Colorado College slipped out of the USCHO.com poll Monday, and it’s still not included in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, coming off a season-ending sweep at the hands of Michigan Tech in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.
Boston College remained the unanimous No. 1 in both rankings, with Minnesota-Duluth up to second, Michigan third, Minnesota fourth, Boston University fifth and Union sixth. Both polls still have Denver at ninth and North Dakota at 12th. Air Force rose two spots to 17th in the USCHO.com poll, and it again received votes in the USA Today poll.
The Tigers (18-16-2) lose six seniors in Ted Behrend, Arthur Bidwill, David Civitarese, Nick Dineen, Gabe Guentzel and Tim Hall, and they lose their top point producer, Jaden Schwartz, a sophomore who signed a contract Monday with the St. Louis Blues. Jaden’s older brother, Rylan, might wait until the summer to decide whether he’s returning for his senior season, while Scott Winkler (above) is expected to stick around for his senior year at CC.
Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com. Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazettehockey. Google+: Brian Gomez. YouTube: Colorado College Hockey, Covered by The Gazette. For the CC homepage, visit www.gazette.com/sections/sports/collegehockey. For the CC blog, visit http://collegehockey.freedomblogging.com.
And exactly why should they be ranked? What have they done over the past 2 – 3 months to indicate that they are among the top tiered teams?
Inconsistant play leads to exactly what CC ended up with. A Gold Pan and nothing else….
Shouldn’t be ranked. Hey Gomez, any thought of doing an article comparing Owens to other coaches in the NCAA with the same tenure and such? Just to see if he’s really as bad as we think when compared to other coaches.
Adam, I’ve got something in the works for next week that should illustrate how CC has consistently faded down the stretch over the past decade. Some numbers that are pretty telling, when comparing the second half of seasons for CC vs. other WCHA schools. Should also have a season wrap-up story later this week, with a look at exactly what went wrong and why things went south.
I thought the whole idea was to get better over the course of the season but what do i know!
We did have a great start, maybe that’s why Owens decided to change the line-up before christmas, so he wouldn’t look so bad after the Christmas slide started!
We started out the season ranked 3rd based on pure talent of players and under Owens’ brilliant coaching this group of players ended up unranked and not even in the final five, let alone the NCAA tournament. I keep hearing “disappointing” to describe the season, I think the better work is “embarrassing”. He’s got to go.
Thanks Gomez. Look forward to it!
Sean,
It certainly is disappointing for the fans and their has to be some sort of embarrasment at the players level. I’m simply speculating regarding that last comment. However, the entire freshman class did not score a single goal this season. YIKES!!! That has to be some sort of telling statistic and a rather foreboding one in my mind.
It really seemed to me that CC had a good group of freshman but when faced with that little stat, it leads me to believe that the future of the CC team is rather suspect.
And to Brian, I am looking forward to that article. My hope is that it details some good information that details how good or bad Coach Owens program really is. Thanks.
Well this season has confirmed my decision to not renew season tickets next year. CC used to be a great team to watch but over the years things has slipped away. Go Falcons will be my new motto in the winter.
They need to revamp the entire program, the music in the world arena, the mediocre intro video it is just getting old its time for a change!
Also we need a band!
Sean, freshmen didn’t score a goal and the coach’s had a few on the 2nd power play in the end and they couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working, another reason why the coach’s had no idea what they were doing! Yes the coach’s Owens can’t be blamed for everything or are the other jokers just YES MEN!
Why did Owen juggle the lines completely after winning 2 straight? Who would do that? He should not have done that, that was crazy crazy nuts. Very bad coaching descision. They had a lot of talent on the team but Owen did not have the wherewithall to make it work.
Get real Franco, if you want to watch AF dominate programs like Bentley, Sacred Heart, AIC, RIT, Robert Morris and Canisius go ahead. I’m disappointed we did not live up the expectations, but its still a great program and plays legit teams – you can’t beat CC Hockey vs. the WCHA and soon to be NCHC at The World Arena……that being said the 2012-13 season may be the last for Owens???
