Ty Pochipinski is planning to hand his straight off to his parents.
Bryan Yoon might hold onto it for a while, but eventually it's going to wind up with his mom.
Referees have been handing over a lot of souvenir pucks lately, as five Colorado College freshmen have scored their first career goals in the first six games.
CC GOAL!! @bryan_yoon4 scores his first career goal to give CC a 4-2 lead with 2:11 left in the first period. pic.twitter.com/BLMOtVdCRp
— CC Hockey (@CC_Hockey1) October 21, 2018
Being surrounded by veterans doesn't hurt, but what may have started out as a look has translated into proof, as the rookies transitioned from high-scoring juniors players to college contributors quickly.
"Their habits and details in practice, it's translating into games," coach Mike Haviland said. "They've got confidence. I think they've been real good, that whole class.
"That's a good sign for us, right now and in the future."
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Pochipinski, the son of former Tigers defenseman and NHL draft pick Trevor Pochipinski, got the call he would be the latest to debut for the Tigers on Saturday, five games into the regular season.
"To get the chance, that's all I could ask for tonight," Pochipinski said.
He rewarded that faith 7:52 into the first period, on a goal set up by fellow freshman Erik Middendorf.
CC GOAL!! First career goal on his first career shot for Ty Pochipinski. 2-1 CC at the 7:52 mark.
— CC Hockey (@CC_Hockey1) October 21, 2018
"That was awesome for him, a Colorado Springs kid," Haviland said.
"He worked extremely hard tonight. He works like that every day in practice."
Parker native Yoon, who scored later in the period, has looked every bit the upperclassman while eating up minutes on the blue line in all situations.
"It's nice to know the coaches have confidence in me," Yoon said
Grant Cruikshank's five-game point streak (2 goals, 4 assists) came to an end Saturday, but only one freshman in the country has more points than he does.
No freshman is in the negatives in plus-minus, with Middendorf and Ben Copeland leading at plus-3.
Of course, not many players are, as the Tigers (4-1-1) got an early start to the regular season and sit first in the country with 27 goals.
Join us Wednesday at Noon for a Q&A with CBS Sports Network #NCAAHockey announcer extraordinaire - Dave Starman.
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) October 21, 2018
Send him questions by using the hashtag #AskStarman pic.twitter.com/drrpuY75q8
That wouldn't be the case without a new class that hasn't had to wait its turn, and hasn't needed to feel things out.
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This article is written by Kate Shefte from The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
