felt was the weakest in the tournament and didn't deserve to even be there, cruised to the Frozen Four. DU was demolished and AFA gave up a late 2-1 lead and lost to Miami in OT. North Dakota and Wisconsin play tonight for the WCHA's Frozen Four participant; and for the love of all that is right in the college hockey world, I hope one of those teams wins the National Championship!
Happy Sunday and look for the Regional Wrap and season wrap this week!
~PCO

Pics from Friday Night

CC Athletics Recap
Spartans advance as Lerg shuts down Tigers
Jeff Lerg is guilty of grand larceny. The junior goaltender made a season-high 41 saves to lead third-seeded Michigan State to a 3-1 victory over second-seeded Colorado College in Game No.2 of the NCAA West Regional at the Colorado Springs World Arena. The Spartan victory set up an all-Central Collegiate Hockey Association regional final on Saturday night against Notre Dame, which upset top-seeded New Hampshire, 7-3, in the first game of the day. Lerg was brilliant in the opening period, when the Tigers outshot MSU 12-2. Both teams had three power-play opportunities, but were only able to muster one shot on goal apeice. Michigan State broke the stalemate midway through the second period when junior left wing Tim Kennedy lifted the rebound of a Jeff Petry shot past a sprawling Richard Bachman on the power play. Jeff Dunne doubled the Spartan lead with 1:57 remaining in the second period on a one-timer from the right circle. MSU stunned the Tigers with seven seconds left in the period when Chris Mueller took a feed from Kennedy and beat Bachman with a slaphot in the top left corner. The Tigers scored their only goal midway through the third period when Andreas Vlassopoulos won a draw back to Derek Patrosso, who put a shot between Berg’s pads to give CC life with 7:53 to play. With the Spartans protecting their lead in the final 20 minutes, Colorado College had a 17-9 advantage in shots on goal, but was unable to crack the MSU defense a second time. Bachman finished with 20 saves for the Tigers, who saw their season end with a 28-12-1 record.

Tigers' Amazing Season Cut Short

CC came out flying and shot the daylights out of the Spartans, but in the end it wasn't to be as the few breaks in the game went Michigan State's way and the Tigers fell 3-1. More to come tomorrow afternoon (I'll be at the Denver International Auto Show most of the day) but for now, thanks for the great season guys, we still love you and the season was a blast to watch!

GameTracker

Here's the link to the CSTV GameTracker if you want to follow the games online.
At last check, Clarkson was up 2-1 on St. Cloud in the middle of the third period. The Huskies are being out-shot 39-19. (I picked SCSU to win 4-1, woops!)

Game Day Material

photo by Kevin Kreck













The day of the regionals is here and it's fitting that the Springs is frosted with freezing rain from over-night. I can't remember the last time there was freezing rain like this. BUT, it was 70+ degrees earlier this week so it's no surprise, gotta love spring in CO. If you are just trying to survive work and get to tonight fear not, there are plenty of links to read. Some have interesting thoughts about the tournament (like Clarkson reaching Denver), most are east coast bias like usual. My poll looks like it's shaping up how I figured it would with CC, Michigan and North Dakota handily owning their regionals and the North East regional a complete toss-up. It's too bad the games aren't on normal TV. ESPN has pulled an NFL Network move and put all the regionals on ESPNU, a channel most standard cable subscribers don't get. Stupid, but I can't do anything about it.
I'll be at both games tonight so the blog won't be updated until near midnight or Saturday morning, but I'll have plenty of pics from both games. GO TIGERS!!!

