Tigers climb one spot, now 18th in USCHO.com poll

March 5th, 2012, 2:34 pm by Brian Gomez

Colorado College rose one place to 18th in the USCHO.com poll, and it’s still not in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll following a weekend sweep of Michigan Tech.

Boston College remained first in both rankings, this time the unanimous No. 1, and Ferris State is second and Minnesota-Duluth is third. Minnesota is fourth in the USA Today poll and fifth in the USCHO.com poll, and both polls have Denver at ninth and North Dakota at 12th. Air Force also jumped one spot in the USCHO.com poll, to 19th, and like CC, it got votes in the USA Today poll. The Inside College Hockey rankings have CC at 16th.

CC (18-14-2, 15-12-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) hosts Michigan Tech (14-18-4, 11-13-4) again this weekend in the best-of-three first round of the WCHA playoffs, with Game 1 on Friday, Game 2 on Saturday and Game 3, if necessary, on Sunday. The winner gets a ticket to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn., and to make the NCAA Tournament, CC needs to get past Michigan Tech, then win once or twice in St. Paul.

WCHA PLAYOFFS, FIRST ROUND

No. 8 Michigan Tech at No. 5 Colorado College

Game 1: Friday, 7:37 p.m.

Game 2: Saturday, 7:07 p.m.

Game 3: Sunday, 7:07 p.m. (if necessary)

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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VIDEO: Michigan Tech again no match for upbeat Tigers

March 4th, 2012, 4:34 am by Brian Gomez

Gabe Guentzel and Jaden Schwartz both scored in a game-changing second period, and Josh Thorimbert made 34 saves, propelling No. 19 Colorado College to a 2-0 win against Michigan Tech on Saturday at World Arena.

WCHA PLAYOFFS, FIRST ROUND

No. 8 Michigan Tech at No. 5 Colorado College

Game 1: March 9 at 7:37 p.m.

Game 2: March 10 at 7:07 p.m.

Game 3: March 11 at 7:07 p.m. (if necessary)

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Saturday live updates: Michigan Tech at No. 19 CC

March 3rd, 2012, 6:51 pm by Brian Gomez

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES AND A FAN CHAT.

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Saturday’s lines: Behrend in lineup for senior night

March 3rd, 2012, 6:14 pm by Brian Gomez

Ted Behrend will receive a much-anticipated start Saturday, as No. 19 Colorado College goes for the sweep against Michigan Tech at World Arena. It’s senior night, and Behrend – replacing Scott Wamsganz as the left wing on the fourth line – will be flanked by CC’s other five seniors in Arthur Bidwill, David Civitarese, Nick Dineen, Tim Hall and Gabe Guentzel. Normally a defenseman, Behrend has appeared in only two games this season, also playing forward last month against Nebraska-Omaha because of injuries to others.

FORWARDS

1. LW Jaden Schwartz, C Rylan Schwartz, RW William Rapuzzi

2. LW Alexander Krushelnyski, C Nick Dineen, RW Scott Winkler

3. LW Archie Skalbeck, C David Civitarese, RW Jeff Collett

4. LW Ted Behrend, C Tim Hall, RW Andrew Hamburg

DEFENSEMEN

1. LD Gabe Guentzel, RD Joe Marciano

2. LD Aaron Harstad, RD Eamonn McDermott

3. LD Mike Boivin, RD Arthur Bidwill

GOALTENDERS

1. Josh Thorimbert

2. Joe Howe

3. Courtney Lockwood

INJURED

RW Dakota Eveland (upper body)

LW Michael Morin (right ankle)

HEALTHY SCRATCHES

C Jordan DiGiando

D Peter Stoykewych

RW Charlie Taft

LW Scott Wamsganz

D Ian Young

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VIDEO: Hall, J. Schwartz power CC past Michigan Tech

March 3rd, 2012, 6:04 am by Brian Gomez

Tim Hall and Jaden Schwartz both scored twice, and despite giving up two short-handed goals, No. 19 Colorado College beat Michigan Tech 5-2 on Friday at World Arena in clinching home ice for the WCHA playoffs.

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Friday night live updates: Michigan Tech at No. 19 CC

March 2nd, 2012, 7:28 pm by Brian Gomez

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES AND A FAN CHAT.

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Friday’s lines: Thorimbert starts, Skalbeck, Bidwill back

March 2nd, 2012, 6:33 pm by Brian Gomez

Josh Thorimbert will return in goal, and Archie Skalbeck (above) will reclaim his left wing spot on the third line Friday as No. 19 Colorado College hosts Michigan Tech at World Arena. Neither played Saturday, when the Tigers (16-14-2, 13-12-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) were throttled 5-2 in getting swept at No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth. Thorimbert starts in place of Joe Howe, and with Skalbeck back, center Jordan DiGiando is a healthy scratch. Arthur Bidwill, who didn’t play Saturday because of an upper-body injury, also returns to the third defensive pairing, alongside Mike Boivin. The Tigers need one win to clinch home ice for the March 9-11 best-of-three first round of the WCHA playoffs.

