The Rams, who are the 3rd seed in the tournament, will face off against 2nd seeded Brigham Young University on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. MST. BYU is currently ranked #3 in the MCLA.
Colorado State comes into the contest with a 10-4 overall record, having defeated Utah State 20-9 last weekend in the RMLC quarterfinal game at home. BYU is 14-2 and received a bye into the conference tournament.
The Rams and Cougars have squared off once in the 2014 season with BYU coming out on top 10-7 at CSU on March 8. Mike Fabrizio stole the show for the Cougars, scoring six goals as BYU stretched their lead late after a back and forth game throughout.
The match-up with the Cougars is the first time the two teams have met in the RMLC semifinals since the 2007 season, when BYU hung on to beat CSU 12-10. However, the teams have an extensive postseason history (MCLA-era, since 1997), including nine RMLC championship games and three previous semifinals. CSU and BYU have each won six of those contests.
In the MCLA tournament, the Rams and Cougars have matched up eight total times with CSU winning five times. In fact, the two teams have met in the MCLA semifinals for three straight years with CSU winning in 2013 and 2012 and BYU winning in 2011. In all three of those contests, the winner has gone on to win the MCLA national championship.
CSU is led by senior Sean Smith, who has 42 points on 17 goals and 25 assists so far this season. The Rams have eight other players who have amassed double digit points as well. Senior goaltenders Jack Regan and Koltin Fatzinger have been up to the task in 2014, saving a combined 163 shots and allowing 98 goals for a 62.5% save percentage. Junior face-off man Brian Roach is also hitting his stride, winning 56.8% of his attempts this season.
BYU features a trio of players who have totaled over 30 points in 2014, including Fabrizio (35 goals, 22 assists), freshman Aaron Fjeldsted (24g, 25a) and Nick Stevens (28g, 6a). BYU also splits goaltenders as Matt Brandenburg and Rob Ostler share time in the nets.