NCAA: The Rau Factor

Colorado College knocked off the Maine Black Bears 3-2 in overtime at Saturday's IceBreaker in Colorado Springs. McKeen's own Christa Moore was impressed with the performance of Tigers' freshman Chad Rau (Tor) and opposing Maine goalie Ben Bishop. Christa also provides her thoughts on the play of Matt Duffy (Fla), Greg Moore (NYR), Brett Sterling (Atl), Scott McCulloch (Chi) and Brian Salcido (Ana).

Chad Rau (Tor), C, Colorado College

propelled by a unique skipping style of skating stride .. started out the game with small amounts of icetime but was rewarded for his good work with an increasing workload that included special teams and crucial face-off assignments .. very adept at making and creating plays from behind the net .. strong and competitive on face-offs .. seemed to gain confidence on each shift .. started slow then gradually dominated and made the best of every opportunity afforded to him .. displays excellent anticipation, very smart and opportunistic player .. looked like a veteran by the end of the game, making several nice steals and taking control of the play.

Ben Bishop (StL), G, Maine

enjoyed an excellent NCAA baptism by fire .. faced one of the nation's top scorers while a rabid, jam-packed student section mocked his every move .. looked confident and calm in the crease .. doesn't shy away from handling the puck though he looks a bit uncomfortable while doing so .. misplayed the puck on one occasion and caused a turnover .. weathered a fierce early test extremely well as a scramble in front of the net showed his strong ability to cover the net from side to side .. hugs the posts well thanks to his massive 6-foot-5 frame and is able to keep tabs on what is going on behind the net .. polices his crease with authority .. displayed very limber mechanics as he flashed a glove save while doing the splits .. stays close to home and doesn't wander far to challenge shooters .. stays low to the ground and had several flopper or snow-angel saves .. during overtime, he snatched the puck out of midair to quell a buzz of activity around his net during an overlapping penalty kill .. ended the game with a 31-save performance in his first ever collegiate game.

Matt Duffy (Fla), D, Maine

already in the starting lineup and playing in the top pairing as a freshman .. logged a ton of icetime on special teams and otherwise, though it seemed to take a toll on him .. looked disheveled and at times lagging behind the play during this high-altitude game .. set up Maine's first goal by pinching down low on the power play and supplying a nice cross-crease set up for Michel Leveille .. made one risky cross-ice pass that was picked off .. took a dumb frustration slashing penalty at the end of the second period .. then drew another slashing call after not being able to keep up with an opponent.

Greg Moore (NYR), RW, Maine

Black Bears' captain played a ton of minutes especially on special teams .. strong, active skater .. displayed excellent aggressiveness on the forecheck .. willing to grind and take plenty of punishment in the corners and in front of the net .. made an impossible-looking centering pass after digging out the puck along the boards on the power play .. scored on a spectacular wristshot in the third period that beat Colorado goalie Matt Zaba through the five-hole and tied the score at 2-2, sending the game to overtime.

Brett Sterling (Atl), LW, Colorado College

started right where he left off last season, opened the scoring with a sniper wristshot from the slot that beat Ben Bishop top shelf on the glove side .. continues to frustrate opponents by drawing penalty after penalty with his speed and elusiveness .. very slippery player whose NHL chances have increased given the new pro rules .. created the game-winning goal in overtime by outfoxing a pair of Maine players .. drew their attention yet still managed to slip the puck through an opening and set up Derek Patrosso who was in perfect position for an open-net tap in.

Brian Salcido (Ana), D, Colorado College

junior defenseman is now the go-to guy on the blueline with Mark Stuart gone to the pros .. plays in every odd-man situation .. boasts a wide skating stride and intimidating speed while moving forward with the puck .. seems to hesitate going backwards while defending against the rush, instead moving 'side-saddle' .. effectively pinches down low to give the puckcarrier another passing target .. likes to hold onto the puck until the very last second which seems to psyche out opponents who can't guess what he's going to do .. superb one-on-one skills .. showed impressive perseverance on one play, managing to get an accurate pass away while falling to the ice with a pair of opponents draped over him .. delivered the shift of the night as he killed a penalty by playing keepaway and deking his way though center ice .. this seemed to inspire his teammates.

Scott McCulloch (Chi), F, LW, Colorado College

back healthy again after an injury-filled freshman year that saw him suit up just 11 times .. appeared to be making up for lost time in this contest with a relentless display of hitting on anyone who ventured near the boards .. a bit of a showman as he played up to the large student section .. interestingly choosing most of his victims with rattling takeouts right in front of the student body .. demonstrated a nice hipcheck to go along with a most impressive physical artillery .. went one step too far on one occasion by taking a needless cross-checking penalty .. his assist during the second period was a cross-crease pass while getting crosschecked, the momentum of which sent him crashing into the boards.