Colorado College Tigers (6-12-2, 2-6-2 NCHC) vs. Omaha Mavericks (11-8-3, 4-6-0 NCHC)

Fri.-Sat. | Jan. 13-14 | 7:07/6:07 p.m.
Broadmoor World Arena (7,830)
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Game Notes: Colorado College | Omaha
Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau) | Listen Live
TV: American Sports Network (Tim Neverett, Pat Micheletti) | Friday Only | ASN Channels
Altitude Sports | DirecTV 681, Dish 413, Comcast 54/728, Prism 690
Live Streaming: NCHC.tv | Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game
Website: www.CCTigers.com
Twitter: CC_Hockey1
Facebook: Colorado College Tiger Hockey

This Weekend
Colorado College returns to The Broadmoor World Arena for the first time in six weeks for a series against the Omaha Mavericks, Jan. 13-14. Both games will be broadcast in the Colorado Springs area on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM and streamed live on NCHC.tv. Friday's game will be televised along the Front Range on Altitude Sports.
 
Last Time Out
Colorado College took four points with a tie and a victory against No. 1 Minnesota Duluth last weekend in Duluth ... On Friday, seniors Sam Rothstein and Matt Hansen scored and freshman Alex Leclerc made a career-high 43 saves as the Tigers battled the top-ranked Bulldogs to a 2-2 tie. UMD scored with 41.7 seconds left in regulation to even the score, and after a scoreless first overtime period, the Bulldogs gained the extra point in the NCHC standings with a power-play goal 18 seconds into the second overtime ... On Saturday, sophomore Mason Bergh and junior Teemu Kivihalme scored for the Tigers and Leclerc continued his outstanding play with 26 saves as CC earned its first win over a No. 1-ranked team since March 22, 2013 with a 2-1 victory. Senior Luc Gerdes assisted on all four goals at UMD.

Tiger Tales
Last weekend's tie and win over Minnesota Duluth was CC's first unbeaten weekend against a No. 1 team since defeating Minnesota, 3-2 and 5-3, on Jan. 8 and 9, 2005 ... The Tigers are 3-0-1 in their last four games, the best four-game stretch since posting the same record from Feb. 14 to Feb. 22, 2014 ... Gerdes has eight points (2g, 6a) in his last six games and tied his career high with a four-game point streak ... The Tigers are 3-1-2 in their last six games ... CC has gone to overtime in four of its last six games (1-1-2 record) ... Leclerc's 43 saves on Friday were the most in a game by a Tiger goalie since Jacob Nehama had 50 against St. Cloud State on March 4, 2016 ... Rothstein's three shorthanded goals are the most in a career by a Tiger since Alexander Krushelnyski (2010-14) had eight ... Kivihalme attempted a season-high seven shots and freshman Alex Berardinelli tied his career-high with five shots on Saturday ... Bergh reached 10 goals in a season faster than any Tiger since Rylan Schwartz on Dec. 8, 2012.

Up Next
Colorado College heads back out on the road to battle 14th-ranked Western Michigan University, Jan. 20-21, in Kalamazoo, Mich.

For the Record
Colorado College is 6-12-2 overall and 2-6-2 in the NCHC following its four-point weekend in Duluth … Omaha is 11-8-3 overall and 4-6-0 in league play after getting swept by North Dakota, 9-1 and 7-3, at home last weekend.
 
The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) is in 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. Haviland owns a career record of 176-104-36 as a head coach in the American Hockey League and 172-81-35 in the East Coast Hockey League … Dean Blais (Minnesota, '73) is in his eighth season as the head coach at Omaha. Since taking over the Mavericks, Blais has led UNO to three 20-win seasons and in the process earned his 300th career win. He was the head coach at North Dakota for 10 years and won two national championships there. Blais has a career record of 402-239-61.

Scouting the Opposition
Austin Ortega leads the Mavericks and the NCHC with 31 points (15g, 16a). He is tied for the league lead with 15 goals. Tyler Vesel (10g, 14a) and David Pope (7g, 14a) follow with 24 and 21 points, respectively. Evan Weninger has appeared in 15 games and has a 7-5-2 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and .904 saves percentage.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Omaha have played 21 times with the Mavericks holding a 11-7-3 advantage in the series. CC holds a 5-4-1 advantage in Colorado Springs. The all-time series results are on page 4 of this release.

