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Dethroned as the nation's No. 1 team after three weeks at the top of the polls, Colorado College begins a string of five consecutive games on the road with a key WCHA series this week at Minnesota State University. The teams meet at the Alltel Center (4,832 seating capacity) in Mankato, Minn., with faceoff times set for 7:37 p.m. (CT) Friday and 7:07 p.m. Saturday.

The Tigers will be out to avenge their last trip to Mankato, in February 2007, when they were swept by MSU.
         
After splitting with the University of North Dakota at home last week, CC has dropped to No. 3 in the national rankings. The Tigers are 6-1-3 overall and 4-1-1 in WCHA play, good for a second-place tie with the University of Denver in the league standings and just one point behind the front-running University of Minnesota.

Minnesota State, which earned three points on the road with a 5-3 victory and 2-2 tie at Alaska Anchorage last weekend, is 4-2-2 overall and 2-2-2 in league play. The Mavericks currently are among three teams tied for fifth place in the WCHA standings. MSU is ranked No. 11 and 12, respectively, in the two national polls, as well as No. 10 in the InsideCollegeHockey.com power rankings.

Friday's series opener marks the 35th all-time meeting between CC and Minnesota State, which will see each other again at the World Arena in early January. The Tigers own a 23-10-1 advantage in the previous 34 encounters, including an 8-5-1 edge in Mankato.