Bachman recognized…again.

In case you missed it, goaltender Richard Bachman picked up his third Defensive Player of the Week honor from Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tuesday, the fifth time he has received recognition from the league. The Tigers remain ranked fourth in both weekly polls.

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Think Colorado College has a candidate for the Hobey Baker Award? Want to throw your weight behind Air Force’s Eric Ehn, who was a top-three finalist last season? Go to hobeybaker.com and follow the ‘Vote for Hobey’ links.
**I tried it Thursday afternoon to see if I could give more instruction, but it didn’t seem to be active yet.

Sign of things to come?
Bemidji State, which plays CC at World Arena on Jan. 18, will present its case to WCHA officials for admittance into the 10-team league on Jan. 13. With the demise of the Wayne State program, which is playing its final season this year, the five-team College Hockey America conference shrinks to four programs and the future of programs at BSU, Robert Morris, Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville looks bleak. Because a conference with fewer than six teams is not permitted to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the ability of CHA schools to recruit and be competitive would be extinguished. The CHA, which was started to help new programs make the transition to Division I, was granted an exception in 2005 that ends after this season.

Tiger Tracks
NHL:
It’s nothing new for long-time Tigers fans who watched Mike, Colin and Mark Stuart come through the ranks, but it’s still neat to think about what Colin’s recent call-up to the Atlanta Thrashers means to his family back in Rochester, Minn.

A look at the downside of being a back-up goaltender in the NHL gives Curtis McElhinney a shout-out for his work in 131 minutes of play this season.

AHL:
Former Colorado College center Brett Sterling was named a starter for the 2008 AHL All-Star game’s U.S. team, announced Thursday. The game will take place January 28 in Binghamton, N.Y. He’ll be joined by fellow CC alums Toby Petersen (Iowa Stars) and defenseman Brian Salcido (Portland Pirates).

ECHL:
Would-be senior James Brannigan, who departed CC in the summer only to be released by the Augusta Lynx (ECHL), got a belated Christmas present. Depleted by the call-up of former CC teammate Aaron Slattengren (who enjoyed a brief stint with the Manitoba Moose (AHL)), the Lynx signed Brannigan to a player try-out contract (a 25-game agreement) on Dec. 27. On Slattengren’s first night back in Georgia, Brannigan scored his first professional goal on former teammate Matt Zaba, who stopped 35 of 41 shots in the Charlotte Checkers’ loss.

Meanwhile, Trevor Frischmon could play his last AHL game Friday, when his PTO contract expires.

USHL/Recruiting Front:
Recruit Nick Dineen, who is slated to join the Tigers this fall, was named to the 2008 USHL Top Prospects/All-Stars game, to be played Jan. 29 in Green Bay, Wis.

Scouting No. 6 New Hampshire

Three things to keep in mind this week as CC heads into a two-game set at New Hampshire:

1. Kevin Regan The senior goaltender, who saved 30 of 31 shots in the Wildcats’ 4-1 win over Boston University, has an impressive career save percentage of .928 and 2.28 goals-against average in 61 games. Regan, named Hockey East defensive player of the week, is a big reason UNH was picked to finish first in its conference.

2. Big corners UNH’s Whittemore Center, which features an ice sheet with the same dimensions as the World Arena (200′ x 100′), is rumored to have nearly square corners (I’ll be pulling out my measuring tape). That means more space for the CC forwards to work with, but conversely, a tougher defensive task for the Tigers’ young defensemen.

3. Formidable top line The combination of LW James VanRiemsdyk, C Mike Radja, and RW Matt Fornatero will need some special attention. In the Wildcats’ first outing against Boston University, each had a goal and an assist. VanRiemsdyk might be “just a freshman,” but he’s already drawing comparisons to Minnesota’s Blake Wheeler. CC coach Scott Owens said the matchup between CC and New Hampshire should resemble last weekend’s games against Minnesota.

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Notes:
Right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (hip) will travel and is “very close,” coach Scott Owens said Tuesday, after he put Kilpatrick with center Chad Rau and left wing Scott Thauwald to test his progress…Stephen Schultz (undisclosed leg injury) and Dan Quilico (right ankle) did not make the travel roster but both are back to full-contact practicing…Read Owens’ Tuesday at the Rink chat transcript here…Elliot Olshansky puts his foot in his mouth after CC’s season-opening sweep of Minnesota.

