Buffs Take Down Pioneers on Senior Night

BOULDER (02/18/12) - The No. 4 University of Colorado Division II men’s ice hockey team defeated the No. 11 University of Denver 8-2 on their final home game of the 2011-12 season.

The Buffaloes took down the Pioneers 5-3 in their last meeting on Feb. 10. After leaving the first period tied 1-1, the Buffaloes surged into the second stanza, scoring three unanswered goals. Colorado capped it off in the final period with their fifth and final goal of the evening.

David Key, Alex Lencioni, Chase Komatz, Ryan Donato and Brian Kelly all scored for the Buffaloes, while J.P Park, Sam Blass, Charlie Coleman, Moore, Cody Glickman and Sam Kinney all picked up assists. Lencioni picked up his first hat trick of the season in the first period. The victory improved the Buffaloes season record to 23-7-0-1.

The Buffs kicked off the first period fast, with two goals in less than five minutes. Colorado continued their offensive assault on the Pioneers, with two additional goals from Lencioni and Komatz. With 8:04 remaining in the stanza, Lencioni received a leading pass from Park and shot from the slot, finding the back of the cage for the hat trick. The Buffaloes closed out the period ahead by four, after allowing a single goal by Denver.

As the contest entered the second period, Denver showed they still had some fight in them scoring 7:37 into the stanza on a power play. With 1:07 remaining in the second twenty minutes, Coleman took a hard shot from the slot and scored Colorado’s only point of the period.

Colorado continued to take down Denver’s defense in the third stanza. With 12:27 on the clock, Kelly fired a shot from deep in Pioneer territory, giving the Buffaloes a 7-2 lead. Kelly’s goal was his first since Oct. 23 against Weber State. 4:50 later, Lencioni continued his hot streak, scoring his fourth and final goal in the evening. This marked Lencioni’s first four goal game with the Division II squad.

“It felt great getting the hat trick on my final game on CU ice,” said forward Lencioni, who claimed his 57^th point in the season, third most at CU since the 2006-07 season. “It was surreal, but I am ready to take my team and this momentum to regionals.”

Goaltender Mike McGrath had 15 saves in the Buffs victory.  McGrath claimed his 13^th win of the season.

Colorado seniors Lencioni, Moore, McGrath, Donato, Jeff Palmer and Reilly O’ Brien were honored for their time and dedication to the CU hockey program between periods.

“We really finished strong tonight,” said forward Moore. “This is exactly what we needed heading into such an intense time in our season next weekend.”

Next, the Buffaloes will head to the ACHA regional tournament in San Jose, Calif. where they will fight for their chance to compete at Nationals. Colorado is scheduled to play the No. 9 University of Nevada- Las Vegas on Feb. 25 at 8:30 p.m at Sharks Ice Arena at Fremont. If the Buffs defeat the Rebels they will continue on to play on Feb. 26, a second win will grant them Nationals berth.

Watch the live archived video broadcast of the Colorado-Denver game at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubuffshockey

Scoring Summary

First Period

18:51 CU David Key, assisted by Brennan Stieneker and Chase Komatz
16:02 CU Alex Lencioni, assisted by Tyler Moore and J.P Park
10:23 CU Chase Komatz, assisted by Brennan Stieneker and David Key

8:04 CU Alex Lencioni, assisted by Charlie Coleman

            6:24 DU David Dredged, assisted by Tate Kendall and Cesar Soto

2:01 CU Alex Lencioni, assisted by J.P Park

Second Period

            12:23 DU Jay Gervens, assisted by Kevin Brooks PP

1:07 Ryan Donato assisted by Sam Blass

Third Period

12:27 CU Brian Kelly, assisted by Cody Glickman and Charlie Coleman
7:43 CU Alex Leniconi, assisted by Tyler Moore and Sam Kinney

Shots on Goal

CU: 45
DU: 30

Power Plays

CU: 0-for-3
DU: 1-for-5

Senior Stats:

-Alex Lencioni is tied for third most points in a season thus far since 06-07 season. 57 points

-Reilly O’ brien- 14 points this season.
-Ryan Donato- 12 points- not including game winner last night
-Tyler Moore- 21 points this season.
-Jeff Palmer- 5 points. Defenseman.
Mike McGrath- had a season high of saves of 58 saves

Colorado Travels West for Spring Opener Competition

BOULDER (02/16/12) – The University of Colorado women’s lacrosse team, currently ranked third in the Women's Collegiate Lacrosse Association, heads to California for their first competition of the spring season.

