CC 3, Alaska-Anchorage 2 (OT–final)

Colorado College right wing Mike Testwuide charged up the left half-wall, beat Anchorage left wing Josh Lunden, slid the puck through defenseman Luka Vidmar’s feet, sliced into the slot, and as he left his feet, slung a wrist shot into the upper right corner to give the Tigers a 3-2 overtime victory over Anchorage. CC advances to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five for the first time in three seasons and will take on the winner of the play-in game on Friday at 6:07 p.m.

“I’m still a little shaky,” Testwuide said, all smiles and sweat-drenched after the game. “The guy dove. I think. I don’t really know what happened after that. I’m just so excited right now.”

This is how left wing Bill Sweatt described the final sequence: “We just went back into the d-zone and (Jack Hillen) threw it up the wall to me. It hit my skate and deflected out of the zone. Wuider (Mike Testwuide) just took it. He came across the ice with speed and he just bulldozed those guys and he took his big body to the net and just buried it. That’s all I can say. …All of a sudden, he beats the guy and he’s falling down but he gets the shot off. Then I see it just going into the empty net and I just jump in the air.”

Testwuide also scored the game-tying goal in the third period.

When asked about it, Testwuide needed a little reminder.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, nodding with faint recognition. “I got the puck and I waited and waited. The guy went down on his knees–waited. I knew I was going to bury it five-hole. I let it go as hard as I could and it went in the net.”

All around, the Tigers admitted it was a shaky start to their playoff run.

Said coach Scott Owens: “It’s nice not to have to play a third game this time of the year. Even if you’re fortunate enough to win that third game, it takes a toll on your team when you’re playing so many meaninigful games right now. I’m proud of our guys. They didn’t get panicked. We’re 2-1 going into the third period and found a way to win the game.”

CC is in a three-way tie for second in the PairWise rankings (USCHO.com, College Hockey News), which are used to simulate the NCAA tournament selection process.

The Tigers will return to the World Arena — where they have an 18-2 record — for the NCAA West Regional on March 28.

CC 1, UAA 2 (end of 2nd)

The Tigers have an uphill battle on their hands after giving up a goal with 3:23 left in the period.
Defensemen Jake Gannon and Kris Fredheim and the top line of Chad Rau, Mike Testwuide and Bill Sweatt all froze in their tracks as Anchorage left wing Josh Lunden walked into the slot from the right half-wall and slung a wrist shot on net, which beat goaltender Richard Bachman gloveside. It was the type of goal that leaves one wondering if the CC players thought they heard a whistle.
No. 9-seed Michigan Tech forced overtime with No. 2-seed North Dakota in Grand Forks, so it could be an interesting Sunday in the WCHA.

CC 1, UAA 1 (10:00, 2nd period)

After getting outhit and outworked for much of the first period, the Tigers came out with a furious effort in the second. CC couldn’t score on a four-on-three opportunity, despite quality scoring opportunities by on shots by center Chad Rau, defenseman Jack Hillen and center Andreas Vlassopoulos. At 4:22, just as all of the players were released from the penalty box, left wing Bill Sweatt knocked in right wing Mike Testwuide‘s backhanded centering pass.

Anchorage took the lead just 6:05 into the first when defenseman Kane LaFranchise rocketed a shot from the top of the left circle through traffic and past goaltender Richard Bachman.

CC 1, Anchorage 0 (:37 of first period)

Anchorage picked a poor time for a line change. Thinking they’d put the puck deep in CC’s zone, the Seawolves went for a change, but defenseman Nate Prosser had batted the puck down and put it ahead into the neutral zone for teammate Jack Hillen, who promptly carried it up the ice. Hillen put the puck into the offensive zone and left wing Bill Sweatt got it behind the net. Sweatt’s pass from behind the net was one-timed backdoor by right wing Mike Testwuide. Not the start Anchorage was looking for against top-seeded CC. Exactly the start the Tigers wanted coming off of an emotional weekend against Denver.

No. 5 CC 3, No. 7 Denver 0 (14:17 of the 2nd)

Well, a scuffle just broke out in CC’s defensive zone after Denver’s J.P. Testwuide rushed a puck barely covered by goaltender Drew O’Connell, so I’ll take a little time to brief you.

DU’s Tom May and CC’s Scott McCulloch were each given roughing and 10-minute misconduct penalties.

CC’s Brian Connelly, who pointed to the scoreboard when Denver players began hassling him, was sent to the box for instigating-roughing as was Pioneers left wing Stephen Cunningham.