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Recruiting Round-up:
One of CC’s recent commitments, Tim Hall, who is slated to join the Tigers next season, was named to the U.S. Junior Select team, which will compete Nov. 5-11 in Trail and Nelson, British Columbia, at the World Junior A Challenge. Nick Dineen, another forward recruit for 2008, is also on the 21-player roster.

Hall was also named a ‘B’ list of NHL Central Scouting’s Player To Watch list, released today. A ‘B’ rating indicates a potential third- to fifth-round draftee. Rylan Schwartz, who committed to join CC in 2009 but could enroll next fall, was given a ‘C’ rating, meaning he is a potential late-round selection. Central Scouting will release a midterm and final ranking before the NHL draft in June 2008.

Andrew Hamburg has endured quite a journey this fall. After being released from the Waterloo Black Hawks (United States Hockey League), Hamburg was picked up by the Texas Tornado (North American Hockey League), where he had one goal and one assist in two games. As pointed out by Ryan of the USHL blog, the Tornado traded Hamburg to the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL, where he now appears on the roster but not in the stats.

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Tiger Tracks:
In net for the Charlotte Checkers (ECHL), Matt Zaba stopped 29 of 30 shots in his first professional victory, a 5-1 win over the Augusta Lynx.. The lone goal for the Lynx was scored by Aaron Slattengren. Trevor Frischmon, who joined the Checkers Tuesday, had two assists.

Toby Petersen was named captain of the Iowa Stars (AHL).

Shortly after he allowed one goal on two shots in his NHL debut, Curtis McElhinney was sent packing to the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate.

Bachman Racks Up Honors

Goaltender Richard Bachman was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (see release below) and Inside College Hockey Player of the Week (here).

Also, a week after Denver was named “Team of the Week,” College Hockey News passed the honor to CC.

WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Richard Bachman
Fr., G, Colorado College

MADISON, Wis. – Richard Bachman, a freshman goaltender at Colorado College, has been named Red Baron® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 23-29 as a result of his outstanding play in a weekend sweep of two-time defending conference champion Minnesota.

A 5-10, 172-pound freshman from Highlands Ranch, Bachman stopped 61 of 63 shots on goal (.968 saves percentage) and posted five shutout periods, including one overtime, while backstopping the host Tigers to a 3-1 victory over the Golden Gophers last Friday (Oct. 19) and a 2-1 overtime win last Saturday (Oct. 20). They were his first two collegiate starts.

Bachman had 23 stops in the series opener and then came back with 38 saves in the series finale as CC swept UM at home for the first time since Feb. 5-6, 1999 and handed UM its first road sweep since Feb. 27-28, 2004 at Denver.

In addition, Bachman, an NHL draft choice of Dallas, also played a key role in the Tigers’ success on the penalty-kill against Minnesota, as CC held its opponents scoreless on all 11 power-play opportunities over the weekend.

Also nominated this week were: Michael-Lee Teslak, G, MTU; Alex Stalock, G, UMD; and Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, G, UND.

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Recruiting Round-up
There’s a possibility Rylan Schwartz, a recruit originally slated for 2009, could join Colorado College next season.

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Tiger Tracks:
Brandon Straub was recalled to the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) yesterday to replace Kyle Cumiskey, who was recalled by the Avalanche (it didn’t hurt that Dale Purinton was suspended for 25 games for this).
Straub signed a two-way AHL contract, which means he gets paid an AHL salary for any games played on that level. Straub was minus-3 with no points in three games for the Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL). Straub’s first AHL game could be against former Tigers Marty Sertich and Toby Petersen of the Iowa Stars on Oct. 27.

Matt Zaba will have a buddy in Charlotte; Trevor Frischmon signed with the Charlotte Checkers (ECHL).

Apparently, Brian Salcido took a bit of a beating on an East Coast swing with the Portland Pirates (AHL).

Curtis McElhinney made his NHL debut, but it wasn’t his strongest showing.

Scuffles Solidify CC Squad?

