Here's Missy's pics from the Duluth series and the last shots of our great senior class. If you look closely, you can see all the guys were sporting...uhhh....mohawks of sorts. Guess we won't ever be seeing those again!

I was planning a writeup about how the Tigers playoff fall could have been seen from miles away but it looks like Schwab beat me to the punch. Pretty good article and it sums up the problems the Tigers have had all season. Pics from the weekend will be up tomorrow night.
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Minnesota-Duluth eliminates Tigers
FRANK SCHWAB
THE GAZETTE

Colorado College's quick and quiet exit from the 2008-09 season should have been stunning, but the signs were there for months.

The Tigers were offensively challenged throughout the season, which ended Saturday with a 3-1 loss to Minnesota-Duluth at World Arena. The Bulldogs swept the best-of-three Western Collegiate Hockey Association first-round playoff series and advanced to this week's Final Five with an 18-12-8 record.

CC, which finishes 16-12-10, managed only two goals in the series.

"It's fitting we go out this way, kind of struggling on the power play and not scoring enough goals," senior forward Cody Lampl said.

The Tigers were picked to repeat as league champions before the season and briefly were ranked No. 1 nationally. CC was the only WCHA team to finish as a top-five seed and not advance to the Final Five. The other four top seeds went 8-0 in the first round.

The Tigers finished with their fewest victories since the 1992-93 season, when they went 8-28. CC has lost five straight postseason games and has lost in the first round of the WCHA playoffs three of the past four years.

"It's amazing how fast it ends," senior forward Scott McCulloch said.

The Bulldogs lead the WCHA in power-play percentage, and the Tigers were burned by some early power-play goals Friday night. On Saturday, CC couldn't stay out of the penalty box early.

A hooking penalty on center Andreas Vlassopoulos led to Duluth's first goal, by Jack Connolly. The Tigers' second penalty - cross checking by Eric Walsky - was turned into another goal, this one by Nick Kemp, giving Duluth a 2-0 lead a little more than 11 minutes into the game.

"That was the scouting report, was we have to keep them off the (power play)," McCulloch said. "It was a lot better than I thought it would be. They did a number on our (penalty kill) this weekend."

CC showed some signs of life late in the first period. On a power play, McCulloch scored on a rebound off Brian Connelly's shot. Duluth answered in the second when Michael Gergen scored.

The Tigers battled in the third period, putting 12 shots on goal, but couldn't get another score.

Coach Scott Owens said the season was "absolutely frustrating."

"To get swept at home in this fashion - despite the fact there wasn't a lot of difference between the teams in the middle (of the WCHA) - it shouldn't happen," Owens said.

NOTES

High shots

In Friday's playoff opener, Minnesota-Duluth had success shooting high on CC goaltender Richard Bachman, beating him a couple of times over the shoulder on his glove side. The Bulldogs obviously figured that was their best strategy to beat Bachman in the series.

"It looked like they were going high on him a lot," CC coach Scott Owens said. "Bachman is known for having good legs, so I'm sure that's probably what it was."

Overtime prep

One obvious difference between the regular season and playoffs is there are no ties in the playoffs. The longest game in CC history was in 1997, when the Tigers beat Wisconsin 1-0 in four overtimes in a WCHA first-round playoff game. The coaches and players said there was no way to prepare for a multiple-overtime game, although they understand it was a possibility.

"Everyone wants that one goal to win and get the game over because you're so tired," CC senior defenseman Jake Gannon said. "I think all of that drives playing in those long games."

Hall in

The Tigers didn't make many changes to the lineup after losing their playoff opener against Duluth in the best-of-three series. CC did make one switch. Freshman Tim Hall replaced Addison DeBoer as the left wing on the fourth line.

CC did not make many changes to its lineup over a five-week stretch in which the team only lost once.

The Tigers couldn't have picked a worse time to be swept for the first time this season. CC fired 30 shots on Alex Stalock and were again stopped cold in a 3-1 loss that ends the Tigers WCHA playoff hunt and the 08-09 season. The loss marks the 5th straight playoff loss for the team and will put Richard Bachman's future on the team in question. He said there was unfinished business here and would pass up the chance to go to the pro's to get the Tigers into the Frozen Four.
More to come tomorrow.