Owens will be around as long as he wants. His contract extension is said to be through the 2015-16 season. No chance he gets ousted by the cc administration. Only way he leaves is if he resigns and there is little or no chance of that ever happening. The cc athletic department and administration love Owens because CC plays in a tough league, regularly finishes in the first half, has a winning record year after year, and most importantly brings in a lot of revenue. They ignore Owens failures in the postseason because their focus is money. CC is not a national power like some people have suggested. They are a mediocre hockey team that never has expectations for postseason glory.
Adam, I agree with your summary that he won’t be going anywhere and that we really don’t have much post season expectation. That said, do you really believe the days of finishing in the first half or having winning seasons will continue when we’re in the NCHC??? Every one of those teams – except maybe St Cloud, has CC’s number and would beat them 9 times out of 10 when it counts. The question is what happens when we don’t have winning seasons any more and the world arena crowds are paying good money to see 80% losses.
CC cares about winning and the revenue from ticket sales is very important. If CC falls to bottom half of WCHA/NCHC Owens would be fired.
Sean,
Yes I believe CC has the ability to continue having winning seasons and compete and finish in the top half of the NCHC. The WCHA is the toughest league in college hockey and CC is able to compete. There is a lot of parity in WCHA and that will continue in the NCHC. CC’s problem has never been competing during the regular season. Scott Owens nemesis will forever be the postseason. There are a lot of different theories as to why CC fades in march and April. Perhaps it’s conditioning, school schedule, type of player recruited, etc. I tend to believe it’s the style of coaching and game plan that Owens uses. He’s about as horrible as I’ve ever seen at in game adaptation and coaching. Next year will be Owens 15th as head coach. He’s shown all his cards, knows no more tricks, and will never achieve a national championship. He’s been a good coach for CC. He’s recruited some very good players and students but he’s clearly reached his peak as a coach
And I agree with Scott that Owens would be fired if CC began to lose and ticket sales dropped off.
Adam I agree with you. Postseason and last month of season is the issue with Scott Owens. Otherwise you really can’t complain with what Scott Owens is doing. Although I do believe his time at CC is near an end. I believe Owens will only be the head coach at CC another year or two – unless he can start doing something in the postseason. Personally, I hope Scott Owens can do something with the Tigers in the postseason – a Frozen Four appearance is key. But if he doesn’t, I do believe it is soon time for a change. CC is one of the Top 10 jobs in the country, even closer to Top 5 or 6 or 7. Many up and coming coaches would die for the CC job.
You’d really hope that Owens could make a CC team successful in a post season run but I just don’t see it. All the legitimate coaches that CC has had haven’t stayed. That should be a telling sign right there. Norm and Lammers at Umass Lowell turned a 5 win program into a NCAA tourney team. Guentzel has to have factored into the new found success up in Goofer country.
Guentzel is a good coach and has a long history with the Gophers. Lucia’s illness definetely affected his coaching the last few seasons. Both those factors prompted the Gophers to a nice run this year. I believe that Owens will coach out the remainder of his contract with CC and move on. If he doesn’t win a NC in the next few years his tenure as head coach will sadly be remembered as one of successful regular seasons with postseason failures. He’s had some of the best teams in college hockey over the last decade and a half only to bow out during crunch time.
On a side note I’d like to take a look at two quotes from one of our more knowledgable posters. Courtesy of Jasper regarding Jaden’s ability:
“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.
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.”
Granted its only been two games but still, Jaden’s play so far in the first two games proves to me that you really don’t know the game of hockey. Jaden will be successful at the next level because of his proximity to the puck at all times. He’s always around the puck when he doesn’t have it and when he has it he has unbelievable vision.
Jaden Schwartz – 2 NHL games – 2 NHL Goals.
He was one of the top 4 scorers in the Nation in College Hockey as a Sophomore. If he hadn’t been away at The World Juniors who knows what he would have accomplished at CC.
