BEMIDJI, Minn. – Captain Nick Dineen and goaltender Josh Thorimbert didn’t travel to Bemidji State for Colorado College’s weekend series because of upper-body injuries they suffered Saturday in a 2-2 tie against No. 14 Denver. It was expected, but it’s still a blow.

Joe Howe will start in place of Thorimbert, with untested freshman Courtney Lockwood as the backup on his first road trip. Tim Hall will assume Dineen’s center position on the second line alongside left wing Alexander Krushelnyski and right wing William Rapuzzi, and Archie Skalbeck or Jordan DiGiando should skate where Hall was on the fourth line.

There’s a possibility Dineen, Thorimbert and defenseman Eamonn McDermott (left knee) might come back for a Feb. 17-18 series against Nebraska-Omaha  – the most notables on an injury list that features right wing Dakota Eveland (upper body) and left wing Michael Morin (right ankle). Several other Tigers, including right wing Scott Winkler, are playing with pain.

CC coach Scott Owens called Dineen “your heart-and-soul guy,” and he said Thorimbert “may have been the hottest goalie in the country.” In their absence, “different guys have to chip in,” he added. “Some other guys that can put in more ice time have to contribute. The thing about hockey, it’s a great team sport, and hopefully, we’ll pull together. We’ve played pretty well on small (ice) sheets, and we’ve played pretty well on the road.”

A load of uncertainty during a time when No. 10 CC (15-9-2, 12-7-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) is scrapping for postseason positioning, in third place in the WCHA and 16th in the PairWise rankings – one spot out of the NCAA Tournament – with eight games left. And Bemidji State (13-12-3, 7-10-3) isn’t the easiest squad to face, constantly hammering the puck around the ice, attempting to coax teams into falling into its trap.

“One game doesn’t take on any more magnitude than the others,” Owens warned, noting that “you can’t get too far ahead of yourself. You’ve just got to kind of look at it weekend to weekend.” Still, he conceded, “A lot of teams are going to beat each other up. … You just kind of take care of yourself and hope you’re positioned right for the last weekend.”

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Even before Josh Thorimbert trudged to the locker room Saturday in a 2-2 tie against No. 14 Denver, Colorado College coach Scott Owens knew Joe Howe (above) was ready to play.

“The way he jumped over the boards,” Owens said. “We’re still sorting through Josh, and there he was, ready to go. You kind of want that. It’s a little bit like a relief pitcher.” He added that because of limited action in the past two months, Howe “wanted to go, and he wanted to be out there. He battled and competed, and he made some real good saves.”

A junior with a 40-35-6 career record, Howe probably will start both games this weekend at Bemidji State, thrust between the pipes as Thorimbert, a sophomore, remains out with an upper-body injury. Thorimbert hasn’t practiced all week, and neither has captain Nick Dineen, who also suffered an upper-body injury against Denver. They could return Feb. 17-18 against Nebraska-Omaha, along with injured defenseman Eamonn McDermott.

Thorimbert (10-4-1) has posted a 7-3-1 mark with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage in his past 11 games. The past three games Howe (5-5-1) has started, he has allowed five goals in a Jan. 14 overtime loss to St. Cloud State, three goals in a Jan. 7 tie against No. 13 Cornell and six goals in a Dec. 9 defeat against Alaska-Anchorage.

But Howe stopped all 17 shots that he faced to spring No. 10 CC (15-9-2, 12-7-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) to the Gold Pan. Remember he has six career shutouts, as well as five postseason wins, including an upset of defending national champion Boston College last season in the NCAA Tournament. He has won when it has mattered, and CC perhaps needs a sweep to improve its 16th-place standing in the PairWise rankings. Plus, Howe isn’t distracted, turning down requests for interviews in the buildup to Bemidji.

“I feel confident in him,” Owens said, adding that freshman backup Courtney Lockwood will travel for the first time in his career. “Because of the experience he has, the number of games he has played. And he’s a competitor. Josh’s numbers and the rhythm he has been in would be pretty nice to have. But I have confidence in Joe.”

