Colorado College Tigers (6-16-2, 2-10-2 NCHC) 
vs.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks (13-9-3, 6-7-1-1 NCHC)

Fri.-Sat. | Jan. 27-28 | 7:37/6:05 p.m.
Broadmoor World Arena (7,830)
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Game Notes: Colorado College | North Dakota
Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau) | Listen Live
TV: American Sports Network (Joel Goldberg, Pat Micheletti) | Saturday Only
KRDO NewsChannel 13 (ABC) in Southern Colorado
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 home for a weekend series against the defending national champion and 12th-ranked North Dakota Fighting Hawks at The Broadmoor World Arena. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. on Friday and 6:05 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast in Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM and streamed live on NCHC.tv. Saturday's contest will be televised live in Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsChannel 13.
 
Last Time Out
Colorado College dropped a pair of decisions to No. 13/12 Western Michigan last weekend in Kalamazoo, Mich. ... On Friday, CC rallied from a 2-0 deficit to even the score at 2-2 after two periods, but the Broncos scored twice in the final period to claim a 4-2 victory. Sophomore Mason Bergh scored his team-high 12th goal of the season at the 11:47 mark of the second period to cut the Bronco lead to 2-1, then senior Matt Hansen took a drop pass from Bergh in the slot and roofed a shot past WMU goalie Ben Blacker with 21.3 seconds left in the middle frame to even the score. Colt Conrad gave the Broncos a 3-2 lead just 2:04 into the third period, then Aaron Hadley scored an insurance goal right after WMU killed a penalty at the 15:58 mark with a wrister from the left circle ... On Saturday, Western Michigan scored twice in the first and once in the second period to claim a 3-0 victory. Freshman Alex Leclerc made 28 saves for the Tigers.

Tiger Tales
In the last eight games, the line of Bergh (5g, 2a), Hansen (2g, 5a) and senior Luc Gerdes (1g, 8a) has combined for 23 points ... The Tigers' four-game unbeaten streak away from home (3-0-1) was snapped Friday night ... After collecting just one point in his first seven games, Hansen has at least one point in five of his last eight contests ... CC's 34 shots last Friday were the most in a game since Nov. 5 (35 at Omaha) ... With a goal and assist last Friday, Bergh tied Gerdes for the team lead with his fourth multi-point game of the season.

Up Next
Colorado College is idle next weekend before taking on in-state rival Denver in a home-and-home series, Feb. 10-11.

For the Record
Colorado College is 6-16-2 overall and 2-10-2 in the NCHC following its series against Western Michigan ... North Dakota is 13-9-3 overall and 6-7-1 in league play after getting swept at home by league-leader Minnesota Duluth last weekend. UMD defeated the Fighting Hawks, 5-3 and 4-0.
 
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 … Brad Berry (North Dakota, '02) is in his second season as head coach at UND. Berry was an assistant coach at the school for nine seasons before taking over the helm in May of 2015. He has a record of 47-15-7 and became the first person in the history of NCAA Division I men's hockey to lead his team to a national title in his first year as head coach.

Scouting the Opposition
Shane Gersich leads the Fighting Hawks and is second in the NCHC with 31 points (17g, 14a). His 17 goals leads the conference and is tied for third in the nation. Tyson Jost (11g, 13a) and Brock Boeser (11g, 11a) follow with 24 and 22 points, respectively. Cam Johnson has started every game in the net this season and has a 13-8-3 overall record with a 2.31 goals-against average and .907 saves percentage.   
Previous Meetings
North Dakota holds a 154-80-11 advantage in the all-time series with Colorado College. The Tigers have just one victory in the last 17 meetings, a 3-2 triumph in game two of the 2014 NCHC first-round series in Grand Forks, N.D. North Dakota went 5-0-1 against the Tigers last season, with the two teams skating to a 5-5 tie in Grand Forks on Jan. 22. The all-time series results are on page five of this release.

On the Air
All CC games in 2016-17, home and away, are 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.

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 6-7-2 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 Playing Well Lately
After starting the season with a 1-8 record, Leclerc has been solid in the net the last 10 games. He has allowed just 23 goals, good for a 2.26 goals-against average. He has also saved 287 of the 310 shots he has faced for a saves percentage of .926.

History vs. No. 1
After their tie and victory at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth, Jan. 6-7, 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.   

Balanced Scoring
CC has 21 players with at least one point in the first 24 games. Bergh leads the team with 17 points, followed by Gerdes with 13 and freshmen Alex Berardinelli and 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 24 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, four of them, Minnesota Duluth (No. 2), Denver (No. 3), UMass-Lowell (No. 7) and Western Michigan (No. 10), are all in the top 10. Those four teams represent 14 games on the schedule this season. In addition, North Dakota is No. 12, Boston College is No. 13 and Omaha is No. 18. In all, 19 of CC's 34 games, including the next eight, have been or are scheduled against Top 20 teams.

Traded Shorts for Ski Pants
Little more than a week after enjoying a high of 85 degrees on Dec. 28 in sunny Estero, Fla., the Tigers headed north to play in frigid Duluth, Minn., where the high temperature on Friday, Jan. 6 was one degree, not including the wind chill from nearby Lake Superior. The 83-degree difference surpassed the difference between the highs when CC made a similar turnaround during the 2009-10 season (82 degrees). Then, the Florida high was 72 with a Duluth high of minus-10, not including wind chill.

Leclerc Named NCHC Goalie of the Week ... Twice
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 league for the second consecutive week on Jan. 9. 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 was the third consecutive NCHC weekly honor for Leclerc, who was the league's Rookie of the Week following the Miami series, Dec. 9-10.