Oilers Chick
01-11-2004, 12:09 AM
MINNESOTA vs. COLORADO COLLEGE:
This was a more entertaining game tonight than the night before’s, particularly in the lively first period. There were no significant lineup changes for Minnesota. Two notable changes for Colorado College was freshman Matt Zaba (LAK) getting the start in goal, and sophomore Dman Brady Greco (TB) was patrolling the Tigers blueline.
The opening period saw the Tigers come out flying and dictating the tempo of the game. They were physical and were winning the puck battles in their relentlessness on puck pursuit. Meanwhile, the Gophers lacked energy, had almost no puck support and were making some very bad turnovers both in and out of their own zone. While the opening period didn’t feature any scoring, it was probably the most entertaining period to watch, especially if you are a fan of the physical game. At about the midway point of the period, the physical got kicked up a bit thanks to a tussle between Tigers senior Dman Andrew Canzanello (who was actually one of the few Tigers that had a good all-around game tonight) and Gophers senior forward Troy Riddle. Nothing much transpired except some pushing & shoving. A few moments later, it was Tigers senior forward Colin Stuart (ATL) getting together with Gophers junior forward Jake Fleming. Stuart ends up roughing up Fleming by pushing him into the boards, before a few other players from both teams decided to exchange pleasantries with one another. At the 10:06 mark, Gophers captain Grant Potulny (OTT) and Tigers freshman forward Braydon Cox end up being assessed matching roughing minors. But the fun had just begun. At around the 14-minute mark, the rough stuff reached its boling point. It all began with Colin Stuart tripping up Gophers netminder Kellen Briggs as he was “passing by”. Briggs then gets up and in retailiation decides to land a sucker punch on Tigers forward Brett Sterling (ATL), who was cutting through the Minnesota crease to rejoin the play. From there all heck broke loose as players got together just to right of Briggs. Meanwhile, over in the right corner boards, Colin Stuart and Gophers Dman Keith Ballard (COL) got tangled up in what could only be described as the closest thing to an actual fight as you’ll see in the NCAA. Both players had their gloves off and were ready to throw some puches until the linesmen came in to try and break the two up. The would-be combatants kept jawing at one another as the linesmen were separating them. Meanwhile, back near the Gophers net Tigers forward Joey Crabb (NYR) was getting into it with Fleming after he had given a cross check to a downed Jon Waibel of Minnesota. When everyone began to separate and the penalties were assessed, the Tigers ended up with a Power Play. Both Stuart and Ballard were assessed matching minors for roughing and Briggs was assessed a high-sticking call, apparently since it was his stick hand that sucker punched Sterling. But the parade to the penalty box didn’t stop there in the period. At the 16:32 mark, towering Gophers Dman Jake Taylor (NYR) was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a late hit on a Tigers player. At the 18:21 mark, the Tigers would get a call against them that actually should’ve gone against Minnesota. Behind the Gophers net, a puck battle ensued between Sterling and Gophers sophomore Dman Chris Harrington. Harrington has clearly slashed Sterling, but since their sticks got tied up in the battle for puck possession, Sterling on an absolutely horrendous call, ended up getting the slashing penalty. When the period ended, Minnesota managed to muster a measily 3 shots on goal, and there were 22 total penalty minutes assessed.
