Colgate Game Notes for Jan 11

Raiders Host Vermont in Final Non-Conference Game

HAMILTON – The Colgate men’s hockey team is hoping to keep its momentum going from last weekend as the Raiders welcome Vermont on Saturday night in its final non-league game of the regular season.

The game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night and the matchup will be live on the Patriot League Network. Live audio and live stats will also be available.

COLGATE HOCKEY ON TWITTER
Colgate men’s hockey is on Twitter. Fans can follow along for behind the scenes photos and facts, while also getting game day updates and alumni stories. Search for the Twitter handle @Colgate_Hockey and follow the Raiders today.

THIS WEEK: OLD RIVAL VISITS STARR RINK
The Raiders are back home this weekend with Vermont coming to Starr Rink for a single game on Saturday night. The Catamounts were an old member of ECAC Hockey before moving onto Hockey East. Vermont has a 10-6-3 mark and has gone unbeaten in nine of their last 10 to dig out of a 3-5-1 record and jump up to No. 18 in the country. They tied both Dartmouth and Yale last weekend at home.

NEXT UP: 2014 LEAGUE SLATE STARTS
Colgate heads out on the road again next weekend with league competition resuming at Dartmouth and Harvard. The Raiders enter the second half with a 5-3-1 mark in conference and sit in fourth place. The Crimson and Big Green sit at the low end of the standings with only four wins between them, but playing Ivies is always a tough task.

MARIUCCI CLASSIC CHAMPS
The Raiders won its second tournament title in the last three years with a 3-0 shutout win over Ferris State on Jan. 4 at the Mariucci Classic. The other tournament win came in the Omaha Stampede back in 2011. The Raiders advanced to the championship game with the Bulldogs after a shootout win over No. 1 Minnesota after a 2-2 tie in regulation. Ryan Johnston scored the winner in the shootout after the Gophers missed two of their three attempts.

FINN EARNS ACCOLADES
Rookie goalie Charlie Finn reeped the rewards of the wins at Minnesota as he was named the Mariucci Classic MVP and earned two weekly honors from ECAC Hockey. He was selected as rookie and goalie of the week by the league. He finished the weekend with a .964 save percentage and a 0.96 goals against average, allowing only two goals against two of the top scoring teams in the nation.

SHUTTING ‘EM OUT
The Raiders earned their second shutout this season with the 3-0 win against No. 2 Ferris State. Both donuts have come versus the Bulldogs as Eric Mihalik and the Raiders won 1-0 in the second game of the season at home with Ferris State. The shutout on Jan. 4 was the first for Charlie Finn and also the first neutral site shutout win for Colgate since Steve Silverthorne blanked Air Force at the Denver Cup in 2005.

ROAD WARRIORS
Colgate has been a great team away from Starr Rink with a 5-2-3 mark on the road after a 1-0-1 record at the Mariucci Classic. The Raiders are unbeaten in its last five games away from Hamilton. They have scored two or more goals in all five games, which includes nine goals in a sweep of the North Country in mid-November.

GOAL SCORER’S TOUCH
Darcy Murphy has emerged as a great goal scorer for the Raiders and leads the team with 10 on the year after two last weekend at the Mariucci Classic. He has equaled his goal output from his rookie season already and the 10 goals in 2012-13 came in 36 games. Murphy has scored goals since arriving on campus as he has 28 career points with 20 goals and eight assists. He has five goals in his last eight games.

POWERING UP THE POWER PLAY
Colgate has struggled on the power play this season, but the Raiders saw some improvement against Ferris State with two goals with the extra man on five chances. The two goals stopped a five-game scoreless streak on the power play and Colgate has 12 on the season now. Kyle Baun leads the team with four power play goals and the 12 scored have been by seven different players.

BORKOWSKI BREAKING OUT
The sophomore forward is enjoying a breakout season and leads the Raiders with 19 points after a pair of helpers in the Mariucci Classic. He has already eclipsed his point total from a season ago and his six goals is a career high. He leads the team with three gamewinning goals and his five multi-point games is tied with Kyle Baun for a team best. Borkowski is riding a three-game point streak and has four points in the last three, including two goals against UMass on Dec. 15.

TEAM DEFENSE
The Raiders have buckled down recently on the defensive end allowing only 1.66 goals per game in their last six games. The defense was a major reason for the Maricucci Classic win as Colgate held two of the top scoring teams in the nation to just two goals in two games. The Raiders have been outscored 19-9 in the first period, but last weekend they did not give up a goal in the first 20 minutes.

SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont comes to Starr Rink as one of the hottest teams in the country, going unbeaten in 10 of its last 11 games and are 8-1-2 during the run. The Catamounts are coming off a 4-2 win on Tuesdaynight at St. Lawrence to improve to 11-6-3. They won their own tournament with wins over Clarkson and Canisius in the Catamount Cup. Vermont’s power play is not the reason for the recent success as they are at a 14.6 percent success rate with 13 goals on 89 chances. The penalty kill is a different story as the Catamounts are third in the nation at 89.9 percent, allowing only nine goals on 89 opponent opportunities.

Senior Chris McCarthy leads the way offensively with 19 points on a team-high eight goals and 11 assists. McCarthy’s 11 helpers is tied with Michael Paliotta for tops on the team. The Catamounts have five players in double-digit figures in points and the scoring has been from all over the roster as only two skaters are held without points. Mario Puskarich has 17 points on seven goals and 10 assists and leads the team on the power play with four goals with three coming in Hockey East play.