2006-2007 Game Recaps

2006-2007 Season Right Around the Corner!

The Ice Tartans are back. The team with plenty of attitude and no fear is looking forward to a turn-around season. The offense is immortal; the defense is immovable; the excitement is immeasurable! Be sure to catch all the action at the Ice Castle or wherever the Ice Tartans are playing.

Lessons Learned (9/29/2006)

The Tartans opened the 2006-2007 season with an exhibition loss to St. Vincent on Friday. CMU played hard at times, but its strategy and discipline broke down quickly as St. Vincent jumped out to an early lead to which they would add on. The final was 15-1. The Tartans will need to focus on their team play if they hope to see any success in the regular season.

You'd Have to Be Here to Believe It (10/7/2006)

The Tartans were victorious on Saturday night, triumphing over the visitors from IUP, 6-5. CMU opened the scoring early as senior Dan Gilmour prophetically snapped a shot up high on the goaltender's glove side to get the Tartan motor going. Sophomore Steve Karolyi netted a goal of his own minutes later as CMU jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first five minutes of the contest. IUP tallied once in the first period as well, but the second frame started with sophomore Chris Faught lasering a slap shot to the top corner to put the Tartans back in front by two. IUP would counter with two more in the second before Karolyi and Faught added their second goals of the game. In the third, IUP struck with an early goal. Then, sophomore Greg Tanski cruised into the IUP zone and dished a pass across the blue line to Karolyi who rifled home a one-timer from sixty feet to complete the hat trick. Junior goaltender Dave Urban hung tough late in the game, but IUP was able to get a fifth goal with 14.5 seconds remaining to make things tight. CMU survived the final ticks to take home the victory.

No Tartan Two-Step (10/8/2006)

The Tartans could not build on their momentum from the previous game and were handled easily by CCAC on Sunday. CMU spent too much time in its own zone to muster enough offense. The lone highlights of the game were a denied penalty shot by sophomore Nick Roche and senior Justin Forbes' first goal of the season.

Deja Vu (10/14/2006)

The Tartans were decidedly outplayed for the second week in a row by CCAC. CMU falls to 1-2 in league play heading in to mid-semester break. The team will hope to use the time off to regain its intensity and sure up its strategy.

Tartans Can't Execute (10/28/2006)

CMU lost 8-0 to Pitt on Saturday. The two teams played on even terms early, but the Tartans were unable to do the little things correctly. Pitt capitalized on CMU's failed clearing attempts and giveaways throughout the night. The Tartans continue to look for consistency in their play.

Comeback Smashed in OT (11/4/2006)

The Tartans opened Saturday's game against Hilbert with Dan Gilmour converting on a breakaway just 13 seconds into the contest. There would be no more scoring until Diego Taccioli wristed home a power-play goal during a 2-man advantage in the second. The Hawks would counter, however, capitalizing on CMU giveaways and penalties to tie the score 2-2 after two periods of play. In the third, Alex Brant notched a power-play goal of his own from the point, putting the Tartans back in front. CMU then got sloppy. Hilbert rattled off four straight goals to take a 6-3 lead. The Tartans seemed to be collapsing. But with 3:43 left to play, Chris Faught buried a slap shot to start the comeback. Ed Bergin put in a Tom Yaniglos rebound to get the Tartans within one, and Faught tied it up with another point shot. The tying goal came with 19.7 seconds remaining and goaltender Dave Urban on the bench in favor of an extra attacker. In overtime, CMU could not muster any offense. Hilbert came out strong and tucked in the winner off an odd-man break 1:24 into the extra session. Final score: Hilbert 7, CMU 6.

Turning the Corner (11/5/2006)

On Sunday, CMU staged a comeback for the second straight game, but the Tartans came away winners this time, topping California 5-4. The Vulcans got on the board first with a power-play goal. Special teams would remain the theme. With CMU shorthanded, Tom Yaniglos stole the puck to spring himself on a breakaway. Yaniglos beat the goaltender with a dazzling move, evening the score at 1-1. In the second period, California scored twice to open up a 3-1 lead before Alex Brant fired home his second power-play goal in as many games. California would crush the momentum with another man advantage goal to regain a two-goal lead after two periods of play. The third period would belong to the Tartan Comeback Machine. Rorry Brenner brought CMU closer with a power-play goal, but things looked bleak as the Tartans then received two minor penalties on the same play. Facing a five-on-three disadvantage for two full minutes, CMU hoped merely to survive and get on the other side of the penalties. Dan Gilmour had other ideas. Gilmour blocked a shot, burst away from the Vulcans, and smoothly beat the goaltender to tie the game. Minutes later, the Tartans found themselves on a four-on-three power play. Steve Karolyi gathered the puck at the left point and overpowered the California goaltender with a slap shot to give CMU its first lead of the game. Dave Urban stood tall in the Tartan net, facing an onslaught of Vulcan offense in the final minute. The defense held, and the Tartans skated out of California's barn with a victory.

