No. 10 Minnesota State-Mankato 3, No. 4 CC 2 (OT)

Not only does Colorado College have to wait another week to clinch at least a share of the MacNaughton Cup, the Tigers will have to win a game over their archrival, No. 7 Denver, meaning there’s more than just the Gold Pan at stake next weekend.

“There’s a lot of hardware on the line,” right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick said. “You’ve got the Gold Pan, you’ve got the MacNaughton. It’s a huge rivalry and the biggest thing is getting the momentum back after a tough loss tonight.”

The locker room was deathly silent after CC was stunned 16 seconds into overtime (and over the course of the third period) when Mankato right wing Kael Mouillierat slammed the puck into goaltender Richard Bachman‘s pads with such force that it flipped into the net.

The Tigers won 44 of 73 faceoffs (60 percent) Saturday, but two of those lost draws resulted in Mankato’s comeback. The Mavericks scored two goals off faceoffs in less than 5 minutes early in the third period.

Center Chad Rau, who lost a draw to Andrew Sackrison that set-up Mankato’s first goal, summed it up best.

“Letting up the lead in our own building. . . . It stinks,” he said.

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

No. 4 CC 2, No. 13 Minnesota-Duluth 0 (end of 2nd period)

Colorado College centers Andreas Vlassopoulos and Chad Rau scored two goals within 25 seconds to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
CC managed to kill three penalties in the final 10 minutes of the period, thanks to nine saves by goaltender Richard Bachman, who had 15 saves in the frame. Bachman’s best sequence came when he made three consecutive saves on shots by Duluth’s Michael Gergen and two from Drew Akins.
After left wing Scott McCulloch missed his third breakaway of the game, Bachman preserved the 0-0 tie with a chest save on right wing Justin Fontaine.
A minute later, CC’s Jimmy Kilpatrick dug the puck out of the right corner and passed to Vlassopoulos in the right circle. Vlassopoulos’ shot beat goaltender Alex Stalock five-hole to give CC the 1-0 lead.
Just 25 seconds later, right wing Mike Testwuide caused Duluth’s Josh Meyers to turn over the puck at the blue line. Testwuide skated hard into the offensive zone and made a cross-slot pass to Rau, who finished gloveside on Stalock.

**Addison DeBoer has not returned to the bench after leaving the ice midway through the first period with an unknown injury.

Game day: No. 3 CC 2, Air Force 1 (final)

A rivalry? You decide.

• CC improved to 56-6-2 in 64 meetings against Air Force
• CC won its 25th game in a row against the Falcons and extended its unbeaten streak to 29-0-1 in last 30 games
• However, in the last two outings, the score has been CC 2, Air Force 1.

Keys to the game:

1. CC went 2 of 5 on the power play.
2. Air Force’s Josh Schaffer was whistled for a high-sticking, contact to the head during a face-off about eight minutes into the second period, putting the Falcons down two men. The Tigers scored with three seconds left in the five-on-three to go up 2-0.
3. CC right wing Mike Testwuide iced the puck after a face-off with 50.0 seconds left, but the clock only ticked off 1.7 seconds. Referee Brad Albers went to review the video and reset the clock to 37.5 seconds left. With the flurry the Falcons were creating before the buzzer went off–they got four shots in that final bit–that call ensured CC the win.

You may have missed new features on www2.gazette.com/tigerden:

• Post-game interviews
• Zoom-in quizzes on Jimmy Kilpatrick and Scott McCulloch

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

Game day: No. 4 CC 6, Alaska-Anchorage 1 (final)

How it happened:
After settling for outside shots in a scoreless first period, Colorado College honed in on high-percentage shots in the second and third periods. All six goals came from beneath the tops of the circles, and all three second-period goals were scored from goaltender Jon Olthuis‘ doorstep.

Of the 10-3 margin in shots after the first period, center Eric Walsky said: “Those were really more perimeter shots. We weren’t really getting any good opportunities or using our speed. We were kind of lackadaisical.”

Fun stats:
–Right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick, who had a goal and three assists tonight, has 21 career points (7 g, 14 a) in 11 games against Anchorage.
“I’ve had success in the past and you feel good playing teams like that,” said Kilpatrick, who has had a point against Anchorage in nine of 11 career games.
Kilpatrick has had three three-point nights and two four-point nights against the Seawolves.
Kilpatrick’s best series against Anchorage came in his freshman year at Sullivan Arena, when he chalked up a goal and two assists in a 6-1 win Friday and followed up the next night with four assists in a 7-2 win.

