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. 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. 4 CC 0, No. 13 Minnesota-Duluth 0 (end of 1st)

Tied 0-0 after a period, two unfortunate plays will make the going tough for Colorado College over the next two periods against Minnesota-Duluth.
Midway through the period, left wing Addison DeBoer took a blind-sided open-ice check and was able to drag himself to the bench, where he gripped his left shoulder, grimaced and rocked back and forth. When a penalty was whistled less than two minutes later, DeBoer and trainer Jason Bushie left the ice. DeBoer has not returned.
Then, DeBoer got some company in the locker room when defenseman Nate Prosser checked Duluth’s Andrew Carroll into the boards and was called for checking from behind and the accompanying game misconduct, which will make him ineligible for the last 40 minutes tonight. Duluth didn’t get much off of the subsequent five-minute power play, but still has 2:15 left in the man-advantage.

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

Sunday Sundries

Taking stock of North Dakota’s talent and musings on Grand Forks:
Talking about the Hobey Baker Award in early November is about as absurd as Christmas music playing at the mall already. That being said, the four North Dakota players in the top 10 of CSTV.com’s Hobey Watch were as advertised. I would put T.J. Oshie at the top of the group. As nasty (and legal) as that hit was on defenseman Nate Prosser, it showed Oshie’s well-roundedness. At 6 feet, 192 pounds, Oshie had chalked up a goal and an assist before unleashing his fury on Prosser–and that was all in the first eight minutes of Friday’s game. He’s fast, he’s physical and, as CC goaltender Richard Bachman and I discussed on the plane at 5 a.m. this morning (before passing out), he’s scary good. The Tigers should be thanking their lucky stars they don’t have to face North Dakota in the regular season again. The two teams would be a sweet matchup in the Final Five, but there’s a lot of season left to go. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and end up on a flight back to Grand Forks in March. I can only handle one Grand Forks trip per year.

Recruiting Roundup:

• Forward Rylan Schwartz, who leads Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League rookies in point-scoring and is seventh in overall standings, was named SJHL Rookie of the Month for October. Schwartz will join the Tigers in 2008 or 2009.
• In his first United States Hockey League season, forward Dakota Eveland has contributed to the Omaha Lancers’ 8-2 start with a goal and an assist in seven games. Eveland is tabbed for the 2010 incoming class.

Tiger Tracks:

• Looks like Peter Sejna made his debut with Zurich of the Swiss-A league.
• Mark Stuart‘s overtime play helps the Boston Bruins top the Buffalo Sabres.
• Matt Zaba continues to follow my well-beaten path between Connecticut and North Carolina. After a brief stint in Hartford, Conn., with the American Hockey League’s Wolf Pack, Zaba returned Friday to the Charlotte (N.C.) Checkers of the East Coast Hockey League.

Game day: CC 0, North Dakota 3 (end of 1st)

Goals:
1. Colorado College 0, North Dakota 1: T.J. Oshie (Robbie Bina, Taylor Chorney), 3:29, pp. Left wing Scott McCulloch took a hooking penalty to prevent an open shot by Evan Trupp in the slot. Just 26 seconds into the ensuing power play, Bina’s pass from the far side of the right circle sailed across the slot to Oshie, who finished top-shelf and backdoor on goaltender Drew O’Connell.
–Assistant coach Joe Bonnett stressed one thing to his penalty killers this week: don’t let them get “inside.” To interpret hockey-speak, he meant that CC players shouldn’t let North Dakota’s forwards get between them and the goal. When he got the puck, Oshie had the inside position on defenseman Nate Prosser, so there was no chance of recovering. Easy goal.

2. Colorado College 0, North Dakota 2: Ryan Duncan (T.J. Oshie, Chris VandeVelde), 4:19. Only 50 seconds later, another goal was in the back of the net. North Dakota’s top line created a three-on-two rush and O’Connell, without another option, came out to challenge Oshie. The right wing sent the puck to the left post and Duncan, who had beat recovering CC players down the ice, redirected it into the net.
–Defensive breakdown.