FORWARDS

1. LW Jaden Schwartz, C Rylan Schwartz, RW William Rapuzzi

2. LW Alexander Krushelnyski, C Nick Dineen, RW Scott Winkler

3. LW Archie Skalbeck, C David Civitarese, RW Jeff Collett

4. LW Scott Wamsganz, C Tim Hall, RW Andrew Hamburg

DEFENSEMEN

1. LD Gabe Guentzel, RD Joe Marciano

2. LD Aaron Harstad, RD Eamonn McDermott

3. LD Mike Boivin, RD Arthur Bidwill

GOALTENDERS

1. Josh Thorimbert

2. Joe Howe

3. Courtney Lockwood

INJURED

RW Dakota Eveland (upper body)

LW Michael Morin (right ankle)

HEALTHY SCRATCHES

D Ted Behrend

C Jordan DiGiando

D Peter Stoykewych

RW Charlie Taft

D Ian Young

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Michigan Tech brings uncommon power-play scheme

March 1st, 2012, 8:48 pm by Brian Gomez

Controlling Michigan Tech’s unique power play, which resembles a diamond formation when it’s in place, may be the key to No. 19 Colorado College winning a weekend home series that it can’t afford to lose, considering its rapidly fading NCAA Tournament hopes.

The Huskies (14-16-4, 11-11-4 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) convert at 20.1 percent on the power play, with a first unit in Ryan Furne, David Johnstone, Brett Olson, Blake Pietila and Steven Seigo that has combined for 121 points, including 20 goals with the man advantage. Of the 100 goals Michigan Tech has tallied, 30 are on the power play, and CC (16-14-2, 13-12-1) ranks ninth-worst nationally in penalty killing at 77.1 percent.

Johnstone lines up on the half wall, with Seigo the lone man at the point, Pietila between the circles, Olson in front of the net and Furne in the right circle. Usually, Johnstone will tap the puck to Seigo, who rolls to the middle of the blue line to form the diamond, then Seigo will shoot through traffic, relying on Olson to clear out defenders for rebound tries. Sometimes, Johnstone will pass to Pietila as he moves into the slot. Or he’ll set up a one-timer for Furne, who owns probably the strongest shot among Huskies on the power play.

No doubt, CC’s objective is to mimic the success of No. 14 North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha, who held Michigan Tech scoreless on 14 power-play chances last month in back-to-back series. This week in practice, CC assistant Joe Bonnett stressed the importance of getting bodies in the way of Furne, as well as collapsing on Olson, and the Tigers haven’t dialed back their aggressiveness in fighting for loose pucks and claiming corner battles.

The distinct setup by Michigan Tech “causes a little bit of a different rotation,” CC coach Scott Owens said, adding the Huskies are “sneaky good defensively. They play a little bit better defensively than you think. They have been getting good goaltending. And they have spread out their scoring. … They kind of believe in themselves right now.”

Other points of emphasis for CC? Increase backside pressure to cut off Michigan Tech’s strong rushes, establish a presence on the blue line and revitalize its transition game. “We would like to win Friday night, then string together a couple wins, so we can get a little confidence,” said Owens, whose team stands 21st in the PairWise rankings used to decide the 16 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, requiring one victory in the season-ending series to clinch home ice for the March 9-11 best-of-three first round of the WCHA playoffs. He noted, “It’s late in the year. But we have a big opportunity in front of us this weekend.”

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CC ticket information for first round of WCHA playoffs

February 29th, 2012, 11:38 pm by Brian Gomez

If Colorado College scores home ice for the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs, tickets will be available for purchase immediately after the game in which it clinches.

The No. 19 Tigers (16-14-2, 13-12-1 WCHA) need one win in a season-ending series this weekend against Michigan Tech (14-16-4, 11-11-4) to earn home ice for the 17th time in the past 19 years. They could still receive home ice if they went 0-0-2, 0-1-1 or 0-2, but only if Nebraska-Omaha, which is hosting No. 9 Denver, and St. Cloud State, hosting No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth, stumble as well. They’re tied for fifth place in the WCHA.

More than 1,000 seats for a March 9-11 best-of-three series – the winner advances to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn. – would go on sale Friday night at the World Arena box office, through TicketsWest and by calling 719-576-2626 if CC wins Friday. And they would go on sale Saturday night if CC doesn’t clinch until Saturday. The World Arena box office opens at 10 a.m. Saturday but is closed Sunday.

Prices won’t increase from the regular season, in which tickets ranged from $9 to $16.50 for the upper deck and from $18 to $35 for the lower bowl. The seats already were part of the package for CC season-ticket holders. If a third game of the series is necessary, those tickets wouldn’t go on sale until after the second game. Times have been set – 7:37 p.m. for the March 9 opener and 7:07 p.m. for the March 10-11 second and third games.

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Minnesota H.S. wing commits to CC for next season

February 28th, 2012, 10:24 pm by Brian Gomez

Colorado College has notched a verbal commitment from Hunter Fejes, a Minnesota high school senior left wing who will join the Tigers next season, bringing an attractive mix of strength, toughness and skating ability, along with a work ethic that has been praised.

Fejes, 17, of Anchorage, Alaska, leads Shattuck-St. Mary’s with 33 goals, and he has 36 assists, in 49 games. He’s still growing into his 6-foot-1, 191-pound frame, and he boasts more than enough skills to hold his own in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, as well as the startup National Collegiate Hockey Conference when CC makes the switch in the 2013-14 season. Chances are Fejes will be selected in the NHL draft in June.

COLORADO COLLEGE RECRUITS

Garrett Cecere, defenseman, Janesville Jets (NAHL)

Hunter Fejes, left wing, Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minnesota H.S.)

Matt Hansen, right wing, Austin Bruins (NAHL)

Christian Heil, center, Chicago Steel (USHL)

Michael King, defenseman, Westside Warriors (BCHL)

Daniel Labosky, left wing, Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Minnesota H.S.)

Duggie Lagrone, defenseman, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)

Gustav Olofsson, defenseman, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

Alex Roos, right wing, Chicago Steel (USHL)

Jaccob Slavin, defenseman, Chicago Steel (USHL)

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