–CC now has scored three goals in the third period of four of the last five games (say that three times fast). In three of four games entering tonight, the Tigers were held scoreless in the first 40 minutes. But against Anchorage, the Tigers chipped in three second-period goals.
“That’s something that we’ve been focusing on for quite a few games now since we’ve been having such slow starts,” Walsky said. “Tonight, we finally put it into action a little better than in previous nights.”

–CC hasn’t scored a first-period goal since taking a 2-0 lead after a period in a 5-4 overtime loss to UMass on Dec. 30.
In the second period, “we made a point to come out hard because we had another slow first period,” Walsky said.

–Goaltender Richard Bachman has kept opponents scoreless in seven of the last nine periods played. In the last three games, Bachman has saved 69 of 70 shots for a paltry 0.66 goals against average and a 0.980 save percentage.

–Of the nine goals Walsky has scored this season, three have come against Anchorage, which he transferred from after the 2005-06 season.
Asked if the Seawolves bring out the best in him, Walsky said:
“No, I think I just got some bounces. If that were an ordinary game, they would have all hit the post or something. But tonight I had bounces going my way. It felt good.”
No extra spark, really?:
“No, there really isn’t. I try to take every game as seriously as the next. But it definitely feels really good against my ex-team and teammates. It’s a little bit of a pride issue. But I don’t think I play any differently against them than any other team.”

–After not scoring in his first 16 games, center Tyler Johnson has two goals in three games….Left wing Scott McCulloch, who led the Tigers with 18 goals last season, has two goals in two games to bring his season total to four.

In case you miss it in tomorrow’s paper (www2.gazette.com/tigerden):
Former CC goaltender Matt Zaba (2003-07) was reassigned from the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) to the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL). He’ll join Colorado Springs native Kellen Briggs, who played from 2003-07 at Minnesota, in the goaltending rotation.

Game day: No. 4 CC vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Pregame notes:
1. Junior Eric Walsky will play tonight, despite injuring his right wrist Wednesday. Walsky skated briefly in a noncontact jersey toward the end of Thursday’s practice with heavy tape on his wrist. Walsky will center the fourth line, so he’ll only play about 12 minutes at most. But Walsky’s presence means the Tigers will have a full lineup. I would have to guess that with center Chad Rau available Sunday against either UMass or No. 6 Notre Dame – UMass knocked off the Fighting Irish 4-3 in the first game – coach Scott Owens will give Walsky a rest.

2. Who is going to replace Cody Lampl? Owens liked to say that Lampl never had to score a point or dish an assist to make a contribution to the Tigers. Lampl’s high-energy, big-hitting style of play reminded his teammates to finish their checks. But with Lampl suspended until January 2009 unless his appeal is successful, CC will have to find another way (or ways) to generate that same spark. Most are looking to left wing Scott McCulloch, but right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick said Thursday that it will have to be a collective effort.

3. Goalies tend to be a superstitious bunch, but goaltender Richard Bachman is excited to debut a new set of pads tonight. Instead of a metallic gold, these leg pads have a yellow gold that matches more closely that of the Tigers’ uniform. Bachman said the equipment company rep delivered his pads to his house in Highlands Ranch just before Christmas and he started breaking them in during his week off. He prefers stiffer pads, so he said he’s happy to have a new set midseason. As for the glove, Bachman has been working extra hard to break that in. “It’s still a little stiff,” he said.

4. CC practiced this morning at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, Fla., about 15 minutes from the team hotel.

Lines:
Colorado College
10 Thauwald–17 Johnson–23 Kilpatrick
26 McCulloch–19 Vlassopoulos–5 DeBoer
28 Schultz–9 McMillin–25 Testwuide
12 Quilico–22 Walsky–18 Overman

8 Hillen–15 Prosser
27 Wysopal–4 Gannon
11 Connelly–24 Lowery

30 Bachman
31 O’Connell
1 O’Brien

RPI
23 Colling–17 Lord–16 Klerer
15 Helfrich–8 Morissette–26 Contini
27 Uryadov–11 Kerins–21 Polacek
9 Ornelas–22 Angers-Goulet–10 Halpern

6 Merth–7 Foss
4 Brutlag–3 Jensen
12 Vassel–2 Burgdoerfer

31 Lange
1 Alford
25 Neubert

Game day: No. 4 CC 4, Alaska-Anchorage 1 (final)

