This Weekend
Colorado College heads out on the road for the first time this season for a two-game series against the St. Cloud State Huskies at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. (CT), on Friday, Nov. 15, and 6:07 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 16. Both games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM, 1240 AM and 92.5 FM and streamed live on NCHC.tv.
Last Time Out
Western Michigan captured five of six possible points from the Tigers at the Broadmoor World Arena in the first NCHC series of the season, Nov. 1-2 ... On Friday, WMU rallied from a 3-1 deficit and scored the final five goals of the game in a 6-3 victory. Drew Worrad scored twice and added an assist, while Josh Passolt and Paul Washe each had a goal and two assists as the Broncos. After a scoreless first period, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead on
Nick Halloran's first goal of the season just 1:29 into the middle frame. Following a point-blank save by Tiger goalie
Ryan Ruck,
Chris Wilkie found
Bailey Conger, who hit Halloran in stride and he put a backhander past WMU goalie Brandon Bussi. The Tigers expanded their lead just 34 seconds later when
Zach Berzolla scored his first goal of the season and second of his career with a blast from the slot. He took a centering pass from
Andrew Gaus, who recorded his first assist as a Tiger. Less than two minutes later, WMU cut the lead in half as Worrad took a cross-ice pass from Passolt and scored on the power play from the left circle. During four-on-four play halfway through the second, Wilkie deflected a pass into the neutral zone and scored on a clean breakaway over Bussi's left shoulder to give the Tigers their two-goal lead back. Jason Polin scored the first of five straight goals for WMU at the 17:43 mark of the second period to cut the Tiger lead back to one. Dawson DiPietro, Washe, Worrad and Passolt scored in the third period. ... On Saturday, the Tigers battled back from an early 2-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead entering the third period. WMU's Ronnie Attard scored with an extra attacker on the ice with 23.9 seconds remaining in the third to send the game to overtime. WMU outshot the Tigers, 8-1, in the 5-on-5 overtime and CC killed a penalty towards the end of the frame, but neither team scored. After a scoreless 3-on-3 period, the Broncos gained the extra point in the NCHC standings as Ethan Frank and Jeff Passolt both connected in the shootout, while
Grant Cruikshank scored and
Chris Wilkie missed for CC.
Bailey Conger had two goals for the second time this season and added an assist,
Connor Mayer collected his first career goal and
Ben Copeland scored, while
Matt Vernon posted a career-high 43 saves for the Tigers.
Tiger Tales
Vernon's 43 saves were the most by a Tiger since
Alex Leclerc had 43 at St. Cloud State Feb. 9, 2019 and the most by a CC freshman since Leclerc's 45 vs. North Dakota on Jan. 28, 2017 ... Conger has a pair of two-goal games this season (Oct. 25 vs. Michigan State) ... Mayer posted a career-high +2 on Saturday ... WMU's 47 shots on Saturday were the most by a CC opponent since St. Cloud State had 48 on Feb. 9, 2019 ... Wilkie and Conger are tied for second in the NCHC with 0.67 goals/game ... Berzolla's goal on Friday vs. Western Michigan was the second of his career, both coming against WMU.
The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) is in his sixth 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 … Brett Larson (Minnesota Duluth, '95) is in his second season as head coach at St. Cloud State after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota Duluth. He also was an assistant with the Bulldogs from 2008-11 and helped Minnesota Duluth win the NCAA Division I national title in 2011 and again in 2018.
For the Record
Colorado College is 2-3-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the NCHC after losing to and tying Western Michigan at home, Nov. 1-2 ... St. Cloud State is 2-2-4 after a win and tie at Northern Michigan last weekend.
Previous Meetings
Colorado College and St. Cloud State have met 108 times, with the Huskies holding a 52-48-8 advantage in the series. SCSU swept a pair of games, 5-3 and 2-1, in Colorado Springs last season, while the teams tied 2-2 and St. Cloud State won 5-4 in overtime in St. Cloud. The Huskies were 17-0-1 at home last season, with the tie coming against CC. The teams squared off in the semifinals of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, with the Huskies claiming a 5-2 victory. CC's last win against SCSU was March 4, 2017, a 2-1 victory in St. Cloud.
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Scouting the Huskies
Sam Hentges leads the Huskies and the NCHC with 15 points (6g,9a), followed by Easton Brodzinski with nine (4g,5a) and Jack Ahcan with eight (2g,6a). David Hrenak has started all eight games this season in the net. He has a 2-2-4 record with a 3.51 goals-against average and .877 saves percentage. Â
Up Next
The Tigers return to the state of Minnesota to take on the two-time defending national champion Minnesota Duluth for a weekend series on Friday, Nov. 22, and Saturday, Nov. 23, in Duluth, Minn.
Nice Start for Conger
Conger, who sat out last season after transferring from Providence College, already has a pair of two-goal games this season. The last Tiger to record two multi-goal games within the first six games of a season was Rylan Schwartz during the 2011-12 campaign.
Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play 18 of their 34 regular-season games this season against teams that are ranked in this week's USCHO.com Top 20 Poll. Colorado College also will play four games against teams that received votes (St. Cloud State) and 10 contests against the last four national champions (North Dakota, Denver and Minnesota Duluth). Â
New On-Campus Arena on the Horizon
Colorado College, in partnership with Colorado Springs' City for Champions initiative, has unveiled a proposal to build the Edward J. Robson Arena as an on-campus competition arena. The arena, with an estimated capacity of 3,400+ seats, will become the permanent home of CC Tiger Hockey and for the first time since the program began in 1938, the hockey team will play games on campus. The arena is expected to open in the fall of 2021.
Ten Newcomers Join the Program
Including grad transfers Ruck (Northeastern) and
Andrew Gaus (Yale), the Tigers welcome 10 newcomers to the program. In addition,
Bailey Conger is eligible to play this season after transferring from Providence and sitting out the 2018-19 campaign. The incoming freshman class was ranked No. 10 in the country by College Hockey News.
Tigers Picked Sixth in NCHC Preseason Poll
Colorado College was picked sixth in the 2019-20 NCHC Preseason Poll.
1.   Minnesota Duluth – 218 points (23 first-place votes)
2.   Denver – 178 (2)
3.   Western Michigan – 156 (3)
4.   North Dakota – 143
5.   St. Cloud State – 138
6.   Colorado College – 81
7.   Omaha – 53
8.   Miami – 41
First Appearance at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff
After finishing the 2018-19 regular season in sixth place in the NCHC, Colorado College made its first appearance in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in the six years of the league's  existence last season. By winning the best-of-three series, 2-1, over third-seeded   Western Michigan, the Tigers became the first lower-seeded team to win an NCHC quarterfinal series since St. Cloud State won at Omaha in 2015.
The Gold Pan and Pikes Peak Trophy Come to CC
Colorado College claimed The Gold Pan for the first time since 2014 when the Tigers swept Denver on March 8-9 to close the regular season. In addition, with the 6-1 victory over Air Force on Oct. 13, Colorado College claimed the Pikes Peak Trophy. Â
Highest Pairwise Finish in Seven Years
Colorado College finished the 2018-19 campaign 23rd in the Pairwise rankings, the highest finish to a season since 21st following the 2011-12 season. The Tigers' 17 victories last season were the most since 18 in 2012-13. Â
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