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, Anchorage 1 (9:19 of 2nd)

If you ask me, CC could use a good jolt. The Tigers’ transition isn’t there right now because Anchorage is doing a nice job of executing its game plan to frustrate CC to no end. That means being pesky and finishing checks all over the ice. The Tigers need to develop their playoff mentality. Defenseman Jake Gannon‘s hit may have helped. He just rocked an Anchorage player against the glass.

Injury Update for CC-DU Series

For CC:
–Right wing Addison DeBoer returned to practice for the first time since he was injured Feb. 22 at Minnesota-Duluth. DeBoer had separated his left shoulder, but looked strong during a 45-minute skate involving a lot of shooting drills. DeBoer was wearing a noncontact jersey.
–Defenseman Kris Fredheim, who missed six games with a shoulder injury earlier this season, was back at practice Tuesday after missing the second half of Saturday’s game against Minnesota State-Mankato with what he termed an “upper-body injury.” Fredheim was also in a noncontact jersey.
–Goaltender Richard Bachman, defensemen Jack Hillen and Jake Gannon, and right wing Eric Walsky took Tuesday’s practice off. As the season winds down, coach Scott Owens will often designate off days for certain players to keep them healthy and fresh down the stretch.

I’m at Denver today working on material for this weekend’s series and I also attended the 2008 Frozen Four press conference (separate posting above), where I spoke to Denver coach George Gwozdecky.

Gwozdecky had this to say about sophomore Tyler Ruegsegger, who has been out for a month with a groin injury but returned to practice this week:
“He did not have a lot of negative effects from practice. Obviously, his conditioning and his timing are not there because he’s been off for a month. But the biggest issue with his injury was not as big of a problem as he thought it was going to be. So, he’s made some great progress. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to our medical staff and Tyler because they’ve worked tirelessly on his rehab. There is a good chance that he will be in the lineup Friday and, if not Friday, Saturday.”

Ruegsegger had 10 goals and 10 assists in 24 games before his injury, including a goal and an assist in Denver’s 3-2 win over CC at Magness Arena in November.

No. 4 CC 4, No. 13 Minnesota-Duluth 0 (final)

Whoever uses the “Richard Bachman is a freshman” argument to deny him of post-season accolades would be a fool. Among his many accomplishments this season, Bachman became the first CC goaltender to shutout a series on the road Saturday, when he saved 29 shots in the Tigers’ 4-0 win over Duluth. Bachman ranks first in the nation in both goals against average (1.71) and save percentage (.935).

But as Bachman himself pointed out after the game, he had some help.

“I thought tonight the team played very well,” Bachman said. “I didn’t think they had too many grade-A shots. Even compared to last night, I thought our ‘d’ stepped up bigger, so that really helped a lot. …They did their job, which enabled me to do mine.”

Several of Tigers’ defensemen also played their best series of the season.
–Senior Jack Hillen, who had three assists Saturday, was mentioned several times among press-box members as the following: “best player on the ice,” “first-team All-America” and “best defenseman in the league.”
Duluth coach Scott Sandelin agreed after the game. “I like the way Jack Hillen plays,” Sandelin said. “He’s arguably one of the top defensemen in the league. Some people might not like the way he plays, but I do. He’s involved a lot in the play. I like his skating ability and he sees the ice.” Hillen, who leads WCHA defensemen in scoring and is tied for second nationally in that category, now has 28 points (3 goals, 25 assists), making him one of the top-scoring defensemen in recent CC history. (He needs 12 points to draw even with Brian Salcido, who had 40 points in the 2005-06 season.)
–Coach Scott Owens mentioned the series as Kris Fredheim‘s best in 2008.
–I can’t begin to list the number of key blocked shots by the defensemen or the odd-man rushes they thwarted, but Nate Prosser, Brian Connelly, Ryan Lowery and Jake Gannon all did an excellent job of keeping the play to the perimeter and chipping the puck up, off the glass, and out of the zone.
–Team defense was also at a premium. The ability of the Tigers’ forwards to keep the puck in the offensive zone could only be topped by that of the Clarkson series, but CC had more depth to work with that weekend.

**I didn’t get a chance to speak with him in the hustle and bustle that occurs after a game, but I spotted left wing Addison DeBoer (shoulder) with his left arm in a sling. I’ll catch up with him this week.

No. 3 CC 1, Michigan Tech 1 (end of 2nd)

Michigan Tech cranked it up in the second period, peppering goaltender Richard Bachman with 16 shots. Bachman made 16 saves, his best on a sequence starting with a shot from the top of the left circle by Malcolm Gwilliam. Bachman saved the left wing’s shot with his blocker and then made an eyebrow-raising glove save on the rebound attempt from center Peter Rouleau.