CC Athletics looks at the Tigers and their battle with Michigan State tonight

The local coverage of the West Regionals and the teams

USCHO has regional previews as well as "more coverage" aka east coast bias

INCH features Air Force on the homepage and offers more informed regional previews

ESNPU has some writers that have randomly decided to cover college hockey starting today and have some odd "expert" predictions, aka "who's everyone else picking"

College Hockey News has enough goodies to waste the rest of the afternoon

The Gazette does their best to look like they actually care

Predictions II : Northeast and Midwest Regionals

Northeast Regional-Worcester, MA
Saturday-2PM Air Force vs Miami
Miami has been rolling through their season with the #1 offense in the country beating on Cup Cake Hockey Association opponents and they will get a rude awakening against the Falcons. AFA has been up to WCHA standards this season, stomping DU and playing toe-to-toe with the Tigers. Eric Ehn may be back to give the Falcons a spark. I'm going with the North-side team here.
Prediction: AFA 4, Miami 3

Sunday-5:30PM Minnesota vs Boston College
This game should be a battle. BC is the Hockey East Champion, a league that most view as second behind the WCHA. BC has tournament experience and will be looking to prove their league is better. Minnesota is riding their late season and tournament momentum, despite losing to DU in a game that could have gone both ways. Minnesota is also experienced and physical. If their goaltending is on (like it was against the Tigers), they will defeat the evil east coast Eagles.
Prediction: Minnesota 4, BC 2

Regional Final-Saturday 2:30PM
In a rematch of last year's regional in Denver, the Falcons and Gophers will battle it out again, this time for a spot in Denver. Close, physical game that will go down to the final 5 minutes, or even OT. I think Minnesota's momentum and experience will carry them in this one.
Prediction: Minnesota 3, AFA 2

Bottom line: The Gophers will grind out the win but the stretch run and battle with AFA will catch up with them next weekend and their season will in Denver against...

Midwest Regional-Madison, WI
Saturday-4:30PM Wisconsin vs Denver
After winning the Broadmoor Trophy, DU is rewarded by being placed in the Badgers home building for the opening round-the only all WCHA game tomorrow night. The Pios lost 7-2 the last time they played up in Madison and that has to play a little bit into their heads this weekend. UW will be pumped up at getting another chance and being the only sub-500 team in the tourney (thank you WCHA schedule). This is a toss up but I'm going to give the edge to DU and their tourney experience. It won't be pretty and I wouldn't be surprise to see it go into an extra period or two, and the referees will make all the correct calls this time ;)
Prediction: DU 3, UW 2

Sunday-1:00PM North Dakota vs Princeton
I don't care what anyone says, this is not going to be close. I don't care if Princeton won their tournament, NoDak is too good and will be salivating at the chance to get revenge against DU. WCHA speed and strength will end this quickly as UND eases up in the third period and begins preparation for DU.
Prediction: UND 5, Princeton 0

Regional Final-Saturday 5:00PM
North Dakota can't be happy with what happened at the Ex last weekend and will relish the chance to knock DU out of the tournament and send them home with the Pepsi Center in view from their campus. NoDak will be physical and will score early and put DU in a 3 goal deficit which they have struggled with all season. DU will lose their cool near the end of the game and big, border line illegal hits will dominate the 3rd period.
Prediction: UND 4, DU 1

Bottom line: North Dakota heads to Denver to round out the WCHA crew in Denver.

Final Words:
You heard it here, the WCHA will again ruffle the feathers of the NCAA and dominate the Frozen Four, just as they did in 2005. What, you expected me to say something different?! ;). I'm going to go with my gut and put CC winning 3-2 over North Dakota for their first national title in 50 years. These two are, in my mind, the best teams in the country and it would be a shame for them not to meet again, with CC defending their state and knocking off the mighty Sioux.
Of course there is the distinct possibility that every one of my Friday night picks could lose, in which case I hope you enjoyed the writing!
~PCO

*The bracket I used for the times and dates was incorrect, these two regionals take place Saturday and Sunday

Predictions: East and West Regionals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colorado Is a Big Freakin' Deal

