Strong Second Half Propels #5 CSU over D-III Colorado College

Strong Second Half Propels #5 CSU over D-III Colorado College

Colorado Springs, CO – Trailing 5-4 after the first half, the #5 Colorado State Rams used a balanced scoring attack and strong second half effort to down rival Division III Colorado College on a sunny and relatively warm day in Colorado Springs. CSU outscored the Tigers 7-1 in the final thirty minutes as they slowly pulled away to gain their fourth straight victory in this series. 12 different players ended up on the score sheet on Saturday afternoon as CSU gained an impressive 11-6 win.

After the teams traded goals in the third period, the turning point came when the Rams scored two in less than a minute as Pat Bird (Bishop O’Dowd HS; Oakland, CA) and Stephen Lundberg (Cherry Creek HS; Englewood, CO) each tallied midway through the quarter to give CSU the lead. The Rams never looked back, holding CC scoreless over the last 23:49 to record the victory and move to 2-1 on the young season. CSU scored four goals in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

Danny Stevens (Suffern HS; Suffern, NY) led all scorers with four points on two goals and two assists. Fellow senior attackman Brian Stone (Air Academy HS; Colorado Springs, CO) was the only other Ram with multiple points as he pitched in with two goals of his own. Stone had an excellent game, picking up 8 groundballs in the offensive end as well.

Both goaltenders were on top of their games as Colorado College’s Chris Shopneck recorded 14 saves and CSU junior Tyson Ehinger (Heritage HS; Littleton, CO) snagged 12 of his own for the victory. While Shopneck was doing his best to keep his team in the game, Ehinger had a stellar second half, making eight saves while allowing one goal down the stretch. It was Ehinger’s first start and win for the Rams since before he transferred to the University of Colorado in the 2006 season. Ehinger previously played for CSU in 2005.

While CSU struggled on face-offs in the first half, junior Joel Tromburg (Heritage HS; Littleton, CO) provided a spark off the bench and helped contain CC’s triumvirate in the second half. The Tigers ended the game winning 13/21, but Tromburg was a big help in gaining extra possessions as the Rams started to pull away.

Colorado College was led by dangerous midfielder Hunter Combs, who had three goals, and fellow middie Case Watson, who was good for one goal and one assist. The CSU close defense matched up very well with CC’s attack and gave the Rams a good chance to get stops, especially in the second half.

Colorado State (2-1) finishes up their weekend on Sunday with a game against an up and coming Loyola Marymount squad. LMU is ranked #22 in the latest MCLA poll and is 6-0 on the season. It will mark the Lions’ first trip to Colorado and the first time these teams have met since 1999.