CC's Friday struggles continued into the post-season as the Tigers were waxed 4-1 by the Bulldogs from Duluth. The Tigers launched 36 shots on Alex Stalock but weren't able to solve the solid goalender. Bachman faced 39 shots, stopping all but the four goals. The Tigers are now faced with a must-win tomorrow night or their season is done for sure. I was following the game notes on the stupid Gazette's game blog but the blog died after the second period. Pretty sure if you're blogging at a game, you should keep people updated and not wander away to drink beer the rest of the game.
So, upcoming: The Tigers play Duluth again Saturday night at 7:07. If the Bulldogs win, it's all over. If the Tigers can rebound, game 3 will be Sunday night-I'm assuming 7:05 (that's when all Sunday games have been). The Tigers' season is all on the line tomorrow night, we'll see how they respond.

The Tigers still have a pretty good shot at making the NCAA Tournament if they can play good hockey and win some WCHA tournament games. Unfortunately, that road looks a little tougher at the time of this posting as the Tigers are down 3-1 going into the third period against Duluth. I'll have a quick update of the score when it ends (nothing more since I'm in Moab!). In the meantime, here's Frank Schwab's assessment of the Tigers' postseason chances.

CC hockey team knows what it has to do to make the NCAA Tournament
FRANK SCHWAB

Unlike college basketball, which will engage in nonstop "in or out?" bubble-team debate until Sunday afternoon, college hockey's postseason berths are easier to figure.

If the power ratings in hockey say you're good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, you're in. That's why coaches pay so much attention this time of year to the U.S. College Hockey Online PairWise rankings. Those rankings mirror the formula used by the NCAA selection committee.

"I like it because there are no opinions, there's no subjectivity," Colorado College coach Scott Owens said. "There's always those thoughts if a guy is sitting around in a cigar smoke-filled room paying back people to get teams in. This takes that out of it. It's very fair."

At the beginning of February, PairWise wasn't a big factor for the plummeting Tigers. Now they're in a tie for 14th after a strong run in February and early March. Depending on how many lower-ranked teams get automatic bids by winning conference tournaments, the top 12 or 13 teams in the PairWise rankings usually get into the NCAA Tournament.

CC has a best-of-three home series in the opening round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs this weekend against Minnesota-Duluth. Two wins in the tough matchup could help the Tigers move up in the PairWise. Duluth is barely behind the Tigers in PairWise, tied for 17th.

"If you don't win, you're done anyway," Owens said. "If you do win, you might as well pick up some value points."

If CC advances, there is a good chance it will participate in the extra game at the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn. The Tigers are the fourth seed, and the top three remaining seeds get byes to the semifinals. That could give CC a chance to get an extra win and help its NCAA Tournament standing.

"I think if we can win this series and win two games in St. Paul, we have a decent chance," Owens said.

CC could also get in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Final Five, but that won't be easy. The Tigers have never won the event and if they play in the extra game, that adds some difficulty.

The players understand they can't pay too much attention to what happens to teams like Princeton, Minnesota, Ohio State and St. Lawrence - teams that are directly ahead of or tied with CC in the PairWise. The Tigers hope to win and let the computers figure out the rest.

"I just try to focus on the games," senior forward Eric Walsky said. "All we have control over is winning and those wins are only going to help in the PairWise."

photo from Gazette.com
















I think Frank Schwab taking over the Tigers coverage at the Gazette was the best thing ever to happen. I hated the previous writer's style and topics and I thought she was pretty amateurish. Frank's latest article was from a full week ago and I completely forgot about it until Missy J posted the link for me on my facebook page (oh and a big thanks to all the Tigers who confirmed my friend requests this week, pretty cool to be friends with all the guys on the team and I may harrass you guys more for some interviews after the season is over).