Earlier in the period, CC took a 3-0 lead when referee Derek Shepherd upheld a goal by left wing Bill Sweatt. Goaltender Peter Mannino, who was pulled with 37:23 left in regulation, argued the call, pleading his case to Shepherd and the Denver coaches. The replay showed that CC right wing Mike Testwuide bumped Mannino before the goal, but it was not ruled interference.

No. 4 CC 5, No. 10 Minnesota State-Mankato 2 (final)

At the start, Colorado College just wasn’t clicking against Minnesota State-Mankato.
Heck, 90 seconds into the game, already trailing 1-0, center Andreas Vlassopoulos found right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick at the top of the crease with goaltender Mike Zacharias down and out of position, but Kilpatrick’s shot on the open net was inexplicably wide right.
Then, something happened not too long after Mankato took a 2-0 lead at 13:42.
Defenseman Jack Hillen began breaking the puck out of CC’s zone with aplomb, taking it deep into Mankato’s zone to start the cycle and open up space. The Tigers began to finish checks and connect passes.
And then came the comeback:
–CC drew within a goal before the period was out when it clicked on its go-to power-play set with Hillen sending a pass from the high slot to center Chad Rau in the left circle. Against Minnesota-Duluth, Rau had one-time slap shots. Friday, Rau collected the puck and rocketed a wrist shot past Zacharias. It was the third power-play goal in a row to be scored in that fashion.
–Just 25 seconds into the second period, Hillen’s slap shot from the top of the right circle tied the score.
–A series of saves by goaltender Richard Bachman while the Tigers killed a 5-on-3 situation–including a windmill denial of right wing Kael Mouillierat destined for a gazillion hits if it ever makes YouTube — would preserve the tie long enough. Bachman won the praise of the crowd through the 20-save period about 90 seconds later when he spent about 10 seconds trying to figure out where in his pads the puck was hiding.
–A minute or so later, defenseman Kris Fredheim put the puck into a Mankato player’s feet as CC’s Bill Sweatt emerged from the box. Fredheim recollected the puck and fed left wing Scott Thauwald for a breakaway during which he was hooked by Mankato’s Mick Berge.
CC again went on the power play after 43 seconds of 4-on-4. Hillen slid a pass across the top to defenseman Brian Connelly whose wrist shot was tipped by left wing Scott McCulloch past Zacharias to put CC ahead 3-2.
Hillen scored with less than seven minutes left in the third when he crashed the net and the puck passed by Eric Walsky slid down the shaft of his stick, over Zacharias’ left shoulder and into the goal.

By the numbers:
–20: Shots in the second period for Mankato. Surprisingly, that exorbitant number has been topped by another CC opponent this season. Minnesota launched 21 shots on goal in the third period of CC’s 2-1 overtime win on Oct. 20.
–33: Faceoffs were dead even at 33 apiece. Rau won 14 of 23. Vlassopoulos won 8 of 15.
–If you’re counting: Bachman gets better as the game goes on. And as the Tigers allow more shots.
In 28 games this season:
195 first-period saves–17 goals allowed = .919 save percentage
260 second-period saves–18 goals allowed = .935 save percentage
234 third-period saves–13 goals allowed = .947 save percentage
5 overtime saves–0 goals allowed = 1.000 save percentage

Game day: No. 4 CC 5, Alaska-Anchorage 2 (final)

How it happened:
The Tigers got two shots in their first four shifts and then drifted off for the rest of the period, mustering just seven altogether and taking a 0-0 tie into the first intermission.

When both teams came out battling in the second period, CC rose to the challenge with another three-goal period, their fourth such period in the last 10 played. Right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick crossed the puck from the top of the left circle to center Chad Rau, who put his first attempt into goaltender Jon Olthuis but roofed the rebound. Midway through the period, center-turned-right wing Brian McMillin one-timed a rebound and Kilpatrick added a power-play goal less than two minutes later.

On a five-minute power-play less than two minutes into the third, the Tigers went up 4-0 when Bill Sweatt scored a power-play goal. Anchorage scored twice in the subsequent 16 minutes before pulling Olthuis. Kilpatrick blocked a last-ditch shot and Rau scooped it up and slammed into the empty net.

Fun stats:
–Kilpatrick has 99 career points and needs just one more to become the 70th member of CC’s “Century Club” during the program’s 70th anniversary season.
–Of Kilpatrick’s 99 career points, 24 have come against Anchorage–24.2 percent.

–Rau ranks first among WCHA scoring leaders with 15 goals and nine assists (24 points) in league play.
–Rau is on a 15-game point-scoring streak and a six-game goal-scoring streak.

