College Hockey   CC Tigers and USAFA Falcons Hockey

Colorado College has scored only two goals in each of its past three games. At Michigan Tech last weekend, the Tigers were limited to four goals in a weekend for the first time this season.

Michigan Tech and Air Force, which the Tigers beat 2-1 Jan. 19, are very defensive-minded, meaning they protect the slot and area in front of the crease above all else. Michigan Tech is also one of the more physical teams CC has played, featuring a little more of an old-school clutch-and-grab style. Because of Michigan Tech’s discipline, though, the Huskies managed to avoid penalties. And thanks to scoring first both nights, Michigan Tech could afford to play an extremely defensive style.

CC players are wary of a second-half slide, especially with only a five-point lead over streaking North Dakota and a tenuous seven-point lead over third-place Denver, which has played four fewer games — so too, it seems, are the coaches. Several drills in Wednesday’s practice centered on getting the puck to the net, including 1-on-1s to goal, in which the players had to fight past another player to get a shot on net.

Against Clarkson this weekend, an Eastern College Athletic Conference team which likely will resort to a defensive style to slow CC’s fast-paced transition game on the Olympic sheet (the Golden Knights’ first game on an Olympic sheet this season), the Tigers will try some brand-new groupings.

From Wednesday’s practice:
Sweatt–Rau–Testwuide
McCulloch–Vlassopoulos–Kilpatrick
Thauwald–Johnson–Walsky
DeBoer–McMillin–Schultz
Overman–Quilico

As you can see, McCulloch is expected to be back in the lineup after a four-game hiatus.

On Clarkson
You might be wondering about Clarkson. Located in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson has an enrollment of 3,000 (as compared with CC’s ~1,950). The Golden Knights made the NCAA Tournament last season after winning the ECAC tournament and lead the ECAC standings this season. Clarkson and CC have played eight times and the Tigers own a 7-0-1 record. The most significant meeting between the schools was in 1957, the year of CC’s last national championship, when CC defeated Clarkson to advance to the NCAA title game against Michigan. The past four meetings have been in regular-season series, with the most recent in October 2003. The Tigers met Clarkson in the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Tournaments.

Tiger Tracks
At 29 years old, Toby Petersen won the speed skating competition at the 2008 AHL All-Star Game with the fastest time in a decade. Petersen also scored on the first penalty shot in All-Star Game history…Brett Sterling and Brian Salcido also scored for Team USA in the All-Star Game…James Brannigan had a goal for the Augusta Lynx in an 8-6 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL)…Recruit Nick Dineen had a goal Tuesday in the USHL All-Star Game…Rookie Colin Stuart got his second call-up this week to the Atlanta Thrashers…Even though he was demoted from the Calgary Flames in favor of goaltender Curtis Joseph, the other Curtis — Curtis “CuMac” McElhinney — is the “closest” to being NHL ready, Flames’ Western pro scout Ron Sutter said.

Here’s the shot chart.

The Tigers got goals to start and end the period, but Michigan Tech scored one in the middle to keep a one-goal lead heading into the third.

CC defenseman Nate Prosser’s goal just more than two minutes into the period was a wrist shot from the right half-wall.

The goal by Michigan Tech’s Tyler Shelast happened just as the Huskies’ power play expired and CC left wing Addison DeBoer was hustling back into the Tigers’ defensive zone. The penalty kill got overextended and Shelast was able to score a redirect goal from Bachman’s doorstep.

With less than three minutes left in the period, goaltender Rob Nolan made a clutch save with his right arm on a shot from Jimmy Kilpatrick from the end line. Nolan’s defenseman collapsed into the crease to keep the puck from being poked into the goal.

Scoreless on their first two power plays, the Tigers converted on their third with only 34 seconds left in the period. Kilpatrick earned his 100th career point when he got the puck in the left circle, took a moment to pick his spot and unleashed a wrist shot that beat Nolan gloveside. Not a bad way to join the Century Club, Jimmy.

Altogether, it was a much better period for the Tigers. But will it be enough?

Welp, that was not the start CC was looking for. Just 78 seconds into the game, Michigan Tech’s Jordan Foote redirected a pass from Bennett Royer off his skate and past goaltender Richard Bachman’s right foot. CC failed to convert on two power plays. Then, at 13:56, Michigan Tech converted on its only power play of the period. Defenseman Drew Dobson’s diagonal pass from the top of the right circle met center Peter Rouleau in stride. With Bachman all to himself, Rouleau backhanded the puck into the net to make the score 2-0.

Three things are costing CC right now:
1. Possession. The Tigers haven’t connected more than two passes all game. Part of it is that the Huskies are breaking up passes with their sticks and bodies. Part of it is that CC’s sticks look a little stiff.
2. Breakdowns. Whereas CC hasn’t had but one odd-man rush, Michigan Tech has been doing a nice job of generating numbers-up offense out of the neutral zone.
3. Tempo. It belongs to Michigan Tech right now.

As you all know, being from North Carolina, I love to borrow basketball terminology …
So here goes: the No. 1 key for the Tigers tonight is their ability to take the puck to the paint and be the first to 50-50 pucks, like rebounds. Stephen Schultz’s goal Friday came when the puck bounced off of a Michigan Tech defenseman’s shin pad. Mike Testwuide’s game-tying goal came on a deflection in the crease. CC needs to create more of those opportunities tonight.

Lines:
Colorado College
10 Thauwald–14 Rau–23 Kilpatrick
21 Sweatt–19 Vlassopoulos–25 Testwuide
5 DeBoer–22 Walsky–28 Schultz
28 Overman–17 Johnson–9 McMillin

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

30 Bachman
31 O’Connell

Michigan Tech
9 Gwilliam–14 Rouleau–23 Shelast
11 Foote–16 Royer–19 Kerr
28 Kitti–13 Angelow–21 Bunger
22 Baker–18 Gagne–25 Kivisto

12 Kinrade–10 Schwarz
4 Malekoff–5 Dobson
26 Cousens–8 VanWagner

37 Nolan
29 Teslak
33 Hachey

We’re still working on the overtime period, but you can get a peek at our new toy.

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.

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).

A couple of observations:
1. This Michigan Tech team can really move. The first period clipped along at a wicked pace and neither team had an extended period of possession.
2. Colorado College has 10 shots on net after a period. In each of the Tigers’ previous five outings against the Huskies — a stretch in which CC is 1-3-1 — they have mustered double-digit shots in only one period. It’ll be interesting to see if they can sustain their effort over the course of the game.
3. I think the Huskies have magnets in their shin pads. They are shot-blocking machines. The Tigers aren’t doing too badly in that area themselves, but need to work harder at getting their shots around Michigan Tech.

Faceoffs:
CC 6 of 16 (Vlassopoulos 3/7; Rau 2/5; Walsky 1/2; Sweatt 0/1; Johnson 0/1)
MTU 10 of 16 (Angelow 5/6; Rouleau 3/6; Gagne 1/2; Royer 1/2)

No. 3 CC 1, Michigan Tech 1 at 9:00 (1st period)
Center Ryan Angelow drew a penalty and wheeled into the slot. His shot beat goaltender Richard Bachman stick-side into the upper left corner.

No. 3 CC 1, Michigan Tech 0 at 6:27 (1st period)
Defenseman Kris Fredheim kept the puck in play in the offensive zone and passed into center Eric Walsky, whose shot went into a Michigan Tech defenseman. Right wing Stephen Schultz collected the rebound and his top-shelf shot from the slot beat goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak stick-side. Teslak didn’t react, meaning he probably didn’t see it with two of his own players screening him.