From 10/15 Gazette-Telegraph:
 
Tigers say they're ready to play
Offense punctuates CC intrasquad game
 
   Peter Geronazzo says Colorado College is ready to get on with the
hockey season.
   After the Colorado College right wing combined with center Colin
Schmidt and left wing Jason Christopherson to total three goals and
eight assists in Friday night's intrasquad game, it would appear
the junior from Trail, British Columbia, is ready to roll.
   "This is a steppingstone to get the season going," Geronazzo said
after scoring a hat trick and setting up a fourth goal as the White
team posted a 7-4 victory before about 350 spectators at Honnen Ice
Arena on the CC campus.
   Geronazzo scored the White squad's third, sixth and seventh goals.
He worked well with his linemates, despite only four days of on-ice
practice.
   Schmidt, a junior from Regina, Saskatchewan, set up five goals,
including all three of Geronazzo's; Christopherson, a junior from
Burnsville, Minn., added two assists.
   "Colin and I played together last year, too," said Geronazzo.
"It's good to get back to playing, get in some game situations.
We moved the puck around a little bit."
   The Tigers, defending champions of the Western Collegiate Hockey
Association, open their season at defending Central Collegiate
Hockey Association champ Michigan on Oct. 21-22.  CC, ousted in the
first round of the WCHA playoffs, did not get a bid to the NCAA
tournament.
   "We're anxious to get to Michigan, to get going with the season,"
Geronazzo said.  "We've got something to prove after last year."
   Second-year coach Donn Lucia, noting a lack of icing and offside
penalties, said the Tigers proved Friday they're fast learners.
   "I think they moved the puck well for four days of practice,"
Lucia said.  "Schmitty (Schmidt) and Gerry (Geronazzo), and those guys,
I expect to score goals."
   Eight players scored goals.  Geronazzo, seniors David Paxton and
Ryan Reynard, and freshmen Stewart Bodtker and Calvin Elfring tallied
for the White.  Senior R.J. Enga scored two goals and set up another for
the Black, and junior Jay McNeill and  freshman Travis Cheyne each
scored a goal.
   "The best thing is nobody got hurt," Lucia said.  "It was a good
chance to get the guys in game situations with referees."
   All three goaltenders played two periods each, with senior Paul
Frank splitting between the  Black team (21 first-period saves) and
the White (seven third-period saves).  Redshirt sophomore Ryan Bach
stopped 17 shots, and sophomore Judd Lambert recorded 15 saves.
 
end of article
 
I was able to go watch the scrimmage Friday night.  According to some
spectators, this was the most people they'd ever seen show up.  The
game started out with a goal for each team within the first two minutes,
as the players got adjusted to the game situation.  There was a lot of
movement from the players around the ice, perhaps in preparation to
better use the bigger ice surface at Air Force.  The game was played
clean, with no injuries and only three penalties called (interference,
holding, and too many men on the ice).  It looks like the players to
watch this year are Peter Geronazzo, R.J. Enga, and Jay McNeill to be
the big scorers for CC.  Bach was looking pretty good in the net as well.
   Also this weekend I caught a special preview show by one of the
local tv stations, KRDO.  It was a nice half hour piece, discussing
the strengths of the team, the move to playing at the Air Force Academy,
and interviews with coaches and some of the players.  There was also
a quick preview of each team in the WCHA.  In response to the coaches
poll, Jeff Thomas, announcer for all CC games, picked his top five
in the WCHA:
1. Northern Michigan
2. Colorado College
3. Minnesota
4. St. Cloud State
5. Denver
Also in the broadcast they gave the extention number for CC on Teamline,
which is 8475.
   It was good to see some hockey again, and I can't wait until Oct. 29,
when CC plays their first game at home against North Dakota!
 
Karen Heasley
Colorado College '95
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