Mankato Eve

When Colorado College looks back on one weekend that made a difference in its quest for the MacNaughton Cup and a top seed in the NCAA West Regional, it may look no further than the St. Cloud State series.

The Tigers stretched their lead to 4-1 just 24 seconds into the second period in Friday’s game (Feb. 8) and went on to win 5-3 after the Huskies put the pressure on.

On Feb. 9, CC suffered its first — and so far, only — home loss of the season, falling behind 3-1 after a period and eventually losing 4-2.

That series was sandwiched between two dominating performances: the sweep of Clarkson and the road sweep of Minnesota-Duluth, in which the Tigers shut out Duluth both nights.

Coach Scott Owens hopes CC can become a model of consistency, starting with this weekend’s series against No. 10 Minnesota State-Mankato, a squad that has won seven of its past nine.

“As soon as you think it’s automatic, that’s when you get into trouble,” Owens said after the Tigers’ final skate before the series in which they could clinch the MacNaughton Cup. “We’re on a one-game losing streak at home. We can’t go on autopilot and expect to win.”

Coming off of the defensive corps’ strongest performance of the season last weekend at Duluth, defenseman Jack Hillen said his fellow defensemen have adapted a playoff mentality and hope to cut down on the amount of shots allowed this weekend.

“It was a good lesson after we lost to St. Cloud,” said Hillen, the top-scoring Western Collegiate Hockey Association defenseman with 28 points. “We didn’t play that well. Against Duluth, we got into a roll a little bit. … It was maybe a good reminder to play hard every night, that we’ve got to play well no matter what. But no one’s dwelling on the loss.”

Captain Scott Thauwald, who returns to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 9, said that if anything, CC’s focus and intensity has only increased this week with the knowledge that two wins gives the Tigers a share of the MacNaughton Cup. If North Dakota loses or ties a game at Duluth this weekend, CC will win the Cup outright with two victories over Mankato.

Again, Thauwald pointed to the loss to St. Cloud State as added inspiration in CC’s bid for its first regular-season title since it shared one with Denver in 2004-05.

“It wasn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world,” he said. “It was a good eye-opener. Guys are fired up because we lost the last time we played at home. We’re ready to start a new streak here.”

Because right wing Stephen Schultz (concussion) will not return to the lineup this season and left wing Addison DeBoer (separated shoulder) will be out this weekend, the Tigers will have just 12 forwards plus converted defenseman Brett Wysopal at their disposal.

Notes:
1,000 tickets remain for Friday’s game against Mankato…400 tickets remain for Saturday’s game…CC’s regular-season finale against Denver on March 8 is sold out.

Anticipated CC lines for Friday:
Bill Sweatt–Chad Rau–Mike Testwuide
Scott McCulloch–Andreas Vlassopoulos–Jimmy Kilpatrick
Scott Thauwald–Tyler Johnson–Eric Walsky
Brett Wysopal or Dan Quilico–Brian McMillin–Matt Overman

Wednesday Notes

The Tigers departed this afternoon for Duluth without right wing Stephen Schultz, who is still recovering from a concussion suffered in the first period against St. Cloud State on Feb. 9. Captain Scott Thauwald will travel, but hasn’t skated since he suffered a concussion in the third period of the Feb. 9 game. Defenseman Brett Wysopal could pull spot duty on the fourth line after practicing at forward Monday and Tuesday for the first time in his life. Wysopal, who marveled at going through a whole practice without skating backwards, will be CC’s only extra skater.

Travel roster:
Sweatt–Rau–Testwuide
McCulloch–Vlassopoulos–Kilpatrick
DeBoer–Johnson–Walsky
Overman–McMillin–Quilico/Wysopal
D: Fredheim, Gannon, Hillen, Prosser, Connelly, Lowery
G: Bachman, O’Connell

UPDATE: Per Chris Heisenberg, CC landed its first Wisconsin kid since Brady Greco in defenseman Ted Behrend. Behrend hails from Oregon, Wisc., which is just south of Madison, coach Scott Owens’ hometown.