Those of you that know me know that I'm annoyingly proud of the state of Colorado and everything that we have. So I was extremely happy to check out the paper today to see the special section devoted to Colorado being the hotbed of hockey for the weekend. The photo-illustration by Mark Reis was phenomenal. Half of the image is above. Unfortunately, they cut off the burning Nike Bauer skate that is above the Colorado hockey puck, probably so people like me don't put it on their blog (which is ironic because I probably get more traffic and exposure than that paper does and I would give them more visitors, but another matter for another time). The section has some good articles, if you can find them. In true Gazette fashion, each page has a 1/4 page article and the other 3/4 is FULL OF ADS! Gazette, I don't care about Liberty Toyota, but I do care about the "Last Change a Boon" article buried on the upper left. Can you guys at least spare us the ads for a special section? Can you imagine those sweet Broncos posters from the Super Bowl years with a big Heuberger ad at the bottom? You guys actually had something good going on and you ruined it (and having to pay for it is no excuse, this is ridiculous). Kate actually did a good job on this one so I compiled all the article links for you to spare you from all the ads. However, the photo illustration is worth whatever the paper costs so if you feel compelled, go pick one up.

The hotbed of hockey

CC Refocusing

Home team draws a crowd

It's all about the line change

Sometimes a Good Spanking is All You Need

CC needed bad weekend
By DAVID RAMSEY

Sometimes, a smack upside the head is just what a team requires.

Colorado College's Tigers tumbled to consecutive defeats at the Final Five in St. Paul, Minn. They were, during one lost weekend, blindsided by all their faults.

Good for them.

This two-loss debacle is exactly what the team needs to fuel a run to the Frozen Four in Denver.

Everything is in place for the short journey to Pepsi Center. The Tigers are blessed with experience, talent and home-ice advantage. To top it off, they enjoy the blessing of a wicked yet wonderful jolt of reality.

No. 2 regional seed CC plays No. 3 seed Michigan State, the defending national champion, at World Arena at 8 p.m. Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers delivered one of the grandest regular seasons in school history. They beat archrival University of Denver, the evil empire, in three of four games, claimed the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title by four points and roared into the Final Five with the expectation of glorious triumph.

What a difference a weekend makes.

In the hallway outside CC's locker room, forward Scott McCulloch talked softly about the losses. He was, he said, "embarrassed."

On March 8, the Tigers danced at World Arena with the MacNaughton Cup, symbol of their WCHA supremacy. Two weeks later, they stumbled off the ice in St. Paul, losers of two straight.

"It's always good to be brought back to earth for everybody," McCulloch said. "When you're winning, as much as you try not to, you start thinking you're unbeatable."

Despite recent bad times, the Tigers retain every reason to believe. They're 18-2 at World Arena.

Belief is the message offered by coach Scott Owens. He walks to a steady hockey beat, declining to soar too high or sink too low.

He's sticking to his beat, even after the losses. He's offended by the suggestion his Tigers were "jolted" at the Final Five.

"I'm probably not quite the alarmist that you are," he said. "We did not have success last weekend - there's no doubt - but we didn't play that poorly."

Don't think Owens is oblivious to his team's faults. He was bothered by his team's casual approach at the Final Five.

The Tigers, Owens said, weren't scrappy enough. They declined to swarm the net. They didn't play with the focused rage that carried them to a WCHA regular-season title.

Still, Owens hasn't transformed this week into an angry, middle-aged man. He's veering as far away as he can from, borrowing his words, "a negative over-reaction." He swears he's not worried.

"You know what," Owens said, leaning forward in his office chair. "I'm optimistic. When you look at the sum of our work, I'm optimistic that we will play well at home."

While the MacNaughton Cup rested behind him, Owens leaned back and asked himself two questions.
Is he depressed?

No.

Is he berating his players?

No.

Owens will not be moved. He's sticking, as always, to the hopeful approach.

He knows he lives in perilous times. One loss and World Arena will change from a happy hockey destination to a big, cold, sad room. One loss and a season of promise crashes to a halt.

Owens smiled.

"We're back in familiar surroundings," he said. "And I feel pretty good."