The Buffs will travel to the Santa Barbara Shootout Tournament to compete against the University of Oregon, California Polytechnic State University, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California Santa Barbara.

This will be the Buffs first meeting with each of the teams.

“We expect the bar to be set higher than ever and we want to prove this weekend that the Buffs are one of the best teams on the field,” said head coach Jessica Tomlinson. “We are a young team with some excellent new players, as well as a group of seasoned returning players and we are eager to take advantage of the games we play this weekend to bring the team together.”

This semester the team has new girls, but overall remains very strong and dynamic.

“The whole team is really excited to go to this tournament,” said senior defenseman Audra Horton. “The fall is the time when play starts to get extremely competitive so we have to remain focused and ready.”

The spring competitions count toward their overall rankings and therefore, depending on the level of play the Buffs bring to the field, will be contigent on whether or not they will qualify to go to nationals.

“We want to use this tournament to ramp up the level of our play as we set our sights on future tournaments,” said Tomlinson. “The championship will be in our home state this year, so this tournament will set the bar for the remainder of the season.”

Colorado will open the weekend on Friday at 1:30 p.m. against Oregon. They will go on to play two additional games on Saturday, beginning with Cal Poly at 10:30 a.m. and Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m. The Buffs will conclude the weekend on Sunday at 12 p.m. against UCSB. All games are in Pacific Standard Time.

Buffs Honor Seniors in Last Weekend of Regular Season

BOULDER (02/15/12) – The No. 4 University of Colorado Division II men’s ice hockey team will faceoff against the Division I University of Arizona Wildcats and the No. 11 University of Denver Pioneers this weekend, for their final weekend of home play.

On Saturday night, Colorado will honor Senior players, Sam Blass, Ryan Donato, Tyler Moore, Reilly O’Brien, Jeff Palmer and Alex Lencioni, for their dedication to the Colorado ice hockey program. Senior Night will mark the Buffs final home game of the season.

The Buffaloes defeated the Wildcats 6-5 on Nov. 11 in their last meeting. With the game tied 5-5 nearing the end of the third period it look as though the game would be headed for over time, but with :12 remaining, Brennen Stieneker found the back of the cage for a game-winning goal.

This weekend will mark Colorado’s third meeting with the Pioneers in the 2011-12 season. The Buffaloes current record against Denver is 1-1 after defeating them 5-3 at home on Feb. 10. 

The Buffs are coming off of a 7-4 loss to the San Jose State University Spartans on Feb. 11 and are looking to regain momentum before heading to Regionals on Feb. 25. The loss dropped Colorado’s record to 21-7-0-1.

“After last weekend we want to come out and have a solid performance before we head to regionals in San Jose,” said forward Lencioni, who has earned 52 points this season. “We want to leave this weekend with confidence while enjoying the celebration. Senior night is a time to celebrate your time with the program and with your teammates. As a senior I am very grateful and excited. ”

Colorado will faceoff against Arizona on Friday at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Buffs will conclude the weekend against the Pioneers at 7:30 p.m.  Both games will be played at the CU Ice Arena.

Admission to all Division II home games is $3 for students with a Buff One card and $5 for the general public.

View both games live at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubuffshockey

Colorado Buffaloes Head to Regionals

BOULDER (02/15/12) – The No. 5 University of Colorado men’s Division III ice hockey team heads to Fremont, Neb. this weekend to compete in regional competition against the No.8 Santa Rosa Junior College.

Colorado went on a road trip last weekend and came home with a 2-0 record overall. The Buffs beat Colorado College 6-0 and the University of Wyoming 8-3.

“Last weekend, the offensive zone was the highlight of our game,” said head coach Scott Smith. “We are going practice on cleaning up the defensive zone so we can head to regionals strong on all fronts.”

The Buffaloes are going into regionals with a 16-8 record on the 2011-12 American Collegiate Hockey Association season.

There first game will begin at 12 p.m. on Friday at the Sidner Ice Arena. If they win this contest they will continue play at either 12 p.m. or 3 p.m. on Saturday.