Around the league
The WCHA handed out more penalties for fights that occurred in last Saturday’s Denver-North Dakota game. Kyle Radke and J.P. Testwuide dropped gloves and squared off, which should have been an instant ejection and game disqualification, but referee Marco Hunt allowed them to go to the penalty box instead. Then, at the end of the second period, an all-out brawl broke out (YouTube) and Radke and Denver’s Brandon Vossberg went at it (from Vossberg’s perspective). Although the WCHA isn’t the first league to come out with additional penalties after the fact (this Canisius-RIT fight resulted in additional sanctions from Atlantic Hockey), when you take Hunt’s under-call into account with previous missed calls by now-suspended referee Randy Schmidt, it has been a rough year for officiating in the WCHA.

Denver, North Dakota Players Suspended for One Game
MADISON, Wisc. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association today (Feb. 20, 2008) announced that J.P. Testwuide, a junior defenseman at the University of Denver, and Kyle Radke, a senior forward at the University of North Dakota, have been suspended for one game each as the result of an on-ice incident that occurred in the game between the two teams on Saturday, Feb. 16.

The supplemental disciplinary action was taken by WCHA Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod after a review of the incident that occurred at 6:38 of the second period and originally resulted in each player receiving two-minute slashing, two-minute roughing and 10-minute misconduct penalties.

Testwuide will be required to serve his one-game suspension during Denver’s home game against Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 22.

Radke, who also received a fighting penalty and game disqualification penalty later in the game on Feb. 16, will now be required to serve a two-game suspension during North Dakota’s upcoming home series against Bemidji State on Feb. 23-24.

Recruiting
USA Today featured CC recruit Colten St. Clair of Gilbert, Ariz., as evidence of the spread of talent beyond traditional hotbeds like Minnesota. Kevin Allen writes that St. Clair is “considered one of the top 1992-born players in the U.S. and maybe even the world.”

Tiger Tracks
–Several people brought up half-shields as I researched the concussion story that ran today with the argument being that if players wear visors, they keep their checks down and adhere to an honor code (enforced by fighting).
The American Hockey League requires half-shields, whereas the National Hockey League leaves it up to the players–visor or no visor. CC alum Noah Clarke, who plays for Lowell (AHL), may feel differently about facemasks after he was hit in the face with a slap shot last Saturday. Clarke was hospitalized. (In the notes section)
UPDATE: Clarke, who is out indefinitely, suffered a cheekbone fracture and nose damage, but his eyes are OK. Read here.
–I thought this story on former defenseman Tom Preissing, a Hobey Baker finalist in 2003, was pretty neat. The reporter got Preissing to open up about his senior thesis at CC. Paid to play hockey for the Los Angeles Kings at the moment, the 2003 WCHA student-athlete of the year has plenty to look forward to after hockey.

No. 3 CC 2, Michigan Tech 2 (OT, final)

Huskies’ captain Jimmy Kerr scored at 4:01 of the third period, but CC tied it up with less than eight minutes to go in regulation when right wing Mike Testwuide knocked in a pass from the right half-wall by Andreas Vlassopoulos.

Three thoughts:
1. CC showed great urgency to get back into the game, but once the Tigers tied the score, it was all Huskies. You can hear that sentiment in audio clips from CC’s Mike Testwuide and Michigan Tech’s Jimmy Kerr on Tiger Den Saturday.
2. Again, goaltender Richard Bachman showed remarkable poise in net for CC. The freshman, who is now 15-3-1 in 19 games played, has allowed two or fewer goals in 15 of those outings. That’s simply amazing. He said after the game that the second period, in which he had 16 saves, really helped him get in his rhythm. Coach Scott Owens said he thought he saw more and more confidence in Bachman as the game went on.
3. Right wing Stephen Schultz has scored in each of the past two games while CC’s top line has been held scoreless.