We'll soon see if he has grounds for all this radical calm.

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.

All in the Family

If you haven't seen or heard about it, Colorado Hero Patrick Roy's son got into a fight in the Canadian league the other night, beating the crap out of a defenseless opposing goalie. Most people are fuming about this whole thing but I found it kinda funny, in a sick twisted way. Below is the fight, followed by Patrick's beating of Chris Osgood during the "good ol' days" for the Avalanche.

Hobey-Screwed

Milo's column last week alludes to the Tigers complete snuff by the Hobey committee. I don't care if we had a player that would have won it, but c'mon, the team had one of the best regular season's in the country and the hardest schedule of the top 5 teams. What a joke.

Hobey Baker committee’s snub of CC is pathetic
By MILO F. BRYANT

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Colorado College hockey team left the Western Collegiate Hockey Association awards ceremony with an impressive amount of hardware — and justifiably so.

But the thing that had folks in a River Center ballroom talking afterward was the huge snub the Tigers received.

Freshman goalie Richard Bachman joined senior defenseman Jack Hillen and junior forward Chad Rau on the WCHA first team. Hillen was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Bachman earned Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors.

There were many congratulations — as there should have been.

Then came the snub.

The Hobey Baker committee showed a video to release the names of the top 10 finalists for the nation’s highest college hockey honor. Seconds before the announcement a betting person would’ve put down his house that the Tigers would’ve had at least two and possibly three people on that list.

After the announcement, that man would’ve been homeless.

The Tigers were shut out of the top 10 Hobey Baker finalists.

Read that sentence again. They were shut out. The Tigers had the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Player of the Year and they were shut out of the top 10?

That’s pathetic.

Bachman, Rau and Hillen are three of the nation’s best players. They play on one of the nation’s best teams. They play in the nation’s best conference.

There are not 10 players in the country better than those three. If anyone can find 10 players, they’re looking in the National Hockey League.

“Shocked,” University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky said of his reaction. “Disappointed may be better. Disappointed and shocked.

“I’ll be very honest with you. We’ve got great respect for CC. As bitter as the rivalry is, we’ve got great respect for CC. . . . Richard Bachman and Chad Rau have had great years in the WCHA. And within the WCHA they were awarded accordingly. For them not to receive the national recognition of being in the top 10 — it’s just not right.”

No, it’s not.

The last time the WCHA Player of the Year failed to be named as a Hobey Baker top 10 finalist was during the 1989-90 season when the University of Wisconsin’s Gary Shuchuk wasn’t named.

Bachman was twice the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Rookie of the Month.

North Dakota’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is one of three goalies in the top 10 finalists list. Michigan State Jeff Lerg and New Hampshire’s Kevin Regan are the others.

In conference play, Bachman had a higher save percentage than Lamoureux. He had a higher winning percentage than Lamoureux. Had Bachman played the final regular season game he would’ve beaten Lamoureux in goals against average, too.

So Lamoureux, not even the best goalie in his own conference gets on the top 10 list, and Bachman doesn’t.

The only place where Lerg has proven to be better than Bachman is on the clock. Lerg played more minutes than any other goalie this season.

Bachman leads Regan in every major goalie statistical category.

So, what gives?

Some have said it’s because Bachman is a freshman. If that’s the case, the award shouldn’t be given. If it’s a freshman thing, then what’s the problem with Rau and Hillen?

“I’m actually surprised that none of them are up there,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “I thought we’d have a couple. I didn’t know which two they’d be but I thought we’d have a couple.

“Basically, you’ve got the top scoring defenseman in the country. You’ve got the Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. Yeah, I am a little surprised by that.”

I don’t know if it would’ve changed anything, but Colorado College didn’t have the best promotion of its players nationally. In this day, teams can’t rely on Internet message boards or college hockey Web sites to do their promotion for them.

Those who don’t do that, rightly or wrongly, get snubbed.

