Hillen Makes His Mark

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


CC's Hillen impresses in Islanders debut
By GREG LOGAN
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - There are easier ways to make your NHL debut than parachuting into the thick of the Islanders-Rangers rivalry, but that's what Colorado College defenseman Jack Hillen did Thursday at Nassau Coliseum. He went from playing Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional a week ago to playing defense for the Islanders against such Rangers stars as Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury.

When he was fielding free-agent offers from NHL clubs, Hillen was anxious to test himself at the top level, and the Islanders were happy to provide it.

"If this was one way to try to get me to come here, it worked," Hillen said.

"I didn't really know until Sunday that this was a possibility. It snuck up on me pretty quickly. I'm a little nervous, but it's more excitement. I'll try not to make it that big of a deal, just enjoy it. Focus on the game, but also take in a little bit of the surroundings because this only happens once, playing your first NHL game."

With 17:51 left in the first period, Hillen took the ice with Radek Martinek in what ranked as the Islanders' top pairing against Drury's line. If he had jitters, it didn't show. Midway through the first period, Hillen made a deft cross-ice pass through traffic to spring forward Frans Nielsen open at the Rangers' blue line.

Hillen would log 20 shifts and 15:39 of ice time, and he wasn't on the ice for any of the Rangers' goals in their 3-0 win. He took his first penalty in a good cause stopping a dangerous rush by the Rangers' Ryan Callahan, and he added one shot, one hit and one takeaway. But it was his passing and poise that impressed Islanders captain Bill Guerin.

"Jack played as well as anybody I've ever seen in their first game, especially against your biggest rivals," Guerin said. "He just handled himself great."

Hillen's was one of many new faces in the Islanders' injury-depleted dressing room, but fellow Minnesota native Kyle Okposo, who made his NHL debut seven games earlier, was no stranger to him. They played against each other last season when Okposo was at the University of Minnesota. They're staying at a hotel adjacent to the Coliseum, and Okposo clued Hillen in on what to expect.

"He told me he was real nervous," Hillen said of Okposo's debut. "That's to be expected. If you weren't nervous, you'd be maybe not human. But the thing I keep thinking about is that a lot of players I've played against are doing well in the NHL. So, I know I can play up here. You just have to have confidence in your ability no matter where you're playing."

Those weren't empty words from Hillen. There was no hesitation in his passes or his decision-making. One of the Islanders' best power-play cycles came with him at the left point, controlling the flow and putting a shot on goal.

Asked if there was any sense of awe, Hillen answered firmly. "No, there was none. I'm not going to play scared out there."

NHL game No. 2 of his career is against the Rangers again tonight, but this time at Madison Square Garden, one of the loudest venues in the league. "I'm excited," Hillen said. "It's a historic building, and I'm looking forward to playing there. Plus, I would like to get a win in my first NHL experience. That's the most important thing."

Spoken like a pro.

More Hillen Signing Links
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Hillen to the Pros

CC defenseman Hillen signs with Islanders

By KATE CRANDALL

Colorado College senior defenseman Jack Hillen signed a two-year contract with the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Hillen, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year, is expected make his NHL debut Thursday and Friday in the Islanders’ final two games, a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers.

“I’m pretty excited and nervous,” said Hillen, who took a red-eye flight to New York on Monday and was in New York to watch the Islanders take on the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. “I don’t quite know what to expect. But I’m just really happy with my decision to be part of the Islanders organization and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun in this next week getting used to some things and doing whatever I need to do next year to get back to the highest level. Who knows what’s going to happen, but I’m just happy to be here right now.”

As the nation’s top-scoring defenseman, Hillen finished second among all Tigers’ scorers with six goals and 31 assists. Hillen, who was undrafted, was also named first-team all-WCHA.

“Our whole staff is very excited for him,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “It’s nice to see a player be rewarded for doing it the right way. In four years, he put in his time. He improved, he developed, he had a great senior year and then he had the opportunity to sign a pro contract. . . . We’re thrilled.”

Hillen will see a familiar face when he skates for the first time with the Islanders today. Former Minnesota forward Kyle Okposo made headlines when he gave up his final 2½ seasons of eligibility in December to sign with the Islanders.

“We are very proud that Jack made the decision to join the Islanders,” general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “He was one of the prized college free agents for good reason. He is an excellent puck-moving defenseman and our scouting staff is really impressed by his competitive spirit.”