“We know SRJC is a going to be a good team, just like very team that will be at the tournament this weekend,” said forward Nic Kroha. “We’re looking to have a good practice this week and are going to focus on playing some of our best hockey of the season so we can get two wins and go to nationals in March.”

Listen to the live archived audio broadcast of the Colorado-Santa Rosa game at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acha-pacific-regionals

Buffs Fall to Spartans at Home to End Weekend

BOULDER (02/11/12) – The No. 4 University of Colorado Division II men’s ice hockey team fell 4-7 to the No. 8 San Jose State University Spartans on Saturday night at the CU Ice Arena.  

The Buffaloes defeated the Spartans 4-2 in their last meeting at the Beehive Showcase on Nov. 18.

Jeff Palmer, J.P Park and Cody Glickman all scored for the Buffaloes while Chase Komatz, Brennen Stieneker, Tyler Moore and Alex Lencioni all picked up assists. Komatz’s assit marked is 16^th consecutive game with a point.

San Jose State hit the ice hard scoring in the first 1:10 of the game. The Spartans quickly added to their lead scoring two additional goals to shut out the Buffs in the first twenty minutes.

In the second stanza the Buffs began their offensive assault. 3:04 into the period Palmer found the back of the cage on a power play for his first point. But Palmer wasn’t done yet, 3:47 later he picked up another goal. San Jose State was quick to rebuttal however, scoring two goals to regain momentum and end the period 5-2.

As the final stanza of the contest kicked off, the Spartans did not hold back, scoring two goals in the first seven minutes of the period marking their fourth unanswered point. With 8:38 remaining the Buffs made a last attempt to gain control when Lenicioni found Park for a goal. Colorado continued to fight with Cody Glickman scoring the Buffaloes final goal of the contest.

“We played flat out sloppy hockey for two period,” said forward Alex Gresh. “We didn’t communicate and made poor passes. We need to take the third period and work from there if we want to do better.”

Buffaloes goaltender Mike McGrath picked up 12 saves before being replaced by Alex Pomerleau, who acquired 35 saves in the evening.

Next, the Buffaloes will faceoff against the Division I University of Arizona Wildcats on Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. Colorado concludes is regular season play on Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. against the No. 10 University of Denver Pioneers. Both games will be played at the CU Ice Arena.

Admission to all home Division II games is $3 for students with a Buff One card and $5 for the general public. 

Buffs Defeat Denver in Second Meeting of the Season

BOULDER (02/10/12) – The No.4 University of Colorado took down in-state competitor the No.10 Denver Pioneers 5-3 on Saturday evening, improving the Buffs record on the season to 21-6-0-1.

In Colorado’s last meeting with the Pioneers, the Buffs fell short of a victory. The two teams went head-to-head, as both battled for the winning goal. The Pioneers slid the puck past Colorado’s goaltender in the last few seconds of the contest, beating the Buffs 7-6.

Chase Komatz, Zach Lass, J.P. Park, Bill Haege all scored for the Buffs while Reilly O’Brien, Brennan Stieneker, Jase Richardson, Alex Lencioni, Charlie Coleman and Jordan Lockner all picked up assists.

The Buffs took the lead, with Komatz scoring 3:32 into the first period. Momentum built on the ice, as both teams fought for the next goal. With 7:41 left in the stanza, the Pioneers were able to put the puck past Colorado’s defense and into the back of the cage, tying the game 1-1.

Colorado started off the second period with a goal by Lass from the slot 3:31 into the stanza. Minutes later, Park took a shot from the red line and put the puck past the Pioneers goalie, advancing Colorado’s lead to 3-1. Denver’s defense was able to hold off CU for the rest of the period, until Haege broke past the Pioneers on a breakaway play from the top left corner of the ice.

The third period was a fight to the finish. Both teams held up a strong defense, until the midway of the period when Komatz picked up his second goal of the evening. The Pioneers continued to push forward and minutes later picked up an additional goal. When the contest looked to be over, Denver took advantage of a power play opportunity and scored in the last nine seconds of the game, ending the night 5-3 Colorado. This loss decreased Denver’s record on the season to 9-9.

Colorado goalie Alex Pomerleau picked up 39 saves on 42 shots.

