This game had varying levels of intensity, from one period where no goals
were scored, to another where there were 8 goals scored. The game was
close, going into overtime, but unfortunately the Tigers came out on the
short end of a 7-6 score.
 
St. Cloud started the scoring less than 5 minutes into the first period
with a goal by Mike Maristuen. CC didn't let that lead stand for long, as
Jon Austin got his third of the season less than 2 minutes later to even
things up at 1. The Tigers got the first power play of the afternoon, but
instead of capitalizing on it, the Huskies' Josh DeWolf scored a
short-hander with only 4 seconds left on the penalty. CC didn't let the
next power play opportunity of the period slip by, and Calvin Elfring  put
one in with a minute expired in the penalty to tie things up. This goal
also gave Elfring his 100th career point at CC, as he finally joins the
team's "Century Club".
 
The second period was very slow, seeing no scoring and only 3 penalties.
One of the WCHA officials up in the pressbox with us was joking about
needing a wake-up call. The excitement of the period was when Tiger
netminder Jason Cugnet was injured with 3 1/2 minutes left. Since freshman
goalie Colin Zulianello was out with an ankle injury already, third-string
goaltender Todd Gustin had to fill in for Cugnet. This junior goaltender
had only played for a total of about 4 minutes in 2 games last year (one
of those situations where he got put in for the last minute or two when
the outcome of the came had already been decided), so the pressure was on
to perform with so little experience.
 
I don't know what the coaches said in the locker room during the second
intermission, but both teams came out flying. The Tigers had 1:21 left on
the power play from a penalty late in the second, and Toby Petersen netted
his first of the season to make CC 2 of 4 on the power play this
afternoon. CC's first lead only lasted about 5 minutes before the Huskies
came back and took advantage of Gustin, as Keith Anderson tied things up
and then Mike Rucinski regained the lead a minute and a half later. Jason
Gudmundson tied things up again midway through the period during a set of
coincidentals. Everyone upstairs was commenting on how it looked like
overtime with the score 4-4 and less than 5 minutes to go. I said you
never know with that much time left, and sure enough things started to get
interesting. Jason Goulet pulled the Huskies in front with 3:46 left in
the period, but before they could even announce the goal and I could
finish typing it in, Gudmundson scored his second of the afternoon 21
seconds later, making it 5-5. With a little over 2 minutes left, St. Cloud
got a goal that everyone thought shouldn't have been one. The net came
completely off its moorings, but referee Don Adam said that the puck went
in before the whistle was blown, so it counted. After a couple of double
roughing calls, CC pulled Gustin for the extra attacker with 1:16
remaining. There were a few close calls where St. Cloud almost got an
empty net goal, but the Tigers got the job done with 4 seconds left as Dan
Peters shot one past Brian Leitza for his first of the year. The crowd
exploded, and we were headed for overtime.
 
The Tigers didn't do so well in overtime, not getting any shots on goal
off. 2:50 into the overtime period, one of the Huskies' 3 shots made it
past Gustin, and they took the win.
 
Same two teams tomorrow afternoon. Looks like Gustin will probably be
starting in goal, since Cugnet is said to be out for 3-4 weeks, and
Zulianello might be back for next week's series at Minnesota, but right
now his heel and ankle are so swollen they're not sure they can get a
skate on. At least one of them will still have to dress for backup, but
who knows what tricks the Tigers will have to pull out of their sleeve if
something happens to Gustin and they really do need a backup.
 
Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend tomorrow's game, due to other
obligations. (I gave the orchestra director a hard time about choosing
tomorrow afternoon for rehearsal when there's a game, since his son plays
hockey and he's a CC fan :) We'll have to hear from others on Gustin's
first career start.
 
 
Karen Heasley
Colorado College '95
[log in to unmask]   *  [log in to unmask]
 
CC Tiger Hockey Homepage: http://www.cc.colorado.edu/Athletics/Hockey/
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.