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. The broadcasts also can be heard worldwide via the Internet. Select games will be broadcast on 93.7 FM KSBV in the Salida, Buena Vista and Monarch regions.

History vs. No. 1
After their two games at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth last weekend, the Tigers have faced a No. 1-ranked team 32 times since the USCHO.com poll started prior to the 1997-98 season. CC is 12-17-4 overall and holds an 8-5-3 record on the road against top-ranked teams.   

Road Warriors
The Tigers are 6-5-2 away from home this season, marking the most road wins in one season since the 2012-13 campaign (nine). CC had just two victories away from home in 2013-14 and '15-16, and one in '14-15.

Leclerc on Fire Lately
In his last six games, Leclerc has a 3-1-2 record and  allowed just eight goals, good for a 1.29 goals-against average. He has also saved 183 of the 191 shots he has faced for a saves percentage of .958.

Florida College Hockey Classic Champions
The Tigers won the 2016 Florida College Hockey Classic, Dec. 28-29, in Estero, Fla., by defeating Merrimack, 3-0, in the opening round and edging tournament-host Cornell, 2-1 in overtime, in the title game. Leclerc was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after allowing just one goal in two games and Kivihalme was named to the all-tournament team ... The Florida Hockey Classic was CC's 30th appearance in a Holiday Tournament and first since the 2010 Great Lakes Invitational. CC's last championship came in the 2005 GLI when it defeated Michigan (6-1) and Michigan State (6-3).   

Upperclassmen Rising at Perfect Time
Colorado College's three seniors and one junior that have played significant time this season have picked up their scoring during CC's recent four-game unbeaten streak. Gerdes has seven points (1g, 6a), while Hansen (1g, 4a) and Rothstein (1g, 1a) have five and two, respectively. Meanwhile, Kivihalme had a goal and an assist last weekend at UMD.

Balanced Scoring
CC has 21 players with at least one point in the first 20 games.  Bergh leads the team with 14 points, followed by Gerdes with 11 and Rothstein, Halloran, Kivihalme and freshman Alex Berardinelli with eight apiece.  

Most Shortys in Four Years
With Rothstein's shorthanded goal last Friday and Gerdes' SHG vs. Cornell on Dec. 29, CC scored a shorthanded goal in consecutive games for the first time since March 17 & 21, 2013. The Tigers now have five SHG in its first 20 games, the most in one season since scoring eight in the 2012-13 campaign.

This Year's Leadership
Senior forward Sam Rothstein (Minnetonka, MN) is serving 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, 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) are the assistant captains this season.

Six 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.

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 most recent         USCHO.com Top 20 poll. In fact, five of them, Denver (No. 1), Minnesota Duluth (No. 3), UMass-Lowell (No. 6), North Dakota (No. 7) and Boston College (No. 8), are all in the top 10. Those five teams represent 13 games on the schedule this season. In addition, Western Michigan is No. 14, adding another four games. In all, 19 of CC's 34 games, including 10 of the 14 remaining in the regular season, are scheduled against Top 20 teams.

Leclerc Named NCHC Goalie of the Week ... Again
After leading Colorado College to a tie and victory over the No. 1 ranked team in the country, freshman goalie Alex Leclerc was named the Bauer NCHC Goalie of the Week by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference for the second consecutive week. Leclerc allowed only three goals in the weekend series at Minnesota Duluth, collecting 69 saves on 72 shots. In Friday's 2-2 overtime tie, Leclerc compiled a career-high 43 saves, including 23 in the third period and overtime combined, as he was named Second Star of the Game. He also made 10 saves on UMD's power plays, helping to kill all five man advantages Friday. The next night, Leclerc turned aside 26 shots in a 2-1 victory, again earning the game's Second Star, with nine saves coming on UMD's power plays. He finished the series with a 1-0-1 record, a 1.44 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage, while backstopping CC's penalty kill that went 9-for-10 on the weekend. This is the third consecutive NCHC weekly honor for Leclerc, who was the league's Rookie of the Week following the Miami series, Dec. 9-10.