#2 Cornell vs. #3 Colorado College

The second match-up in the Green Bay is an interesting contrast of styles. The offensive firepower of Colorado College will take on the stout defense of Cornell.

As different as these two teams are, both are also somewhat similiar. Both teams had players who were incredible last season as juniors, but fell somewhat short of expectations this season. Colorado College returned Hobey Baker winner Marty Sertich, while Cornell brought back Hobey Baker finalist David McKee. Sertich was still impressive this year, netting 48 points, but he wasn't the same dominating force he was last season. Dave McKee was much less impressive in the pipes for Cornell though. McKee's save percentage dropped from .947 to .904 while his goals against average went from 1.24 to 2.16.

Despite McKee's struggles, Cornell still had a very good season, finishing with a 21-8-4 record. They finished 2-3 against NCAA tournament teams, which includes a split with Michigan State, and a 1-2 record against conference foe Harvard.

Cornell's leading scorer is the dangerous Matt Moulson. After that, the scoring for the Big Red is fairly balanced throughout the other lines. They may not score a lot of goals, but they always have a player who is a threat to score out on the ice.

For Colorado College, the scoring is much more top-heavy. Coach Scott Owens has gone back and forth between putting leading scorers Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich on the same line all season. I think they should play on the same line. Sterling seems to be a little more effective when he has Sertich setting him up.

The big issue for Colorado College is if anyone will step up behind those two. Brian Salcido might be one of the best offensive defenseman in the country, but it's tough to count on a defenseman for points. Losing Aaron Slattengren really hurt the Tigers depth.

Colorado College will be fresh coming into this game since they didn't make it to the Final Five after they were upset by St. Cloud. That series may have been a harbinger for the game against Cornell. The Tigers struggled against a tough defensive team in St. Cloud and I think Cornell will give them the same sort of trouble. It's been a season of ups and downs for the Tigers, and I think it ends with a down, as they lose to Cornell by a score of 3-2.