Tartans Climb Back Again, Hold on for Win (11/11/2006)

CMU defeated California for the second week in a row, this time with a 6-5 victory at home on Saturday. The Tartans fell behind once again, giving up a first-period goal and one early in the second. Matt Hawryluk got CMU on the board with a power-play goal, and Tom Yaniglos evened the score less than a minute later. California would regain the lead, but then Ed Bergin stormed down the left wing and flipped a shot into the top corner to tie the score at three after two periods. The third period started poorly for the Tartans as California regained the lead just 47 seconds in. After the ensuing face off, Bergin wasted little time tying the game again, getting his second marker just six seconds following the puck drop. Hawryluk then tallied twice in the next five minutes to give CMU a two-goal lead. The Vulcans got one back, but Dave Urban shut down the attack the rest of the way. Urban made a spectacular stick save late in the game to guarantee the victory.

When You Play with Fire... (11/18/2006)

The Tartans found themselves in familiar territory against Allegheny on Saturday, falling behind 2-0 early in the first period. Dan Gilmour cut the lead in half when he cashed in on a breakaway, but the Gators reestablished the two-goal margin before the end of the opening twenty minutes. The second period was a mirror of the first. Allegheny put two goals up on the board before Greg Tanski redirected a Tom Yaniglos pass by the Gator netminder to make the score 5-2 in favor of Allegheny. The visitors would add a late goal to go up by four after two periods of play. The Tartans brought little fight to the third period. Rather than the familiar comeback, they instead surrendered four more goals to the Gators for a 10-2 loss.

Poor Start to '07 for Tartans (1/27/2007)

CMU traveled to the "Birthplace of Aviation" on Saturday but could not get off the ground against Akron. A disappointing 7-0 loss tells the whole story. Fortunately, the Tartans will have another shot against their Ohio foes next weekend.

Zipped Up (2/3/2007)

There was no rematch revenge for the Tartans, as they lost to Akron 5-2 on Saturday. The visitors jumped out to 3-0 lead in the first period, and that outburst set the tone for the game. Steve Karolyi got CMU on the board in the second with a slap shot from the point, but Akron answered before the intermission to regain the three-goal lead. In the third, Alex Brant tallied early, also with a slapper from the blue line. That was as close as the Tartans would get to tying the game. Akron added another goal late to finish the scoring.

Northern Exposed (2/10/2007)

The Tartans ventured north to Buffalo, NY, on Saturday to play Hilbert. They could not, however, return with a victory. Hilbert opened up a 3-0 lead in the first period before Matt Hawryluk tipped home a Steve Karolyi point shot. In the second, Hawryluk struck again, banking a shot off a Hilbert defender who was standing in the crease. Only down 3-2, CMU looked to take control of the game. Hilbert saw things differently, pumping in three goals to close out the second period and three more in the third. The Tartans were snakebit in the offensive zone, but poor defensive coverage was the main culprit in the 9-2 loss.

Hold Tight (2/17/2007)

CMU traveled to play Allegeheny on Saturday and came away with a dramatic 5-4 victory. The first period was hard hitting and set the tone for the game. There was no scoring, but the Tartans lost senior captain Dan Gilmour to an equipment problem. The team rallied around each other and took the play to the Gators in the second period. Matt Hawryluk came down the right wing and threw a pass in front that Greg Tanski redirected home to open the scoring. Moments later, Hawryluk came down the left wing and blew a slap shot past the Allegheny netminder for a 2-0 lead. The Tartans then got into penalty trouble. The Gators scored on a five-on-three advantage and then on the ensuing five-on-four to even the score after two periods of play. In the third, Hawryluk struck again, converting on a breakaway. Then, Tom Yaniglos found Anuj Kumar in front of the net for a bang-bang goal to increase the lead. Allegheny fired back, but Ed Bergin rifled the puck in to bring back the two-goal advantage. Allegheny got a late goal to make it closer. Finally, with five seconds remaining, the goaltender pulled, and a face-off in the Tartan zone, the defense held tight for the win. A big key to victory was the outstanding play of Tartan goaltender Dave Urban. Urban turned aside 53 shots and made many spectacular glove and pad saves. The closing minutes featured a barrage of shots, but Urban would not be beaten. In this amazing effort, the Tartans put together their best team win in recent memory.

Tartans Tuned Out in Playoff Tune Up (2/24/2007)

CMU lost to Bucknell in an exhibition game on Saturday. After falling behind 1-0, the Tartans jumped ahead with two quick goals. Diego Taccioli scored on an end-to-end rush during a power play, and Rorry Brenner wristed home a goal from the right face-off circle. After that, the Tartans were dominated and frustrated. CMU needs to improve its puck pursuit and defensive zone coverage if it hopes to have any chance in the upcoming CHA playoffs.

End Game (3/2/2007)

The Tartans lost in the first round of the CHA Playoffs Friday night. CMU was matched up against Hilbert College, and the game started out as a defensive struggle. After a scoreless first period, the second frame began with similar results. Then, Hilbert got a fluke goal off a short-handed dump in and added a power-play goal to take a 2-0 lead after two periods. The Tartans could not cash in on any of their chances in the third. Penalty trouble allowed the Hawks to add on to their lead throughout the third period and send CMU home.

Tartan Athlete Profile: Dan Gilmour (3/5/2007)

Check out this week's edition of the The Tartan for a profile of CMU centericeman Dan Gilmour. Click here to read more.