CC had 12 shots in the second, its best opportunity at 8:13 of the period when defenseman Jake Gannon ripped a shot from the point. Left wing Scott Thauwald got a second chance on the rebound and center Chad Rau tried to go up and over goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak, but went into his chest instead.

Some other thoughts:
–The Huskies were better able to sustain pressure in CC’s zone over the second half of the period. –The penalties piled up in the final two minutes while CC was on its second power play. Center Eric Walsky exchanged some blows with Michigan Tech left wing Jordan Baker.
–It’s definitely a face-off between two of the nation’s best goalies. Michigan Tech junior goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak ranks fourth in the country in GAA (1.72) and fourth in save percentage (.934). CC freshman goaltender Richard Bachman ranks second in GAA (1.58) and first in save percentage (.941).

Game day: CC 4, North Dakota 1 (final)

Goals:

5. Colorado College 4, North Dakota 1: Bill Sweatt (Jake Gannon), 19:49, en.
After CC killed a 6-on-4 advantage by the Sioux, defenseman Jake Gannon created a neutral-zone turnover and found Bill Sweatt for the breakout. Sweatt slung a wrist shot from the blue line to help the Tigers hit for the cycle (Can that term be applied here? Goals on power play, even strength, short-handed and empty net? It works for me).

Looking at the three (and one late add) keys:

1. Limit North Dakota to two goals or less. PASS.

In the Tigers’ three wins, they have held their opponent to a goal.
2. Score two even-strength goals. One short.

It’s hard to knock CC on this one since Scott Thauwald turned in the short-handed score. But even-strength offense has to continue to improve: 22 shots (only 17 from five-on-five) is simply not enough. The Tigers averaged 23.5 shots in the series and have managed 25 shots or fewer in three of the past four games.
3. Score first. PASS.

Thauwald’s goal was a straight hustle play, generated from CC’s aggression on the penalty kill. Thauwald got his first goal of the season while fighting the flu.

4. Score first in the third period/no third-period letdown. PASS.

Well, an empty-net goal wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but CC played an even third period with North Dakota and was outshot 9-8.

Quick quips:

Scott Thauwald on playing hard versus playing smart:

Whether it was getting the puck in, dumping it in, making a safe play, no turnovers on the blue line, we played a lot smarter tonight. I think we played harder tonight than last night. Last night we did play hard but tonight we finished our checks and we battled hard. Wall play was better tonight. That combined, we do that every night, we can be a scary team.

Scott Thauwald on Richard Bachman’s performance, especially in the first period:

It was unreal knowing that if we did make a mistake he had our backs. That’s not the typical first period. We don’t want to give up 18 shots with us having four. But that was huge. He’s been playing great.

Richard Bachman on added pressure Saturday:

I’d say there was a little bit. Just going on a three-game skid there and you want to stop that. Then, you’re away at a full-house in a big place. It’s a little bit of pressure, but I just tried to tune it all out again. It was definitely on the back of my mind a little bit.

Richard Bachman on what he learned from watching Friday’s game from the bench:

They pass a lot and they’re more patient when they have a shot. They also have that guy driving backdoor every time. Those little things and the things we covered on video helped me prepare, watching two games on video and stuff. That definitely helped….I wouldn’t be quite as aggressive, knowing there could be a guy backdoor. I tried to watch out for that, I knew they had some quick guys going right to that far post.

Richard Bachman on seeing the puck with North Dakota forwards like Chris VandeVelde parked in the crease:

Most of the time I could see it, I was just trying to look around him and stuff. A couple of them, I was just like, ‘Hit me, please.’ I just tried to stay big out there.

Jack Hillen on how the Tigers regained their focus after Friday’s shellacking:We dissected last night’s game, we watched some film. Some guys, especially the seniors and myself, we got talked to a little bit and got challenged to play better because we needed to be a little bit grittier, win some more puck battles, move our feet a little bit more. It wasn’t really the X’s and O’s that killed us last game. It was not winning the little battles and not being tough enough and gritty enough.

Saturday by the numbers:

4 — North Dakota and CC have split the last four series. The last sweep for either team occurred Jan. 14-15, 2005, when the Tigers swept UND at World Arena.

38-21–The Fighting Sioux’s faceoff advantage.

3-3–CC’s record after facing then-No. 3 Minnesota, then-No. 6 New Hampshire and No. 3 North Dakota.

37–Percent of shots that came from the Scott McCulloch–Tyler Johnson–Eric Walsky line.

1-3–Record against Minnesota and North Dakota the last time CC played only one regular-series against each team and faced the Gophers at home and the Fighting Sioux on the road (2003-04).

21–Number of saves Richard Bachman made before giving up a goal.

0–The amount of power-play goals North Dakota scored. The Fighting Sioux have been held scoreless on the power play in each of their losses and in the tie to Boston College.

