(CU Independent graphic/Adam Milner)
With four wins in a row, and after clinching the No. 1 seed in the West Region for the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Nationals in March, how much should the Buffs really worry about their four remaining games?
“That’s one of our big problems,” said head coach Ken Fikis. “Even the coaches aren’t focused right now. We already know we’re going to Connecticut, and we already know we’re going to be the No. 1 seed out there.”
The Buffs host Northern Colorado on Friday and get right back to it on Saturday when they play Arizona.
Both teams are familiar foes to the CU Club Hockey team, as the Buffs beat Northern Colorado last Dec. and went 1-1 in a two game stretch played at Arizona last November.
And though they have their place in the postseason locked up, freshman defender J.P. Park insists his team can take something away from the upcoming doubleheader.
“We’re going to look at the next few games as preparation for Nationals,” Park said. “Win or lose, it won’t affect our seed, but I can guarantee you that we’re going to go as hard as we can.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Northern Colorado is currently ranked sixth in the West region. Since only the top four teams from each region make Nationals, the Bears will be fighting for their season to continue.
Forward Max Myers says he knows a loss on Friday would mean more than just what the rankings say.
“If we drop one to UNC that could still hurt us in the long run,” Myers said. “And if it’s not just ranking, it’s more [about] keeping our momentum going.”
With Nationals in sight, the picture gets much bigger.
“Unfortunately, [the remaining games] are not that important,” Fikis said. “But we’ve won four in a row, three of them against teams we’re going to see in Nationals.”
Another team CU played that will travel to Simsbury, Conn., for the Nationals is Davenport, Mich. The Panthers are the two-time defending champions and beat the Buffs 6-3 back in January.
Since the loss against Davenport, the Buffs have not lost a game. To keep this hot streak going, the Buffs are looking for two wins this weekend on their road to the playoffs.
“The good thing is we’ve won four in a row,” Fikis said, “And we’ve been preaching that we want to win 13 in a row.”
With 13 straight wins, the Buffs could win the Nationals for the first time since 2003. It’s been seven years, and Fikis thinks this is his best team since then.
“I shouldn’t say this but this team has more talent than the team we won it with in 2003,” Fikis said. “I’m not sure they have as much heart or character, but it’s coming. They’re close.”
The Buffs will get even closer to their championship dreams after facing UNC and Arizona. Winning or losing those games won’t have any effect on their seeding, but it could halt this train of momentum they have rolling.
“The thing we’ve got to do with this team is just to play 60 minutes and not let up at all,” Myers said, “Because that one time we let up, we’re going to lose it and its going to cost us.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Michael Krumholtz at Michael.krumholtz@colorado.edu.
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