The 2nd period, saw the pace of the game slow down considerably. Neither team looked particularly good. At the 1:12 mark, the Gophers would draw first blood on a goal that could be attributed to sheer luck. It all began with a bad clearing attempt along the back boards by CC. Gophers sophomore forward Gino Guyer (DAL) made an outstanding forecheck on a Tigers player who would turnover the puck. There to retrieve it was Gophers sophomore forward Andy Sertich (PIT) who took the initial shot that was stopped by the Tigers freshman netminder Matt Zaba (LA). Then on an absolute bad-luck play for Colorado College, sophomore forward Aaron Slattengren was coming back to help out his netminder, just as he did, the puck rebounded off of the side of his left skate blade and under Zaba’s pads and into the net for the score. Despite the great initial play by Guyer, he would not be credited with an assist. Instead, the goal was credited to Sertich unassisted. The chippiness continued into the 2nd period, but it was not nearly as heated as it was in the 1st period. At the 3:06 mark, Slattengren and Harrington would be assessed with matching minors. Both players exchange a couple of face washes at each other, after Harrington ends up getting shoved into Briggs on a play in the Gophers zone. For much of the period, the play of both teams was sloppy and neither had mustered any good amount of sustained pressure. Even when they fell behind 1-0, Colorado College showed almost no sense of urgency to get back into the play, despite outshooting Minnesota for the first two periods. At the 15:10 mark, the Gophers would extend their lead. The play begins with a nice save by Briggs on 2-on-2 play. Briggs makes a pad save, and there to retrieve the rebound was Fleming. Fleming then shoots it at the sideboards, which then ricochets and slides down toward the CC zone. There to retrieve it was Gophers sophomore Tomas Vanek (BUF) who had been trailing the play into the Gophers zone and was left all alone. After gaining possession of the bouncing puck, Vanek goes in on Zaba and roofs the puck on a nice wrister that finds the top corner just above Zaba’s left shoulder for the goal. Fleming and Briggs would be credited with Vanek’s goal. This made the score 2-0 Minnesota.
The final stanza saw a dramatic change in the game from the Gophers standpoint. They began the period on a power play that was carried from the 2nd period. The Gophers had far more jump and energy in their game. They came out flying and peppered Zaba early and often. At the 1:35 mark, they would put the nail in the Tigers coffin on a goal that was contested by CC. The play started when Tigers forward Marty Sertich (no relation to Minnesota’s Andy Sertich) won the draw. The loose puck was retrieved by Tigers sophomore Dman Weston Tardy, who ended up getting his pocket picked by some aggressive work of Grant Potulny. Potulny then takes toward Zaba and fires in the intial shot that appeared to be saved by Zaba. Since the whistle hadn’t been blown, Potulny continued to jam away at the puck and managed to get it over the goal line just before the net was dislodged. By then, there were all sorts of traffic in & around the CC crease. CC felt that the puck had crossed the line AFTER the net was dislodged and should not have counted. In frustration, Zaba threw the puck at the boards and luckily for him he wasn't assessed an unsportsmanlike call. As the period went on, the Gophers were winning the territorial battles and in the process not only thoroughly dominated the Tigers, but frustrated them in the process. Tomas Vanek, who was virtually non-existent for 5 periods in this weekend series, really made up for it, not only in scoring but contributed with some nice defensive plays and some good hits. At the 17:26 mark, the Tigers frustration was in full bloom as Canzanello ended up being called for roughing after grabbing & throwing down Gophers freshman forward Danny Irmen (MIN) and then giving him a cheapshot to the back of his head. Just two minutes later, it was junior Dman Richard Petiot’s (LA) turn to the penalty box. He would be assessed a double minor for slashing & roughing after slashing then sucker-punching Minnesota’s Gino Guyer. From there, the Tigers played short-handed and eventually they would be put out of their perennial misery.
What won the game for Minnesota was the thorough domination in the 3rd period and the lack of Colorado College’s intensity and fight in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Had CC played with the intensity in the latter two periods that they played with in the opening period, the outcome could’ve been alot different. Kellen Briggs who got the shutout tonight, wasn’t great but was solid when he had to be. Gino Guyer who helped set up the Gophers final goal, was excellent in this game. He was all over the ice and made some nice plays that led to some outstanding scoring chances for Minnesota. For Colorado College, Brett Sterling played very well despite not getting on the score sheet. He was continually a thorn in the Gophers defensemen’s side, not only with this great playmaking but also his tenacity. Despite showing some lack of composure near the end of the game, Canzanello was also quite good for CC. He jumped into plays that resulted in some excellent CC scoring chances and did a nice job of taking on and containing some of Minnesota’s top forwards. Freshman netminder Matt Zaba didn’t have a particularly great game, but he does display some skill, particularly in his ability to play the puck and his reflexes. The most glaring problem he had tonight was his inability to control many of his rebounds.
Overall, this was an entertaining game. Colorado College is a young team in general and as they get older and more experienced, they will be even better with time. Meanwhile, the Gophers continue to get better and better as a team. In a few weeks, they will be tested in just how much they’ve progressed as they host North Dakota and Wisconsin.