If anyone ever tells you that hard work doesn't pay off, just have them give Berni Horowitz a call. The guy was just chillin' and playing on the club team at CC (I didn't realize that had both club and D1) and now he is on the Tigers roster as the #3 goalie and getting worked over in practice. It gives Bachman a break and also seems to have given the Tigers a little energy and fun in practice-something that could pay off bigtime this weekend. Check out the article below.

One other fun thing that Missy also pointed out to me which is the video of Jack Hillen's first NHL goal and it's a beaut!
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Club team goalie gets dream chance with Tigers
FRANK SCHWAB THE GAZETTE

Bernie Horowitz isn't in Colorado College's media guide or listed as a player on the team's Web site. And he won't be dressed and on the bench Saturday when the Tigers play at Denver.

All Horowitz gets is to live the dream of every recreational athlete who wants the chance to compete at a higher level.

When backup goaltender Drew O'Connell suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, CC needed a third goalie for practice. That's how Horowitz went from playing on the school's club team to practicing every week with the nation's No. 15 team.

"Wonderful, amazing," Horowitz said. "My highest aspiration was to play open hockey against these guys just once, to see how I matched up against them."

O'Connell hurt his shoulder Jan. 16. For a while, the Tigers were hopeful he could return, but O'Connell never recovered and recently had surgery.

Finding another goalie isn't easy. There aren't free agents like in the pros, and CC is a small campus.

While the Tigers were worried about finding a new goaltender, Horowitz was enjoying himself on the club team. He wasn't going to challenge Richard Bachman for supremacy at CC, not with his 4-8-1 record and 4.94 goals-against average, according to the club team's site. But the former New York City high school starter never dreamed of playing with the guys on scholarship.

"When I came to this school, I saw I could play with the club team five times a week, and that was great," he said. "The D-I team was never part of the equation."

Horowitz, a junior, knew some of the Tigers players. He was friends with former CC goalie Chris Kawano as a freshman and a neighbor to some Tigers players last year in the dorms. During the summer after his freshman year, he even practiced against some of them, which fulfilled a dream.

CC's coaches asked Charlie Litch, a part-time video editor for the varsity team last year, about club team goalies. Litch, who is handling administrative duties for the club team, recommended Horowitz.

"We just asked around," coach Scott Owens said. "It takes some of the practice workload off Richard, and you're able to run a full hour-and-15-minute practice with three goaltenders without having to worry about burning out your two goaltenders. From that standpoint, we needed it."

Horowitz was given what amounted to a two-week tryout, then was added to the roster.

Horowitz has taken it in stride. He laughs along when teammates mercilessly tease him during an interview, and he jokes about getting "red light burns" after he practiced despite being under the weather this week. He admits if anything in his game is off, he'll "get killed." Yet, for the most part, he doesn't think he has embarrassed himself.

And the practices are a blast, for himself and even the coaches.

"He's a good kid," Owens said. "He's been a fun addition. He's pretty jacked about it."

There's one question he constantly receives from friends and family back home: Is he ever going to get in a game? If another goaltender goes down, he's all that's left to be the backup. Even though he has far surpassed any college hockey dreams he had, he daydreams about the possibility of playing in a game.

"Of course I have," Horowitz said. "I think I'd have a heart attack before I made it into the net."

Humpday means that the WCHA tournament is only a mere two days away and the Tigers get the chance to redeem themselves and squeak into the WCHA tournament. CHN has the Tigers as one of the bubble teams that could sneak in with a good showing over the next two weekends.
The Tigers are currently in a 3-way logjam tie for 14th in the Pairwise rankings which translates to being right on the outside.
On a fun note, I noticed that Dre Vlassopolous changed his Facebook pic to one that Missy J took over the weekend, pretty freaking sweet. Oh and for those of you that call me a stalker-I found it because one of my visits to the site today tracked back to his profile and bamo, there you go. Not much else in the way of Tiger news today but I'll have some more coverage of this upcoming weekends' battle with the Bulldogs tomorrow.