Next, the Buffs will take on the University of Arizona’s Division 1 team on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. They will then go on to play Denver University, on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be held at the CU Ice Arena.

Watch the archived video broadcast of the Colorado-Denver game on the CU Buffs Hockey network at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubuffshockey

Scoring Summary

First Period

 


15:38 CU - Chase Komatz, assisted by Reilly O’Brien

            7:41 DU - Cesar Soto, assisted by Tate Kendell and Kevin Brooks

Second Period

15:37 CU - Zach Lass, assisted by Brennan Stieneker and Chase Komatz

13:03 CU - J.P. Park, assisted by Jase Richardson and Alex Lencioni

1:55 CU - Bill Haege, assisted by Charlie Coleman and Jordan Lockner

Third Period


13:09 CU – Chase Komatz, assisted by Zach Lass and Brennan Stieneker

8:15 DU – Jordan Pritchett, assisted Sean Toriami and Brent Mueller

            0:09 DU – Cesar Soto, assisted by Kevin Brooks and Jay Gervins - PP

Shots on Goal

CU – 52

DU – 42

Power Plays

CU: 0-of-7

DU: 1-of-8

Colorado Meets Up with Past Foes

BOULDER (02/8/12) – The No.4 University of Colorado men’s Division II ice hockey team gets ready to compete against the No.10 University of Denver Pioneers and the No.7 San Jose State Spartans for the last time this season.

Last weekend, the Buffs took down in-state rival Colorado State University with a 3-2 victory. The game was no easy conquest for Colorado, but with a strong offense CU pushed forward, while the defense held back the Rams and won the contest.

“The win against CSU was just what we needed,” said head coach Shawn Sullivan.” It started some positive momentum and now everyone is bought in on what it takes to go the distance.”

The win increased the Buffs record on the season to 20-6-0-1.

Colorado competed against Denver earlier in the 2011-12 season. The contest was a higher scoring game, but DU was able to take the last goal of the contest, beating the Buffs in a close 7-6 win. This win for the Pioneers helped to improve on their record to what now stands at 9-8.

“Denver has a good team and has proven that to us in the past,” said forward Alex Lencioni. “We need to be physical, fast, smart and start out strong.”

The Spartans surrendered to Colorado in their last meeting, falling short 4-2. This loss decreased San Jose’s record to 16-12-0-1.

Colorado will begin the weekend on Friday against Denver at 7:30 p.m. They will end the weekend on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against San Jose State. Both games will be held at the CU Ice Arena.

Admission to all Division II home games is $5 for the general public and $3 for students with a Buff One Card.

Watch live video broadcasts of both games at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubuffshockey

John Galvin Returns, CU Men’s Lacrosse is Ready For 2012 Season

The Men’s Lacrosse Team at the University of Colorado at Boulder will kick off a fresh season with the return of Coach John Galvin, new faces and expectations for the team of spring 2012.

BOULDER, Colo. – The No. 9 University of Colorado men’s lacrosse team finalizes its spring try-out to get well equipped for their first preseason game on Feb. 18 at Colorado Mesa University at 1:30 p.m. The first regular season game is on Mar. 9 in Orange, Calif. against Chapman University at 7 p.m.

With 25 freshmen added to this year’s roster, the players are eager to start the season. The team is looking forward to the season and has a positive outlook because of the excellent coaching staff, with the return of head coach John Galvin, and a strong array of new players.

Coaches Galvin, Marty Taffet, and Ben Weisz are hoping to create a strong foundation working towards a better team dynamic.

“My expectations are the small things. Focusing on the detail-oriented goals and getting used to the system and the way we want to accomplish the big achievements. Whether that’s winning games or just moving forward, we have a lot of little goals,” Galvin said. “We’re trying to create a culture and better bonded team. The previous coaches did a great job, but we are trying to build a foundation off of what we have.”

Freshman midfielder Austin Colaizzi is excited that Galvin returned to CU after two years away from the program.

“I hope to learn as much as possible from Coach Galvin and a lot of the senior guys,” Colaizzi said. “With the right work mentality, I’ll try to be able to carry it on for the three years after this and try to lead the team.”

The upperclassmen players are just as motivated because they already feel the potential of the talent offered by the additional players on this season’s team.