Stats breakdown:
Shots: CC 30, MTU 33
Shot leaders: CC Jimmy Kilpatrick, 6; MTU Jimmy Kerr, 7
Power plays: CC 1-4 (8 shots), MTU 0-3 (7)
Faceoffs won: CC 38, MTU 30
CC faceoffs: Chad Rau 12/21; Andreas Vlassopoulos 8/16; Eric Walsky 5/8; Bill Sweatt 2/3; Brian McMillin 1/4; Scott Thauwald 0/1; Tyler Johnson 0/5
MTU faceoffs: Ryan Angelow13/24; Peter Rouleau 9/19; Alex Gagne 4/9; Bennett Royer 3/5; Jimmy Kerr 1/1.

US NTDP defenseman Joe Marciano commits to CC

Joe Marciano, a 17-year-old defenseman from Alta Loma, Calif., committed to join CC for the 2008-09 season last week, he said Saturday.

A 6-foot-1, 194-pound defenseman playing for the U.S. national under-18 team in residence in Ann Arbor, Mich., Marciano will fill out next season’s defensive corps, which only loses current senior Jack Hillen to graduation. Marciano’s decision came down to CC and Harvard, but he also visited Wisconsin within the last year.

The first CC recruit from the U.S. National Team Development program since sophomore Bill Sweatt, Marciano had a goal in CC’s exhibition with the U.S. under-18 team earlier this season, his only goal in 18 games. Marciano played for Shattuck-St. Mary’s, an elite hockey prep school located in Faribault, Minn., in 2006-07, totaling 8 goals and 15 assists in 45 games. Marciano also played for Shattuck’s under-16 team in 2005-06.

Staying with freshman Stephen Schultz on his official visit, Marciano was in attendance for Saturday’s game against No. 9 Wisconsin and watched with freshman defenseman Ryan Lowery.

Marciano joins four forwards in the 2008-09 recruiting class. Coach Scott Owens said he has received four of five letters of intent from the group. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from discussing recruits until they have received a letter of intent.

A quick Q&A with Marciano:

On choosing CC:
“Being from California, it’s a good fit for me and Colorado is close to home. That had a big influence on it. It’s a good school and the WCHA is a good league to play in.”

The California connection:
“I don’t know them (CC’s Californians Andreas Vlassopoulos and Dan Quilico) personally yet, but I know of them. It’s a great program, great hockey.”

How the commitment came about:
“We’ve been communicating back and forth for a while. For the past month or so, me and coach Owens have been talking on the phone a lot and he told me that they were ready to give me an offer. I was actually looking at Harvard at the time and was waiting on my ACT score. But in my heart, I knew I was going to come here anyway, I fit in here well and it was close to home. Anyway, last week I called coach Owens and told him I was ready to commit. He said, ‘It’s good to have you,’ and stuff like that.”

How Marciano describes himself:
“I’d say I’m like an all-around defenseman. I’m pretty good defensively. I can move the puck well and get that first pass up to the guys.”

With just one defenseman graduating, where Marciano see himself fitting in:
“Coming in as a freshman, you’ve got to work to get your ice. I think I have a good chance, but I’ve got to work for it.”

Why, in light of the early commitments among U.S. NTDP players, Marciano hasn’t committed earlier:
“I just recently started getting offers. Last year, I always talked to colleges, but this year, I’ve just been starting to get offers. I wasn’t really in a hurry anyways. Being from California, I’m new to the college process and everything.”

Game day: No. 9 CC 5, No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth 3 (final)

Second period

Goals:
3. Colorado College 2, Minnesota-Duluth 1: Steve Schultz 1 (Jack Hillen 6, Andreas Vlassopoulos 4), 5:28, pp.
After turning over the puck and allowing some shorthanded shots, the Tigers regained possession in their offensive zone. Center Andreas Vlassopoulos passed to Jack Hillen, who was in the high slot, not more than five feet in front of the blue line. In his first stint on the power play this season, freshman Steve Schultz tipped Hillen’s wrist shot past goaltender Alex Stalock for his first career goal. Hillen went to retrieve the puck for Schultz after the play, which was reviewed for a possible high-sticking call on Schultz. The goal was upheld (clearly).