“It makes us want to get to the Frozen Four and get some more exposure because we have some unbelievable players on our team that didn’t get recognized,” Hillen said.

The Tigers, who are the second furthest team away from the Atlantic Ocean, played on the East Coast twice this season, and only once was up North. They played in Tampa the other games. Both of those trips happened before 2008. Few people remember specifics that far back.

They needed to be reminded, and CC did a poor job of doing that.

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

Reviews of the Pathetic Weekend Showing

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s not working.

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

It's Michigan State

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

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

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

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

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

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

DU Wins Broadmoor Trophy

At least it stayed in Colorado. DU battled to beat Minnesota to win the 2008 Broadmoor Trophy leaving the two Colorado rivals each champions of the league this season, CC got the regular season and DU with the post-season. However, neither of those matter as the battle for the national championship will begin this week.
It was an entertaining game, one that featured Minnesota getting some payback from last night when a centering pass hit their defenseman and went in their own net.
Game story here

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

Goofy Goal Leaves Tigers Broadmoorless Again

A centering pass deflects off Nate Prosser's glove, rolls down Bachman's back and into the net giving the Gophers an OT winner and a place in the WCHA title game tomorrow against Denver. The Tigers didn't play poorly, but a brick wall was in place for the Gophers and the Tigers were left in a position where anything could happen, and it did. You could watch the entire NCAA Tournament and probably not see a goal as awkward and laced with fate as that one. The Tigers will play surprise loser North Dakota tomorrow in the consolation game-a game completely meaningless to arguably the two best teams in college hockey. Conference tournaments are always strange and give the underdog the chance, and this year's is no exception. One good thing about this game is that the Tigers will save up some effort for the NCAA Tournament, although they are left without their own trophy once again.

CC Athletics
Broadmoor Trophy remains elusive for CC
If there really is such thing as playoff magic, it continues to fall in the University of Minnesota’s favor. The Gophers got the lucky break of the night on Friday, scoring a fluke goal at 4:47 of overtime to claim a 2-1 victory over Colorado College in their semifinal match-up at the WCHA Final Five. The defeat at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn,, sticks regular-season champion CC into Saturday’s third-place game against North Dakota, a 3-1 loser to Denver on Friday, with the winner likely to receive a No. 1 seed for next week’s NCAA West Regional at the World Arena. The Tigers simply did not get the job done in their first appearance at the Final Five since 2005. They launched a season-high 20 shots on goal in the opening period, and finally took the lead on a power-play tally by Andreas Vlassopoulos early in the second, but then let Minnesota back into the game less than a minute later. Freshman left wing Mike Hoeffel burned CC twice, first on a rising wrist shot from the slot to tie the score at 1:38 of that middle frame, then in overtime when his centering attempt from the left faceoff circle deflected into the net off Colorado College defenseman Nate Prosser. Meanwhile, at the other end of the ice, Alex Kangas won the duel of freshman goaltenders, finishing with 37 saves. Richard Bachman made 33 stops for the Tigers, who were unable to take advantage of a Minnesota team that started post-season play as a seventh seed and was playing its fifth game in the last eight days.

Gophers Prevail

University of Minnesota photo















The Tigers will take on Minnesota Friday night in a rematch of the Tigers season-opening sweep. UM knocked off St. Cloud in front of a whopping 19,232 fans. Even though Minnesota is coming on strong, I personally feel more comfortable facing them than the Huskies, a team that beat us twice and smothered us in our first home loss of the season. The battle between the WCHA #1 and #7 will begin at 6:07 Mountain Time Friday night with radio coverage on 103.9FM and a special treat, on TV local NBC affiliate 5/30 in the Southern Colorado viewing area.

St. Cloud-Minnesota Box Score Here

UM official recap here

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.