Three thoughts:
1. The Tigers must be more determined about getting shots on net. Last night’s total of 16 simply isn’t enough. CC was outshot 46-36 overall with the breakdown like this:
–Shots blocked by defense: CC 10, UAA 12
–Shots off target: CC 9, UAA 6
–Pipes: CC 1, UAA 0
–Shots on target: CC 16, UAA 28
How CC fared Saturday: The Tigers were outshot 25-23. Early in the game, Anchorage was doing a great job of blocking shots, especially from CC’s defensemen. But the game opened up once the Seawolves scored and the defensemen started to change the shooting angle. CC ended up taking 52 shots total to Anchorage’s 42.
The breakdown:
–Shots blocked by defense: CC 17, UAA 10
–Shots off target: CC 10, UAA, 7
–Pipes: CC 2, UAA 0
–Shots on target: CC 23, UAA 25

2. Anchorage came off of a bye week. CC is heading into one. Who wants it more?
How CC fared: The Tigers got great goaltending from Drew O’Connell Friday and Richard Bachman Saturday. The pair combined to hold Anchorage by saving 52 of 53 shots. CC allowed its first power-play goal since Nov. 2, but has killed 34 of the last 35 penalties. The power play, thanks to opportunistic play from the Kilpatrick-Rau-McCulloch-Connelly-Lampl group, regained its somewhat shaky footing with two goals Saturday. All in all, CC gained some confidence heading into its next road series at St. Cloud State, but could stand to up the ante on offense after scoring just four power-play goals in the last three games.

3. Can the Tigers earn a road sweep? North Dakota beat Denver 3-1, meaning CC could pull six points ahead of the Pioneers, who have two games in hand, in Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.
How CC fared: The Tigers proved they could get gritty on the road and rose to the occasion over the last 30 minutes of Saturday’s game. With Denver’s loss, the two points proved to be quite important. As right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick pointed out after the game, Anchorage hadn’t been swept by any team home or away this season. Even though the Seawolves are in last place in the WCHA, they are much more disciplined than in years past and if they can get a few more goals, could be a dangerous team. Could be interesting in mid-January when the teams meet again.

Briefly:
–There was a brief moment with two minutes left — after left wing Cody Lampl was checked from behind by Anchorage’s Chris Tarkir and defenseman Kris Fredheim went for retaliation — where it looked as if the series might end with a brawl as it did last December at World Arena.
“I must say I had a little flashback,” coach Scott Owens said. “But (coach) Dave (Shyiak) did a good job of getting everyone settled down.”

–Best fashion statement: Defenseman Ryan Lowery, inspired by classmate Brett Wysopal, was sporting some moccasins he bought Saturday in Anchorage with his CC windsuit.

Colorado College
10 Thauwald–14 Rau–23 Kilpatrick
21 Sweatt–19 Vlassopoulos–25 Testwuide
26 McCulloch–17 Johnson–22 Walsky
2 Lampl–9 McMillin-18 Overman

8 Hillen–15 Prosser
7 Fredheim–4 Gannon
11 Connelly–27 Wysopal

30 Bachman
31 O’Connell

Alaska-Anchorage
21 Lunden–20 Crowder–9 Clark
24 Tassone–37 Cartwright–18 Tarkir
8 Selby–17 Parkinson–7 DayChief
28 Haddad–34 McCabe–16 Grant

4 LaFranchise–33 Robinson
13 Backstrom–23 Vidmar
10 Lovdahl–22 Tuton

30 Olthuis
39 Gordon
21 Mayo

Game day: No. 7 Colorado College vs. No. 9 Wisconsin

Note:
–Wisconsin forwards Aaron Bendickson (leg) and Matthew Ford (apparent shoulder) left the game in the first period and second period, respectively. Neither will play Saturday.

First period:
Colorado College 1, Wisconsin 0: Jimmy Kilpatrick 3 (Chad Rau 5, Jake Gannon 2), 12:53.
Boy, was right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick hungry for a goal. Kilpatrick had tipped a shot from Ryan Lowery past goaltender Shane Connelly about three minutes earlier, but the puck hit the left post. Then, 14 seconds before Kilpatrick scored, he missed a sneaky cross from Chad Rau. The line regained the puck and Rau found Kilpatrick in the left circle. Kilpatrick took a couple of touches and wristed a shot through traffic, beating Connelly (screened by Kyle Klubertanz) five-hole.

Second period:
Colorado College 2, Wisconsin 0: Chad Rau 4 (Jimmy Kilpatrick 3), 1:43.
Rau sliced into the slot from the left circle and put a hard wrist shot on net, about chest-height on Connelly, who was in his butterfly stance. Connelly couldn’t handle the puck and it flipped over his right shoulder into the goal.