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 get five unanswered goals and roll 5-2

It started out a little alarming. Bachman was beaten by a long slap-shot less than 1 minute into the game after going 8 periods without allowing a goal and CC found themselves down 2-0 early in the first period. Maybe it was just early jitters on what could be a ceremonial weekend. Whatever it was, it didn't last long. The Tigers got goal number one on a power play late in the first, then rang one off the post seconds later and it was a sign of things to come as the offense got rolling. Bachman made 20 saves in the second and Jack Hillen has a part in every goal and the Tigers battled to a 5-2 win that seemed closer than the final score. I'll leave the rest of the details to the USCHO column below but I will point out that I predicted a 5-2 win Friday night in my interview with the Mankato blogger. Granted, I thought it would be a little less competitive but heck, I'll take it. Look for a closer game tomorrow night.
~PCO

CC One Win Closer to Clinching MacNaughton
Hillen Gets Four Points
by Theresa Spisak/WCHA Correspondent

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 29) — After finding themselves down 2-0 to start the game, the Colorado College Tigers scored five unanswered goals to beat the Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks Friday night 5-2 at World Arena.
“We got beat by a a good team tonight; they played good too,” said Mavericks’ coach Troy Jutting.

The Mavericks started off the scoring just 48 seconds in when Chad Rau coughed up the puck in the defensive zone to Kael Mouillierat, who fired a low shot from the left circle to beat Tigers’ netminder Richard Bachman (33 saves).

“I thought Mankato was as good as advertised,” said Tigers’ coach Scott Owens. “They won a majority of the puck battles, they were getting to pucks quicker than we were. We were very fortunate to win the game. We won the special teams game [and] Bachman was phenomenal in the second period. The game could have very easily been over at that point.”


13 minutes later, Mick Berge put the Mavericks up 2-0 after tapping in a Jon Kalinski cross-crease pass.

The Tigers cut the lead back to one three minutes later. With Kalinski in the box for slashing, Chad Rau one-timed a Jack Hillen pass past Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Zacharias (26 saves) to make it 2-1.

“We’re up 2-1 going into the second period, and we come out and had numerous opportunities to make it a 3-1 game at that time and kind of take some momentum,” said Jutting. “We couldn’t get it in.”

After CC’s goal, both teams had a flurry of chances and the Tigers almost tied it up on a late first period power play, but Zacharias held fast. Instead, the Tigers capitalized on the remaining bit of power play and tied it up 25 seconds into the second period off a Hillen blast from the high slot.

“That first goal I was really embarrassed to score because I had my head up and the puck just kind of jumped on me; a kind of Johan Santana change-up into the net,” said Hillen. “But hey, I’ll take them whenever I can.”

The second period was very back and forth, with both teams getting chances. However, Brian Connelly would break through with three minutes to go in the middle frame, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game on another power play.

“We had a great second period,” said Jutting. “20 shots on net; I don’t remember the last time we’ve had 20 shots on net in a period. Their goaltender did a great job.”

After a back and forth third period, CC extended its lead to 4-2 off Hillen’s second goal and fourth point of the night. Hillen took a bobbling pass from Eric Walsky and backhanded it past Zacharias.

“[Hillen is] a difference-maker out there all the time,” said Owens. “He’s got a positive impact on the game and tonight, offensively, defensively, calmness back there on a night that it was a little disheveled, to say the least. He settled things down.

“He’s playing great hockey right now. He may be the best or one of the best defensemen in the country right now.”

The Mavericks got a chance to tie it up with a late power play, but Rau sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 22.4 seconds left.

“5-2 was not indicative of the game,” said Owens. “They deserved a little better fate.”

“I thought we played a good third period,” said Hillen. “That fourth goal was huge because they were just going to keep coming. We played 20 minutes tonight so we can be a lot better. We can try to put 60 minutes together.”

If the Tigers can manage a full 60 minutes, or even just another good period or two, they can clinch at least part of the MacNaughton Cup, awarded to the WCHA team with the best regular season record.

“I’m excited that we’ve given ourselves a chance to clinch a piece of the Cup, and I didn’t think I’d be saying that after the first period or halfway through the game,” said Owens. “But we’re excited to do that, to play, to get a piece of that Cup.”

The two teams face off again tomorrow night at World Arena. Puck drop is at 7:05 Mountain Time.

