Colorado College Tigers at Air Force Falcons

Game Notes: Colorado College | Air Force
Date: Friday, Dec. 29
Time: 7:05 pm (MT)
Location: USAFA, Colo.
Venue: Cadet Ice Arena (2,502)
Radio: KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM / 1240 AM
TV: CET / XFINITY 900
Live Streaming: www.AtlanticHockey.tv
Records: Colorado College 8-7-3 | Air Force 7-8-3
Rankings: Colorado College (rv/--) | Air Force (--/--)
Series: Colorado College leads 60-12-2
First Game: 12/5/69, CC won 5-1
Last Game: 11/26/16, AFA won 6-3

This Weekend
Colorado College returns from the holiday break to face cross-town rival Air Force on Friday, Dec. 29, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena. The game, slated to begin at 7:05 p.m., will be broadcast on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 and 92.5 FM, as well as 1240 AM (Colo. Springs / Pueblo) and televised live by CET / XFINITY Channel 900. The Tigers will host Merrimack on Saturday, Dec. 30. 

Pikes Peak Trophy at Stake
In 2013, Colorado College and Air Force established the Pikes Peak Trophy in memory of the former head coach of both schools, John Matchefts. Matchefts compiled a record of 54-88-3 in five seasons (1966-71) at the Colorado College helm before posting a ledger of 154-150-6 in 11 years (1974-85) with Air Force. The Falcons have claimed the trophy in each of the four seasons.

Last Time Out
The Tigers extended their unbeaten streak to a season-high four games with a win and a tie against Arizona State, Dec. 16-17, at The Broadmoor World Arena ... On Saturday, Westin Michaud (Cloquet, MN) scored twice and Alex Leclerc (Longueuil, QUE) had 36 saves for his second shutout of the season to lead CC to a 4-0 victory. Michaud put the Tigers on the board with his fifth goal of the season at the 10:45 mark of the first period. He took a cross-ice pass from Zach Berzolla (Howell, NJ) and put a one-timer past ASU goalie Joey Daccord. Christiano Versich (Kelly Lake, MN), who had the first multi-point game of his career with a goal and two assists, collected a helper on the play. Just 17 seconds later, Nick Halloran (Draper, UT) took a pass from Trey Bradley (Tampa, FL) in front of the net following an Arizona State turnover and lifted a shot past Daccord for a 2-0 lead. Versich notched his third goal of the season to make it 3-0 with 4:07 remaining in the first period after taking a pass from Trevor Gooch (Mantua, NJ). Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) started the play and recorded his third assist of the season. Michaud closed the scoring and chased Daccord from the game at the 1:31 mark of the second period. Leclerc was stellar once again, backstopping the fourth shutout of his career ... On Sunday, Gooch scored twice to help CC come away with an unbeaten weekend with a 4-4 tie. Halloran and Tanner Ockey (Calgary, ALB) also scored and Versich had a pair of assists for the second straight game. After falling behind 2-0 in the first 10 minutes, the Tigers roared back with four unanswered goals, including three in the final 4:49 of the first period. Halloran cut ASU's lead to 2-1 at the 15:11 mark with a wrister from the left circle with the Tigers on the power play. Mason Bergh (Eden Prairie, MN) entered the zone and got the puck to Halloran, who scored his ninth of the season. Gooch scored the next two goals within a span of 2:15. He evened the score at the 17:18 mark after taking a backhanded pass from Michaud on a 2-on-1, then put the Tigers ahead 3-2 with 27 seconds left in the period off a feed from Conzo. Versich assisted on each of Gooch's goals. Ockey made it 4-2 at the 6:18 mark with a wrister from the slot after collecting a pass from Jack Gates (Oceanside, CA). The Sun Devils then scored twice in 33 seconds midway through the third to even the score. After a five-minute overtime period, the game was officially declared a draw. The teams then played a scoreless, five-minute 3-on-3 period, which led to a sudden-death shootout. Versich opened the shootout by scoring on Daccord, while Leclerc stopped ASU's Johnny Walker to end the game.

Up Next
The Tigers continue non-conference action against Merrimack on Saturday, Dec. 30, beginning at 6 p.m.

For the Record
Colorado College is 8-7-3 overall following the win and tie against Arizona State. It is the program's best record after 18 games since a 12-6 start in 2011-12 ... Air Force, a member of Atlantic Hockey, is 7-8-3 after getting swept at home by Niagara, Dec. 1-2. The Falcons are in 10th place in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
 
The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) is in his fourth 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 … Frank Serratore (Bemidji State, '82) is in his 21st season at Air Force. He has a 363-328-79 record at the Academy and an overall mark of 409-420-88 in 24 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

Scouting the Falcons
Evan Geisler and Jordan Himley lead Air Force in scoring with 13 points (5g,8a) apiece this season. Matt Serratore (7g,4a) and Matt Koch (3g,8a) follow with 11 each. Goaltender Billy Christopoulos has a 2.68 goals-against average and a .901 saves percentage in 2017-18.

On the Air
All CC games in 2017-18, home and away, will be broadcast live throughout Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 and 92.5 FM, as well as 1240 AM, featuring Ken Landau with the play-by-play. Friday's pregame show will begin at 6 p.m. (MT). The broadcasts also can be heard worldwide via the Internet ... Select games, including Friday's game at Air Force, also will be available on KSBV 93.7 FM in Cripple Creek, Divide, Buena Vista, Monarch and Leadville.

Tigers Remain Fifth in NCHC
The Tigers will finish the 2017 calendar year in fifth place in the NCHC standings. St. Cloud State is on top of the league standings with 22 points, followed by North Dakota with 19 and Denver and Western Michigan with 18 apiece. The Tigers have 12 points.

