Rylan Schwartz tied the game with a 5-on-3 goal in the third period, then Josh Thorimbert allowed two goals, as Colorado College lost to Michigan Tech 3-1 in Game 1 of the WCHA playoffs Friday at World Arena.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GOKyvcOv0Y[/youtube]
WCHA PLAYOFFS, FIRST ROUND
No. 8 Michigan Tech at No. 5 Colorado College
Game 1: Michigan Tech 3, Colorado College 1
Game 3: Sunday, 7:07 p.m. (if necessary)
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I’ve been watching CC hockey for 25 years. This pattern of collapse during the second half of the season and playoffs is alarming. It seems that beutow and lucia had teams that would get steonger Owens teams shrivel ad curl up defeated. I would hope that the administration and athletic director at CC would see that Owens is simply not the man for the job anymore. Last night was pathetic. Sloppy play, mental breakdowns, guys standing around reaching for the puck. This team sums up Owens sorry career. Start out fast and end with a train wreck. Maybe he’ll do everybody a favor and walk away. On a better note. I heard CC has tee times reserved tomorrow at Patty Jewett.
The CC teams are always skill-rich. Quick, skilled shooters. But the CC game system seems to crush the will of the players. Their skills seem to be throttled down on purpose. They’re over-controlled.
Year after year, CC teams play flat with no energy. Their speed advantage is ruined by an obsession with process. Their defense is purposefully soft, no one knows why, and all that they do is skate backwards as they escort the opponent into the CC zone.
Every tem knows that with hustle, CC will just stand around and watch themselves get beat
I am not happy with last night’s performance, but I will say this, we can win the next 3 in a row and still make the NCAA Tournament. This team is talented with the Schwartz brothers, Dineen, Krushelnyski, Winkler and Thorimbert. We’ll see who is motivated tonight and ready to give a winning effort…….although another performance like last night and I question Owens as well…..have to win Saturday & Sunday!!!
I fail to ubderstand how a coach can sweep a team one week earlier and then go and change everything at this time of the year. What possible reason could Owens have in doing this? He has taken the confidence away from the whole team.
It’s playoff’s and the rink wasn’t full. This should be a message to the athletic director to do something!
Does anyone else here think that the mites team at intermission was the most exciting hockey of last night?? There were a couple of good breakaways there at least.
I agree line-up changes were interesting and it definitely backfired.
Owens needs to win these next two games.
Rapuzzi has been awful all year, put him on the 4th line. Tim Hall is a role player (a very good role player) get him back on the 4th line as well.
It’s too bad no player can play with the Schwartz’s talent wise.
2nd line should go back to Krush – Dineen – Winkler.
Defensemen had a bad night last night.
Is it coaching and preparation? Or is this team the Schwartz’s and then just bad recruits (which is coaches fault as well)?
I would have liked to have seen Owens get mad and very mad when Jaden was tripped in the 3rd period. Show the team you are behind them and show the refs you mean business for the rest of the series. We’re not going to get any calls when it is future WCHA team (Mich Tech) versus future team leaving (CC).
The next 2 nights are big.
I agree that the team is talented and the the coach stuck his head up his you know what last night with the lines he came up with. But I do need to disagree with one thing and that is Jaden. I still feel that he is over rated. He does not carry this team like people think he does. It is the team. Jaden is par at best. And mark my words when he gets to the league he will more than Likely washout. Happens all the time. Maybe he should have gone to those practices this week. (HAHA). D was awfull last night. No one skated just a bad game. MT had all week training at altitude. Anyway not the way I thought our season would finish up. I will say if Owens puts Howe in the cage tonight and the rest of the team plays like last night we might as well hang up the skates tell next year. I guess we will see how bad they want it. If Jaden wants to be a super star he will step up and help Dineen push this team to a W.
Both the Schwartz brothers are incredibly talented and I disagree that Jaden will wash out at the next level. His vision on the ice and ability with the puck show his skill is way more than par. In less than two seasons at CC he has close to 90 points. A feat that most players don’t reach in a full college career. CC has the talent and depth to play with the Schwartz line. I believe that Owens had a well intended reason to change the lines last night. Unfortunately it resulted in sloppy passes, turnovers in the defensive zone that lead to scoring chances, and seemed to kill the transition game that CC relies so heavily on. A coaching decision that can only be described as a failure. I’m more inclined to believe this can be attributed to Owens philosophy as a coach. I’ve said it before but I believe that the CC program will continue to tread water as long as he’s the coach. 13 seasons behind the bench his teams have continued to have success in the regular season only to fall flat on their face come playoff time.
Dineen hasn’t been the same guy since Zucker cheap shotted him. I hope Dineen gets back on track.
I’ve been around hockey for a long time now, Jaden is damn good and by far our best all around player.
We should win the next two games at home vs. Michigan Tech – will we???
Coach Owens better do his job and the boys better give it their all. Whether its a Boivin or Marciano, a Jaden or Dineen, or a Hall or Civitarese, all with different levels of talent, but they all need to play to 110% of their potential this weekend to salvage this season.
Thorimbert is a good enough goalie to take us places, we need the rest of the team to play its best!
I feel a 6-1 win tonight. BUT I worry about Sunday. We are so damn inconsistent this season.
Adam – besides last season late wins vs. Duluth, Wisconsin, great game vs No Dakota and then beating BC – I agree with you, end of seasons have been disappointing….Remember year with Bachman and we won MacNaughton, then we lose two games at WCHA Final Five and lose AT HOME to Michigan State and we didn’t even have a shot. Just think how many times we lose at home in WCHA 1st Round.
This team is so talented this year, I would hate for this season to end prematurely. Win the next 3 games in a row and I’ll have a short memory of last night.
As fun as it was to watch, the BC game was a fluke. They overlooked CC and paid for it. I’m sad to see some programs taking off when I see CC regressing. Obviously with the talent CC has had over the past 15 years they should be more successful. The one constant in the program is Scott Owens…
Same could be said for last night’s game, CC overlooked MT and “paid for it”. Luckily it’s a best of three series, we’ll see what CC is made of, players and coaches…
I’ll always stand by the CC players. Knowing several former Tigers makes it difficult to not appreciate what they go through as student athletes. Maybe they did overlook MT. They’re game last night resembled a lack of cohesiveness and desire
I’ve enjoyed CC hockey for years. But It seems that they only exceed expectations when those expectations are low…thus the kids seem to really have some fun and wheel and deal out there…ie pounding BC last year. This year, as in the past, CC always folds up or “mails it in” when high expectations rears its ugly head. After reaching the final four in 04-05 with the two top Hobey finalists…and NHLers Stewart, Hillen & Crabb… Cumack and Co. let in 14 goals (incl 6 to Denver-arrgh!) in the last three games of that season. Not championship hockey for sure! I hope they’re able to put something together here…but the smart money is on those Patty Jewett tee times. Godspeed anyway.
Not to argue but What did Jaden do at Worlds? Not a whole lot for being such a great player. One other thing you are forgetting this game is so much faster in the league and in the AHL. Jaden got a look durring Worlds and I am sorry to say he is not a #1 draft pick.
I also forgot that if you are the supposed star of the team then you also set the tone of the hockey team/club. I have not seen that out of him yet in the two seasons here.
I have an avid fan of CC hockey for years. Owens is not the right coach for this team. Can we PLEASE start a rallying cry for him to step down?? I have been paying for season tickets for years and years and I am not satisfied with the level of “solid play”/passion you would expect from a program like this. Scott – please step down!