Tigers Ready to Add More Hardware

CC Athletics

This Week’s Storylines
• Preparing for their first appearance at the WCHA Final Five since 2005, the Tigers won’t know who their semifinal opponent is until after Thursday’s play-in contest between St. Cloud State and Minnesota is settled. CC will meet the winner at 7:07 CDT Friday, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., with hopes of advancing to Saturday’s championship game against either North Dakota or Denver.
• Colorado College split both of its regular-season series with SCSU, winning the opener of each before falling the next night, and swept the Gophers at the World Arena back in October in the teams’ only meetings to date.
• In addition to the Broadmoor Trophy, which Colorado College never has won as WCHA playoff champion, an automatic bid to and No. 1 seeding for the NCAA tournament also are at stake this week. Regardless of what happens, however, the Tigers know they will play in the West Regional a week later at the World Arena.

Icers Take Aim at Broadmoor Trophy
In First Trip to Final Five Since 2005

Elusive Title Within Reach: Colorado College resumes its “second” season in St. Paul, Minn., this weekend when the league champion and top-seeded Tigers return to the Red Baron WCHA Final Five for the first time in three years. CC, which is looking for its first-ever conference playoff crown, will take on the winner of Thursday’s play-in game between St. Cloud State and Minnesota in Friday’s late semifinal contest. Faceoff at the Xcel Energy Center (18,064 seating capacity) is 7:07 p.m. CDT. North Dakota and Denver, the No. 2 and 3 seeds, will meet in Friday’s earlier semifinal, at 2:07 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s third-place and consolation games also are scheduled for 2:07 and 7:07 p.m., respectively.

For the Record: The Tigers, who finished 21-6-1 in conference play, are 28-9-1 overall after eliminating the University of Alaska Anchorage in two games of their best-of-three opening-round playoff series at the World Arena last weekend. The Tigers won Friday’s opener, 4-1, then rallied from behind twice on Saturday before prevailing by a 3-2 count in sudden-death overtime...Minnesota, which advanced with Sunday’s 3-2 double-overtime victory over Minnesota State in Game 3 of their first-round series in Mankato, is 17-15-9 for the season. St. Cloud State is 19-14-5 after sweeping Wisconsin, 3-0 and 4-3 in overtime, in their best-of-three set at SCSU’s National Hockey Center.

In the Rankings: The Tigers, who have climbed to No. 1 in this week’s InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH) power rankings, are No. 2 in the national polls conducted by U.S. College Hockey Online/CSTV and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine. CC is No. 4 in the Pairwise computer rankings, which simulate the selection and seeding process for the NCAA tournament.

Coach’s Corner: Scott Owens (Colorado College ‘79), who has guided the team to more victories than any other head coach in the history of Tiger Hockey, is in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater. Owens is 223-118-25 (.643) in 366 games behind the bench, including an 18-14-2 (.559) record against St. Cloud State and a 12-19-1 mark (.391) against Minnesota. This year’s upcoming appearance in the NCAA tournament will be CC’s sixth during Owens’ reign.

CC at the Final Five: Colorado College competed for the first time at what was then the WCHA Final Four in 1992. The Tigers are 12-12 in 24 all-time games at the league’s showcase event, including a 3-7 mark in the semifinals, after defeating Minnesota (3-0) and losing to Denver (1-0) in their last trip to St. Paul in 2005. They’ve reached the championship contests on three occasions (1995, 2003 and 2005), and are 6-1 in third-place games after prevailing in the last six in which they’ve played, from 1996 through 2002.

The Rivalries: Colorado College is 40-29-4 all-time against St. Cloud State, which upset the Tigers in a first-round playoff series at the World Arena two years ago in the teams’ most recent post-season meetings. CC is 81-154-7 in 242 previous games against the Gophers, who had won six consecutive decisions in the rivalry prior to losing, 3-1 and 2-1 in overtime, at the CSWA back on Oct. 19 and 20 of this campaign. The Tigers are 74-128-9 all-time vs. North Dakota and 105-152-10 vs. Denver.

