Colorado College Tigers (7-17-2, 3-11-2 NCHC)  vs. No. 2 Denver Pioneers (18-6-4, 10-3-3-2 NCHC)

Friday, Feb. 10, 7:30 pm / Magness Arena
Sat., Feb. 11, 6:07 pm / The Broadmoor World Arena

Game Notes: Colorado College | Denver
Radio: KRDO 1240 AM/105.5 FM (Ken Landau) | Listen Live
TV: Altitude 2 (Conor McGahey, Charlie Host) | Friday Only
DirecTV 681-1, Dish 447, Comcast 105/900, Prism 1691
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 battles in-state rival and No. 2-ranked University of Denver in a home-and-home series this weekend, Feb. 10-11. The game on Friday, Feb. 10 will be played at Magness Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m., while the Saturday, Feb. 11 contest will be at The Broadmoor World Arena at 6:07 p.m. Both games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM, and streamed live on NCHC.tv. Friday's contest will be shown in the Rocky Mountain Region on Altitude 2.
 
Last Time Out
Colorado College split a series at home against defending national champion North Dakota at home, Jan. 27-28 ... On Friday, UND rallied from a 2-0 first period deficit and scored five unanswered goals, including four in the final six minutes, for a 5-2 victory. The Tigers jumped all over UND in the first period as freshmen Kade Kehoe and Alex Berardinelli scored for a 2-0 lead. Kehoe opened the scoring at the 9:36 mark when he chipped the puck over the left shoulder of UND goalie Matej Tomek.Berardinelli then scored his fifth career goal at the 12:40 mark after intercepting a pass at the red line and firing a slap shot past Tomek from the left circle. UND's Trevor Olson scored the only goal of the second period to cut the lead in half at the 4:34 mark and Hayden Shaw tied it at 14:41 of the third. Dixon Bowen scored the game-winner on a breakaway with 2:46 remaining and Shane Gersich made it 4-2 just 21 seconds later with a wrister from the left circle. Joel Janatuinen wrapped up the scoring with an empty-netter at the 19:27 mark ... On Saturday, freshman goalie Alex Leclerc made a career-high 45 saves as the Tigers won 3-0 for the team's first win at home this season. Senior Luc Gerdes had a goal and an assist, scoring the game-winner with just 30 seconds remaining in the first period when his shot from the left side of the net bounced off UND defenseman Casey Johnson's leg and into the net past goalie Matt Hrynkiw. Senior Sam Rothstein scored an empty-net goal off a feed from Gerdes at the 19:09 mark of the third period, then Berardinelli did the same just 27 seconds later for the game's final tally.

Up Next
Colorado College stays home to host top-ranked Minnesota Duluth, Feb. 17-18, at The Broadmoor World Arena.

Tiger Tales
Leclerc posted CC's first shutout at home since Feb. 28, 2015 (5-0 over Western Michigan ... Prior to the 3-0 victory on Jan. 28, the last time the Tigers shut out North Dakota was Jan. 5, 2007 (1-0 at home), the winning goalie that game was CC's current goalie coach Matt Zaba ... CC snapped a 14-game winless streak (0-13-1) against the Fighting Hawks ... Leclerc's 83 saves in the two games against North Dakota were the most in a weekend series by a CC goalie since Joe Howe had 87 vs. New Hampshire (45) and Yale (42) on Nov. 23-24, 2012 ... The last time CC had two empty-netters in the same game was Nov. 5, 2011 (5-2 win at Omaha) ... CC is the only team this season to blank North Dakota on the power play in a weekend series (9-for-9 on the PK).

For the Record
Colorado College is 7-17-2 overall and 3-11-2 in the NCHC following its split against North Dakota ... Denver is 18-6-4 overall and 10-3-3-2 in league play after sweeping Omaha, 5-3 and 5-0, at home, Jan. 27-28.
 
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 … Jim Montgomery (Maine, '93) is in his fourth season as head coach at Denver. He spent the previous three seasons as head coach and general manager of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. Montgomery is Maine's all-time leading scorer with 301 points (103g, 198a).

Scouting the Opposition
Henrik Borgstrom and Dylan Gambrell lead the Pioneers with 25 points apiece. Borgstrom is fourth in the NCHC with 14 goals, while Gambrell is tied for third in the league with 18 assists, one behind teammate Will Butcher, who has 24 points (5g, 19a) this season. Tanner Jaillet is second in the league lead with 16 victories (16-4-4) this season with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .931 saves percentage.

Previous Meetings
Denver holds a 171-116-17 advantage in the all-time series with Colorado College. The 304 games between the two teams is the second-most played rivalry in college hockey. Michigan and Michigan State have played 307 times. The Pioneers have won 10 straight games in the series. The all-time results are on page 5.

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, including Friday's at Denver, 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. 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 Since Xmas
The Tigers have been outstanding on the penalty kill their last 12 games, dating back to a 3-0 victory over Merrimack in the first round of the Florida Hockey Classic on Dec. 28. CC has killed 48 of its opponents' 55 power plays during that stretch. The Tigers' 87.3 percentage is third-best in the NCHC and 12th-best in the nation during that stretch.

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 12 games. He has a 4-6-2 record and has allowed just 27 goals, good for a 2.22 goals-against average. He has saved 370 of 397 shots for a saves percentage of .932. His GAA and saves percentage are the fourth-best in the NCHC during that span.

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.   

Bergh Up There in Scoring
Sophomore Mason Bergh's 12 goals are tied for seventh in the NCHC. His seven goals in league games only are also tied for seventh among conference players. Bergh's 12 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.  

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 26 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     
Nine of Colorado College's 13 opponents this season are ranked in the most recent         USCHO.com Top 20 poll. In fact, five of them, Minnesota Duluth (No. 1), Denver (No. 2), Boston College (No. 7), Western Michigan (No. 8) and UMass-Lowell (No. 9), are all in the top 10. Those four teams represent 15 games on the schedule this season. In addition, Cornell is No. 12, North Dakota is No. 14, Wisconsin is No. 17 and Air Force is No. 20. In all, 20 of CC's 34 games, have been or are scheduled against this week's Top 20 teams.

Top 10s in the Near Future
Colorado College's next six games are against teams in this week's USCHO.com Top 10. Following this weekend's home-and-home series against Denver (No. 2), the Tigers will host No. 1 Minnesota Duluth (Feb. 17-18) and No. 8 Western Michigan (Feb. 24-25). If the rankings hold true to form, this will be just the fourth stretch of six games against top 10 teams since the beginning of the 1997-98 season.

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.