3. Colorado College 0, North Dakota 3: Derrick LaPoint (Ryan Duncan), 10:27.
Another 3-on-2 rush, this time against defensemen Jack Hillen and Brian Connelly. Even though they protected the inside, LaPoint nudged in Duncan’s pass into the crease, sneaking in his stick from behind Connelly.
–Connelly might have thought the shot had crossed the goal line? Mental error? Still befuddled. Connelly should have had a stick on it.

Notes:
–Sioux scored on first three shots of the game, but don’t be fooled–goaltender Drew O’Connell had zero support.
–CC outshot North Dakota 9-6, its best chance coming on the Tigers’ second power play when right wing Eric Walsky and left wing Scott McCulloch created a 2-on-1 rush. McCulloch’s shot required a full split from goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux.
–Defenseman Nate Prosser has not reappeared on the bench after Oshie checked him into the boards behind the net about six minutes into the first period.

Gameday: CC 3, New Hampshire 5

Goals:
First period
Colorado College 1, New Hampshire 0: Eric Walsky (Tyler Johnson), 2:12. Johnson put the puck on net from the left circle, making goaltender Kevin Regan stop it with his body first. Walsky slid the puck under Regan as he tried to smother it with his body.

Colorado College 2, New Hampshire 0: Jimmy Kilpatrick (Chad Rau), 9:40. Less than 30 seconds into a four-on-four situation, Rau wins the puck in the neutral zone and Kilpatrick joins for a two-on-one rush. Kilpatrick catches Rau’s pass in the slot and slings the puck over Regan’s blocker, just inside the left post, to score on his first shot of the season.

Colorado College 2, New Hampshire 1: Bobby Butler (Brad Flaishans, Mike Radja), 9:48. On the subsequent face-off, won by Mike Radja, Flaishans collected the puck and passed to Butler, who caught O’Connell moving and finished with a low wrist shot. The announcer had not finished saying the previous scoring line, marking the second time this season the Tigers have given up a goal within a minute of scoring.

Colorado College 3, New Hampshire 1: Jack Hillen (Bill Sweatt), 15:10, pp. CC earned its second power play of the game when New Hampshire defenseman Craig Switzer flipped Kilpatrick, who was posted up in front of the Wildcats’ net. Just 32 seconds into the man-advantage, Sweatt passed to Hillen on the point. Hillen leaned as if he would make a pass to Nate Prosser at the left circle, but got the New Hampshire penalty kill to shift and ripped a wrist shot past Regan.

Second period
Colorado College 3, New Hampshire 2: Matt Fornataro (James vanRiemsdyk, Flaishans), 0:15. Flaishans created a turnover at the blue line, passed to vanRiemsdyk who found Fornatero in the right circle. On the first shot of the second period, Fornatero had plenty of time to pick his spot. His wrist shot sailed in over O’Connell’s glove hand to draw the Wildcats within a goal.

Third period
Colorado College 3, New Hampshire 3: Jerry Pollastrone (Butler, Peter LeBlanc), 9:45. Walsky’s pass out of the defensive zone went straight to Pollastrone, who ripped a shot through traffic from the top of the slot to tie the score.

Colorado College 3, New Hampshire 4: Pollastrone (LeBlanc, Butler), 17:29, pp. With 21 seconds left in the Wildcats’ third power play of the night, LeBlanc banged the puck hard off of the back wall and Pollastrone backhanded it through O’Connell’s legs. The puck hit the left post and bounced out, prompting a video review, but it was ruled it crossed the goal line, upholding the original call.

Colorado College 3, New Hampshire 5: Fornataro (unassisted), 19:50, en. CC was only able to pull O’Connell for the last 20 seconds because the Wildcats had pinned them in so well with their forecheck. Fornataro created a turnover and finished in the empty net.

Inside the stats:
–The Wildcats did not allow a shot over the final 10 minutes.
–CC had the edge in face-off wins, 34-32. Chad Rau led the Tigers, winning 15 of 25 attempts.
–UNH goaltender Kevin Regan, who will be replaced tomorrow with sophomore Brian Foster, coach Dick Umile said, allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period.

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

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.

***
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

***
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?

***
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.

Q&A with Tim Hall

On Thursday, CC received a verbal commitment from Tim Hall, making him the fifth forward for the 2008-09 recruiting class.