Gameday Final: CC 3, Minnesota 1

Looking back at the Three Keys:
1. Limit neutral-zone turnovers: The Tigers spent all week in practice preparing for the odd-man rushes that Minnesota generates out of the neutral zone. Even though the Gophers had more odd-man rushes than assistant coach Joe Bonnett would have liked, and scored on one, the Tigers’ defensemen and backchecking forwards did a good job of funneling the puck to one side so that goaltender Richard Bachman could have a clear shot.

2. Defensive effort/physical play: See above. Also, as he did often last year, right wing Cody Lampl made several back-cracking checks to set the tone for the Tigers. Left wing Billy Sweatt, defenseman Jake Gannon and defenseman Nate Prosser also showed some tenacity.

3. Limit excessive penalties: CC took one fewer penalty than the Gophers (six total, including two roughing penalties). Bachman and the penalty killers were exemplary, holding Minnesota to just five shots on four power plays. Scott McCulloch’s near-shorthanded goal in the second period, which hit the left post, was a pure hustle play.

Goals:
First Period
Colorado College 1, Minnesota 0: Bill Sweatt (Andreas Vlassopoulos, Jack Hillen), 12:28, pp. Vlassopoulos collected the puck off the back wall and sent a pass to Sweatt, who one-timed it past Frazee and inside the right post for the Tigers’ first goal of the year.
“For me, it was an amazing feeling, especially coming in a big game like this and against a team like the Gophers,” Sweatt said.
Colorado College 1, Minnesota 1: Cade Fairchild (Blake Wheeler, Ben Gordon), 13:07. Just 39 seconds after CC scored, Minnesota’s classic odd-man rush came out of the neutral zone and did a nice tic (Gordon) -tac (Wheeler) -toe (Fairchild) around defenseman Jake Gannon and inside the right post.

Second Period
Colorado College 2, Minnesota 1: Eric Walsky (Scott Thauwald), 0:25. Defenseman Nate Prosser created a turnover in the Tigers’ defensive corner. Thauwald scooped up the loose puck and fed Walsky who sliced through the Minnesota defense and beat Frazee.
Here’s how he described it: “I was really looking for the pass the whole time and then I saw that the goalie was cheating. I kind of shot mid-stride and wasn’t planning on it, so…I got a lot of crap from the guys.”

Third Period
Colorado College 3, Minnesota 1: Derek Patrosso (Vlassopoulos, Sweatt), 11:04. Sweatt sent a pass along the back wall to Vlassopoulos, who fed Patrosso on the right side of the crease. Frazee covered low so Patrosso went high.
“When you’re young, you’re taught that when you’re in close like that to try to go upstairs,” Patrosso said. “It was a natural instinct to wait it out and wait for him to go down and then go upstairs.”

Extra Stats:
–CC’s penalty kill: 4 for 4
–CC’s power play: 1 for 5
–Faceoffs: Minnesota 27, CC 25
CC’s top faceoff man: Chad Rau 13/25
Minnesota’s top faceoff man: Blake Wheeler 10/15

Non-stop

When practice wrapped at 10:30 Tuesday night, Colorado College junior Cody Lampl had some words for the players stretching around him.

“That was awesome,” he said, exhaling and prompting nods from the rest of the team.

Coach Scott Owens had 16 skaters and three goaltenders dripping with sweat after the high-intensity workout.

For the first time, the Tigers were organized into lines, which I’ll put below. But I wouldn’t place too much significance on them, considering that forwards Andreas Vlassopoulos, Chad Rau, and Tyler Johnson were not at practice. Defensemen Jake Gannon and Ryan Lowery also did not show.

Until October 6, the date of CC’s season-opening exhibition against Calgary and the first official day of practice, players are not required to attend the thrice-weekly workouts. Usually, the only reasons the players will miss practice is for an academic purpose or for medically mandated rest.

Those who did attend participated in offensively minded drills, including the “three-goal” drill, in which one goal is placed at center ice and two are placed in the corners. The team is divided into two and the drill promotes offensive creativity and vision. If one net is clogged, players who go to the open space are often rewarded with breakaway and 2-on-1 situations. Some of the highlights of the three-goal drill were freshman goaltender Richard Bachman, who continues to impress with his saves, and sophomore wing Mike Testwuide, who said his left knee (partial tear of the medial collateral ligament) is healed, looked quicker to the puck than last year.

Testwuide said he focused on increasing his leg strength and speed in the off-season. When I asked Testwuide if he was planning on being involved more in cycling the puck than just sitting in front of the net, he assured me, “No, no, I’ll be there.”

