Colorado College Tigers (5-17, 3-9 NCHC) vs. #2 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (19-3-2, 10-2 NCHC)

Fri./Sat., Jan. 22/23, 7:37/7:07 pm (CT)
Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634)
Grand Forks, N.D.

Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau) | Listen Live
TV: KRDO NewsChannel 13 (Friday Only) | Midco Sports Network | Fox College Sports Central (Saturday Only)
Live Streaming: NCHC.tv | Watch Friday | Watch Saturday
Website: www.CCTigers.com
Twitter: CC_Hockey1
Facebook: Colorado College Tiger Hockey
Game Notes: Colorado College | North Dakota

This Week
Colorado College wraps up a stretch of eight consecutive road games with a two-game NCHC series against the second-ranked North Dakota Fighting Hawks this weekend, Jan. 22-23, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. (CT) on Friday and 7:07 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 1240 AM and 105.5 FM as well as streamed on NCHC.tv. Friday night's game will be televised in the Colorado Springs area on KRDO NewsChannel 13.

Last Time Out
The Tigers produced an impressive split at fourth-ranked St. Cloud State, Jan. 8-9. A valiant effort fell just short Friday night as CC fell 2-1. Senior Cody Bradley (Tampa, FL) scored a power-play goal and the Tigers held the No. 2-ranked power play in the country scoreless, but it wasn't enough to overcome two first-period goals. After SCSU's Jimmy Schuldt was called for tripping at the 3:34 mark of the second period while trailing 2-0, Bradley took a pass from sophomore Teemu Kivihalme (Savage, MN) and beat Charlie Lindgren with a blast from the right point just five seconds into the power play. Senior Hunter Fejes (Anchorage, AK) also assisted on the play ... On Saturday, CC arguably played its best game of the season in a 5-2 upset victory. Five different Tigers scored and freshman goalie Jacob Nehama (Allen, TX) was spectacular in the net with 47 saves. Kivihalme opened the scoring just 3:08 into the game with an unassisted goal. After SCSU evened the score at the 7:58 mark, the Tigers scored four unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead after two periods. Freshmen Tanner Ockey (Calgary, ALB) and Ben Israel (Bloomfield Hills, MI) each scored the first goal of his career and Fejes and senior captain Sam Rothstein (Minnetonka, MN) also scored. Kivihalme and Rothstein each gathered an assist and freshmen Trevor Gooch (Mantua, NJ) and Jake Emilio (Kleinburg, ONT) had two assists apiece.

For the Record
CC is 5-17 overall and 3-9 in the NCHC ... North Dakota is 19-3-2 overall and 10-2 in the league after splitting with Nebraska Omaha at home (lost 4-3 in overtime and won 5-1) last weekend. The Fighting Hawks have won nine of their last 10 games and 13 of their last 15.

Up Next
The Tigers return home to play at The Broadmoor World Arena for the first time since Dec. 5 with a weekend series against Nebraska-Omaha on Jan. 29-30.    

The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) is in his second season at the helm of the Tigers. He came to Colorado College after serving one year as head coach of the Hershey Bears (AHL). Haviland was an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2008-12, helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2010 … Brad Berry (North Dakota, '02) became the 16th head coach in program history on May 18, 2015. Berry completed his ninth season as an assistant coach at UND in 2014-15. He served two stints in that role, first from 2000-01 through 2005-06 and again from 2012-13 through 2014-15. During his nine years on the UND staff, Berry helped lead the program to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and five NCAA Frozen Four berths.

On the Air
All CC games in 2015-16, home and away, will be broadcast live throughout Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM, featuring Ken Landau with the play-by-play. Pre-game shows start 37 minutes before faceoff. The broadcasts also can be heard worldwide via the Internet.

Scouting the Opposition
Senior forward Drake Caggiula leads the Fighting Hawks and is No. 2 in the NCHC in scoring with 30 points (15g,15a), followed by senior Nick Schmaltz with 27 (3g,24a) and freshman Brock Boeser with 25 (15g,10a). Schmaltz leads the league and is third in the nation with 24 assists. Goaltender Cam Johnson is 10-1-1 and leads the nation with a 1.28 goals-against average this year.   
 
Previous Meetings
North Dakota holds a 151-80-10 advantage in the all-time series with Colorado College. The Tigers have just one victory in the last 12 meetings, a 3-2 triumph in game two of the 2014 NCHC first-round series in Grand Forks, N.D. North Dakota swept the Tigers, 5-2 and 2-0, at The Broadmoor World Arena on Oct, 30-31. The all-time series results are on page 6 of this release.
 
First League Road Win
CC's 5-2 victory at fourth-ranked St. Cloud State on Jan. 9 was the first league road win for Mike Haviland. It had been nearly two years since the Tigers last won a conference game on the road, a 3-2 victory at Denver on Feb. 21, 2014. It was also the first win against a Top 5 ranked team since a 2-0 triumph over No. 1 Minnesota at the WCHA Final Five on March 22, 2013.  

Special Teams were Special
CC's special teams were outstanding against St. Cloud State. The Tigers were 2-for-6 on the power play and snapped a streak of 12 consecutive man advantages without a goal. CC also killed eight of SCSU's nine power play opportunites. The Huskies entered that weekend with the nation's No. 2 power play at 30.6%.  

Jacob Nehama Earns NCHC Honor
Freshman Jacob Nehama was named the Bauer NCHC Goalie of the Week following CC's split at St. Cloud State. Nehama made 81 saves during the weekend, including 47 in the team's 5-2 victory on Jan. 9. The 47 saves were the second-most in his career, just shy of his 52 against UMass-Lowell on Oct. 16.