Recapping Last Week’s Series: It was CC’s underclassmen who stole the spotlight in the sweep of Alaska Anchorage, as freshman center Tyler Johnson (Cloquet, MN) fueled Friday’s victory with the game-winning goal and an assist, and sophomore right wing Mike Testwuide (Vail, CO) emerged as the hero a night later. Testwuide, who also staked CC to a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the series opener, ended Saturday’s nail biter with his third tally of the weekend at 2:58 of overtime. He earlier tied the contest at 5:54 of the third period and assisted on sophomore left wing Bill Sweatt’s (Elburn, IL) red lighter at 4:22 of the second. Sweatt and senior defenseman Jack Hillen (Minnetonka, MN), who also assisted on Johnson’s goal the previous evening, combined to set up Testwuide’s dramatic sudden-death effort. Freshman goaltender Richard Bachman (Highlands Ranch, CO) backstopped both victories, making 27 saves on Friday and 18 on Saturday. Senior wingers Scott Thauwald (Rochester, MN) and Scott McCulloch (Lacombe, Alta.) also found the back of the Seawolves cage during the third period on Friday, when McCulloch’s empty netter with 20.1 seconds remaining put an end to any UAAcomeback hopes.

Historical Perspective: CC’s 28 victories to date in 2007-08 represents its sixth most ever in a season. The Tigers won 33 games in 1995-96, 31 in 2004-05, 30 each in 1994-95 and 2002-03, and 29 in 1998-99. Since the 1993-94 campaign, when they claimed their first regular-season title since 1957, they have compiled an overall record of 389-186-43 (.664). Two weekends ago, Colorado College hoisted the MacNaughton Trophy for the sixth time in the last 15 seasons. CC has won nine league titles overall – in 1951-52, ‘54-55, ‘56-57, ‘93-94, ‘94-95, ‘95-96, ‘02-03 and ‘04-05 (tie with Denver) prior to this season.

Road to the Frozen Four: With the NCAA West Regional scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, at the World Arena, the Tigers will enjoy the home-ice advantage in their quest to reach the Frozen Four at the Pepsi Center in Denver two weeks later. The entire 16-team field for the NCAA tournament, including the other three schools participating in Colorado Springs, will be announced at 9:30 a.m. MDT on Easter Sunday (March 23). CC also hosted a regional in 2004 but did not qualify for the tournament that year.

CC’s Rookie Standout: Bachman, who has been named National Rookie of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association twice (in October and February) this campaign, finished the regular-season with a winning percentage of .780 (19-5-1), saves ratio of .937, and four shutouts in league play – all WCHA bests. His GAAof 1.75 in conference play, as well as the .937 saves percentage, both are single-season school records. The All-America candidate gave up one or fewer goals in 13 of his 25 conference starts, and has allowed two or fewer in 24 of his 34 assignments overall, posting .797 winning percentage (25-6-1), a 1.75 GAA and a nation-leading .935 saves ratio overall in all games.

Threat From the Blue Line: Hillen, the nation’s top-scoring defenseman with 36 points (6g,30a), now has assisted on six game-winning goals this season after helping to set up both last weekend. One of just five CC players to appear in every game so far in 2007-08, the All-America candidate has collected 21 points (3g,18a) in the last 16 outings. He also ranks No. 1 among all WCHA players with his 30 assists, leads the Tigers with 18 points (3g,15a) on the power play and is a key member in Colorado College’s nation-best and league-leading penalty killing efforts, which succeeded on four of five UAA power plays last weekend. He earned WCHA Player of the Week honors (twice Defensive and once Offensive) on three occasions this campaign.

Turning the Tables: The Tigers, who finished with a league-best 92.9-percent penalty-killing ratio in WCHA play (104 for 112) to go with their nation-leading 90.5-percent mark overall (133 for 147), have held their opponent scoreless on the power play in 16 of the last 20 outings, as well as in 26 of 38 for the season. While allowing only 14 PPG all season, including just eight in 28 conference games, CC has scored 10 shorthanded goals including eight in league play. Junior center and All-America candidate Chad Rau (Eden Prairie, MN), the WCHA’s top goal scorer with 27 tallies overall, leads the nation with six SHG and tops Colorado College with seven on the power play.