This was a more entertaining game tonight than the night before’s, particularly in the lively first period. There were no significant lineup changes for Minnesota. Two notable changes for Colorado College was freshman Matt Zaba (LAK) getting the start in goal, and sophomore Dman Brady Greco (TB) was patrolling the Tigers blueline.
The opening period saw the Tigers come out flying and dictating the tempo of the game. They were physical and were winning the puck battles in their relentlessness on puck pursuit. Meanwhile, the Gophers lacked energy, had almost no puck support and were making some very bad turnovers both in and out of their own zone. While the opening period didn’t feature any scoring, it was probably the most entertaining period to watch, especially if you are a fan of the physical game. At about the midway point of the period, the physical got kicked up a bit thanks to a tussle between Tigers senior Dman Andrew Canzanello (who was actually one of the few Tigers that had a good all-around game tonight) and Gophers senior forward Troy Riddle. Nothing much transpired except some pushing & shoving. A few moments later, it was Tigers senior forward Colin Stuart (ATL) getting together with Gophers junior forward Jake Fleming. Stuart ends up roughing up Fleming by pushing him into the boards, before a few other players from both teams decided to exchange pleasantries with one another. At the 10:06 mark, Gophers captain Grant Potulny (OTT) and Tigers freshman forward Braydon Cox end up being assessed matching roughing minors. But the fun had just begun. At around the 14-minute mark, the rough stuff reached its boling point. It all began with Colin Stuart tripping up Gophers netminder Kellen Briggs as he was “passing by”. Briggs then gets up and in retailiation decides to land a sucker punch on Tigers forward Brett Sterling (ATL), who was cutting through the Minnesota crease to rejoin the play. From there all heck broke loose as players got together just to right of Briggs. Meanwhile, over in the right corner boards, Colin Stuart and Gophers Dman Keith Ballard (COL) got tangled up in what could only be described as the closest thing to an actual fight as you’ll see in the NCAA. Both players had their gloves off and were ready to throw some puches until the linesmen came in to try and break the two up. The would-be combatants kept jawing at one another as the linesmen were separating them. Meanwhile, back near the Gophers net Tigers forward Joey Crabb (NYR) was getting into it with Fleming after he had given a cross check to a downed Jon Waibel of Minnesota. When everyone began to separate and the penalties were assessed, the Tigers ended up with a Power Play. Both Stuart and Ballard were assessed matching minors for roughing and Briggs was assessed a high-sticking call, apparently since it was his stick hand that sucker punched Sterling. But the parade to the penalty box didn’t stop there in the period. At the 16:32 mark, towering Gophers Dman Jake Taylor (NYR) was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a late hit on a Tigers player. At the 18:21 mark, the Tigers would get a call against them that actually should’ve gone against Minnesota. Behind the Gophers net, a puck battle ensued between Sterling and Gophers sophomore Dman Chris Harrington. Harrington has clearly slashed Sterling, but since their sticks got tied up in the battle for puck possession, Sterling on an absolutely horrendous call, ended up getting the slashing penalty. When the period ended, Minnesota managed to muster a measily 3 shots on goal, and there were 22 total penalty minutes assessed.