2-For-3 at UAH
In the 5-2 victory over Alabama Huntsville on Dec. 18, Fejes and junior Luc Gerdes (Eden Prairie, MN) became the first CC duo with three points in the same game since Alexander Krushelnyski and Rylan Schwartz each had three in a 5-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 19, 2013. Gerdes has 11 points (2g,9a) in the last nine games, while Fejes has 10 points (7g,3a) in the last eight games.

Most Goals This Season
CC's five goals at St. Cloud State on Jan. 9 equalled the team's season high. The Tigers also scored five on Dec. 18 at Alabama-Huntsville.

First League Sweep at Home in Three Years
Prior to the sweep over Miami, Dec. 4-5, the last time CC swept a league opponent at home was Nov. 9-10, 2012 against Bemidji State when both teams were members of the WCHA.   

Three in a Row
With the victory over Air Force and sweep of Miami, the Tigers owned their first three-game winning streak under Mike Haviland. The team's last three-game streak was from Feb. 15 to Feb. 22, 2014 (defeated Western Michigan once and Denver twice).

Upperclassmen Coming Through Lately
After scoring just five of the team's first 15 goals this season, CC's juniors and seniors have scored 20 of the last 30 goals.
    
Comeback vs. Miami The First in a While
CC's comeback on Dec. 4 marked its first win when trailing in the third period since a 4-3 victory over St. Cloud State at home on Feb. 22, 2013.
 
Back Playing The Top 20
Counting the two games at St. Cloud State, Jan. 8-9, the Tigers will play 10 consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 20. The 11 teams CC has played this season have a combined record of 120-91-36, good for a .559 winning percentage.

Penalty Kill Stays Strong
Colorado College killed off eight of St. Cloud State's nine power plays during the last   series and has erased 61 of the last 72 overall (84.7%) heading back to the second period of the Oct. 16 game at UMass-Lowell. In their 12 league games, the Tigers have an 86.4% penalty kill percentage, good for No. 2 in the NCHC.

Scoring Brothers
Senior Cody and freshman Trey Bradley (Tampa, FL) each gathered an assist on freshman Trevor Gooch's (Mantua, NJ) goal against UMass-Lowell on Oct. 16, becoming the first set of brothers to record a point on a CC goal since March 9, 2012 (Jaden and Rylan Schwartz). The two combined again on Dec. 5 as Trey assisted on Cody's second-period goal against Miami. That was the first time a CC player assisted on his brother's goal since March 2, 2012 (Rylan assisted on Jaden's goal).

On The Road For a While
The Tigers played 12 of their first 16 games at home and will not play at The Broadmoor World Arena between Dec. 5, 2015 and Jan. 29, 2016.

Consecutive GWG a Rare Feat
Fejes' back-to-back game-winning goals against Miami, Dec. 4-5, were the first by a Tiger since Nick Dineen posted the GWG in each game of a series sweep against Wisconsin on Nov. 18-19, 2011. Fejes is tied for second in the NCHC with two game-winners in league play.

Scoring Has Picked Up Last 10 Games
Entering the game against Air Force on Friday, Nov. 27, Colorado College had 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 12 games. In the last 10 games, CC has 30 goals and 45 assists for 75 points. Nine of the team's 14 power-play goals have come in the last 10 games as well.

Nehama Records Most Saves in 18 Years
Nehama's 52 saves at UMass-Lowell on Oct. 16 were the most in one game by a CC goalie since Judd Lambert made 60 in a four-overtime victory (1-0) over Wisconsin on March 8, 1997.  

Tough Schedule This Year
Seven of Colorado College's 12 opponents this season are ranked in this week's USCHO.com Top 20 poll, including five that are ranked in the top eight. Six of the 11 teams CC has already played, North Dakota (#2), Boston College (#4), St. Cloud State (#5), UMass-Lowell (#8), Denver (#17) and Minnesota Duluth (#19), are all in the top 20 this week.

This Year's Leadership
Junior forward Sam Rothstein (Minnetonka, MN) is serving as the team captain in 2015-16. Rothstein, the first junior to be named captain at CC since Mark Stuart in 2004-05, scored 14 points (6g,8a) as a sophomore and has missed just four games in his career … Senior forward Cody Bradley (Tampa, FL), who led the team in scoring with 30 points last season, and junior forwards Zach Aman (Johnstown, PA) and Christian Heil (Westminster, CO) are the alternate captains.

Hanson Retires, Named Student Assistant Coach
Senior Jared Hanson (Palmer, AK), one of eight student-athletes in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference named to the league's 2014-15 Scholar-Athlete Team, will not play his final season at CC and will serve as a student assistant coach.

Matt Zaba Added to Coaching Staff
Matt Zaba, a 2007 graduate of Colorado College, was named as a volunteer coach for the CC hockey team prior to this season. Zaba, who ranks No. 3 on the school's list for career goaltending wins with 55, will work exclusively with the team's netminders.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity ... Outdoor Game
The 302nd meeting between in-state rivals Col­orado College and the University of Denver will certainly be unlike any other in the 65-year his­tory of the series. The schools announced they will play an outdoor hockey game at Coors Field in Denver on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. Dubbed the 'Battle on Blake,' this will be the first colle­giate hockey game ever played at Coors Field and marks the first time that CC and DU have faced off in an outdoor match. The game will be played one week prior to the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field as part of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series.