Jaden is a GREAT hockey player.
Check out the wonderful article in today’s New York Times on Norm Bazin, ex asst coach at CC and now leading UMass-Lowell into the NCAA’s. Shucks.
Bunker
let’s see if there is room for improvment
owen’s has a defensive coach in bonnet who has never played defense
he has a former all american defenseman not coaching the defenseman but the
offense
owens repeatedly says his goal for each season is to win home ice for the post season .
let’s see
would it help if the experienced former defensive player coached the defenseman and if owens set his goals higher?
If you are good enough to clinch home ice in the WCHA and then WIN the 1st Round playoff, you typically are high enough in the PairWise to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament. That is the goal and then go there and try to win…….I’m not saying things are perfect at CC with Owens, but overall we are a winning program, but I would definitely like to see us do better in the postseason. Losing to Michigan Tech at home was bad.
CCfan,
Things are far from perfect at CC under Owens. This guys ability to coach in the postseason is laughable. He’s consistently put together some of the best teams in college hockey only to fall flat during hte postseason. Last week Brian Gomez said he was putting together a piece on CC’s failures during the Scott Owens tenure. I’m sure that will be the only evidence anyone needs to show Owens failure as a postseason coach. A breath of fresh air is desperately needed behind the Tiger bench.
Why do players keep jumping to the NHL when most never make it out of the AHL. Ever heard of the major juniors?
CCfan,
Yeah, Coach Owens has a ‘winning program’. Problem is that many of those wins come at the beginning of the season when they really do not count for anything. He pads his record nicely but how many of those wins have come at the very last game of the season? Were are the trophies that reflect that last win of the season?
His record will only be considered great when his teams start winning that last game of the season.
Owens program is mediocre at best. He racks up wins that really are no where close to being quality wins and he has never won the last game of the season. If you are ok with a coach that runs up his record and really has nothing to show for it then good for you.
Simply put, Coach Owens needs to be released from his contract. When this team moves to the NCHC, it will then become the Anchorage of the NCHC. The talent base that is coming into the NCHC will wipe CC all over the ice on a regular basis.
Best prepare yourself for some long and dissapointing seasons because it is going to get ugly very quick after next year.
Brian, where is that article you mentioned earler in this posting?
Many times players will leave early when the NHL club that drafted them thinks they have developed as much as possible at the college level and encourages them to sign. If undrafted, players may leave early if they feel their value is peaked. Rylan Schwartz is a good example. He had a very good season statistically speaking. If he leaves CC before next season he may get a better contract/bonus than he would after his senior year because he will have exhausted all his NCAA eligibility. Obviously that is not the only factor that these kids consider but I do believe it is a big one. I would predict that Rylan will forego his senior year for a chance to play professionally.
Adam,
If Rylan has not signed by the end of the Frozen Four, I tend to doubt he will and will then return for his senior season.
Section 103,
I agree that Owens tends to play lower quality programs to boost his record and winning percentage. Hopefully CC will not become the doormat for the NCHC but I’m afraid you may be right. CC’s program has been declining for several years under Owens. A change is needed but unfortunately not coming for several years. As for Rylan, normally I would agree that he would have already signed but rumor has it he was injured the last part of the season. That may preclude teams from signing him this year. I’d still expect him to leave this summer.
Well,
It is my opinion on Jaden. He as only had 3 games in the league thus far and he will be staying the rest of the season with the big club becuase of the rules about sending players up and down after a certain date. Great for him on his two goals and 13 mins of play in 3 games far more than I or most will ever have. But time will tell. I just don’t see it in him. There are alot more players that I feel are better stronger and faster than he is. Next year will be the test. He did sign a 3 year entry level deal the same as Testwuide did and the same as most other kids do when they sign there 1rst contract. He got a great chance because other players on the team got hurt, but he got the chance. It will be up to him on what he does with his chance. But what does for it do for CC now or later? Nothing he is gone and not coming back to CC to play. I also felt the same with Howe in the net. He is not a starter. He did what was asked of him and great. But Thorimbert is by far a much better goalie than Howe. So let’s see how next year goes. We will get some good prospects come in to the program. It will be the coaching staff and the other players job to get them ready for game time. If Owens can stop changing the lines around for no reason when they are working we might have a great chance to compete and win in this new league. Time will Tell…..