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An upper-body injury that likely will keep Colorado College captain Nick Dineen from a weekend series at Bemidji State won’t prompt Jaden and Rylan Schwartz to be separated, and William Rapuzzi is expected to remain on a second line that’s centered by Tim Hall.

The Schwartz brothers practiced Tuesday at World Arena on the first line, with Rylan at center, Jaden at left wing and Jeff Collett (No. 21 above) at right wing. And the second line looked like it did Saturday after Dineen was knocked out of a 2-2 tie against No. 14 Denver, with Hall at center, Rapuzzi at right wing and Alexander Krushelnyski at left wing. Scott Winkler previously occupied Rapuzzi’s spot, but Winkler has been battling an undisclosed injury. Dineen didn’t practice, and goaltender Josh Thorimbert (upper body) was still sidelined.

Collett is “doing a pretty good job” alongside Jaden and Rylan Schwartz, CC coach Scott Owens said, noting that he “has benefited in terms of getting confidence and getting more minutes. He’s the kind of guy that you watch on tape, and he ends up doing so many little things well. … So that’s as big of a reason to keep Rapuzzi with Krushelnyski.”

Rapuzzi also is “playing better right now,” said Owens, who will move Rapuzzi onto the top power-play unit in the spot that Dineen inhabited and put Collett where Rapuzzi was on the second unit. Owens decided against sliding center David Civitarese onto the power play because he likes Civitarese countering the opponent’s top line after CC is done with the man advantage. Plus, Civitarese has “been doing really well in his role,” Owens said.

Other candidates for center are Archie Skalbeck and Jordan DiGiando. Skalback is “not scoring a ton,” Owens said, “but he’s playing pretty well – drawing penalties and opening up the ice.” Owens said DiGiando “is in here to be a defensive center that wins faceoffs and can penalty kill. He just hasn’t gotten a chance to do it yet,” playing only four games.

Collett said Jaden and Rylan Schwartz “definitely create a lot of space for me. … They make passes that I’m not used to getting sometimes, which is nice.” He added, “Anyone can play anywhere. We have a lot of depth on our team, and guys can fill in anywhere.”

“Our strength has been our depth at forward,” Hall said. “Guys are always going to step up and make plays and contribute at the right time.” It also helps that the No. 10 Tigers have “an unselfish group of guys, and they’re a bunch of good players,” Hall said. “When we get together, we just make it work, and we just want to do what’s best for the team.”

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Captain Nick Dineen (above) and goaltender Josh Thorimbert remain questionable for Colorado College’s weekend series at Bemidji State, both recovering from upper-body injuries that they suffered Saturday as a result of bruising collisions in a 2-2 tie against Denver.

Neither practiced Monday, although only a handful of players skated because of limited ice time as preparations for the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships continued at World Arena. They’ll receive treatment as the week progresses, and their status will be determined before CC leaves Thursday for Bemidji. Asked if there’s a chance Dineen and Thorimbert won’t play, CC coach Scott Owens said, “There’s a possibility they may not.”

Right wing Dakota Eveland (upper body) and left wing Michael Morin (right ankle) both are still sidelined, and defenseman Eamonn McDermott (left knee) skated Monday, with hope he could come back for a Feb. 17-18 home series against Nebraska-Omaha. “He’s making progress,” Owens said. “He will likely not make the trip. But he’s getting close.”

Owens said right wing Scott Winkler is still “a little sore” from an undisclosed injury that kept him out Friday in a 2-0 win at Denver, and that’s why he played only seven or eight minutes Saturday – about half as much as normal – on the fourth line. If Dineen can’t go, defenseman Gabe Guentzel will assume his captain duties, and if Thorimbert remains out, the backup to Joe Howe will be freshman Courtney Lockwood, who trained Monday with CC goaltender coach Terry Kleisinger. Lockwood has totaled 16 minutes all season.

“I’d feel much better with those four or five guys” who are injured, said Owens, who will travel with 22 players – right now, 23 players are healthy. “But I think we’ve proven we can play pretty good hockey this time of the year and pretty good road games.”