The Tigers moved to 13th in the USA Today poll to solidify a #13 ranking in the two major polls. Nothing glamourous about 13th BUT anything is better than being unranked. North Dakota is ranked 7th and 8th and holds the #2 spot in the WCHA.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

Feb. 23, 2009

Also receiving votes: St. Lawrence 25, Minnesota 13, Air Force 8, RIT 2, St. Cloud State 2, Wisconsin 2.

USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll

Feb. 16, 2009

Also receiving votes: Air Force 50, Boston College 41, Alaska 22, RIT 16, Dartmouth 7.

I had a rare Sunday mid-day game today so my schedule is all wacked-but here are the pics from the weekend sweep of the Gophers. The pics from Friday with the Tigers in white are courtesy of my dad and Saturday night with the massive amounts of gold on the ice are from Missy J. The Tigers are still "bubblelicious" and could provide some crazy drama to end the WCHA season if they can manage a sweet up at North Dakota.
Note: the Tigers play Saturday and Sunday night up at the Ralph.

Pics from Saturday night vs Minnesota

Pics from Friday night vs Minnesota

The Tigers pulled out a gritty, exciting win Friday night and beat Minnestoa 4-3. Richard Bachman had 4 HUUUGE dramatic saves in the last 1:30 to seal the win. Mike Testwuide's backhander won in for the Tigers. CC blew leads of 2-0 and 3-1 yet showed some grit in one of the more exciting games of the season. The Tigers now have 29 points in the tight WCHA race. I'll update the standings above on Sunday. The announcers were two of the stupidest I have ever heard on TV. I'm fine with getting the feed from hometown announcers but c'com! These guys are terrible! BUT, game was awesome, pics will be up tomorrow!

McCulloch a Four-Time Honoree
Athletic Media Reations

Five Colorado College players, including four repeat honorees, have been named recipients of the WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2008-09 season.

They are senior defenseman Jake Gannon, senior left wing Scott McCulloch, junior forward Brian McMillin, junior left wing Bill Sweatt and sophomore defenseman Ryan Lowery. Of the five, Lowery is the only first-time recipient.

Freshmen are not eligible for the award.

McCulloch, however, has been recognized an unprecedented four times after winning a medical hardship case that allowed him to play a fifth season at CC. This year marks Gannon’s third time as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, as well as the second time each for McMillin and Sweatt.

To qualify, male and female student-athletes from WCHA member institutions must have a grade-point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), either cumulatively or for the previous two semesters or three quarters.

The Tigers remained 18th in the USCHO poll this week as they get ready to take on the Gophers in the Springs this weekend. Hope you enjoy the pics from Sunday night that Missy took against the U18 team-pretty sweet!

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the American Hockey Coaches Association and USA Hockey Magazine, the official publication of USA Hockey.

Feb. 16, 2009

Also receiving votes: Minnesota Duluth 16, Colorado College 12, Boston College 7, RIT 3, St. Lawrence 3.

USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll

Feb. 16, 2009

Also receiving votes: Dartmouth 91, UMass Lowell 21, RIT 18, Air Force 16, Nebraska-Omaha 12, Alaska 5, Colgate 5, Massachusetts 4, Alaska Anchorage 2.

Johnson powers Tigers past Michigan Tech
Sophomore's two goals fuel 4-1 CC victory
Athletic Media Relations

Thanks in no small measure to Tyler Johnson, Colorado College rediscovered what a successful weekend is all about on Saturday.

The sophomore center struck for a pair of goals in a 4-1 victory over Michigan Tech that allowed the Tigers to escape Copper Country with three points and maintain their hold on fourth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Johnson’s first tally, off a feed from Scott McCulloch, came at 15:35 of the opening period after Chad Rau had struck at the 8:29 mark to stake the visitors to an early lead. Both Rau’s goal and Johnson’s game winner came during power plays.

Johnson, who like Rau also scored the night before, added his third red lighter of the series early in the third period to put CC up 4-0. He was named Winter Carnival MVP after doing more than his share to spoil the Huskies’ annual festivities.

With the triumph, which came on the heels of a 2-2 tie in Friday’s series opener, Colorado College improved to 14-9-7 overall and 10-8-4 in the WCHA.