CC has won WCHA titles…….
Losing at Michigan Tech in 1st Round of WCHA sucks, but its not a program that is in the pits. It’s a program that traditionally wins.
Just last season we beat Duluth, Wisconsin, and Boston College at the end of the season to only lose to Michigan 2-1 before they went on to the National Champ game and lost to Duluth in OT.
This season was disappointing but FAR from awful. We won the Gold Pan, had some nice wins throughout the season, just a bad ending.
NCHC will be tough for everyone including CC. It will make for GREAT hockey at The World Arena that’s for sure.
I hope Owens proves us wrong
Jasper- only thing I agree with you about concerning Jaden is that time will tell but that’s true with any player. Jaden has exceptional hockey skills and ice vision. I believe he’ll be a difference maker at the NHL level.
CCfan- you said that cc is a program that traditionally wins. I’ll agree that wins over some of the top tier division I programs are exciting but unfortunately they don’t translate to postseason success. Beating BC was great but look where it got the CC program…idling in mediocrity. This program had all the momentum and motivation coupled with very skilled players and they crapped the bed when it counted. An all to familiar theme with Scott Owens
A quick update: My article on the consistent fade of Scott Owens’ teams in the second half of the season is still coming, but it now won’t be until this coming week. I’ve been covering Air Force all week, and I’m in Worcester right now. Targeting the article for Thursday’s paper, meaning it should be online Wednesday.
Look forward to it
If CC would have beat Michigan Tech they likely would have made the NCAA Tournament. One bad weekend. It sucked, but it’s not like CC sucked all season, the Tigers were Nationally Ranked all season.
I think CC did disappoint this season, but reading these blogs you would think CC sucked or something. CC has finished top half of the WCHA more than anyone the last 20 years. More than Minnesota, more than Duluth, more than North Dakota, more than Wisconsin and more than DU. That’s a winning program. It’s amazing what CC accomplishes with its low enrollment, $50,000 tuition and high academics. The CC program is something to be very proud of. Now do I want to win National Championships – sure. But how many have North Dakota won of late??? Does Owens need to change his coaching style and/or conditioning program so the Tigers are better in March. I would say YES. But it’s a GREAT GREAT program.
Union looks like they are about to make the Frozen Four and CC dominated Union. Minnesota may make the Frozen Four, CC went 1-1 AT Minnesota and almost took two. Cornell may make the Frozen Four and CC played Cornell tough, although I admit we should have won one game instead of going 0-1-1. And then BC may make the Frozen Four again, we all know what CC did to BC last season. It’s not a dead program, it’s a program that may need some tweaking or better conditioning for March. Just last year we were one win from the Frozen Four. Just 4 years ago we won the MacNaughton Cup. I’m pissed about this past season but the good news is that we are NOT Anchorage or Bemidji or St Cloud or Michigan Tech or Mankato, not even close.
GREAT programs win national titles. BC, Minnesota, Michigan are GREAT programs. I’ve never said CC was a bad program. I think they are a good, quality program. Look at any previous post and I’ve been adamant about CC and its play in the regular season and the quality players it recruits. It’s a good program in the regular season. Unfortunately it has become a mediocre program because of its play during the postseason. Something’s gotta give.
And what lower quality teams does Owens play to bolster his schedule, winning percentage? Bentley, AIC, Sacred Heart, Canisius, Niagara, Army, Mercyhurst????? NO!
RPI made the NCAA Tourney last season and Union, Cornell made the NCAAs this season. And otherwise CC plays in the toughest conference in all the country – the WCHA. It’s a tough schedule, always one of the toughest schedules.