Also Monday, CC climbed a position to 10th in both the USCHO.com poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, as well as the Inside College Hockey rankings. The USCHO.com poll puts Boston University first, Minnesota second and Minnesota-Duluth third, and Minnesota is first in the USA Today poll, with Boston second and Minnesota-Duluth third. Denver dropped a spot to 14th in both polls, and North Dakota is 15th in the USA Today poll and 16th in the USCHO.com poll. Air Force received votes in each poll.

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Jaden Schwartz and Jeff Collett scored, and Joe Howe made 17 saves Saturday in place of the injured Josh Thorimbert, as No. 11 Colorado College won the Gold Pan with a 2-2 tie against No. 13 Denver at World Arena.

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Colorado College right wing Scott Winkler has returned from an undisclosed injury for a game against No. 13 Denver that will decide the winner of the Gold Pan on Saturday at World Arena. He’ll skate on the fourth line, with Tim Hall at center and Scott Wamsganz at left wing, and right wing William Rapuzzi will stay on the second line, featuring Nick Dineen at center and Alexander Krushelnyski at left wing. On defense, Ian Young skates alongside Arthur Bidwill in place of Aaron Harstad (above) since Harstad is suspended one game for fighting Friday in a 2-0 win at Denver. As expected, Josh Thorimbert starts in goal.

FORWARDS

1. LW Jaden Schwartz, C Rylan Schwartz, RW Jeff Collett

2. LW Alexander Krushelnyski, C Nick Dineen, RW William Rapuzzi

3. LW Archie Skalbeck, C David Civitarese, RW Andrew Hamburg

4. LW Scott Wamsganz, C Tim Hall, RW Scott Winkler

DEFENSEMEN

1. LD Gabe Guentzel, RD Joe Marciano

2. LD Ian Young, RD Arthur Bidwill

3. LD Peter Stoykewych, RD Mike Boivin

GOALTENDERS

1. Josh Thorimbert

2. Joe Howe

3. Courtney Lockwood

INJURED

RW Dakota Eveland (upper body)

D Eamonn McDermott (left knee)

LW Michael Morin (right ankle)

SUSPENDED

D Aaron Harstad (fighting)

HEALTHY SCRATCHES

D Ted Behrend

LW Jordan DiGiando

RW Charlie Taft

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Josh Thorimbert made 29 saves in his first shutout of the season, and Jaden Schwartz scored on the power play in the first period Friday, as No. 11 Colorado College beat No. 13 Denver 2-0 at Magness Arena in Denver.

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/cchockey. For the CC blog, visit http://cchockey.freedomblogging.com.

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DENVER – Colorado College right wing Scott Winkler (above) won’t play Friday at No. 13 Denver, replaced on the second line by William Rapuzzi. Winkler is dinged up, like some of CC’s players, and he practiced all week, although not on his normal line alongside center Nick Dineen and left wing Alexander Krushelnyski. CC already is without three injured players – right wing Dakota Eveland, defenseman Eamonn McDermott and left wing Michael Morin.

FORWARDS

1. LW Jaden Schwartz, C Rylan Schwartz, RW Jeff Collett

2. LW Alexander Krushelnyski, C Nick Dineen, RW William Rapuzzi

3. LW Archie Skalbeck, C David Civitarese, RW Andrew Hamburg

4. LW Scott Wamsganz, C Tim Hall, RW Charlie Taft

DEFENSEMEN

1. LD Gabe Guentzel, RD Joe Marciano

2. LD Aaron Harstad, RD Arthur Bidwill

3. LD Peter Stoykewych, RD Mike Boivin

GOALTENDERS

1. Josh Thorimbert

2. Joe Howe

INJURED

RW Dakota Eveland (upper body)

D Eamonn McDermott (left knee)

LW Michael Morin (right ankle)

RW Scott Winkler (unknown)

HEALTHY SCRATCHES

D Ted Behrend

LW Jordan DiGiando

G Courtney Lockwood

D Ian Young

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/cchockey. For the CC blog, visit http://cchockey.freedomblogging.com.