–Friday’s quick goals–Kilpatrick scored at 12:41 of the second, eight seconds after Walsky’s game-winner at 12:33–rank fourth place among the fastest two goals in CC hockey history.
Here are the three quickest:
1. Feb. 1, 1952 (2 seconds) vs. Michigan Tech
2. Nov. 17, 2006 (5 seconds) vs. Minnesota State
3. Nov. 18, 1966 (6 seconds) vs. Lake Forest College

Sweatt Expected To Make U.S. National Junior team

All signs point to sophomore Bill Sweatt making his second U.S. national junior team, which will be announced tonight on Versus during the intermission of the Detroit Red Wings – Montreal Canadiens game at 5:30 MT. Forwards (Sweatt is a left wing) will be announced in the first intermission and defensemen and goaltenders will be announced during the second intermission.

The 2008 U.S. national junior team will travel to the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship on Dec. 26 – Jan. 5 in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic, meaning Sweatt would miss the Lightning College Hockey Classic in Tampa, Fla., and provided the U.S. makes the medal rounds, the Wisconsin series in Madison.

Sweatt helped the U.S. national junior team to a bronze medal in 2007.

Speaking of Sweatt: According to The Hockey News, his little blunder at the NHL draft combine is included in a new book Future Greats and Heartbreaks: A year undercover in the secret world of NHL scouts. Sweatt wasn’t able to participate in the combine because of a hurt wrist. The author couldn’t figure out why Sweatt didn’t lie about his wrist being cut at a frat party.

Does CC have another rival? Not really.

One of you asked if CC considered any teams, other than Denver, to be rivals. So I asked some players what they thought.

Defenseman Jack Hillen said: “I think you could throw Air Force in there maybe a little bit, because it’s always an intense series. It doesn’t matter what the records are for CC-Air Force. You know that that’s going to be a tough game. For me, I’d say, personally, Minnesota is right up there with Denver because I’m from Minnesota and you have fun playing those types of teams. Rivalries come and go, but right now, I’d pretty much say it’s just Denver.”

Left wing Bill Sweatt concurred.

“I guess you could say Minnesota because we’ve got a lot of guys from Minnesota and they want to beat their hometown team,” Sweatt said. “They are always big games. DU’s the biggest one. Minnesota’s up there, too. Wisconsin and North Dakota. Those are just big games.”

Was there any truth to the notion that Alaska-Anchorage could be sort of a rival after last season’s bench-clearing brawl?

“I don’t know what (the melee) was from,” Sweatt said. “I think that was just hot-heads in one game. It didn’t have anything to do with a rivalry. Over a 40-game season, things are going to happen like that. That’s just two teams wanting to compete and battle and win a game.”

As far as the other questions, I’m still working on the answers and I will get back to you soon. Keep ‘em coming!

CC-DU Week In Motion

For those who missed it, CC is back up to No. 4 in the polls, tying the highest poll position the Tigers have held this season.

Third-ranked Denver, this weekend’s opponent, will be the sixth ranked opponent in a row for CC.

This is how CC’s schedule thus far stacks up according to this week’s polls (with USA Today rank listed first, then USCHO.com rank):
No. 15/No. 13 Minnesota (10/19-20) W, W
No. 8/No. 8 New Hampshire (10/26-27) L, L
No. 5/No. 6 North Dakota (11/2-3) L, W
No. 12/No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth (11/9-10) W, W
No. 14/No. 12 Wisconsin (11/16-17) W, W
No. 3/No. 3 Denver (11/23-24)

And because everything this week is about how CC compares to Denver, here’s how the Pioneers’ schedule looks:
NR Maine (10/12-13) W, W
No. 9/No. 9 Notre Dame (10/18-19) L, W
No. 12/No.15 Minnesota-Duluth (10/26-27) W, L
No. 15/No. 13 Minnesota (11/2-3) W, W
NR Minnesota State (11/16-17) W, W
No. 4/No.4 CC (11/23-24)

First-place CC, with two games in hand, holds a four-point advantage over second-place Denver in the conference rankings.

What do you think about Denver’s strength of schedule so far, as compared with CC’s? Does it even matter with a rivalry like this?

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Tiger Tracks:

• The Calgary Flames (NHL) recalled former CC goaltender Curtis McElhinney Monday
• Thanks to Matt for this link to an interview with Brett Sterling on Hockey’s Future. Sterling says he learned he could play at the NHL level during his brief stint with the Atlanta Thrashers, he’s just refining his skills with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) and hoping for another chances.
• Trevor Frischmon made his stay with the Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) brief. Frischmon was called up to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) Monday.