Click here to see a video when former CC standout Toby Petersen scored to make it 3-1 against Chicago on Oct. 17.
Click here to see a video when former CC standout Toby Petersen scored to make it 3-1 against Chicago on Oct. 17.
Former Tiger Toby Petersen logged 15:11 versus Colorado Thursday and 16:17 against St. Louis on Sunday so far this preseason.
**Defenseman Jack Hillen made the New York Islanders 23-man active roster. There’s no telling how long he’ll stay there, but the organization is definitely high on Hillen, who was running point on the first power-play unit during practice this week.
**Defenseman Brandon Straub didn’t make the Quad-City Flames roster, but joins former Vegas-gold line player Jimmy Kilpatrick in Las Vegas, playing for the Wranglers of the ECHL. Kilpatrick signed Wednesday with the Wranglers.
**Former right wing James Brannigan lands a pro hockey gig in his hometown.
**There are high expectations for the Dallas Stars, where Toby Petersen is expected to be an every-night guy.
**More chatter about goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who is playing backup for his hometown Calgary Flames.
**Defenseman Brian Salcido joins former Denver defenseman Adrian Veideman and former Minnesota defenseman Stu Bickel in the Iowa Chops (AHL) defensive corps.
**Defenseman Richard Petiot landed a spot with the Toronto Marlies, the AHL club for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After spending the first part of his career in the Los Angeles Kings organization, Petiot was signed as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs.
**Not surprisingly, defenseman Mark Stuart is expected to be a key piece in the Boston Bruins’ success this season.
**And finally, Joey Crabb and Colin Stuart are back in Chicago, playing for the AHL’s Wolves, while former CC teammate Brett Sterling hangs on with the Wolves’ parent club, the Atlanta Thrashers. (If you read the comments, fans want Sterling to play (1) and not to be forced to play right wing (2).)
**Former CC defenseman Richard Petiot didn’t have his strongest outing for his new club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it’s encouraging to see him back in NHL action after struggling with injuries for the past two years in the AHL.
**Former CC center Mark Cullen has landed with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) for now.
**After posting a 19-save shutout of the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-0 preseason win for the Calgary Flames, former CC goaltender Curtis McElhinney takes a boost of confidence into his role as back-up this season.
**Boston Bruins ironman Mark Stuart, a former CC defenseman, missed practice on Wednesday while he continues to recover from a charley horse he suffered in last Saturday’s preseason game against Washington.
**This one’s a bit old, but it’s a good read on how Toby Petersen is settling in with the Dallas Stars.
Mucking In The Corner has a new home on The Gazette’s website. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
I was out of the country for the bulk of the NHL playoffs, so I missed that CC alum Toby Petersen was the talk of the Dallas Stars-Detroit Red Wings series.
Here are some links that capture the buzz in Dallas:
And this is also old news, but important nonetheless: Defenseman Gabe Guentzel, a Woodbury, Minn., native and son of recently departed Minnesota assistant coach Mike Guentzel, committed to CC for the upcoming season, the Sioux Falls Stampede announced May 14. Guentzel, who had six goals and 22 assists in 60 games for the Stampede, joins Arthur Bidwill and Joe Marciano as new additions to the defensive corps this fall. Captain Jake Gannon will be the lone senior defenseman and leader of a group that returns six of seven players, losing Jack Hillen to graduation. Nine defensemen will be the most the Tigers have had since the 2004-05 season, when they also had nine defensemen.
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.
In case you missed it, goaltender Richard Bachman picked up his third Defensive Player of the Week honor from Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tuesday, the fifth time he has received recognition from the league. The Tigers remain ranked fourth in both weekly polls.
Start clicking
Think Colorado College has a candidate for the Hobey Baker Award? Want to throw your weight behind Air Force’s Eric Ehn, who was a top-three finalist last season? Go to hobeybaker.com and follow the ‘Vote for Hobey’ links.
**I tried it Thursday afternoon to see if I could give more instruction, but it didn’t seem to be active yet.
Sign of things to come?
Bemidji State, which plays CC at World Arena on Jan. 18, will present its case to WCHA officials for admittance into the 10-team league on Jan. 13. With the demise of the Wayne State program, which is playing its final season this year, the five-team College Hockey America conference shrinks to four programs and the future of programs at BSU, Robert Morris, Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville looks bleak. Because a conference with fewer than six teams is not permitted to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the ability of CHA schools to recruit and be competitive would be extinguished. The CHA, which was started to help new programs make the transition to Division I, was granted an exception in 2005 that ends after this season.
Tiger Tracks
NHL:
It’s nothing new for long-time Tigers fans who watched Mike, Colin and Mark Stuart come through the ranks, but it’s still neat to think about what Colin’s recent call-up to the Atlanta Thrashers means to his family back in Rochester, Minn.