4. Colorado College 3, Minnesota-Duluth 1: Derek Patrosso 1 (Andreas Vlassopoulos 5, Bill Sweatt 5), 8:52.
Vlassopoulos took a pass from Bill Sweatt off the back wall and fed Derek Patrosso, who was trailing in the slot. The trio nearly scored a minute later, but Sweatt’s pass was just behind Patrosso.

5. Colorado College 3, Minnesota-Duluth 2: Jordan Fulton (unassisted), 9:57.
Fulton got an isolated moment with goaltender Richard Bachman who was protecting the left post. Fulton stuffed the puck five-hole just as the announcer listed off CC’s scorers.

6. Colorado College 4, Minnesota-Duluth 2: Chad Rau 3 (Jack Hillen 6, Richard Bachman 2), 10:19.
After Bachman made a save, Hillen retrieved the rebound and sent a long pass up the middle of the ice to Chad Rau, who had snuck behind Duluth’s defense and was idling at center ice. Rau converted the one-on-Stalock by first pulling the puck to his left foot — prompting Stalock to shift — and then with one flick of the stick, finishing inside the right post.

7. Colorado College 5, Minnesota-Duluth 2: Brian McMillin 1 (unassisted), 19:06, sh.
Another great play by center Brian McMillin on the penalty kill… McMillin, who had an assist on Scott Thauwald‘s shorthanded goal against North Dakota last Saturday, created yet another penalty-kill turnover. McMillin’s shot sailed wide of the left post and banged off the boards. Not deterred, McMillin hammered his own rebound past Stalock for the score.

• CC’s highest one-period output of the season
• Responded promptly to a quick goal by Duluth
• Second line has seven points (two goals and five assists) and both goals are even-strength
• Two shorthanded goals in two games…the penalty kill is back

Third period

Goals:
8. Colorado College 5, Minnesota-Duluth 3: Justin Fontaine (Jordan Fulton, Matt McKnight), 2:14.

• Patrosso took a checking from behind/game misconduct five-minute major penalty at 3:35, but the Tigers got quality penalty killing with saves from Bachman and blocked shots by Scott McCulloch. Thanks to a high-sticking penalty by Trent Palm, CC went back to even strength (4v4) with 1:12 to go in the five-minute major.
• With 1:02 left in Palm’s penalty, Duluth’s Josh Meyers picked up a checking from behind/game misconduct five-minute major at 8:21 for checking McCulloch into the boards. But CC had just two quality scoring chances despite the 5-on-3 (1:02) and 5-on-4 (3:58).
• CC killed all four of Duluth’s power plays.

Quick Quips:

Coach Scott Owens on the time-out before the five-minute power play:
We were trying to set up what we were going to do on the 5-on-3 and hopefully, (the play) was going to go into the 5-on-4. But we never really got it set up. That was probably one of the things that disappointed me the most tonight was the fact that it was a little bit scrambled in the beginning and we never really settled down and had composure. We were turning the puck over and making behind-the-back blind passes and it was a situation where we could have put the game away and we didn’t. …We’re still waiting on that a little bit.

Asked if the back-and-forth, wide-open game might cause him to juggle lines tomorrow, Owens said:
Part of it was our defensive mindset. It wasn’t just all of the forwards. I would guess that Prosser will play tomorrow and maybe that will help a little bit getting an older guy in there. We tightened it up a little in the third. We didn’t run and gun so much. We’re in a pretty good rhythm with our forward lines, so I think we’ll just make some minimal changes.

Center Andreas Vlassopoulos on his line’s momentum:
We’ve just got to concentrate on keeping it simple and working hard and things will fall for us.

Vlassopoulos on the power play:
We have it, we’re going to create chances, it just seemed like — whether somebody fell or the puck went off somebody’s heel — I think we just need to bear down a little bit more and things will happen for us.

Right wing Derek Patrosso on his line:
I think our line talks pretty well on the ice and that helps us out a lot. We were just having fun. That’s the main thing.