More Honors for Tigers-PairWise Out

Testwuide picked up another honor as the WCHA Offensive Player of the week and was joined by Jack Hillen as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.

WCHA.com
Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Mike Testwuide
So., F, Colorado College

MADISON, Wisc. - Colorado College right winger Mike Testwuide, who scored four goals and produced a series total of five scoring points as the Tigers' posted a two-game home-ice sweep of No. 10-ranked Clarkson last weekend, has been named Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Feb. 5-11.

A 6-3, 216-pound sophomore from Vail, Colo., Testwuide scored twice in each game for the No. 4-ranked Tigers against the ECACHL-leading Golden Knights, including the game-winner last Saturday (Feb. 2) evening when he also added an assist for a five-point weekend. He also fired a total of 16 shots on goal in the two wins, was the game's first star on Feb. 2 and third star on Feb. 1, and earned a +3 plus-minus rating. Skating for the first time on CC's newly-formed first line with Chad Rau and Bill Sweatt, he launched 12 shots on goal in last Friday's 5-2 victory and then had four more in last Saturday's 6-1 triumph.

On the 2007-08 season, Testwuide has now scored six goals and assisted on five others for 11 points in 20 games played.

Also nominated for the award this week were: Geoff Irwin, F, MSU.

Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Jack Hillen
Sr., D, Colorado College

Jack Hillen, a senior defenseman at Colorado College, has earned Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors for Feb. 5-11 as a result of his outstanding efforts in a two-game non-conference 5-2, 6-1 sweep over visiting and No. 10-ranked Clarkson last weekend. Hillen also earned the weekly honor on Dec. 18.

A 5-10, 192-pound senior from Minnetonka, Minn., Hillen collected two assists in each game for four points, was 4-of-4 on his penalty-killing shifts, was credited with three hits and one blocked shot, earned a +2 plus-minus rating, and fired six shots on goal. One of his four assists came on teammate Mike Testwuide's eventual game-winning goal last Saturday (Feb. 2) night in the Tigers' 6-1 victory over the Golden Knights.

Hillen's four-point weekend vaulted him into first place in overall scoring among WCHA defensemen this season with three goals, 20 assists and 23 points while playing in all 28 games. He has at least one point in 17 games overall, including the last four straight, and has also logged eight assists in Colorado College's last six games.

Also nominated for the award this week were: Jon Olthuis, G, UAA; Alex Stalock, G, UMD; R.J. Linder, D, MSU; and Shane Connelly, G, UW.

Also of note are the newest PairWise Rankings from UCHO. CC moved back up to 3rd, tied with New Hampshire. Think that early season sweep is looming large?
Complete list here

Recent Tiger News for the holidays

Hope everyone is having a great December! Even though it is a dead-period for the college hockey season there is still plenty of interesting news.

As if Minnesota's struggles weren't enough already, they learned this week that they have seen the last of sophomore Kyle Okposo as he chose, in a rare move, to bypass the rest of the season and collegiate career to sign with the NY Islanders. He was the team's 1st overall pick in the 2006 draft.
Read the Full Story

In CC news, Kate Crandall wrote a great article about Billy Sweatt joining the US Junior National team for the second time around and the oddities of being teammates with some of your fiercest WCHA rivals.
Complete Story

Also, Jack Hillen earned the weekly WCHA honor (story from CC Athletics Site)
Senior defenseman Jack Hillen, who had an assist in both games of last week’s split at St. Cloud State, has been named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week. After setting up sophomore defenseman Nate Prosser’s early go-ahead tally in Friday’s 3-1 victory, Hillen helped Colorado College hold the Huskies to just 22 shots on goal in Saturday’s 4-2 loss. He currently is CC’s top-scoring blue-line specialist with 12 points (2g,10a) for the season, and his 10 assists represent a career high. He is the third Tiger to win league POW honors so far in 2007-08, joining freshman goalie Richard Bachman and junior center Chad Rau, who have combined for five earlier awards.

And finally, I hope everyone is enjoying the seasonal blog colors. I decided to have a little Christmas fun with it last night and tweaked it, banner and all! I'm debating about the background though, that white tree has rendered the text unreadable so it's very likely that, by the time you all are reading this, you will have no idea what tree I'm talking about. Also, look for a new blog color scheme in 2008. I've had the black background for a full year now and am looking for a slight change. Don't worry, nothing drastic! As always, any inputs to the future and the blog itself are always welcome!