Colorado College Tigers (6-14-2, 2-8-2 NCHC)  vs. No. 13/12 Western Michigan Broncos (11-6-3, 5-6-1-1 NCHC)

Fri.-Sat. | Jan. 20-21 | 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Lawson Ice Arena (3,667)
Kalamazoo, Mich.

Game Notes: Colorado College | Western Michigan
Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau) | Listen Live
TV: None
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 heads back out on the road this weekend for a series against the Western Michigan Broncos, Jan. 20-21, in Kalamazoo, Mich. The puck drops at 7 p.m. (ET) each night. 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.
 
Last Time Out
The Tigers dropped a pair of games at home last weekend to Omaha ... On Friday, Tyler Vesel scored twice and Luc Snuggerud had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 Omaha victory, snapping the Tigers' four-game unbeaten streak. Freshman Branden Makara opened the scoring with an unassisted goal on a breakaway midway through the first period, but Vesel evened things up just three minutes later from the slot. Senior Luc Gerdes had a chance to give the Tigers the lead midway through the second period, but Omaha goalie Kris Oldham stopped him on a breakaway, then Vesel put the Mavs ahead for good by putting home a rebound less than one minute later. David Pope scored the eventual game-winning goal at the 13:53 mark of the second period to give Omaha a 3-1 lead. Sophomore Mason Bergh made it 3-2 with his team-high 11th goal of the season after taking a cross-ice pass from Gerdes and finding the open net. Omaha's Austin Ortega put the game away with 2:09 remaining and Snuggerud tacked on a shorthanded empty-net goal with 1:29 left in the third ... On Saturday, the Mavericks scored three times, including two from Justin Parizek, in the third period for a 4-2 win. David Pope broke a 1-1 tie with a SHG just 18 seconds into the third period, then Parizek scored at the 4:12 and 11:37 mark of the frame. Sophomore Tanner Ockey and freshman Alex Berardinelli scored for the Tigers.

Tiger Tales
In the last six games, the line of Gerdes (1g, 7a), Bergh (4g, 1a) and senior Matt Hansen (1g, 5a) has combined for 19 points ... Bergh's 11 goals are the most by a CC sophomore since Jaden Schwartz had 15 in 2011-12 ... With an assist last Friday, Gerdes set a new career-high with a five-game point streak; he did not record a point on Saturday ... Omaha snapped the Tigers' four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1), which was the best four-game stretch since posting the same record from Feb. 14 to Feb. 22, 2014 ...  Ockey scored his first goal of the season on Saturday.

Up Next
Colorado College returns home for a series against eighth-ranked and defending national champion North Dakota, Jan. 27-28, at The Broadmoor World Arena.

For the Record
Colorado College is 6-14-2 overall and 2-8-2 in the NCHC following its series against Omaha … Western Michigan is 11-6-3 overall and 5-6-1-1 in league play after splitting a series with top-ranked Denver last weekend in Kalamazoo. The Broncos won Friday's game, 3-0, then fell 7-2 on Saturday.
 
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 … Andy Murray (Brandon University, '72) is in his sixth season at Western Michigan and has a 92-90-30 record at the school. In his first year with the program, Murray led WMU to its second CCHA Tournament Championship as the Broncos defeated Michigan, 3-2, in the CCHA final. Murray has 10 years of NHL head coaching experience, spending six seasons at the helm of the Los Angeles Kings and four with the St. Louis Blues.

Scouting the Opposition
Matheson Iacopelli leads the Broncos with 21 points (15g, 6a). He is third in the NCHC with 15 goals. Wade Allison has 16 points (10g, 6a), followed by Griffen Molina (5g, 8a) and Taylor Fleming (0g, 13a) with 13 points apiece. Ben Blacker and Trevor Gorsuch have shared goaltending duties this season. Blacker is 4-1 and leads the NCHC with a 1.84 goals-against average and .931 saves percentage, while Gorsuch is 4-3-2 with a 3.07 GAA and .894 saves pct.  

Previous Meetings
Western Michigan holds a 5-4-3 advantage in the all-time series against Colorado College. Five of the 12 games have gone to overtime. The teams only played twice last season, with WMU winning both in Kalamazoo. The Tigers are 0-5-1 at Lawson Arena.

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, including both this weekend, will be broadcast on 93.7 FM KSBV in the Salida, Buena Vista and Monarch regions.

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. Freshman goalie Alex Leclerc was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after allowing just one goal in two games and junior defenseman Teemu 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).   

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
After starting the season with a 1-8 record, Leclerc is 3-3-2 and has allowed just 16 goals in his last eight games, good for a 1.96 goals-against average. He has also saved 231 of the 247 shots he has faced for a saves percentage of .935.

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 the last six games (3-2-1 record). Gerdes has seven points (1g, 7a), while Hansen (1g, 5a) and senior Sam Rothstein (1g, 1a) have six and two, respectively. Meanwhile, Kivihalme had a goal and an assist two  weekends ago in the tie and win at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth.

Balanced Scoring
CC has 21 players with at least one point in the first 22 games. Bergh leads the team with 15 points, followed by Gerdes with 12 and Berardinelli and fellow freshman Nick Halloran with nine apiece.  

Most Shortys in Four Years
With Gerdes' shorthanded goal vs. Cornell on Dec. 29 and Rothstein's SHG at Minn. Duluth on Jan. 6, 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 22 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
Seven 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. 2), Minnesota Duluth (No. 4), UMass-Lowell (No. 5), North Dakota (No. 8) and Boston College (No. 10), are all in the top 10. Those five teams represent 13 games on the schedule this season. In addition, Western Michigan is No. 13 and Omaha is No. 19. In all, 19 of CC's 34 games, including the next 10, have been or 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.