POTSDAM, N.Y. — Colorado College center Chad Rau stuffed in a power-play goal during a scramble in front of the net during the second period to tie the score 1-1 at Clarkson’s Cheel Arena.
The Tigers trailed 1-0 after Clarkson center Lauri Tuohimma roofed the Golden Knights’ seventh shot of the game less than six minutes into the second.
CC had numerous chances to get a goal in the waning moments, including a shot in the final minute of regulation by Addison DeBoer that hit the crossbar and a power play in overtime.
Five games into the season, just five CC forwards have scored goals and only four in Friday’s lineup. The lack of scoring is surprising for No. 1 CC, which returned 76 percent of its goal-scoring from last season’s squad, one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation. CC is averaging 38.5 shots per game, but only 2.6 goals.
When asked if he and other forwards are gripping their sticks tighter as the games pass without goals, DeBoer said: “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. You go out there and you try not to think about it. But when you’re off the ice, away from the rink, it’s hard not to think about it.”
On the smaller, NHL-sized sheet, the Tigers couldn’t make their speed as much as advantage as they did in last season’s sweep of Clarkson at Olympic-sized World Arena (5-2 and 6-1 wins).
“They’re hard to play,” coach Scott Owens said. “They’re physical and tough and hard-nosed. There wasn’t a lot of room out there, not the room that we’re used to.”
Look for more in Saturday’s Gazette. Also, post your questions and thoughts below!
Colorado College
21 Sweatt — 14 Rau — 22 Walsky
23 Hall — 19 Vlassopoulos — 28 Schultz
5 DeBoer — 17 Johnson — 25 Testwuide
18 Overman — 9 McMillin — 20 Dineen*
11 Connelly — 15 Prosser
7 Fredheim — 4 Gannon
10 Guentzel — 24 Lowery
30 Bachman
31 O’Connell
*Making collegiate debut
**Scratches:
12 Quilico, 27 Bidwill
**Did not travel:
26 McCulloch (groin, “I’ll be back for next week,” he said), 16 Civitarese, 1 O’Brien, 3 Behrend
Clarkson University
18 Tremblay — 81 Cayer — 8 Beca
77 DeFazio — 27 Tuohimaa — 9 Freeman
14 Morley — 21 Marks — 19 Oakley
26 Willemsen — 7 Tamblyn — 13 Tuttle
2 Paquet — 55 Borowiecki
12 Mason — 5 Bellows
89 Rufenach — 4 Reed
30 Karpowich
29 Potter
1 LaVeau
**Clarkson’s top scorer, Chris D’Alvise, received a one-game disqualification for spearing with three seconds left in the Golden Knights’ loss to Niagara last Saturday.
Brett Sterling just scored for the Thrashers vs. Red Wings!
Please dont get me wrong I think we have a great team but what is with Connolly? I dont get it! People praise him but I see or listen to him do 5 bad things to every decent one. I know the defense is improving but after tonight 6 minutes of peneltys from the C man come on…….please help me learn to like Connolly!
Matt–Good for Sterling.
Marco–I don’t think Connelly had his best night, nor did the defensive corps. But to be honest, some of the penalties had me scratching my head. (2nd period’s Diving call, for example. I didn’t see it at all.) Between the new rules and the ECAC style of play, I think the Tigers were thrown for a loop a bit tonight on officiating. They’ll need to be a lot smarter about penalties on Saturday. Connelly led CC with seven shots. While Clarkson’s goaltender did a great job of minimizing rebounds, CC’s forwards just weren’t tenacious enough getting to the ones that were left out there.
“We need to be a little faster with the puck and eliminate turnovers,” Connelly said of the defensive corps. “We’ve got to match their physical play out there tomorrow.”
So that’s the information at hand. You be the judge.
Interesting, without seeing the game Friday and only listening on the radio I got the sense that CC just was not putting enough pressure or bodies close to the net. I still think the Tiger team struggles to play a needed physical game on the smaller size rinks.
Kate, you saw the game, what do you think?
Agree with Lee. Didn’t see the game or listen to it. But these are the types of games that concern me. It looks like for all the skill this team has it still struggles with tight, physical, playoff type games. I think I still have scars from the Mich St loss. I know it is early but I hope it is a wake up call to these guys that you have to be able to win ugly sometimes.
Lee–
), I’d say you got the drift through the radio waves. They were finishing checks early on, but they struggled with that over the second half. Clarkson neutralized their speed. They’ve got to get their noses dirty near the net.
Without injecting my bias (