“I’m super excited for the season because we got a lot of really young kids and they are all really passionate. More passionate than I have seen in a while,” said senior defenseman Danny Schatz. “It’s good to know they’re as dedicated to you as you are to them.”
 
“I think finally we can make a great run as a team,” said senior midfielder Thomas Appel. “We have some great coaching back so we’re going to be a little bit stronger in that department, which is awesome. I think as a team we will do pretty well and go pretty far in our conference as well as the national tournament.”

Assistant coach Marty Taffet said he is looking forward to the team’s Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference schedule.

“The games we have circled on our schedule has to be Utah in April, followed by the Colorado State University game at Mile High,” Taffet said. “Two tough opponents right before we head into the RMLC Tournament will provide a good measuring stick of how far the team has progressed over the season and hopefully it will build some momentum for a deep run at nationals.”

Taffet, who once was a CU lacrosse player on Galvin’s team, also expressed his excitement to work with his former coach.

“I think this season is going to be different than past seasons because of Coach Galvin’s return to CU. I think his two years away from CU helped him get a better idea of what he wants from players, his assistants and everyone involved with the program. With this new approach compared to past seasons, I think you are going to see a tougher, more blue collar lacrosse team.”

In 2011, the CU men’s lacrosse team finished with an 11-6 record. The wins last season came against the teams of Kansas, Utah, Simon Fraser, Minnesota – Duluth, Oregon, Arizona, Texas Tech, Boston College, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Keep up with the CU Buffaloes stats this year at www.mcla.us.

Buffs lacrosse fans can follow the team throughout the 2012 season through redhotbuffs.com. Former CU lacrosse players Colin Rosenblum and Steve Keyes are continuing their love of lacrosse and the Buffs through their Club Ball documentary, which can be viewed on the Red Hot Buffs website. Also, keep an eye out for apparel found on the website.

For more about the CU men’s lacrosse team and the coaches, please visit www.culax.org or www.redhotbuffs.com.
--- www.CULax.org ---

Buffs Redeem Themselves Against Rams in Second Meeting

BOULDER (02/4/2012) – The No. 4 University of Colorado men’s ice hockey team defeated the 
No. 3 Colorado State University Rams 3-2 on Saturday at the CU Ice Arena. 

Billy Haege, Tyler Moore and Chase Komatz all scored for the Buffs while Charlie 
Coleman, Sam Blass, J.P Park and Alex Lencioni all picked up assists. Lencioni 
had two assists in the evening as the Buffs improved their season record to 20-
6-0-1 and dropped Colorado State’s record to 16-8-4.

The Buffs suffered a heart breaking 5-4 loss to Colorado State in their last 
meeting on Nov. 5 after failing to complete a comeback.

The first period begun with fast paced, back and forth hockey. After 14:26 
seconds of battling for possession, the Buffaloes began their offensive push. 
Back-to-back goals by Haege and Moore pushed the Buffaloes into the lead over 
the Rams. 

The second stanza continued with intense physical play, as both teams fought 
for the offensive advantage. With 8:12 remaining in second period the Rams 
found the back of the cage for their first goal of the evening.

30 seconds into the third period Komatz scored for the Buffaloes, increasing 
their lead to 3-1. This marked Komatz 14th consecutive game with a goal. The 
Rams continued to fight, scoring with 40 seconds remaining, but the Buffs were 
able to hold off the Rams pressure. 

Buffs goaltender Mike McGrath picked up 58 saves in the contest, a season high.  

Next, The Buffs will take on Denver University at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 10. After, 
they will face San Jose State at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 11. Both games will be played 
at the CU Ice Arena. Admission to all Division II home games is $3 for students 
with a Buff One card and $5 for the general pubic. 

View the game against the Rams at: 
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubuffshockey 
 
Scoring Summary
First Period
5:36 CU Billy Haege, assisted by Charlie Coleman and Sam Blass
4:36 CU Tyler Moore, assisted by J.P Park and Alex Lencioni 
 
Second Period
  8:12 CSU Parker Harrison, assisted Kyle Nitchen

Third Period
19:30 CU Chase Komatz, assisted by Alex Leniconi
  :40 CSU Parker Harrison, assisted by Ben Smoot PP 
  

Shots on Goal:   
Colorado State: 60
Colorado: 33 
Power Plays:
Colorado State: 2-of-14
Colorado: 0-of-9