OPINION: CC's Kilpatrick was never hip on the idea of sitting out

Jimmy Kilpatrick was gliding on the right side of the goal, watching Wisconsin goalie Shane Connelly and scheming for a goal.

Kilpatrick saw the slightest of paths to the net and launched a shot that seemed guided by radar. It zoomed over Connelly’s left shoulder and slipped just under the post.

Boom. Colorado College led 4-3 and held on for its sixth victory.

It was the most unlikely of game-winning goals. It wasn’t the tough angle. It wasn’t the crowd of defenders who surrounded Kilpatrick.

Not long ago, Kilpatrick wasn’t expected to be on the ice.

He’s pushed himself to a rapid, remarkable recovery.

In August, Kilpatrick underwent right hip surgery. He spent the second half of last season in constant pain, and he wanted to play with full strength for his senior season.

The 2006-2007 season had been one long trial.

“He was like an old man,” CC coach Scott Owens said, describing Kilpatrick’s creaky body of last season. “He couldn’t move. He couldn’t get to pucks.”

After the surgery, Kilpatrick was told the best-case scenario. If he worked with extreme intensity, he might return to the Tigers by Thanksgiving.

Kilpatrick is ridiculously competitive. He adores challenges. He dedicated himself to his rehab routine, spending 25 hours a week seeking to increase strength and flexibility in his hip.

He was scheduled for two sessions each day and never missed a session.

“He was an absolute animal during his rehab,” Owens said.

After Kilpatrick’s goal, he celebrated in front of the CC student section. It was a sweet scene, a young man who willed himself back to the ice.

It’s unfortunate for Wisconsin Kilpatrick made his remarkable recovery. The Tigers took a weird, winding road Friday, and they never would have arrived at victory without Kilpatrick.

The Tigers zipped to a 2-0 lead and looked ready to drop a half-dozen goals on the Badgers. Kilpatrick scored the first goal, ripping a shot past the sprawling Connelly. The Tigers were dominating the Badgers.

Then, in a flash, the Badgers seized control. Wisconsin scored the next three goals, silenced the World Arena crowd and seemed ready to bury the Tigers.

But Chad Rau scored on a short-handed goal to tie the Badgers, and Kilpatrick followed with the game-winner.

“We weren’t great tonight,” Owens said. “We weren’t, but we found a way to win.”

Kilpatrick was miserable last season, and it wasn’t just his hip. He didn’t enjoy the idea of rebuilding. He had played on the 2005 Frozen Four team alongside Marty Sertich and Brett Sterling and Mark Stuart. He had become accustomed to winning.

These are better days. His body is mending, though he estimates he’s only at 85-to-90 percent.

But that’s enough for now.

“I feel great,” he said with a smile, remembering those nights last season when he felt awful.