Sophomore net minder Richard Bachman, who finished with 27 saves, lost his shutout with 8:28 left to play when Tech defenseman Deron Cousens beat him on a one-timer with a pair of Tigers sitting in the penalty box. It was the second five-on-three goal of the series for Cousens, as CC allowed a power-play goal for the eighth consecutive game.

In between Johnson’s goals, Cody Lampl picked up his own rebound to score at 3:08 of the middle frame.

By beating MTU in Houghton, Mich., for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign, the Tigers snapped a three-game winless streak and pulled to within a point of third-place North Dakota in the WCHA standings.

Colorado College won its first weekend series in league play since tying and defeating Denver back on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

CC skates to 2-2 tie at Michigan Tech
Friday victory eludes Tigers again
Athletic Media Relations

Already without three regulars who didn’t even travel with the team this week, Colorado College found itself down two more before completing the first period on Friday.

So, considering the circumstances, its 2-2 tie at Michigan Tech can be viewed positively as an important point on the road.

The Tigers, who started the night tied with Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth for fourth place in the WCHA standings, inched ahead of both as the Gophers and Bulldogs lost at home. After a school-record seventh deadlock of the season, CC is 13-9-7 overall and 9-8-4 in league play.

Second-period goals by Tyler Johnson and Chad Rau wiped out an early Tech lead and staked the visitors to a 2-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes in the opener of their two-game series during Winter Carnival weekend in Houghton, Mich.

But freshman Brett Olson’s ninth tally of the season with 12:58 left in regulation pulled the last-place Huskies even and extended Colorado College’s winless streak at MacInnes Student Ice Arena to five games (0-2-3) spanning the last three seasons.

Sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens scored a five-on-three power-play goal for MTU at 12:57 of a penalty-filled opening stanza. By that point, Tech’s Alex McLeod and CC’s Nate Prosser already had taken game misconducts resulting from separate five-minute checking-from-behind infractions, and Tiger center Brian McMillin had left the contest with an injury.

Johnson struck just 1:25 into the middle frame, skating into the Huskies zone and firing a shot over the shoulder of net minder Rob Nolan from the right faceoff circle. Rau put the Tigers ahead at 5:37 on a nice feed from Brian Connelly during a Colorado College power play. Richard Bachman, who finished with 27 saves in goal for CC, including four in overtime, also drew an assist on the tally.

Nolan stopped 19 of 21 Tiger shots on goal.

The Tigers took the grudging trip to Houghton this week to take on Michigan Tech. Scott Owens has repeatably said this is the longest and toughest road trip of the season and Frank Schwab's article below details just how rough it really is. Once of my friends has been there and said they all just drive snowmobiles during the winter because it snows so much there is no need to plow. In the mornings, 4 inches fresh snow is considered "morning dew or frost". A couple feet is a "normal afternoon snow". Crazyness. I wouldn't exactly call it a dream locale to break out of a slump!


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CC's trip to Houghton is no skate in the park
FRANK SCHWAB
THE GAZETTE

If taking two flights and a four-hour bus ride to a town that averages about 220 inches of snow each winter sounds like a good time, you should have spent this week with the Colorado College hockey team.

The Tigers traveled to Houghton, Mich., to play Michigan Tech in a series that begins today. Although Michigan Tech is last in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association at 1-14-5, the trip isn't one CC was eager to take.

"It's a really long trip, it takes a lot out of you, but once you get out there you've got to knuckle down and play the same way you would anywhere else," junior forward Mike Testwuide said.

CC left Wednesday - a day earlier than usual - because of the unique travel challenges. The flight was scheduled to leave for Minneapolis at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

After a layover in Minneapolis, they flew to Green Bay, Wis., to spend the night. There is an airport a few miles from Houghton, but only small planes - which can't accommodate CC's travel party or its equipment - fly there.

The Tigers then had a four-hour bus ride Thursday into Michigan's upper peninsula.