Colorado College 2, Wisconsin 1: Michael Davies (Ben Grotting, Kyle Turris), 3:26.
On a face-off in CC’s offensive zone, Kyle Turris got enough of the puck to win the draw against Brian McMillin and right wing Ben Grotting took off with it down the ice. Grotting found Michael Davies, who beat Richard Bachman to the left post for the score.

Colorado College 2, Wisconsin 2: John Mitchell (Ryan McDonagh, Jamie McBain), 19:02.
John Mitchell got his own rebound off of the shin pads of defenseman Jack Hillen, who had blocked Mitchell’s first shot. Mitchell put the puck on net and caught Bachman scrambling.

Third period:
Colorado College 2, Wisconsin 3: Blake Geoffrion (Josh Engel), 0:24.
On the first shift of the period, Josh Engel ripped a shot from the slot, which Bachman kicked away with his right leg pad–right onto the stick of Blake Geoffrion, who was crashing the net.

Colorado College 3, Wisconsin 3: Chad Rau 5 (Nate Prosser 2), 3:21, sh.
On CC’s third penalty kill of the game, defenseman Nate Prosser caused a turnover along the boards and skated a couple of steps before he saw Rau sliding behind two Wisconsin defensemen. Rau’s low shot from the slot beat Connelly five-hole. It was the Tigers’ third short-handed goal of the season and third in four games. Rau joins Scott Thauwald and Brian McMillin in the short-handed goal-scorers club.

Colorado College 4, Wisconsin 3: Jimmy Kilpatrick 4 (Nate Prosser 3), 12:11.
Prosser finds Kilpatrick at the outer part of the left circle. Kilpatrick’s wrist shot beat Connelly over his left shoulder, hitting the far top corner of the net for the senior’s second game-winning goal of the season.

Inside the stats:

• CC won the face-off battle against Wisconsin, securing 62 percent of the face-offs. It was by far the Tigers’ best mark of the season and only the second time in nine games they have won more than 50 percent of the face-offs.
• The numbers (won/total): Vlassopoulos 11/19, Rau 7/14, McMillin 6/7, Johnson 5/1, Patrosso 4/1, Walsky 3/5, Thauwald 1/2, Kilpatrick 0/1, Fredheim 0/1.
• Here are the game-by-game stats for percent of face-offs won: Minnesota Game 1: 45 percent; Minnesota Game 2; 38 percent; New Hampshire Game 1: 36 percent; New Hampshire Game 2: 42 percent; North Dakota Game 1: 45 percent; North Dakota Game 2, 52 percent; Minnesota-Duluth Game 1, 45 percent; Minnesota-Duluth Game 2, 48 percent.

Lines:

Colorado College
10 Thauwald–14 Rau–23 Kilpatrick
21 Sweatt–19 Vlassopoulos–16 Patrosso
26 McCulloch–17 Johnson–22 Walsky
28 Schultz–9 McMillin–2 Lampl

8 Hillen–15 Prosser
7 Fredheim–4 Gannon
11 Connelly–24 Lowery

30 Bachman
31 O’Connell
1 O’Brien

Wisconsin
22 Street–19 Turris–18 Ford
6 Engel–5 Geoffrion–10 Johnson
24 Mitchell–16 Dolan–8 Turnbull
9 Davies–13 Bendickson–14 Grotting

7 Smith–20 Klubertanz
4 Drewiske–27 Goloubef
17 McDonagh–2 McBain

35 Connelly
1 Gudmandson

Game day: CC 1, Minnesota-Duluth 1 (end of 1st)

Goals:

1. Colorado College 1, Minnesota-Duluth 0: Andreas Vlassopoulos 1 (Derek Patrosso 1, Bill Sweatt 4), 14:07.
Bill Sweatt took the puck full-speed toward the wall and made a spinning pass to Derek Patrosso. Patrosso passed the puck behind Duluth goaltender Alex Stalock and Andreas Vlassopoulos knocked it into the upper left corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

2. Colorado College 1, Minnesota-Duluth 1: Matt McKnight 1 (Nick Kemp 3), 17:28, sh.
On the only power play of the period for either team, CC right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick turned the puck over at the left circle, sending Nick Kemp off to the races. In a 2-on-1 against defenseman Brian Connelly, Kemp made a cross-slot pass onto the stick of Matt McKnight, who finished inside the right post for the shorthanded score.

• Bachman has 10 saves, while Stalock has 11
• CC outshot UMD 12-11 for the period, but the Bulldogs had several second-chance shots. Stalock is not giving up rebounds.