As defenseman Jack Hillen took a swing at classmate Derek Patrosso at Thursday’s captain’s practice, I couldn’t help but wonder if what Hillen had just told me about “great team chemistry” was null and void.

Part of it is that I grew up in basketball country. If one Tar Heel were to lash out at another like that, Roy Williams would probably have to resign.

Also, as a veteran of female teams, I can say unequivocally that if the same physical manifestation of frustration were to happen, the grudges would never dissolve and the group would quickly become fractured into cliques.

But I guess it’s different for men, as I have been learning in my second season of spending every day watching and talking to the Colorado College hockey team.

Thursday’s practice had more scuffles than in all of last season’s practices combined.

“Way to stay intense,” said senior Scott McCulloch, who had to pull apart Hillen and Patrosso, before reminding the Tigers of some basic ground rules. “Make sure, if you’re going to fight, that you take off your helmets so we’re not breaking hands.”

When I asked players about fighting with their teammates, they smiled forgivingly at me and explained what is an obvious concept to them.

“We’re just ready to play,” said defenseman Nate Prosser, who got chippy with freshman Stephen Schultz during the Tigers’ short-sided 3-on-3 game. “That’s just us being competitive…. It happens every day in juniors.”

Eric Walsky, who is more apt to stand to the side and watch after nursing his right wrist back from a potentially career-ending injury, said fighting is a “good thing.”

“It’s all subconscious,” he explained. “Nothing personal.” Walsky added that when a little fighting doesn’t happen, those frustrations can boil over in the locker room and destroy team chemistry. So, it’s like a safety valve? “Yep,” he said.

I’ll admit it: my brief tutorial on the subject of intrasquad fighting still left me somewhat flummoxed, especially as the players left the locker room laughing and talking as if they’d spent their practice sharing their feelings or doing team-bonding activities.

But I guess, as they explained to me, that’s exactly what they were doing. I think I just had a breakthrough.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about fighting within a team.

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Mark your calendars:
CC’s 2007-08 TV Schedule
(All Times MT)

Day & Date Opponent Network/Channel Time
Fri., Oct. 19 Univ. of Minnesota FSN Rocky Mountain 7:30 pm
Sat., Oct. 20 Univ. of Minnesota FSN Rocky Mountain 7 pm
Sat., Nov. 3 @ Univ. of North Dakota The CW (KXTU) 6 pm
Fri., Nov. 23 Univ. of Denver CET Network (Comcast) 7:30 pm
Sat., Dec. 1 @ Univ. of Alaska Anchorage The CW (KXTU) 9 pm
Fri., Jan. 4 @ Univ. of Wisconsin Big Ten Network 6 pm
Sat., Jan. 5 @ Univ. of Wisconsin CSTV 6 pm
Sat., Mar. 8 Univ. of Denver CET Network (Comcast) 7 pm

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Articles off of the WCHA conference call, held Wednesday morning:
–Shane Frederick of the The Free Press (Mankato) writes about the WCHA’s youthfulness.
–Elliott Olshansky of CSTV quotes Scott Owens and George Gwozdecky’s takes on the Rockies’ late-season surge. Previously, Olshansky says the Tigers are overrated. What do you think?

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Tiger Tracks:
Four former Tigers made opening-day NHL rosters: Brett Sterling (Atlanta Thrashers), Mark Stuart (Boston Bruins), Curtis McElhinney (Calgary Flames) and Tom Preissing (Los Angeles Kings).
–Will Stuart stick on the Bruins’ roster?
–Sterling gets love from readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s Thrashers blog. Also: makes Burnside’s watch list and earns a new nickname around Hotlanta.

It looks as though Brandon Straub will start his professional career with the Johnstown (Pa.) Chiefs (ECHL).

And what a lucky guy Matt Zaba is: he will begin with the Charlotte Checkers, an ECHL team in gorgeous North Carolina!

Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald asked Marty Sertich to give advice to Sioux senior Ryan Duncan about how to avoid a Hobey hangover.

Trevor Frischmon gets a shot to play another season in Syracuse (AHL).

Mike Stuart lands offer in Austria, while Peter Sejna‘s status remains unknown.