You seem to have a personal issue with Scott Owens, did he shoot your dog?
Maybe Scott Owens can’t win the National Title……but who can we get who can????? I am disappointed in our March performances, don’t get me wrong, I do want more!
BUT can CC really compete with Minnesota, Michigan, BC??? Those programs all have $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and a lot more of it than CC.
Personally I think CC can win a National Title, Owens may not be the guy…. But I hope he is, because I have a feeling we are living with Owens for another 2-3 years
Did he shoot my dog? Not that I’m aware of. And yes, I have a personal issue with Scott Owens. I have a personal issue with a coach who has embraced mediocrity. I have a personal issue with a coach whos teams continually fade in the late part of the season. I’ve been watching CC hockey for 25 years. I’ve seen the program go from doormat to champion. For the past decade this program has been inconsistent. It needs a fresh outlook
A new face on the bench may be the answer…….
I won’t disagree.
But I still love CC Hockey and will support the boys no matter who the coach is. I have my Season Tickets and I’m happy to have and support them.
Like I said before it does not matter any more about Jaden, he is gone. I really don’t care if he does great or plays bad. Washes out or is a main stay for his club. I don’t like the St Louis Blues before or even now that they have a former CC player. I am looking forward to next season. Who is coming in? Who may stay! If the players that have more time in college and leave to follow their dream of one day playing in the NHL good for them. When the puck drops next season. I care about who is in the net. How the lines in front of the goalie play. How many goals can we get as long as we have 1 more than our opponent on any given night is all that matters. When kids come in being 1rst round picks they think they are better than other players on the team. When you only have a few picks on a team anyway it does not do the team that well. These other programs around the country, mainly hockey east have draft picks like no other and every year they have alot of teams playing in March and April. CC may not be in it every year ( Pretty Close ) but it is good hockey. What matters is the logo on the front not the name on the back. So Adam lets talk more about who is coming in to the program and less about who left the program. I may not like Owens as much as the next guy when it comes to his coaching, but having personal issues I think is a bit much unless you are a team owner. There is nothing you or I can do about who is the coach. I agree with CC Fan just support the players. Go out and cheer for the whole team or your favorite player. Yes CC can compete with all the Big College Teams I have no doubt about it. All it takes is alittle confidence.
What are players looking for when they pick a school I ask, is good coaching. Most of these players have NHL on their minds and are looking for a good coach to help them with their goal. If you think they don’t look at David Civitarese who is probably one of the smartest hockey players in the nation and he signed with Hershey to see if he is good enough to make it. Did he get help from Owens, I think not! Owens pretty well kept him on the bench for all of his 4 years at CC.
This year Owens had a great team that should of went further than it did. I feel one of his biggest problems was that he only had 4 players on his mind. Take the 2nd last game, he changed the whole team to get Jaden and Rylan scoring, that didn’t work. Take the overtime in the last game, in his own words he said he changed the lineup again to get Jaden and Rylan to score and that didn’t work. Dineen’s line was the only line that was scoring 5 on 5 in the end and he changes it, WHY!!! Lets not even think of how he coached the Power Play in the end that unit was a JOKE! This team was so much better than what Owen’s could handle, all he thought about was Jaden, Rylan, Nick and Gabe which I feel lost the confidence in the rest of the players.
Fans are still writing in about Owens and there is not one person who feels Owens should be coaching next year. Once Owens steps down or he is fired he will never get another coaching job again. He knows this and right now is only thinking of himself and his retirement. At this time of his life he couldn’t care less of the program or the players he is suppose to lead!
Lets face it Owens is not a coach!
A lot of Minnesota fans wanted Lucia fired…..look what he and the Gophers are doing this year. Maybe CC in 2012-13?!?! It’s not like we are Minnesota State or even St. Cloud, CC is consistently good and in the hunt.
Jasper….uh not really sure how to respond to your post. Not quite sure I understand any of your points. Sorry.
