Inside College Hockey | 2005 Frozen Four Capsules

March 29, 2005
NCAA Tournament
Frozen Four Capsules | First Semifinal

COLORADO COLLEGE TIGERS | Midwest Regional Champion

Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Record: 31-8-3 (19-7-2 WCHA, tied for first)
Qualified: At-large bid
NCAA Championships: Two (1950, 1957)
NCAA Appearance: 17th (most recent, 2003)
Frozen Four Appearance: 10th (most recent, 1997)
Head Coach: Scott Owens
Key Players: Marty Sertich, F, Jr. (42 GP, 27-37—64); Brett Sterling, F, Jr. (42 GP, 34-29—63); Curtis McElhinney, G, Sr. (21-3-1, 2.09, .927); Mark Stuart, D, Jr. (42 GP, 5-13—18)

What You Need to Know: While the Tigers’ forward duo of Marty Sertich and Brett Sterling garner the bulk of the notoriety, Colorado College has been one of the nation’s most consistent teams thanks largely to its versatility. They’re the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in scoring offense (fourth with an average 3.76 goals per game) and scoring defense (ninth at 2.26 goals per game).

Gamebreaker: When admiring Sertich's talents, look beyond the gaudy scoring figures. Sure, the Roseville, Minn., native enters the Frozen Four as the nation’s top point-getter with 27-37—64 in 42 games, but he brings so much more to the table. In addition to setting up a teammate for a key goal or scoring it himself, the Hobey Baker Award finalist is the Tigers’ top penalty-killing forward and when coach Scott Owens needs someone to win an important faceoff, he sends Sertich to the dot.

Achilles Heel: Goaltender Curtis McElhinney has three wins in four career NCAA Tournament starts, but his statistics in those games – a 3.51 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage – coupled with uninspired performances against Colgate and Michigan at the Midwest Regional could be a cause for concern.

Overachiever: Hermosa Beach, Calif., native Brian Salcido scored one point in 12 games at defense for the Tigers during his freshman campaign in 2003-04. And while the 6-foot-2, 188-pound rearguard boasts impressive credentials – he was the top-scoring defenseman for Shattuck St. Mary’s two seasons ago – few would’ve predicted the growth he achieved this season. With 6-23—29 in 37 games, Salcido ranks among the nation’s top 10 defenseman in points and has become a staple on CC’s potent power play unit.

Secret Weapon: Depth and experience. Denver may be the only team in the country that can match the Tigers’ outstanding pivot trio of Sertich, Midwest Regional MVP Trevor Frischmon and Aaron Slattengren (all are juniors). On the wing, Joey Crabb has quietly amassed 31 points in Sterling’s shadow, freshman Jimmy Kilpatrick has added 25 points and senior Scott Polaski has chipped in 17 points while providing a physical presence up front. Of the eight defensemen who’ve appeared in at least one game for the Tigers this season, five have played in more than 75 career games. And even if McElhinney struggles or gets hurt, sophomore Matt Zaba, who split time with the senior this season, is a proven commodity in goal.

Speed: For a team that plays its home games on an Olympic-sized ice sheet, the Tigers aren't particularly blessed with terrific team speed. Sterling is exceptionally quick, however, which makes him that much more dangerous to defend.

Skill: It’s doubtful that Sterling has business cards, but if he did they’d likely read “Have puck, will score.” The country’s leader with 34 goals – including 18 on the power play – is a threat to embarrass an opposing goaltender from anywhere in the offensive zone. Besides his scoring touch, Sterling’s most impressive trait is his tenacity. Listed as 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, he’s a scrappy player who’ll battle all comers for breathing room in the slot.

Grit: Defenseman Mark Stuart isn’t the only Tiger with a mean streak, but he’s certainly the team’s majority stakeholder. The WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year boasts a rare package of size, strength, maximum effort, leadership skills and exceptional mobility for someone who goes 6-foot-2, 218 pounds. His physical presence is his primary attribute – Stuart will punish opposing forwards who linger in front of the CC net or chase loose pucks into the corners. The one knock on his game is that he’s been known to take his physical play a little too far, resulting in needless penalties.