Because Houghton's hotels mostly are booked this weekend for the city's annual Winter Carnival celebration, CC has to stay about 30 miles away in Baraga.

CC didn't practice Wednesday because of travel, but was planning on making up that practice Thursday night.

After Saturday's game, the team will take a bus back to Green Bay with plans of arriving a little before midnight, and then take a Sunday morning flight home.

And all the travel times could be longer if it snows, which happens frequently near Houghton. Houghton has averaged 220 inches of snow per winter this decade.

"It usually flows pretty well, but the snow is a big issue," CC coach Scott Owens said. "Sometimes it's hard to get in and out of there."

Going to Michigan Tech during the weekend of Winter Carnival will ensure a couple of excited crowds this weekend.

CC hasn't played very well at Michigan Tech recently, picking up a tie and a loss each of the past two seasons.

"They force you to play their style of game, which is physical and defensive," senior forward Eric Walsky said.

The Tigers, who haven't swept a series since mid-October, know they can't use the long trip as an excuse.

"We can't expect a win," Walsky said. "Especially us, with our year."



THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. DON'T BE FOOLED
CC can't help but see Michigan Tech's 1-14-5 league record. But the Tigers can't play down to the competition, which has happened a few times this season. There is still enoughtime for the Tigers to finish strong and make a NCAA Tournament case, but they can't afford any losses this weekend.

2. PREPARE FOR A LOW-SCORING WEEKEND
Michigan Tech is last in the WCHA with a stunning 1.5 goals per-game average, and that average was hovering around 1.3 goals per gamebefore the Huskies scored six in their last series. But CC ranks ninth in the league in scoring, so the games could be low scoring and close, which will help Michigan Tech's chances at an upset.

3. USE YOUR SKILL

Some of CC's best players haven't been scoring like normal lately, and this match-up won't be ideal. Michigan Tech likes to play tight defense, which won't allow the Tigers' skaters much space. CC's top scorers have to be patient and take advantage of the opportunities when they get them.

What's left of the Gazette takes a look at the Tigers and the jam of teams battling in the middle of the WCHA standings.

CC hockey team part of logjam in WCHA
Seven points separate first and eighth in Western Collegiate Hockey Association
FRANK SCHWAB
THE GAZETTE

After a weekend off, Colorado College finds itself in the middle of a bunched-up Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Only seven points separate first and eighth place. Minnesota-Duluth, Alaska-Anchorage and St. Cloud State split their respective series last weekend and Minnesota State-Mankato swept its series.

All four of those teams were behind CC in the standings. That means the top teams didn't separate themselves too much from the Tigers, who are five points behind front-running Denver. But it also puts more pressure on CC to maintain home-ice advantage in the WCHA playoffs.

CC is tied for fifth with Minnesota-Duluth and is only two points ahead of eighth-place St. Cloud State. The top five teams in the WCHA host the first round of the league's playoffs in March.

"I think what we're shooting for is home ice," coach Scott Owens said. "That's our goal."

The Tigers' status in Monday's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll didn't change. CC didn't rank among the top 15 but is tops among others receiving votes. Air Force, which had a tie and loss last weekend at Mercyhurst, dropped out of the list of teams that received votes.

CC remained 20th in the U.S. College Hockey Online PairWise rankings, which mimics the NCAA Tournament selection committee's rankings.

The Tigers have a road series this weekend against last-place Michigan Tech, which is 1-14-5 in the WCHA. The Tigers could have center Nick Dineen, who suffered an upper body injury Jan. 24, back in the lineup.

Few DU tickets remain

Only 300 tickets remain for CC's Feb. 13 game against Denver at World Arena. CC is expecting a sellout. Tickets, which are $18, can be purchased at Ticketmaster, the World Arena box office or by calling 576-2626.

It's rough watching our Tigers plod through this season after one of the best year's in school history last season. The Tigers have seemed out-of-sync all season which was all to obvious in the first week against Alabama-Huntsville. There was a good article Wednesday about the Tigers' struggles and how losing Jack Hillen has really hurt the team. He had 31 assists and created countless scoring chances with his blue-line blasts. I think we are seeing now just how big a presence he had in setting up offensive chances, regardless of stats. Let's hope Owens can get the team back in a groove this weekend as the Tigers get some rest and regroup for the final months of the season.

