Colorado College Tigers (7-21-4, 3-15-4-1 NCHC)  vs. #19 St. Cloud State Huskies (15-16-1, 9-12-1 NCHC)

Fri.-Sat. | March 3-4 | 7:37/7:07 p.m. (CT)
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (5,159)
St. Cloud, Minn.

Game Notes: Colorado College | St. Cloud State
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 plays its final series of the 2016-17 regular season this weekend against the 19th-ranked St. Cloud State Huskies in St. Cloud, Minn. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. (CT) on Friday and 7:07 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast in Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 and 92.5 FM and 1240 AM and streamed live on NCHC.tv.

Last Time Out
Colorado College went 0-1-1 against No. 6 Western Michigan in the final home series of the season last weekend ... On Friday, the teams officially skated to a 3-3 draw Friday night, but it felt like a victory for the Tigers when freshman Alex Berardinelli scored with less than a second left in the second overtime period. With six seconds left in the 3x3 overtime period, Berardinelli stole the puck in his own end, streaked down the right side and placed a wrister from the top of the right circle past WMU goalie Ben Blacker. The Tigers started the game strong with 16 shots in the first 20 minutes, and senior Matt Hansen put CC ahead 1-0 at the 9:03 mark with a one-timer from the slot during a 5-on-3 advantage. The Broncos stormed back with two consecutive goals, the second just 2:04 into the middle frame. Sophomore Trevor Gooch evened the score at 2-2 with 2:51 left in the second when he took a pass from behind the net by sophomore Westin Michaud and hit the net behind Blacker. Senior Sam Rothstein then made a great individual play just 1:38 later to give CC a 3-2 lead. After Hansen dumped the puck behind the WMU net, Rothstein stole it from Blacker, moved in front and snapped a shot over Blacker's shoulder. Hugh McGing scored 1:14 into the third period to make it a 3-3 game. Hansen finished with a goal and an assist, while sophomore Mason Bergh had two helpers ... On Saturday, Matheson Iacopelli had a goal and an assist and Blacker made 27 saves in a 5-1 Bronco victory. Gooch scored his second goal of the weekend to cut the WMU lead to 3-1 midway through the second period, but the Broncos scored late in the second and again in the third.

Up Next
Colorado College, which will finish eighth in the NCHC standings, will travel to the league's regular-season champion for a best-of-three series in the first round of the NCHC playoffs, March 10-12.

Tiger Tales
Following last Friday's OT game vs. Western Michigan, six of the 16 games between the schools have gone to overtime ... The Tigers are 1-1-4 in OT games this season ... CC's six overtime games this season are the most since playing six during the 2014-15 season ... CC's 40 shots last Friday were the second-most in a game this season ... With his two assists on Friday, Bergh has five multi-point games this season, tying him with senior Luc Gerdes for the team lead ... Gerdes' assist on Saturday gives him 11 this season, equalling his career-high set last season.     
    
For the Record
Colorado College is 7-21-4 overall and 3-15-4-1 in the NCHC following the series against Western Michigan ... St. Cloud State is 15-16-1 overall and 9-12-1 in league play after getting swept by No. 1 Denver (4-3 and 7-2) on the road last weekend.
 
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 … Bob Motzko (St. Cloud State, '87) is in his 12th season as head coach of the Huskies. The 2014 NCHC Coach of the Year led his team to the league's inaugural Penrose Cup championship with a 15-6-3 conference record. Motzko has guided the Huskies to seven NCAA Division I tournament appearances in 2007, '08, '10, '13, '14, '15 and '16 as well as the 2013 NCAA Division I Frozen Four.

Scouting the Opposition
Mikey Eyssimont leads the Huskies with 29 points (14g, 15a). Blake Winiecki (12g, 11a) and Patrick Newell (3g, 20a) follow with 23 apiece. Newell is tied for eighth in the NCHC with 20 assists. Jeff Smith has a 9-10 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .909 saves percentage.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College holds a 47-45-7 advantage in the all-time series with St. Cloud State and is 21-16-5 against the Huskies in St. Cloud. The Huskies swept CC earlier this year at The Broadmoor World Arena while the teams split a series last season in St. Cloud. The all-time series results are on page 4 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 and 92.5 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
The games against No. 1 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 17-18 were 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 12-18-5 overall against top-ranked teams, including 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.

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 18 games. He has a 4-10-4 record, but has allowed just 45 goals, good for a 2.51 goals-against average. He has saved 541 of 586 shots for a saves percentage of .923, which ranks fourth in the NCHC during that time frame.

Bergh Up There in Scoring
Bergh's 13 goals overall and eight in league games are tied for seventh and ninth among NCHC players, respectively. 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 30 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 are ranked in this week's USCHO.com Top 20 poll. In fact, five of them, Denver (No. 1), Minnesota Duluth (No. 3), UMass-Lowell (No. 4), Western Michigan (No. 8) and Cornell (No. 9), are all in the top 10. Those four teams represent 15 games on the schedule this season. In addition, North Dakota is No. 15, Wisconsin is No. 16, Boston College is No. 17, Air Force is No. 18 and St. Cloud State is No. 19. According to KRACH, CC has the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country, while it is ranked the fourth-toughest in the latest RPI standings.

Most Consecutive Games against Ranked Teams
Including this weekend's games against No. 19 St. Cloud State, the Tigers will play 12 consecutive games against teams ranked in the USCHO.com Top 20 poll for the first time since the poll began prior to the 1997-98 season.

First Time Facing Nos. 1 and 2 Back-to-Back
After playing No. 2 Denver and No. 1 UMD back-to-back in January, CC faced 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. Including this weekend, the Tigers will play six consecutive games against Top 10 teams, the first time that has happened since early last season.