Colorado College Tigers (7-19-2, 3-13-2 NCHC)  vs. #1 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (18-5-5, 12-4-2-2 NCHC)

Fri.-Sat. | Feb. 17-18 | 7:38/7:07 p.m.
Broadmoor World Arena (7,380)
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Game Notes: Colorado College | Minnesota Duluth
Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau) | Listen Live
TV: CBS Sports Network (Ed Cohen, Colby Cohen) | Friday Only
DirecTV 221 | DISH 158 | Comcast 170/846 | Prism 643/1643
Live Streaming: NCHC.tv | Saturday Only | Watch Saturday's Game
Website: www.CCTigers.com
Twitter: CC_Hockey1
Facebook: Colorado College Tiger Hockey

This Weekend
Colorado College hosts the No. 1-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs this weekend, Feb. 17-18, at The Broadmoor World Arena. The puck drops at 7:38 p.m., on Friday and 7:07 p.m., on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast in Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM. Friday night's game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.

Last Time Out
The Tigers were swept by No. 2 Denver last weekend in a home-and-home series ... On Friday, freshman goalie Alex Leclerc made 37 saves but it wasn't quite enough as the Tigers fell 2-1 at Magness Arena. The Pioneers scored 1:17 into the contest when Adam Plant fired a one-timer from the point that got through traffic and found the back of the net. Each team scored once in the second period. Jared Lukosevicius put the Pioneers ahead 2-0 with a power play goal at the 5:34 mark, but senior Matt Hansen cut the lead in half with 1:46 left in the second. Freshman Kristian Blumenschein gathered the puck behind his own net, took the puck the length of the ice and eased a pass to Hansen, who sent a wrister from the left circle past the stick side of Pioneer netminder Tanner Jaillet. Leclerc started the play by stopping the puck behind the net and collected the first point of his career ... On Saturday, the Pioneers captured a 5-1 victory at The Broadmoor World Arena. Denver took a 3-0 lead before sophomore Mason Bergh scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season, a power-play goal late in the second period set up by senior Sam Rothstein and junior Teemu Kivihalme. Leclerc had 38 saves for the Tigers.

Tiger Tales
Leclerc's 158 saves are the most in a four-game stretch by a CC goalie since Joe Howe had 129 from Nov. 17-30, 2012 ... Blumenschein's assist was his first point since Nov. 26 (assist vs. Air Force) ... Leclerc's assist on Friday was the second by a CC goalie this season (Jacob Nehama vs. St. Cloud State, 11/11) ... The Tigers snapped an 0-for-24 streak on the power play with Bergh's goal on Saturday ... Dating back to Dec. 9 (14 games), Leclerc has a 2.41 GAA and .929 saves percentage ... During that same stretch, CC's penalty kill percentage is 85.5%, third-best in the NCHC and tied for 14th-best in the nation.
    
Up Next
Colorado College stays home for its final regular-season games at The Broadmoor World Arena against Western Michigan, Feb. 24-25. CC's six seniors will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 25.

For the Record
Colorado College is 7-19-2 overall and 3-13-2 in the NCHC following the series against Denver ... Minnesota Duluth is 18-5-5 overall and 12-4-2-2 in league play after going 1-0-1 against Omaha at home, Feb. 3-4.
 
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 … Scott Sandelin (North Dakota, '86) is in his 17th season at Minnesota Duluth and has a 305-282-80 record at the school. He led the Bulldogs to the 2011 national championship and won the Spencer Penrose Award (Division I Coach of the Year) in 2004.

Scouting the Opposition
Alex Iafallo leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 29 points (13g, 16a). He is followed by Adam Johnson with 24 (11g, 13a) and Joey Anderson with 23 (7g, 16a). Hunter Miska is second in the league with 17 victories (17-4-3) this season with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .928 saves percentage. He leads the NCHC with five shutouts.

Previous Meetings
Minnesota Duluth holds a 96-81-9 advantage in the all-time series with Colorado College. The Tigers went 1-0-1 against the Bulldogs last month in Duluth and own a 45-44-5 record against UMD at home. The all-time series results are on page 5 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 Buena Vista and Monarch regions.