The 2nd period, saw the pace of the game slow down considerably. Neither team looked particularly good. At the 1:12 mark, the Gophers would draw first blood on a goal that could be attributed to sheer luck. It all began with a bad clearing attempt along the back boards by CC. Gophers sophomore forward Gino Guyer (DAL) made an outstanding forecheck on a Tigers player who would turnover the puck. There to retrieve it was Gophers sophomore forward Andy Sertich (PIT) who took the initial shot that was stopped by the Tigers freshman netminder Matt Zaba (LA). Then on an absolute bad-luck play for Colorado College, sophomore forward Aaron Slattengren was coming back to help out his netminder, just as he did, the puck rebounded off of the side of his left skate blade and under Zaba’s pads and into the net for the score. Despite the great initial play by Guyer, he would not be credited with an assist. Instead, the goal was credited to Sertich unassisted. The chippiness continued into the 2nd period, but it was not nearly as heated as it was in the 1st period. At the 3:06 mark, Slattengren and Harrington would be assessed with matching minors. Both players exchange a couple of face washes at each other, after Harrington ends up getting shoved into Briggs on a play in the Gophers zone. For much of the period, the play of both teams was sloppy and neither had mustered any good amount of sustained pressure. Even when they fell behind 1-0, Colorado College showed almost no sense of urgency to get back into the play, despite outshooting Minnesota for the first two periods. At the 15:10 mark, the Gophers would extend their lead. The play begins with a nice save by Briggs on 2-on-2 play. Briggs makes a pad save, and there to retrieve the rebound was Fleming. Fleming then shoots it at the sideboards, which then ricochets and slides down toward the CC zone. There to retrieve it was Gophers sophomore Tomas Vanek (BUF) who had been trailing the play into the Gophers zone and was left all alone. After gaining possession of the bouncing puck, Vanek goes in on Zaba and roofs the puck on a nice wrister that finds the top corner just above Zaba’s left shoulder for the goal. Fleming and Briggs would be credited with Vanek’s goal. This made the score 2-0 Minnesota.
The final stanza saw a dramatic change in the game from the Gophers standpoint. They began the period on a power play that was carried from the 2nd period. The Gophers had far more jump and energy in their game. They came out flying and peppered Zaba early and often. At the 1:35 mark, they would put the nail in the Tigers coffin on a goal that was contested by CC. The play started when Tigers forward Marty Sertich (no relation to Minnesota’s Andy Sertich) won the draw. The loose puck was retrieved by Tigers sophomore Dman Weston Tardy, who ended up getting his pocket picked by some aggressive work of Grant Potulny. Potulny then takes toward Zaba and fires in the intial shot that appeared to be saved by Zaba. Since the whistle hadn’t been blown, Potulny continued to jam away at the puck and managed to get it over the goal line just before the net was dislodged. By then, there were all sorts of traffic in & around the CC crease. CC felt that the puck had crossed the line AFTER the net was dislodged and should not have counted. In frustration, Zaba threw the puck at the boards and luckily for him he wasn't assessed an unsportsmanlike call. As the period went on, the Gophers were winning the territorial battles and in the process not only thoroughly dominated the Tigers, but frustrated them in the process. Tomas Vanek, who was virtually non-existent for 5 periods in this weekend series, really made up for it, not only in scoring but contributed with some nice defensive plays and some good hits. At the 17:26 mark, the Tigers frustration was in full bloom as Canzanello ended up being called for roughing after grabbing & throwing down Gophers freshman forward Danny Irmen (MIN) and then giving him a cheapshot to the back of his head. Just two minutes later, it was junior Dman Richard Petiot’s (LA) turn to the penalty box. He would be assessed a double minor for slashing & roughing after slashing then sucker-punching Minnesota’s Gino Guyer. From there, the Tigers played short-handed and eventually they would be put out of their perennial misery.
What won the game for Minnesota was the thorough domination in the 3rd period and the lack of Colorado College’s intensity and fight in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Had CC played with the intensity in the latter two periods that they played with in the opening period, the outcome could’ve been alot different. Kellen Briggs who got the shutout tonight, wasn’t great but was solid when he had to be. Gino Guyer who helped set up the Gophers final goal, was excellent in this game. He was all over the ice and made some nice plays that led to some outstanding scoring chances for Minnesota. For Colorado College, Brett Sterling played very well despite not getting on the score sheet. He was continually a thorn in the Gophers defensemen’s side, not only with this great playmaking but also his tenacity. Despite showing some lack of composure near the end of the game, Canzanello was also quite good for CC. He jumped into plays that resulted in some excellent CC scoring chances and did a nice job of taking on and containing some of Minnesota’s top forwards. Freshman netminder Matt Zaba didn’t have a particularly great game, but he does display some skill, particularly in his ability to play the puck and his reflexes. The most glaring problem he had tonight was his inability to control many of his rebounds.
Overall, this was an entertaining game. Colorado College is a young team in general and as they get older and more experienced, they will be even better with time. Meanwhile, the Gophers continue to get better and better as a team. In a few weeks, they will be tested in just how much they’ve progressed as they host North Dakota and Wisconsin.