A look at the downside of being a back-up goaltender in the NHL gives Curtis McElhinney a shout-out for his work in 131 minutes of play this season.
AHL:
Former Colorado College center Brett Sterling was named a starter for the 2008 AHL All-Star game’s U.S. team, announced Thursday. The game will take place January 28 in Binghamton, N.Y. He’ll be joined by fellow CC alums Toby Petersen (Iowa Stars) and defenseman Brian Salcido (Portland Pirates).
ECHL:
Would-be senior James Brannigan, who departed CC in the summer only to be released by the Augusta Lynx (ECHL), got a belated Christmas present. Depleted by the call-up of former CC teammate Aaron Slattengren (who enjoyed a brief stint with the Manitoba Moose (AHL)), the Lynx signed Brannigan to a player try-out contract (a 25-game agreement) on Dec. 27. On Slattengren’s first night back in Georgia, Brannigan scored his first professional goal on former teammate Matt Zaba, who stopped 35 of 41 shots in the Charlotte Checkers’ loss.
Meanwhile, Trevor Frischmon could play his last AHL game Friday, when his PTO contract expires.
USHL/Recruiting Front:
Recruit Nick Dineen, who is slated to join the Tigers this fall, was named to the 2008 USHL Top Prospects/All-Stars game, to be played Jan. 29 in Green Bay, Wis.
Updated alumni statistics can be found here. Some highlights:
Iowa Stars captain and former Colorado College captain Toby Petersen is third in the American Hockey League scoring standings (13 goals, 14 assists). Mark Cullen, who played with Petersen for two seasons at CC, also leads his team, the Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring (six goals, 15 assists).
In his second AHL season since he left CC after his junior year, Brian Salcido is the top-scoring defenseman with 23 points (six goals, 17 assists).
In just 14 games, Brett Sterling is fourth on the Chicago Wolves’ scoring list with 20 points (13 goals, 7 assists).
In the ECHL, Aaron Slattengren of the Augusta Lynx is second in league scoring with 17 goals and 10 assists (27 points) and was named player of the week. Read here.
Finally, the latest on CC recruits can be found in this updated spreadsheet.
Third-period goals:
Colorado College 1, New Hampshire 2: Brad Flaishans (Craig Switzer, Matt Fornataro), 4:33, pp.
Just 35 seconds into a 101-second five-on-three scenario, Switzer’s pass from the point was one-timed by Flaishans from the top of the left circle. The slap shot beat Bachman inside the left post.
“There was a power-play blast and there was a lot of traffic,” coach Scott Owens said of the goal.
Colorado College 2, New Hampshire 2: Scott McCulloch (Jack Hillen, Andreas Vlassopoulos), 9:52, pp.
Hillen ripped a shot from the point and McCulloch and Bill Sweatt crashed the net, punching the rebound past goaltender Brian Foster.
Colorado College 2, New Hampshire 3: Paul Thompson (Danny Dries, Joe Charlebois), 10:08.
Sixteen seconds after CC’s game-tying score, Charlebois’ slap shot from the outside edge of the right circle was tipped by Dries on the near post and batted in by Thompson backdoor.
Colorado College 2, New Hampshire 4: Peter LeBlanc (Jerry Pollastrone), 19:53, en.
After a neutral zone turnover created a 2-on-1 rush, defenseman Brian Connelly overcommitted to LeBlanc, who drove past him and finished in the empty net.
Post-game quotes:
Coach Scott Owens
–On the two-referee, two-linesman system
“The two-man system is something that’s being experimented with this year, I thought it went reasonably well. I would give it a thumbs-up based on this weekend.”
–On goaltender Richard Bachman
“You know what? Three goals against in a road game, his first road game, five goals in three games against teams rated top-six in the country, you know, that’s a good start for the young man.”
–Concerned about CC’s penalty kill, which gave up three goals on 10 power plays?
“I’m not concerned. I just hate putting so much pressure on our special teams by not generating a goal or a goal and a half a game on five-on-five and that’s an area we’ve really got to get better at here.”
Defenseman Jack Hillen
–On what the Tigers learned this weekend
“What it takes to win on the road. Obviously we’re not good enough right now. You can’t just come into a barn, especially a team that’s as good as UNH, and not put a full road game together. We made too many mistakes. We did a lot of good things right, you can certainly take those away. But as a senior and a veteran on this team, I’m looking at goals after we just get one. …It’s a whole different atmosphere coming into a place like this than playing at home and w e’ve got to learn and we’ve got to learn pretty quick or it’s going to get away.”
–On playing from behind on the road
“It’s hard. It’s harder to come back on the road because you don’t get that momentum from the crowd. You feel like you’re on your own and you don’t get the breaks from the refs. I’m not saying that’s what caused the game, I’m just saying you’re not going to get anything going your way, you’ve got to make your own momentum and it’s that much harder on the road. If you’re playing catch up, it’s not a good recipe for road wins.”
Left wing Scott McCulloch
–On what CC’s 5-on-5 offense needs
“I think that’s just not playing in the tough areas. We’ve got a lot of skilled forwards but it’s getting the puck to the paint and being there and getting traffic in front of the goalie. I think that’s an area we need to improve on, especially being an older team, it’s something that we should already be doing. I think we need to improve big-time on that. Usually we do a good job down low, but it’s taking the puck to the net with authority and having bodies there and that’s where it’s tough to play, it’s in front of the net. That triangle in front, that’s where the goals are scored and I think we need to do a better job of getting there.”
–On why the Tigers’ forecheck struggled to contain New Hampshire
I think we had a few turnovers, just not taking care of the puck and maybe missing a few lanes. But they’re a great team, they move the puck really well through the neutral zone, that’s their strength. You’re not always going to be able to stop that team, but I think in all areas, bearing down would help out.
Inside the stats:
–New Hampshire had the faceoff edge, 39-32. For CC, Chad Rau won 12/20 faceoffs and Vlassopoulos earned 11/22 wins.
–CC scored on two of seven power plays, as did the Wildcats, but had 16 shots to New Hampshire’s seven on the man-advantage.
–In the first and second period, Bachman faced just seven shots from the slot. By contrast, in the third period, eight of UNH’s 12 shots came from the slot.
***
Tiger Tracks:
Tonight’s American Hockey League showdown between the Lake Erie Monsters and the Iowa Stars was a CC-studded affair. Defenseman Brandon Straub helped the Monsters to a 3-2 win, in which Stars captain Toby Petersen had a goal and Stars alternate captain Marty Sertich was held to a single shot.
Three things to keep in mind this week as CC heads into a two-game set at New Hampshire:
1. Kevin Regan The senior goaltender, who saved 30 of 31 shots in the Wildcats’ 4-1 win over Boston University, has an impressive career save percentage of .928 and 2.28 goals-against average in 61 games. Regan, named Hockey East defensive player of the week, is a big reason UNH was picked to finish first in its conference.
2. Big corners UNH’s Whittemore Center, which features an ice sheet with the same dimensions as the World Arena (200′ x 100′), is rumored to have nearly square corners (I’ll be pulling out my measuring tape). That means more space for the CC forwards to work with, but conversely, a tougher defensive task for the Tigers’ young defensemen.
3. Formidable top line The combination of LW James VanRiemsdyk, C Mike Radja, and RW Matt Fornatero will need some special attention. In the Wildcats’ first outing against Boston University, each had a goal and an assist. VanRiemsdyk might be “just a freshman,” but he’s already drawing comparisons to Minnesota’s Blake Wheeler. CC coach Scott Owens said the matchup between CC and New Hampshire should resemble last weekend’s games against Minnesota.
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Notes:
Right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick (hip) will travel and is “very close,” coach Scott Owens said Tuesday, after he put Kilpatrick with center Chad Rau and left wing Scott Thauwald to test his progress…Stephen Schultz (undisclosed leg injury) and Dan Quilico (right ankle) did not make the travel roster but both are back to full-contact practicing…Read Owens’ Tuesday at the Rink chat transcript here…Elliot Olshansky puts his foot in his mouth after CC’s season-opening sweep of Minnesota.
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Recruiting Round-up:
One of CC’s recent commitments, Tim Hall, who is slated to join the Tigers next season, was named to the U.S. Junior Select team, which will compete Nov. 5-11 in Trail and Nelson, British Columbia, at the World Junior A Challenge. Nick Dineen, another forward recruit for 2008, is also on the 21-player roster.
Hall was also named a ‘B’ list of NHL Central Scouting’s Player To Watch list, released today. A ‘B’ rating indicates a potential third- to fifth-round draftee. Rylan Schwartz, who committed to join CC in 2009 but could enroll next fall, was given a ‘C’ rating, meaning he is a potential late-round selection. Central Scouting will release a midterm and final ranking before the NHL draft in June 2008.
Andrew Hamburg has endured quite a journey this fall. After being released from the Waterloo Black Hawks (United States Hockey League), Hamburg was picked up by the Texas Tornado (North American Hockey League), where he had one goal and one assist in two games. As pointed out by Ryan of the USHL blog, the Tornado traded Hamburg to the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL, where he now appears on the roster but not in the stats.
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Tiger Tracks:
In net for the Charlotte Checkers (ECHL), Matt Zaba stopped 29 of 30 shots in his first professional victory, a 5-1 win over the Augusta Lynx.. The lone goal for the Lynx was scored by Aaron Slattengren. Trevor Frischmon, who joined the Checkers Tuesday, had two assists.
Toby Petersen was named captain of the Iowa Stars (AHL).
Shortly after he allowed one goal on two shots in his NHL debut, Curtis McElhinney was sent packing to the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate.