Colorado College Tigers (0-0)  vs. UMass Minutemen (0-0)

Fri./Sat., Oct. 7-8, 7:00 p.m.
Mullins Center (8,373)
Amherst, Mass.

Game Notes: Colorado College | UMass
Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau)
TV: None
Live Streaming: www.umassathletics.com/watch
Website: www.CCTigers.com
Twitter: CC_Hockey1
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ColoradoCollegeHockey

This Week
Colorado College opens the 2016-17 regular season this weekend with a two-game series against the UMass Minutemen at The Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. The puck drops at 7 p.m. (ET) on Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct. 8. Both games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM.

Getting Started
This season marks the 78th year of varsity ice hockey at Colorado College and fourth season as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. CC was a charter member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (1951-52) for 62 seasons before joining the NCHC with seven other schools in 2013.

Season Openers
Colorado College is 47-28-2 all-time in regular-season openers. The Tigers are 40-13-1 at home and 7-15-1 on the road (including neutral games). Last season, the Tigers opened with a 6-3 loss at home to UMass. Colorado College had won its previous 13 regular-season openers, dating back to a 6-2 loss to North Dakota in 2001-02.

For the Record
Colorado College finished the 2015-16 season with a 6-29-1 record, including
a 4-19-1 mark and an eighth-place finish in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference … UMass was 8-24-4 overall and 2-16-4 in Hockey East last season. The Minutemen finished 12th in the conference in 2015-16.

Tigers Down Mount Royal in Exhibition
Sophomore Tanner Ockey (Calgary, ALB) had a goal and an assist, and freshman Alex Leclerc (Longueuil, QUE) made 15 saves for the shutout as CC defeated Mount Royal University 3-0 in an exhibition game Sunday night at The Broadmoor World Arena. Sophomore Gregg Burmaster (Clinton, NY) and freshman Branden Makara (Gloucester, ONT) also scored, while sophomore Trevor Gooch (Mantua, NJ) added a pair of assists.

Up Next
Following this weekend's games, the Tigers return home to take on the 8th-ranked UMass-Lowell River Hawks on Oct. 14-15 at The Broadmoor World Arena.

The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) enters his third 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 … Greg Carvel (St. Lawrence '93) is in his first season with the Minutemen after spending the last five years at St. Lawrence University, where he had a record of 72-63-15 in four seasons as head coach. Prior to his stint at St. Lawrence, he spent 15 seasons in the professional ranks and made two trips to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the staff in Anaheim and Ottawa.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and UMass are tied at 4-all in the all-time series. CC won the first four games played between the teams, while the Minutemen won the last four, including two at The Broadmoor World Arena last season.

On the Air
All CC games in 2016-17, 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 ... Selected games will also be available on KSBV 93.7 FM in Salida, Buena Vista and Monarch and KAYV in Crested Butte (97.1 FM), Gunnison (98.7 FM) and Almont (99.5 FM).

This Year's Leadership
Senior forward Sam Rothstein (Minnetonka, MN) will serve as team captain for the second consecutive year in 2016-17. Rothstein, who was the first junior to be named captain at CC since Mark Stuart in 2004-05, scored 15 points (6g,9a) last season and has 49 (18g,31a) in 101 career games. He is the first Tiger to be captain for two seasons since Eric Rud in 1995-96 and '96-97 ... Senior forward Luc Gerdes (Eden Prairie, MN), the team's leading returning scorer with 18 points (7g, 11a), and sophomore Andrew Farny (Steamboat Springs, CO), who was third on the team among freshmen with three goals last year, are the assistant captains this season.

Seven Opponents Played in Postseason    
Six of Colorado College's 13 opponents this season played in the NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament last season. Defending national champion North Dakota along with fellow NCHC foes, Denver, St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth joined Boston College and UMass-Lowell among the 16 teams in the tournament.

Drafted Tiger
Junior defenseman Teemu Kivihalme (Savage, MN) was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2013 draft.

A Bunch of Scoring Returns
This year's returners accounted for 145 of the team's 187 points (77.5 percent) last season, including 51 of the 71 goals scored (71.8%). Gerdes is the team's top returning scorer with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists), followed by sophomore Trey Bradley (Tampa, FL) with 16 (9g,7a) and Rothstein and Kivihalme with 15 apiece.

Number Change
Sophomore defenseman David Radke (Orinda, CA) is wearing a new number in 2016-17, switching from No. 20 to No. 7.

Three Posted Career-Highs Last Season     
Three Tigers posted a career-high number of points last season. They were Gerdes (18 points), Kivihalme (15) and junior Duggie Lagrone (Plano, TX) with three.  

Tough Schedule Last Season ...     
Colorado College finished the 2015-16 season with the fifth-toughest schedule in the country, according to the Division I RPI. In fact, NCHC schools occupied the top seven spots on the list. Last year, CC played 21 of its 36 games, including 13 of its last 17, against teams ranked in the top 12 in the country.

... And Again This Year
Six of Colorado College's 13 opponents this season are ranked in the USCHO.com preseason Top 20 poll. In fact, all six, North Dakota (No. 1), Denver (No. 3), Boston College (No. 5), Minnesota Duluth (No. 6), St. Cloud State (No. 7) and UMass-Lowell (No. 8), are ranked in the top 8. The Tigers will play 17 of their 34 games against those teams. In addition, four other opponents, Nebraska Omaha, Air Force, Miami and Wisconsin, received votes in the first poll of the season.

Tigers Add 10 Newcomers
CC's 10 freshmen bring plenty of impressive statistics and acheivements to the program. Up front, Alex Berardinelli (Pittsburgh, PA) enjoyed an all-star 2015-16 season (55 points, 33 goals) with the Lone Star Brahmas of the North American Hockey League, while Bryce Van Horn (Kimball, MI) and Max St. Pierre (Orleans, ONT) were key contributors for the Carleton Place Canadians, who won the 2015 Canadian junior national championship and advanced to the 2016 semifinals. Nick Halloran (Draper, UT) had 45 points (21 goals) with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League, while Kade Kehoe (Saskatoon, SASK) led the Cowichan Valley Capitals with 55 points (22 goals) in 57 regular-season games and Branden Makara (Gloucester, ONT) finished seventh in the CCHL with 64 points (39 assists) in 60 regular-season games last season. On the blue line, Kristian Blumenschein (Kelowna, BC) helped the West Kelowna Warriors to the 2016 Royal Bank Cup championship, while Cole Josefchak (Calgary, ALB) and Alex Pernitsky (Unity, SASK) were blue-liners on the runner-up team, the Lloydminster Bobcats. Goalie Alex Leclerc (Longueuil, QUE), who also played for Lloydminster, tied for the AJHL lead with 31 victories last season.