Hall, a native of Sewickley, Pa., had 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) last season with the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets of the United States Hockey League, despite being one of the youngest players in the league. In August, Hall, 17, competed with the U.S. under-18 select team in the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament played in the Czech Republic. Hall also received recruiting interest from Miami (Ohio), Michigan State, Boston University and New Hampshire.

Hall’s coach, Don Harkins, compares him to Patrick Kane, the no. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and Andy McDonald of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. “He doesn’t have Billy Sweatt-type of speed, but he’s fast and he’s a crafty player,” Harkins said Friday. “He played as a 16-year-old and didn’t sustain any injuries. He’s pretty elusive. He knows how to not get himself lined up.”

Q. How did your first season in the USHL go?

It was a great learning experience for me. I started out kind of slow. I wasn’t used to how fast the game was. The players were a lot faster and stronger and there’s less time on the ice. But I progressed as the year went on and I felt more comfortable out there. We had some tough games there and the wins didn’t always come easily but, in the end, we came together as a team.

Q. Your coach said he started you out as a third-line center but by midseason, you were the top center. How did that happen?

It probably took till Christmas to work myself up to the top two lines. I felt like I was the top center after Christmas time. My linemates were playing well. It took some time to get there, but it was a good learning experience because I was never put in a third-line role before. I had to work through it and not let anything distract me and stay positive. It was my goal going in to be a contributor on the team and put up good numbers but I didn’t expect to have the year I did coming in as a young player in the league. It was a really rewarding experience because I really took the time and worked hard in practice and in the weight room. I stayed after practice to work on my shot and stickhandle.

Q. Were you expecting to make a commitment this early in your senior year and hoping to go to college on time?

I was hoping that I would come in as a true freshman, but it really all depends on my development. I was hoping to commit to a school, well, right now, and then I knew I’d be able to go in as an ’08. Now I can just go out and play this year. I dont think the pressure will be off because I’m always putting pressure on myself to improve on my game. But I will be able to focus on improving everyday and will not have to worry about talking to schools.

Q. What do you expect out of this season?

I just want to build up from last season. You’re only as good as your last game. I’m going to go out every game and try to be the best player I can be. I want to put away the distractions and the pressure of being a second-year player and having to produce those type of points. I want to try to help lead my team and help the team win as many games as possible. I’m not going to be the most vocal guy in the locker room because I’m not the oldest, but I’m going to try to lead by example on the ice — working hard every shift and competing out there, doing all of the little things right.

Q. At 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, what kind of style do you have to play?

I always try to keep my feet moving and look for open space on the ice. If I’m constantly moving, it is hard for people to line me up or be physical. I have had to learn to be really strong on my skates. It’s hard to knock me off the puck. As the saying goes, ‘It’s how big your heart is.’ I try to go out there every day and work hard. It forces me to work harder because I feel like I have to work that much harder than the guy next to me, who might be bigger or stronger.

Q. What attracted you to Colorado College and what other schools were in the mix?

With CC, they showed how I would fit in so well. The big ice surface will be a factor because there’s a lot of space out there for me to move and create plays and have good scoring chances. I remember watching Sertich and Sterling play and it really did help me with my decision. I really loved the coaching staff, they were great all along and they knew what kind of player I was from the beginning and they always wanted me. When I was out on my visit, I got to meet with a lot of the players and they’re good character guys. I got to meet with coach Owens first, we had lunch together. Then I got to meet with professors and they told me about the block plan and how I could really do well at it. The final decision came down to three schools BU, Michigan State and Colorado College. I wanted to go to a school where I knew they really wanted me and I would come in and hopefully be an impact player for them. I also looked at the style of play a player like me where would I fit in best. Academics were important to me and my family. CC is a great liberal arts school.

Q. Which players did you meet when you were out here in July?

A good bunch of the guys were working out over the summer. I met Nate Prosser and Matt Overman for just a minute or so in the weight room. I met some of the incoming recruits, they came up and introduced themselves to me. I

Q. When did you first start talking with the CC coaching staff?

They were watching me all last year and I was in touch with Norm Bazin. I kept in touch and kept them up to date where I was at. I felt that it was going to be one of my top choices because of the great program and the awesome league and the success that they’ve had recently.