Most Recent Colorado College Line Chart
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Notes
21-B. Sterling	22-M. Sertich	25-S. Polaski	Joey Crabb's 11 PPGs would rank first on all but seven other Division I teams.
12-J. Brunkhorst	6-T. Frischmon	15-J. Crabb
9-B. Cox	19-A. Slattengren	23-J. Kilpatrick
16-D. Patrosso	20-B. Polich	17-J. Brannigan
Defense	Defense	Goalies
2-M. Stuart	27-B. Straub	30-C. McElhinney	The CC roster includes eight defensemen who've played 20+ games this season.
24-B. Salcido	3-L. Sweatt	31-M. Zaba
5-R. Petiot	8-J. Hillen	35-C. Kawano

DENVER PIONEERS | Northeast Regional Champion

Location: Denver, Colo.
Record: 30-9-2 (19-7-2 WCHA, tied for first)
Qualified: WCHA Tournament champions
NCAA Championships: Six (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004)
NCAA Appearance: 17th (most recent, 2004)
Frozen Four Appearance: 13th (most recent, 2004)
Head Coach: George Gwozdecky
Key Players: Gabe Gauthier, F, Jr. (23-29—52); Paul Stastny, F, Fr. (15-27—42); Matt Carle, D, So. (12-28—40); Brett Skinner, D, Jr. (4-31—35)

What You Need to Know: Even though they are the defending national champs, the Denver Pioneers haven’t felt any pressure to retain the title, and adopted a whole new attitude during the off-season. Coach George Gwozdecky and the players call it “a new identity” and the one they’ve carved out for themselves is working just fine.

Gamebreaker: Paul Stastny was expected to be a dynamic offensive talent as a freshman and he lived up to that expectation without sacrificing defense. He ranked second to senior Gabe Gauthier in the team’s scoring chart. Pay particular attention to his first few strides out of the defensive zone to join the rush with speed.

Achilles Heel: Denver has been a much better team in its second game of the weekend than its first. They can’t afford it now. Anything less than a stellar effort next Thursday afternoon won’t give DU a chance to right the ship on Saturday night.

Overachievers: Matt Laatsch, Kevin Ulanski, and Nick Larson – the Denver tri-captains were “recruited” walk-ons. They came to the university without scholarship aid, and without a guarantee of playing time. Each played his way into the lineup and are now among the team’s leaders on and off the ice.

Secret Weapon: “Keep it simple.” The most-repeated key in this era of defensive-minded hockey applies to Denver for a different reason. Gwozdecky bucked the trend of abandoning a successful goalie rotation at playoff time. He’s given Glenn Fisher and Peter Mannino alternate starts through the WCHA and NCAA Tournament so far. We think that rotation comes to an end next week, however. Fisher is due to start the semifinal, but Mannino has back-to-back shutouts against CC.

Speed: Jon Foster, a speedy left winger from Suffern, N.Y., is joined by a similar player in J.D. Corbin on the right wing. Geoff Paukovich, at 6-foot-4, 215, does the heavy lifting on Denver’s excellent third line.

Skill: Brett Skinner, a junior, and Matt Carle, a sophomore, comprised the first team All-WCHA defense pairing, although they don’t play together at even strength for Denver. Of the two, Carle has more of an offensive flair – witness the 12 goals he’s scored this year – but Skinner fits the bill of a prototypical point man.

Grit: Gabe Gauthier could be mentioned in most of the above categories, but this is where we think he fits best. Gauthier loves playing in the playoffs, and is regularly found battling in front of the net, despite his smallish stature. Don Cherry misses Doug Gilmour for all of these reasons. And even though Gauthier hails from California instead of Kingston, Ontario, we know that Grapes would like what he sees from Denver’s No. 9.

Most Recent Denver Line Chart
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Notes
39-J. Drummond	9-G. Gauthier	16-K. Ulanski	Ulanski, who missed DU's four WCHA playoff contests, has 10 points in his last six games.
17-L. Fulghum	11-P. Stastny	19-R. Dingle
15-J. Foster	12-G. Paukovich	21-J.D. Corbin
7-A. Viedeman	6-M. Handza	14-T. May
Defense	Defense	Goalies
25-M. Carle	20-J. Halme	29-P. Mannino	The last freshman goalie to start an NCAA title game was BC's Scott Clemmensen in 1998.
4-B. Skinner	5-A. Thomas	28-G. Fisher
26-N. Larson	27-M. Laatsch