Tigers stop 3-game winless streak, beat Nebraska-Omaha

Much more scoring. Much improved defense. And a much-needed confidence boost.

It was the perfect recipe for No. 15 Colorado College in a 4-3 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Friday at World Arena, getting back on track behind 22 saves by Josh Thorimbert and goals by Nick Dineen, Alexander Krushelnyski and Jaden and Rylan Schwartz.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE GAME!

Ending a three-game winless skid keeps CC (16-11-2, 13-9-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) in fourth place in the WCHA with five games remaining, five points behind No. 7 Minnesota, four points behind No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth and three points in back of No. 10 Denver. And because of Michigan Tech’s loss to No. 14 North Dakota, the Tigers took a four-point edge for home ice for a first-round WCHA playoff series, and they rose two spots to 18th in the PairWise rankings used to pick the 16 NCAA Tournament teams.

Thorimbert and Dineen were both out with concussions last weekend for a pair of losses at Bemidji State, and their return, coupled with having defenseman Eamonn McDermott (left knee) and right wing Scott Winkler (upper body) back in the lineup, gave CC energy that it had been lacking. The Tigers were still without five players, including defenseman Mike Boivin and center Tim Hall, and left wing Charlie Taft was too tired after returning from a funeral, so defenseman Ted Behrend took his fourth-line spot, in his season debut.

“It’s a huge two points for us at this juncture,” CC coach Scott Owens said, adding that Boivin and left wing Scott Wamsganz (illness) might play Saturday, along with Taft. He said, “I’m proud of our effort. … I thought we got better as the game went on.”

Improving to 8-3-1 in his past 12 starts, Thorimbert (11-4-1) gave up second-period goals to Johnnie Searfoss and Matt White, both on the power play, as well as a game-tying goal to Matt Smith in the third, however, Nebraska-Omaha (13-12-6, 10-8-5) never led. Save for some stretches, CC largely controlled, taking a 2-0 lead in the first when Krushelnyski and Rylan Schwartz scored; pulling ahead 3-1 in the second as Dineen beat Ryan Massa (6-5-2) on the power play; and prevailing on Jaden Schwartz’s goal early in the third.

Thorimbert caught a break with less than three minutes left when Nebraska-Omaha had a goal disallowed that would have tied the game 4-4, as officials ruled that Dominic Zombo kicked in a puck. Credit Thorimbert for turning away Michael Young and Bryce Aneloski from the slot in the first, and Zahn Raubenheimer struck the left post in the second.

Possibly even call it an offensive outburst for the Tigers, who had 10 goals in the past six games, hampered by a 7-for-46 effort with the man advantage during the prior six series. It marked the team-leading 20th goal for Rylan Schwartz and the first in seven games for Krushelnyski; Jaden Schwartz also tallied two assists to jump his total to 33 points; and Dineen now has seven goals and three assists in five games against Nebraska-Omaha.

The Tigers benefited from outshooting Nebraska-Omaha 32-25, with a 14-4 margin in the third, and they held a 42-27 cushion on faceoffs, the biggest triumph by Dineen after the Mavericks pulled Massa for an extra attacker in the final minute. Rylan Schwartz said the disallowed goal “could have gone either way,” as Zombo turned his right skate to redirect the puck. “But thankfully for us, it didn’t count,” said Schwartz, with 100 career points.

Being swept by Bemidji State was a mere “fluke,” Krushelnyski said. “Each game is like a playoff game. The standings are so close. It’s a playoff atmosphere.” Plus, he said, “It’s a team game, and we felt comfortable. We felt like we were getting back together.”

COLORADO COLLEGE 4, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 3

Nebraska-Omaha      0          2          1 – 3

Colorado College       2          1          1 – 4

First period – 1. CC, Krushelnyski 8 (Guentzel), 3:30. 2. CC, R. Schwartz 20 (J. Schwartz, Rapuzzi), 16:45. Penalties – White, Nebraska-Omaha (boarding), 7:08.

Second – 3. Nebraska-Omaha, Searfoss 3 (Young, Broadhurst), 2:58 (pp). 4. CC, Dineen 14 (J. Schwartz, McDermott), 5:02 (pp). 5. Nebraska-Omaha, White 16 (Montpetit, Aneloski), 14:45 (pp). Penalties – Marciano, CC (interference), 1:16. Walters, Nebraska-Omaha (hooking), 3:27. DiGiando, CC (holding the stick), 14:08. Walters, Nebraska-Omaha (tripping), 16:30.

Third – 6. Nebraska-Omaha, Smith 1 (Montpetit), 1:57. 7. CC, J. Schwartz 11 (R. Schwartz, Rapuzzi), 2:47. Penalties – None.

Shots on goal – Nebraska-Omaha 12-9-4-25. CC 10-8-14-32. Power-play opportunities – Nebraska-Omaha 2 of 2. CC 1 of 3. Goalies – Nebraska-Omaha, Massa 8-7-13 (32 shots-28 saves). CC, Thorimbert 12-7-3 (25-22). Attendance – 6,942. Time – 2:31. Referees – Don Adam, Timm Walsh. Linesmen – Gary Pedigo, Stephen Stankevich.

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com. Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazettehockey. Google+: Brian Gomez. YouTube: Colorado College Hockey, Covered by The Gazette. For the CC homepage, visit www.gazette.com/sections/sports/cchockey. For the CC blog, visit http://cchockey.freedomblogging.com.