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 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 1st)

Colorado College owns a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission Saturday against Minnesota-Duluth.
Right wing Eric Walsky and left wing Matt Overman executed a textbook give-and-go around Duluth defenseman Travis Gawryletz. Walsky finished inside the right post to put CC up 1-0 less than nine minutes into the game.
Then, the Tigers got their first power-play goal in 16 tries when center Chad Rau one-timed a pass from defenseman Jack Hillen under goaltender Alex Stalock.
CC goaltender Richard Bachman stretched his shutout streak against the Bulldogs to 157 minutes, 46 seconds.

No. 4 CC 2, St. Cloud State 4 (final)

Less than 3 minutes into the second period of CC’s first loss at World Arena this season, it looked like the Tigers were poised to make yet another comeback.

But CC just couldn’t make enough happen, even with two big calls in the third period to swing momentum in its favor.

Most of CC’s shots were from the perimeter as St. Cloud State had three, four and, at some points, five players clustered in front of the net. Saturday’s game called for a bit more grittiness around the net than the Tigers gave. You can see it in the shot chart.

Before St. Cloud State took a two-goal lead with two goals in 27 seconds midway through the first, CC was doing a decent job of keeping the puck below the circles and maintaining pressure. Defenseman David Carlisle’s slap shot from the blue line ricocheted off goaltender Richard Bachman‘s pads and into the net. Bachman was trying to go into a butterfly to make the save, but Carlisle’s shot was simply too hard. Then, St. Cloud State’s Matt Hartman fed Garrett Roe from behind the net and Roe knocked it in for the quick two-goal lead.

Five minutes later, CC drew within a goal when defenseman Jack Hillen ripped a shot from the high slot near the blue line. Center Tyler Johnson tipped it past goaltender Jase Weslosky for his fourth career goal. But 1:23 later, Hartman passed behind Bachman to Roe, who finished into the net.

CC scored 2:32 into the second when Johnson made a scrappy play and centering pass before being pancaked by Carlisle. Eric Walsky scored for his first goal since Jan. 11.

You can read about the third-period opportunities Sunday at www2.gazette.com/tigerden.

–Don’t forget about Sunday’s Skate with the Tigers at Sertich Ice Center from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

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: 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

Morning Practice Update

Defenseman Kris Fredheim, who left Wednesday night’s practice to get X-rays after a hard check from roommate Mike Testwuide, has a sprained right shoulder, he said Thursday. With his arm in a sling, Fredheim said he expects to be back on the ice “soon” but has no set timeline.

Forward Eric Walsky, who also went for X-rays Wednesday, was not at practice and his prognosis is unknown.

Here’s how the Tigers are lining up:
Thauwald–Johnson–Kilpatrick
McCulloch–Vlassopoulos–DeBoer
Testwuide–McMillin–Schultz
Overman–Rau*–Quilico

*As reported in today’s paper, the Tigers’ top scorer, Chad Rau, will serve a one-game, team-imposed suspension Saturday against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, leaving CC with 11 forwards if Walsky remains out of the lineup.

Game day: CC 3, North Dakota 1 (end of 2nd period)

Goals:
2. Colorado College 1, North Dakota 1: Matt Watkins (Joe Finley), 5:52.
Joe Finley slung a pass from the Sioux’s left corner all the way to Matt Watkins, who caught it at the blue line. Watkins had CC defenseman Ryan Lowery beat when he got the pass and took goaltender Richard Bachman one-on-one, beating him inside the right post.

3. Colorado College 2, North Dakota 1: Scott McCulloch (Brian Connelly, Cody Lampl), 9:54, pp.
Eight seconds into the Tigers’ second power play of the night, Brian Connelly‘s knee-height slap shot from the blue line was tipped past goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux by Scott McCulloch. It could be McCulloch’s second game-winning power-play goal at Ralph Engelstad Arena in as many seasons (his redirect gave CC a 4-3 win in the last minute on Nov. 24, 2006).

4. Colorado College 3, North Dakota 1: Eric Walsky (Tyler Johnson, Bill Sweatt), 10:43.
For once, CC answered its own goal within a minute. Bill Sweatt made a centering pass out of the right corner, which Tyler Johnson redirected across the crease. Eric Walsky was there and ready to knock it inside the left post, past defenseman Taylor Chorney and Lamoureux.

• Bachman has 23 saves on 24 shots.
• CC outshot North Dakota 10-6 in the second period.
• Checking on the three keys:
• 1. Limit North Dakota to two goals or less. Through two periods, mission accomplished.
• 2. Score two even-strength goals. Halfway there.
• 3. Score first. Done and done.

I would add that the Tigers need to be wary of the precarious two-goal cushion, which has given them a false sense of comfort in the past (New Hampshire). CC needs to show it can put a game away and play a strong third period (New Hampshire, both games). I’m adding a fourth key, which would be score first in the third period.

Game day: CC 1, North Dakota 4 (end of 2nd period)

Goals:
4. Colorado College 1, North Dakota 3: Bill Sweatt (Chad Rau), 1:06. Sweatt blew past defensemen Robbie Bina and Taylor Chorney and put the puck underneath sliding Jean-Philippe Lamoureux.

• One of the Tigers’ only productive line rushes of the game was textbook. Sweatt used his speed while center Chad Rau and right wing Eric Walsky forced North Dakota’s defensemen and goaltender to make decisions by skating hard at the net.

5. Colorado College 1, North Dakota 4: Ryan Duncan (Robbie Bina, T.J. Oshie), 11:07, pp.
North Dakota went a two-minute five-on-three when Kris Fredheim took a holding penalty during the delay after Scott McCulloch‘s holding call. The Tigers did a nice job killing for the first minute of the penalty, avoiding a close call when Duncan bobbled a cross-slot pass from Oshie. Duncan didn’t botch his second chance from the right circle, made simple when goaltender Drew O’Connell dropped into a crouch too early. Duncan held the puck and finished top shelf.