Spreading the Wealth: Johnson, who has missed only one game while centering Colorado College’s third line for most of the season, is the 11th different Tiger to score a game-winning goal in 2007-08 as well as the 21st to factor in on one. Eight have 20 points or more. Senior right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (New Prague, MN) has been involved in a team-high eight game winners, scoring four and assisting on four, while Rau and McCulloch have scored five apiece to lead CC in that category.

Tiger Bites: Colorado College is 16-3-1 in its last 18 outings overall during the months of January, February and March...Testwuide’s early tally last Friday marked the sixth time this season that CC has struck in the opening 40 seconds of a period, and was the team’s quickest of the season to start a game...Rau, who was held to just an assist last weekend, has scored two or more goals in a game on nine occasions in ‘07-08...The Tigers are 2-2-1 in overtime games this campaign... Kilpatrick has been involved in 24 game-winning goals altogether during his four years at CC, scoring nine and assisting on 15...Sweatt has collected five points (2g,3a) in the last three games to surpass his total of last season...Colorado College’s 2007-08 roster includes 10 Minnesota natives.

Bracketology

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

Remaining Possibilities

DIY Pairwise predictor

CC-AFA Regional Battle Likely?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Laughter ensued.

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

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

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

More laughter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It would be stressful as hell."

Nope, it would be great.

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

Ken Landau Gets His Own Honor

Usually announcing who received awards from the week during his game night play-by-play, Ken Landau finally got one all to himself. He was awarded the Award of Excellence for his coverage of the Tigers and I couldn't agree more. Very knowledgeable and matter-of-fact with his play calling, I am always very comfortable listening to the game when I can't make it in person. Congrats Ken!

Official CC Release
Radio broadcasts earn top award from CBA
If you’ve been tuning in to Ken Landau calling the play-by-play for Tiger Hockey on 103.9 The Eagle the last two seasons, you’ve been listening to the best sports broadcast in the state. The Colorado Broadcast Association has presented Landau and The Eagle with one of the organization’s most coveted honors – the Award of Excellence – for the 2007 calendar year. The award is handed out annually for “Best Sports Coverage” by an individual or broadcast team. Colorado College Hockey on KYZX-FM (103.9 The Eagle), featuring Landau behind the microphone, was announced as winner in the major market division at the CBA’s annual awards banquet on Sunday.

Ken's Bio

Ken Landau

Radio Play-By-Play

Ken Landau, a 17-year veteran of the college hockey broadcast scene, returns for his second season as official “Voice of the Tigers” in 2007-08.

A 1982 graduate of Michigan State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunciations, Landau called the play-by-play for MSU hockey from 1979 through 1985, then again from 1990 through 1997. He also spent three seasons serving in a similar capacity at the University of Michigan. In 1992 he won the Associated Press of Michigan broadcast award for best play-by-play. Just a few years ago, in 2003, he broadcast the first college hockey game ever for College Sports Television and hosted CSTV’s wall-to-wall coverage of the Frozen Four in Buffalo.

Landau has worked extensively as a sports talk-show host and television sports anchor and reporter. In addition, he helped form a sports marketing company that published the first two books ever devoted to the history of a college hockey program – “Awe Inspiring: The Storied History of Spartan Hockey” and “Shot and A Goal: The Tradition of Wisconsin Badger Hockey.” He is extremely familiar with the WCHA, its style of play, its schools and its coaches.

A former loan officer for several mortgage companies in Michigan, Landau is self-employed as president of his own consulting firm while away from the ice rink.

New Rankings

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

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
March 17, 2008

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

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

USCHO.com/CSTV Poll

March 17, 2008

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

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