Table Tennis
What other Olympic sport can you practice in your basement, and how much fun is it?
Apparently I'm a pretty lucky table tennis player to live here in Colorado Springs (except for the lack of atmospheric density, which tends to make the tables seem smaller). In addition to the U.S. Olympic Training Center (the best players in the country were here for the Festival in July '95), there are two good places to play here in town. Sometimes folks drop in from Denver, Wyoming, and New Mexico to play here!
To learn more about the Table Tennis scene, from local to global, start by linking to Dana's Table Tennis Center or Larry's Table Tennis Page. After that, you might want to check out A World of Table Tennis. To learn more about the sport, link to Table Tennis The Sport.
1995-96:
March, 1996, the Colorado College Hockey Tigers made it to beyond regulation in the last (championship!) college hockey game of the year. They lost to Team Nike, er, Michigan, 4-3, in overtime.
In reaching beyond the 3rd period of the final game, the Tigers accomplished what no team has ever done before: 3-peat as W.C.H.A. champion.
1996-97:
For '96-'97, only 4 returning players are seniors. But overall team speed is improved. A coaches' poll picks C.C. to 4-peat as W.C.H.A. champion. But that poll has proven a valid predictor only about 25% of the time.
This is going to be very interesting! Link to: C.C. Hockey Page
Well, I said, last autumn, that this was going to be very interesting, and it has been. On Saturday, March 8, 1997, C.C. won the longest men's college hockey game ever played, 1-0! 129:30 of first-goal-wins hockey. Special congratulations to senior goaltender Judd Lambert, playing in his final home-ice college game, and best wishes for continued success thoughout the playoffs to coach Don Lucia and the entire Tiger hockey team (after playing more than 2 games in one night, they can use it)!
Now the Tigers have advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 3rd straight year. They're in the Final 12. Go Tigers!!!
3/21/97: They're in the final 8! Go Tigers!!!
3/22/97: They vanquished, on one night's rest, the #1 seed in the East. For the second year in a row, they're in the final 4!!
Go Tigers!!!Oops:
North Dakota had their number all year, and beat the Tigers in the semifinal game, and then went on to win the final. So that makes two years in a row CC made it to the Final Four, only to lose to the NCAA champion. Not too bad for the smallest school in Division I hockey!
And, oh yeah, one more thing: WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR!!!
1997-98:
Well, time flies! It's next year already...!
In early 1998, the Tigers began playing home games for the first time in 3 years, since the demise of the Broadmoor World Arena, when the new Colorado Springs World Arena opened. In the interrim, they played their "home" games at the US Air Force Academy.
The best source for continually-updated information on the CC Hockey Tigers throughout the '97-'98 season is the CC Hockey Page.
After having been to the Final Four for 2 straight years, this Tiger squad had a relatively mediocre season. But a late season win streak propelled them to a 3rd place finish in the WCHA. They also finished 3rd in the WCHA tournament, behind Wisconsin and reigning champ North Dakota.
This, based largely upon the strength of their WCHA schedule, was sufficient to gain the Tigers a fourth straight invitation to the NCAA tournament, through the Eastern bracket (as the 6th seed [of 6]), same as last year (when they were seeded 5th).
On Saturday, March 28, they defeated 3rd-seeded Clarkson, 3-1.
On Sunday, March 29, they meet Boston College in Albany for a quarterfinal game.
GO TIGERS!!!