Why is the magic gone?
FRANK SCHWAB-THE GAZETTE

This season was supposed to be a continuation for Colorado College.

The Tigers returned 76 percent of its goal scoring and goaltender Richard Bachman, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year, from a team that won the regular-season title. They were picked to repeat in the WCHA.

CC is unranked and barely above .500 in the WCHA at 9-8-3, 13-9-6 overall. Nobody saw this drop coming.

"I think that's been the most frustrating is it's not that much different from last year's team," CC coach Scott Owens said.

So what has happened? Most answers are vague, referring to intangibles like chemistry and consistency.

"It's just we're not all on the same page, we're not clicking," senior defenseman and captain Jake Gannon said. "We've got to start working together better."

There are some tangible reasons CC has had a disappointing season.

Defenseman Jack Hillen's graduation was probably underestimated. He had a heavy slap shot from the blue line, which helped on the power play and to generate offensive chances. He had six goals and 31 assists last year. His production hasn't been replaced.

"He could log a lot of minutes and gave us a strong presence on the blue line," Owens said.

Also, Bachman hasn't had an All-American season. He can't be blamed for everything - he gave up four first-period goals in Saturday's embarrassing 6-1 loss to St. Cloud State, but two were deflected off CC players. However, he isn't dominating like last year.

Last year he saved 93.1 percent of shots he saw and had a 1.85 goals-against average.

This year he has a 91.4 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average.

"I feel healthy, I've just got to work on a few things," Bachman said. "I definitely feel confident and that I can get on a run here."

Injuries have hurt the Tigers. Defensemen Jake Gannon and Kris Fredheim and forwards Matt Overman, Nick Dineen, Scott McCulloch, Andreas Vlassopoulos and Tim Hall, and backup goaltender Drew O'Connell have missed time because of injuries.

CC had a strange schedule in which it played 22 games before its first weekend off, the most in college hockey. There's no way to tell if that contributed to the rash of injuries, but last year's balanced schedule was more beneficial.

"I think that helped us stay fresh," Owens said.

And chemistry issues have plagued CC. After CC's offense started slowly, players might have started pressing. Forwards Bill Sweatt and Eric Walsky appear to be trying to do too much at times. CC is scoring just 2.68 goals per game, which is ninth in the WCHA.

Whatever the Tigers' problems are, they don't have long to fix them with eight league games left after a weekend off.

"I think it's a matter of everybody getting on the same page and buying into what we're doing," Gannon said. "Once we do that, I think it's going to come along for us."

• • •

This season vs. last season

Last season (‘07-'08) is listed first in each category, then this season (‘08-'09)

Goals per game
3.32
2.68

Goals against per game
2.15
2.68

Assists per game
5.32
4.10

Power play percentage
19.2
14.8

Penalties per game
5.8
7.5

Record, winning percentage
28-12-1 .695
13-9-6 .571

While it wasn't a good weekend for the Tigers it was a great weekend for me. My hockey team here in Durango rolled 8-1 and I notched my first hat-trick in my 4th game, can't complain about that!
As for the Tigers, they get a much needed (read: they are playing like crap) weekend off coming up to regroup and find an identity.
Going into the season there was a lot of concern regarding the defensive corps in front of Bachman and it looks to be entirely justified as the Tigers have been shelled 6-1 in back-to-back weekends.
I guess we won't have to worry about them peaking too early this season huh?
As for the polls, well, we don't have to worry about the polls this week because the Tigers have fallen into the realm of "others receiving votes". It's a big fall from #1 earlier this season but maybe it's a wake-up call....hopefully it's a wake-up call.
I'll post the full polls below. Missy J again got some freakin sweet shots from the slaughter....er...game Saturday night. There are some sweet close-ups of some of the guys too so check em out! (and a lot of Scott McCulloch too, hmmmm)