History vs. No. 1
This weekend's games against No. 1 Minnesota Duluth will be CC's 34th and 35th against the nation's top-ranked team dating back to the beginning of the USCHO.com poll prior to the 1997-98 season. Colorado College is 12-17-4 overall against top-ranked teams after earning a victory and a tie against UMD last month in Duluth. The Tigers have not defeated a No. 1-ranked team at home since Dec. 3, 2004, a 3-1 victory over Minnesota. Later that season, CC swept a weekend series against the top-ranked Gophers in Minneapolis. That is the last time the Tigers won consecutive games against No. 1.

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 MVP after allowing just one goal in two games and junior defenseman Teemu Kivihalme was named to the all-tournament team.

Penalty Kill Great Last Two Months
The Tigers have been outstanding on the penalty kill their last 14 games, dating back to a 1-1 tie at Miami on Dec. 9. CC has killed 53 of its opponents' 62 power plays during that stretch. The Tigers' 85.5 percentage is third-best in the NCHC and tied for 14th in the nation during that stretch.

Road Warriors
The Tigers are 6-8-2 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 14 games. He has a 4-8-2 record and has allowed just 34 goals, good for a 2.41 goals-against average. He has saved 445 of 479 shots for a saves percentage of .929.

Bergh Up There in Scoring
Sophomore Mason Bergh's 13 goals are tied for fifth in the NCHC. His seven goals in league games are tied for seventh among conference players. Bergh's 13 goals are the most in one season by a CC sophomore since current St. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz had 15 during the 2011-12 campaign. Bergh's five power-play goals are the most by a Tiger in a season since Mike Boivin had seven in 2012-13.    

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 28 games, the most in one season since scoring eight in the 2012-13 campaign.

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.

Another Tough Schedule This Season     
Ten of Colorado College's 13 opponents, including the next three, this season are ranked in this week's USCHO.com Top 20 poll. In fact, four of them, Minnesota Duluth (No. 1), Denver (No. 2), UMass-Lowell (No. 6) and Western Michigan (No. 8), are all in the top 10. Those four teams represent 14 games on the schedule this season. In addition, Boston College is No. 11, Cornell is No. 12, North Dakota is No. 13, St. Cloud State is No. 18, Air Force is No. 19 and Wisconsin is No. 20. In all, 24 of CC's 34 games, have been or are scheduled against this week's Top 20 teams.

First Time Facing Nos. 1 and 2 Back-to-Back
Counting last weekend's games against No. 2 Denver this weekend's series against No. 1 Minnesota Duluth, CC will face the top two teams in the country in consecutive weekends for the first time since the USCHO.com poll began prior to the 1997-98 season. After this weekend, the Tigers will host No. 8 Western Michigan (Feb. 24-25), marking six consecutive games against Top 10 teams. This will be the fourth time that has happened in the same time frame.

Most Games vs. No. 1 in 12 Years
This weekend's games will mark the third and fourth games this season against the      nation's No. 1 team, the most for the Tigers in one season since the 2004-05 campaign, when they played five games against the top-ranked team.

Leclerc Named NCHC Rookie of the Week ... Again
After stopping 83 shots in two games against defending national champion North Dakota, freshman goalie Alex Leclerc was named the Bauer NCHC Rookie of the Week by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Leclerc had a career weekend in backstopping Colorado College to a split at home against the Fighting Hawks, posting a .954 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average in the two games. On Friday, Leclerc totaled 38 saves in a 5-2 loss, while allowing four goals, three of which came in the game's final six minutes. The next night, he made a career-high 45 saves, including 21 in the second period, to pitch his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory. Of his 45 saves, 15 came on UND's six power plays as he totaled 19 saves in the series on UND man advantages, helping CC's penalty kill go a perfect 9-for-9. Leclerc was named the game's First Star on Saturday as the Tigers snapped a 14-game winless streak against the Fighting Hawks. His 83 saves were the most in a weekend series by a CC goalie since Nov. 23-24, 2012 (87 by Joe Howe). This was the fourth NCHC weekly honor for Leclerc, who has also been named the league's Goalie of the Week twice.