Rich. Owens has a reputation for being a good recruiter. That’s why CC gets a lot of great hockey players. I’ll disagree with you about David Civitarese and his playing time. The last two years he consistently played on the 2nd line and on the 2nd power play unit. He also was an alternate captain.
George- the gap between Lucia and Owens is huge. Owens has been to 1 frozen four in 15 years as a head coach. In about 20 years as a head coach Lucia has been to 5 frozen fours (two with CC) and won two national titles. A pretty good resume.
Adam – I respect your passion for CC hockey.
I hope to see you at The World Arena next season and if the team fails to make the NCAA Tournament – and if we lose to Air Force again (inexcusable), we’ll go together to go see Ken Ralph and demand Owens be fired. But I would like to give it one more season, its not dire yet.
Team Defense and conditioning I believe is an issue for CC to adjust for next season.
Eric Rud coach the defense next season may help?
New Strength and Conditioning program? Keep the kids on campus over the Summer working out and bettering themselves for an NCAA Tournament run? New Strength and conditioning program as well.
The kids want to win and are good enough to win, the coaches need to put them in the best position possible.
And Rich – Dineen was never the same after the cheap shot by DU’s Zucker. The injuries and concussions really hurt the team at the end.
With Thorimbert in goal, anything is possible for CC next season. But Harstad and Stoykewich will need to step up their game. And Rapuzzi, Hamburg, Collett, Skalbeck, and a sophomore TBD need to score goals to help Winkler, Rylan Schwartz and Krushelnyski.
Teams in the Frozen Four:
Minnesota: CC went 1-1 AT Minnesota
Union: CC beat Union
Ferris State: Wysopal wasn’t good enough to get playing time at CC yet is a starter on Ferris
Boston College: CC dominated BC last March
Coach Owens the issue, or injuries and concussions?
I’ll admit losing at home to Michigan Tech in the WCHA 1st Round was no fun, but do we need an entire new direction?
CCfan,
I understand what point you’re trying to make. CC has always played well from October through January. It’s February and March where they have the biggest issues. No doubt injuries played a role this year but the consistent drop off is alarming. The one absolute consistent factor over the last 15 years is Owens. A coach and program are judged by the totality of their achievements. Looking only at regular season success and ignoring the postseason collapses suffered by the CC program is disingenuous at best.
P.S. Boston College overlooked CC last year and the Tigers made them pay. If you play that game 10 times BC wins 9. While it was fun to watch, it was a fluke. And BC is back in the frozen four…again.
Adam says: “blah…blah… Boston College overlooked CC last year…blah…blah”
ROTFLMAO
Makes anything else you’ve stated incredible as well.
Hey hophead,
I think I’m incredible as well. Thanks
Hey CCFan.
To answer your last question with one simple word……..YES!!!
Wysopal was a freshman when he left if memory serves and we all know how much Coach Owens LOVES to play freshman. Freshman are to be practiced with and very rarely played. After all they ‘need time to adjust to the WCHA style of play’. (Keeping them off the ice in game situations helps them to adjust, HOW?).
Maybe if Wysopal had more ice time he would still be with CC. I am happy for him that he chose to bolt the program and get with a team and coach that would actually play him!
What a concept!
Hey Gomez. Saw your article online yesterday. How come it hasn’t popped up in this blog yet?
Adam,
In a shift from previous CC hockey beat writers, this blog is intended to supplement the CC hockey main page at http://www.gazette.com/sections/sports/cchockey/. So you’ll never find duplicate content on this blog. And during the summer, I’ll admit, this blog will be a bit dormant, especially as I begin covering the Sky Sox next month into September. I’ll still have postings on this blog from time to time over the summer, but a majority of what I write about CC over the summer will appear at http://www.gazette.com/sections/sports/cchockey/.
How is it that DU tied this weekend and AFA lost did they not drop in the polls. CC was the only team to beat them. I was there and they looked really good. Now i know it is exh. but drop a team even in exh give me a break