Saturday Success Continues
The Tigers continued their success on Saturdays with the 4-0 victory over Arizona State on Dec. 16. CC is 6-2-1 on Saturday this season, with its only losses coming at home to No. 3 North Dakota, 6-4, on Oct. 28 and at No. 2 St. Cloud State, 5-1, on Nov. 18. Four of the six Saturday wins have been by one goal, including a 2-1 victory at Miami on Nov. 4.

Top Line Continues to Shine ...
Halloran, Bergh and Bradley combined for seven points on Dec. 8 at Denver, then had two points each game against Arizona State. Halloran is tied for second in the NCHC with 24 points and 15 assists. He is tied for sixth in the country in points and tied for eighth in assists. Bergh is tied for third in the NCHC and tied for 16th in the nation with 10 goals, and tied for sixth in the league and tied for 14th in the country with 22 points. Bradley, meanwhile, has a career-high 11 assists this season.

... With a Second Line Emerging
Meanwhile, Gooch (3g,3a), Versich (1g,5a) and Michaud (2g,2a) have combined for 16 points since joining forces prior to CC's four-game unbeaten streak.

Several Career Highs Just Halfway Through
Four Tigers, Halloran (24), Michaud (13), Gooch (12), and Kristian Blumenschein (6), have already posted a career-high in points halfway through the regular season.

Leclerc Named NCHC Goalie of the Week
Leclerc, who made 71 saves in a pair of ties against then No. 1-Denver, was named the Bauer NCHC Goalie of the Week on Dec. 11 by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Leclerc had 34 saves in Friday's 4-4 tie that snapped CC's 14-game losing streak against the Pioneers. The following night, he turned away 37 DU shots, his third-most this season, as the teams skated to a 1-1 draw at The Broadmoor World Arena. For the weekend, Leclerc finished with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .934 saves percentage.

Halloran Most Assists in First 18 in 12 Years
Halloran's 15 assists this season has surpassed the most by a Tiger in each of the last two full seasons (12 by Luc Gerdes last season and Teemu Kivihalme in '15-16). His 15 assists are the most by a Tiger in the first 18 games of a season since Brian Salcido had 19 in 2005-06. Salcido finished second on the team with 32 assists that season.

Very Defensive in Eight Wins
In their eight victories this season, the Tigers have allowed just nine goals. Conversely, opponents have scored 34 times in CC's seven losses. Overall, the Tigers have allowed 52 goals in their first 18 games, the fewest given up by a Colorado College squad in the first 18 games of a season since 2010-11 (50).

Fastest to Eight in Five Years
With the 4-0 victory over Arizona State on Dec. 16, the Tigers achieved their eighth win earlier than any season since the 2012-13 campaign. That season, CC won its eighth game on Nov. 30.

Tigers Continue to Receive Votes in USCHO.com Poll
Colorado College received 50 votes in this week's USCHO.com poll, good for 22nd place. The Tigers are also tied for 18th in the PairWise rankings entering Friday's game.

No Seniors This Season
Colorado College is one of only two Division I programs in the country without a senior on the 2017-18 roster. Boston College is the other. The Tigers have 10 juniors, 10 sophomores and nine freshmen on the roster.

Fastest Two Goals in Six Years
The two goals in 17 seconds by Michaud and Halloran on Dec. 16 were the fastest by Colorado College since Nov. 25, 2011, when Nick Dineen and Ryan Schwartz scored 16 seconds apart in a 7-6 loss at North Dakota.

Outstanding Penalty Kill Recently
The Tigers have not allowed a power-play goal since Nov. 18 at St. Cloud State. CC has killed off its last 16 penalties, including all seven against then No. 1-Denver, which had the second-ranked power play in the nation entering that series, Dec. 8-9.

Solid in One-Goal Games
Including their 2-1 victory at Miami on Nov. 4, the Tigers are 5-1 in one-goal games this season. That equals last year's win total in such games (5-4 record) and the most in one season since winning 11 during the 2012-13 campaign.

Another Tough Schedule
After playing the second-toughest schedule in the country last season, the Tigers are at it again this year. Five of Colorado College's 13 opponents this season played in the NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament last season and 18 of CC's 34 regular-season games are against teams that are ranked in the latest USCHO.com Top 20 poll.

Solid Showing by Calvaruso in Debut
Freshman Alec Calvaruso (Livonia, MI) made his first collegiate appearance on Nov. 17 at St. Cloud State. After relieving Leclerc late in the first period, Calvaruso finished with 33 saves, including 21 in the second period, the most by a Tiger in one period since Leclerc had the same amount in a 3-0 victory vs. North Dakota on Jan. 28, 2017.

Bradley Scores Two for Second Time
Bradley scored two goals in a game for the second time in his career Nov. 10 vs. Omaha. He also scored twice against Western Michigan on Dec. 12, 2015.  

Rally, Rally, Rally
Colorado College has rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win three times this season, surpassing last year's total of wins after an opponent scored first. The Tigers won only once last season after the opponent scored first, the 2-1 victory at St. Cloud State in the regular-season finale.

Bergh Posts Hat Trick vs. Alaska Anchorage
With three goals against UAA on Oct. 14, Bergh posted the program's first hat trick since Mike Boivin on Jan. 4, 2013, at Nebraska-Omaha. The last time a Tiger scored three times in one game at home was Rylan Schwartz against Bemidji State on Oct. 15, 2011.

Been a While Since Two with Three Helpers
With three assists apiece in CC's 6-1 victory over Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 13, Halloran and Bradley became the first pair of Tigers since Nov. 6, 2010, to record at least three assists in one game. Jaden Schwartz (4a) and Stephen Schultz (3a) did the trick against Denver.