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Well it wasn't always pretty and it certainly was not as easy as expected, but the Tigers came out of their opening weekend against a non-conference foe unscathed. I'm sure there will be rumors and hate spewing across the 'net from opposing teams and media wondering if CC is actually any good after struggling by a team from Alabama. After watching both games up close, I can assure you the Tigers will be fine and that UAH is much better than advertised, they will handily win more than 6 games like they did last season. Their defense and goaltending was solid; they always had three players near the defensive net which made shooting lanes almost non-existent and it was hard to get in close for a quality shot, hence the lower-than-expected offensive output (scoring, not shots). The Tigers did manage a couple powerplay goals Saturday night and 4 goals during "regular" play (Rau added an empty-netter) so they will be fine. The power play suffered from too much passing (aka indecisiveness) and the aformentioned tight defensive play. The Tigers went 0-for-8 on Friday and 2-for-6 on Saturday, a game in which EVERY hook or grab was called in the offensive zone. CC was 5-for-5 killing penalties Friday and 9-for-9 Saturday. As good as UAH may have been defensively, they certainly didn't have the elite offensive scoring of a WCHA foe, so penalties need to be kept low. Look for the obstruction calls to continue to remain high this season with the new rules changes.
Uncaged notes:
Yes you read that right. Tigers: 1, UAH: 0. Not the high-scoring blowout many of us were hoping for, even expecting. The Tigers were faster, more physical and shot more tonight and yet only had 1 goal to show for it. The embarrassingly small World Arena crowd was restless for most of the game as the Tigers danced circles around the Chargers and yet couldn’t find the back of the net. Add two cross-bars, a post hit and two empty-net near-misses to that and it made for a nervous night. UAH had numerous penalties in the area of hooking tonight trying desperately to slow down the CC speed. Numerous times, Tigers were so open that they elected for the pass instead of the shot. UAH did a horrible job of puck control throughout the game and looked like they were either bracing for a hit, or looking for an out before they had control of the puck. The Tigers stole the puck at will and ran all around the over-matched visitors. However, the goaltending by Cameron Talbot was superb and he hung with the Tigers’ shooting barrage, which ended with 45 shots on goal. The Tigers, other than scoring, looked very good and I have yet to see an area of real concern. A close win like this will only help the team when they get into WCHA action. It will be fun to see what kind of game we get tomorrow night; UAH was visibly wearing down as the night went on so it could be a radically different score.
Notes from the stands:
Chad Rau and Richard Bachman were All Americans and more as Rau had the only goal (a top-shelf rip with under a minute in the 2nd) and Bachman stayed focused and notched a shutout on 16 shots, often with 5+ minutes in between shots.
The crowd was sparse, a shame since we have such a great team and it was the regular-season opener
No injuries yet, though ex-Lincoln Star Steve Shultz did go off the ice favoring his right shoulder/arm at one point.
Cameron Talbot was visibly devastated after letting in the only Tiger goal
UAH had new uniforms that looked purple in the arena lights but, alas, followed the trend of ugly RBK NHL jerseys. I liked the old ones better.
The odd black stripe down the side was not all that attractive, and I wasn’t a fan of the black nameplates.
And the socks, ohh the socks. I HATE the funky designs that companies try to wedge onto socks (yuck!). Why can’t they stay traditional?
Tiger UNI note: CC wore their yellow alternates which are a great color but I’m still not sold on the shoulder stripe going all the way down the sleeve.
Last game I said the players’ helmets had “TIGERS” on the side this season, well that’s just the left side, the right is “CC” lettering.
It was 75 degrees in the Springs today and could be a wintry weekend, come out to the game Saturday night!!!
Game Pics Below
If you're like me, you did a double-take when you saw "alabama" on the Tigers' schedule this season. They know what hockey is in Alabama? Well, if the NHL can keep a team afloat in Nashville (barely) then maybe it's possible. No disrespect to everyone living in the south, it's just that hockey isn't the first thing that pops into you're head when you think of the states along the Gulf Coast. I've never been there and therefore have no educated opinion on the matter so I'll go with what I know (aka what I just learned thanks to google!) Huntsville is in the northern part of Alabama, semi-near Nashville (130 miles south), has a population of just under 200,000 and a regional population around a half-million, a little less than the C-Springs metro. The University, known as UAH, has an enrollment of just over 7,000. Not big by "university" standards, but much larger than CC's 2,000ish.
Like CC, UAH has all lower "tier" sports (in this case D-II) in everything but hockey, which is D-I. Oh, and the thought about Alabamans not playing hockey? It has a little merit to it with this statement I found; "UAH houses the only NCAA ice hockey program south of the Mason-Dixon Line.", who knew?! And here's another fact that will hopefully have an impact on the Tigers in some regard; the 2012 Frozen Four will be held in Tampa (Tampa? Really?!) and UAH will be the host team due to their proximity to Tampa.
A few quick facts about their hockey team:
