Game day: No. 4 CC 6, Alaska-Anchorage 1 (final)

How it happened:
After settling for outside shots in a scoreless first period, Colorado College honed in on high-percentage shots in the second and third periods. All six goals came from beneath the tops of the circles, and all three second-period goals were scored from goaltender Jon Olthuis' doorstep.

Of the 10-3 margin in shots after the first period, center Eric Walsky said: "Those were really more perimeter shots. We weren't really getting any good opportunities or using our speed. We were kind of lackadaisical."

Fun stats:
--Right wing Jimmy Kilpatrick, who had a goal and three assists tonight, has 21 career points (7 g, 14 a) in 11 games against Anchorage.
"I've had success in the past and you feel good playing teams like that," said Kilpatrick, who has had a point against Anchorage in nine of 11 career games.
Kilpatrick has had three three-point nights and two four-point nights against the Seawolves.
Kilpatrick's best series against Anchorage came in his freshman year at Sullivan Arena, when he chalked up a goal and two assists in a 6-1 win Friday and followed up the next night with four assists in a 7-2 win.

--CC now has scored three goals in the third period of four of the last five games (say that three times fast). In three of four games entering tonight, the Tigers were held scoreless in the first 40 minutes. But against Anchorage, the Tigers chipped in three second-period goals.
"That's something that we've been focusing on for quite a few games now since we've been having such slow starts," Walsky said. "Tonight, we finally put it into action a little better than in previous nights."

--CC hasn't scored a first-period goal since taking a 2-0 lead after a period in a 5-4 overtime loss to UMass on Dec. 30.
In the second period, "we made a point to come out hard because we had another slow first period," Walsky said.

--Goaltender Richard Bachman has kept opponents scoreless in seven of the last nine periods played. In the last three games, Bachman has saved 69 of 70 shots for a paltry 0.66 goals against average and a 0.980 save percentage.

--Of the nine goals Walsky has scored this season, three have come against Anchorage, which he transferred from after the 2005-06 season.
Asked if the Seawolves bring out the best in him, Walsky said:
"No, I think I just got some bounces. If that were an ordinary game, they would have all hit the post or something. But tonight I had bounces going my way. It felt good."
No extra spark, really?:
"No, there really isn't. I try to take every game as seriously as the next. But it definitely feels really good against my ex-team and teammates. It's a little bit of a pride issue. But I don't think I play any differently against them than any other team."

--After not scoring in his first 16 games, center Tyler Johnson has two goals in three games....Left wing Scott McCulloch, who led the Tigers with 18 goals last season, has two goals in two games to bring his season total to four.

In case you miss it in tomorrow's paper (www2.gazette.com/tigerden):
Former CC goaltender Matt Zaba (2003-07) was reassigned from the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) to the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL). He'll join Colorado Springs native Kellen Briggs, who played from 2003-07 at Minnesota, in the goaltending rotation.