Patrosso on keeping things relaxed, even when the line wasn’t scoring goals (the trio combined for one goal against Minnesota on Oct. 19):
I think when you’re getting those chances, it’s when you shouldn’t be gripping your stick. When you don’t get those chances, that’s when you start gripping your stick a little tight. We’ve been happy with the way we’ve been playing as a whole. I think the last three teams we’ve played have prepared us pretty well and we’re developing chemistry as we go along.

Left wing Bill Sweatt on the line:
We’ve been sticking with our line for almost a month now. I think like Dre said, we’re just feeding off of each other and we have a lot of chemistry going right now. Say if Dre chips the puck, Derek and I know that we’ve got to bust a seam and go get the puck and one of us is going to the net. We just sort of feel each other out there.

Sweatt on developing consistent five-on-five scoring:
It was good that our power play was clicking so we could survive in (the first six) games, but maybe tonight will take momentum into the rest of the season for getting five-on-five goals. We can’t just be a one-sided team, where we just score on the power play. We’ve got to be very diverse and score on the power-play and five-on-five. Hopefully, we took a good step toward that tonight.

Sioux and Tigers battle flu

According to Brad Elliott Schlossman’s North Dakota blog, CC isn’t the only team combating flu-like symptoms.

Among the ailing Tigers are:

–Mike Testwuide, who practiced in a non-contact jersey Tuesday, did not practice Wednesday and will not travel.

–Cody Lampl, who missed practice Tuesday and practiced Wednesday in a non-contact jersey, albeit to limited success. During CC’s practice-ending routine of push-ups and sit-ups, the normally enthusiastic Lampl just sat there, slumped. But Lampl decided to travel, saying he was feeling better. He mustered a smile when I suggested the Tigers could benefit from his hard-checking presence on the small sheet. Something tells me the very prospect of getting some big hits this weekend is giving Lampl a reason to rally.

–Stephen Schultz did not make the travel roster last weekend and was laid up with the flu. “I took my fluids and got some rest,” he said. The right wing said he has beat the bug and will make his collegiate debut on the fourth line this weekend.

There’s nothing like the recirculating air on a plane to perpetuate illness within a team. It’ll be interesting to see how everyone is feeling at the Friday morning skate, but lucky for the Tigers, this is their last road trip until Anchorage at the end of November.

Other CC players who did not make the 22-man travel roster are Tyler O’Brien, Matt Overman, and Dan Quilico.

Final Thoughts, Calgary exhibition

Here are some quotes from Eric Walsky, a junior who is in his first season playing for Colorado College after transferring from Alaska-Anchorage following the 2005-06 season. Walsky had a goal and an assist and finished plus-1, as did linemates Addison DeBoer and Stephen Schultz, in the 4-3 win over the University of Calgary.

On his first shift with Colorado College
It was really nice to get back out there. The first shift I didn’t try to do too much. I just wanted to feel it out a little bit and play it safe. No, I felt good. I didn’t feel like I missed a whole season or anything. I felt comfortable. My vision’s still a little bit off and so is my speed.

Was your first outing as a Tiger as you envisioned it?
It was kind of what I anticipated but I didn’t feel like I saw everything. I felt a step behind compared to what I would have really liked to have felt. It’s still really early on and it was a good start. It gives me a little confidence going into the regular season.

How did the team approach the depleted lineup?
Everyone was really anxious to play and nobody really conserved their energy too much in hopes that they’d have a reserve in the end but, uh, it was a little conservative merely because of the fact that it was the first game of the season and nobody felt too comfortable out there. Everyone was gripping their sticks a little bit.

How did it go with linemates Addison DeBoer and Stephen Schultz?
It was good, I really like playing with them. Schultz and I, I feel like we have good chemistry, even though we didn’t too much possession of the puck together but I think we stuck together out there.

Feel like you’re really part of the team now?
I don’t feel like I’m in the limbo anymore, kind of on the team but not on the team at the same time.

***
Coach Scott Owens on practice this week:
We’re going to work very hard in practice this week because we have to. We have to improve our conditioning and our defensive play.

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.