[in no particular order]
Red McCulloch–Thauwald–Testwuide
White Sweatt–Walsky (not enough players to complete line)
Gold Overman–McMillin–Lampl
Blue DeBoer–Schultz–Patrosso

Defensemen: Wysopal, Fredheim, Hillen, Connelly, Prosser
Goalies: O’Connell, O’Brien, Bachman
***
Assigned to Manchester (AHL) Tuesday night, former Tiger Richard Petiot will not return to the Centennial State when the the Kings play the Avalanche in a 7 p.m. preseason tilt.

Coaches Emphasize Precision

With assistant coaches Norm Bazin and Joe Bonnett running practice Monday, the speed was cranked up a notch. Colorado College players spent most of the 90-minute practice split into separate groups: the forwards worked with Bazin and the seven-man defensive unit worked with Bonnett. No special teams work as of yet.

Among the forwards’ focal points were precision passing and toughness. One drill was devoted to taking hits along the glass while protecting the puck.

On the defensive end of things, senior Jack Hillen and junior Jake Gannon took charge, setting a hard-working pace in footwork drills.

Alternate captain Jimmy Kilpatrick (hip) and reserve sophomore Dan Quilico (ankle) watched practice from the bench.

Coach Scott Owens and athletic director Ken Ralph observed practice.

***
Both members of the St. Louis Blues’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, last season, Peter Sejna and Mike Stuart remain on the free agent list. Although I never saw Sejna play for CC, I can’t imagine that many predicted he would be on the outside looking in at 27 years old. See Sejna’s career numbers here. Sejna won the 2003 Hobey Baker Award.

In reference to his bad-luck injury, former CC goaltender Curtis McElhinney says he is still adjusting to the NHL.

Recent CC grad Matt Zaba was released from New York Rangers training camp and will report to Hartford (AHL). Defenseman Brian Salcido will report to Portland (AHL).

Also, Thrashers win 4-3 in OT with two goals from Joey Crabb, one from Brett Sterling and an assist from Colin Stuart. Crabb, one of 13 players reassigned from training camp, will return to Chicago (AHL).

Tiger Tracks and Practice Notes

After watching classmate Brandon Straub compete Sunday at Avalanche rookie camp in Centennial, former Colorado College goaltender Matt Zaba boarded a plane bound for New York on Wednesday. According to Newsday’s New York Rangers beat writer, Zaba is displaying his Tiger pride at Rangers training camp.

Former Tiger Mark Cullen (1998-02) signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings in July. He’s one of 68 players on the Red Wings’ training camp roster.

This is a little old, but better late than never: Tyler Liebel, a right wing who played for CC from 2000 to 2004, will return to the Wichita Thunder of the Central Hockey League this season.

***

Some notes from captain’s practice (Tuesday, Sept. 11)

The Tigers didn’t scrimmage, aside from a chippy game of continuous 3-on-3 hockey at the north end of the rink. Freshman Tyler Johnson, who is listed as 5-foot-8, 155 pounds, caught some glass-bending checks from junior defenseman Jake Gannon. Johnson’s hands are as quick as advertised. A few of Johnson’s shifty moves to goal prompted ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the onlooking players, so maybe Gannon was hoping to toughen Johnson up for significant minutes this season. I will look into this at the next practice.

Aside from the 3-on-3, CC did tons of skating, shooting and conditioning drills. I happened to be sitting at the south end of the rink during one round of 4-on-goal. Freshman goaltender Richard Bachman stopped eight or nine shots and rebounds during one impressive succession, which left some of the forwards shaking their heads in disbelief. The drill was not intended to be a “goalie success” drill.

Injured alternate captain Jimmy Kilpatrick (hip labrum) appeared in sweats and watched practice from behind the glass with trainer Jason Bushie and strength coach Mark Stephenson. The practice was scheduled from 9:15-10:15, but Stephenson put the Tigers through a few extra conditioning drills at the end.

Lastly, it took me about 10 minutes to figure out that sophomore forward Addison DeBoer was on the ice because I simply did not recognize him. In a few months time, DeBoer is taller, his neck is thicker and his shoulders are broader — all indications that some hard work occurred over the summer. After the skate, I spoke with him about his summer training regimen.

In addition to skating “a lot” and training six days a week, DeBoer also worked 40 hours a week for the City of Spring Lake Park (Minn.), his hometown, picking up trash, landscaping and working on other public works projects.

DeBoer added at least 10 pounds and “an inch or so,” which puts him at 6-foot, 190 pounds, he said.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” DeBoer said of his growth spurt.

He said he can tell the difference on the ice. So can I.

***

Other notes:
–Some might have missed the audio slideshow that Gazette photographer Todd Spoth and I produced about Straub’s experience at Avalanche rookie camp. Check it out here.

–For those of you that will be out of the area over the Thanksgiving weekend, it might behoove you to know that Denver’s new Webcast service will carry the Nov. 24 CC-DU matchup at Magness Arena. It’ll cost you $8.95, but you know how the Visa commercials go.