Colorado College Tigers vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Game Notes: Colorado College | North Dakota
Dates: Friday, March 1 | Saturday, March 2
Times: 8:08 pm | 6:07 pm
Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Venue: Broadmoor World Arena (7,380)
Radio: KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM
TV: CBS Sports Network (Friday Only)
Records: CC 12-16-4, 6-11-3 NCHC | North Dakota 15-14-2, 9-10-1 NCHC
Live Streaming: NCHC.tv (Saturday Only)
Series: North Dakota leads 159-83-11
First Game: 2/12/48, UND won 8-4
Last Game: 1/12/19, UND won 3-2(ot)
Streak: North Dakota - 3

This Weekend
Colorado College wraps up its five-game homestand at the Broadmoor World Arena this weekend, March 1-2, with a pair of games against the No. 20-ranked North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Friday's game will begin at 8:08 p.m., and televised nationally on CBS Sports Network, while Saturday's contest is scheduled for 6:07 p.m., and will be streamed live on NCHC.tv. Both games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 and 92.5 FM, and 1240 AM.
 
Last Time Out
Tyson McLellan scored the game's only goal and Devin Cooley posted 24 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as No. 6 Denver defeated Colorado College, 1-0, Tuesday night at the Broadmoor World Arena. Alex Leclerc had 29 saves for the Tigers in the game that was rescheduled from Jan. 18 when the Pioneers were unable to get to Colorado Springs due to adverse weather and travel conditions. McLellan scored at the 7:48 mark of the first period. He finished an odd-man rush by taking a centering pass from Jake Durflinger and scoring from right in front of the net for his first tally of the season. Leclerc kept the Tigers in the game during the first period, making 13 saves, including a couple from point-blank range as the Pioneers outshot CC, 14-8. The Pioneers only held a 12-8 advantage in shots during the second period, but controlled the puck for the majority of the frame. The Tigers held their own, meanwhile, fighting off a couple of penalties. Mason Bergh had a good shorthanded look, but clanged a shot off the pipe midway through the period. The Tigers came to life in the final 20 minutes and outshot Denver, 8-4, sparked by a delayed penalty for 36 seconds, then a pair of full two-minute power plays that saw four shots on goal by CC. Cooley was up to the task, however, and the Pioneers took a commanding advantage in the Gold Pan series. Colorado College will have to sweep the Pioneers the final weekend of the season to reclaim the trophy. The Tigers were 0-for-4 on the power play and held the Pioneers scoreless in their five man-advantage opportunities.

For The Record
Colorado College is 12-16-4 overall and 6-11-3-0 in the NCHC, good for sixth place in the conference ... North Dakota is 15-14-2 and 9-10-1 in conference play after splitting a series with Minnesota Duluth at home last weekend. The Fighting Hawks are in fifth place in the NCHC.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and North Dakota have played 253 times, with the Fighting Hawks holding a 159-83-11 advantage in the series. UND swept Colorado College earlier this season, 4-3 and 3-2, both in overtime, in Grand Forks.

Up Next
The Tigers conclude the regular season next weekend, March 8-9, with a home-and-home series against Denver.   

Tiger Tales
Trey Bradley leads the team in scoring with 27 points (12g,15a) this season, followed by Westin Michaud with 23 (10g,13a) and Trevor Gooch (10g,10a) and Bergh (5g,15a) with 20 apiece. Leclerc has a 12-15-4 record, with a 2.74 GAA and .912 saves percentage. He is tied for second in the nation among goalies with two assists this season.  

Scouting the Fighting Hawks
Jordan Kawaguchi leads the Fighting Hawks in scoring with 23 points (8g,15a), followed by Jacob Bernard-Docker with 16 (5g,11a). Matt Kierstad (6g,9a) and Nick Jones (5g,10a) each have 15 points. Goalie Adam Scheel has played in 26 games this season and sports a 13-10-2 record, as well as a 2.07 GAA and .910 saves percentage.  

The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) is in his fifth 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 … Brad Berry (North Dakota, '02) is in his fourth season as head coach at UND. Berry was an assistant coach at the school for nine seasons before taking over the helm in May of 2015. He became the first person in the history of NCAA Division I men's hockey to lead his team to a national title in his first year as head coach.

Very Defensive in 12 Wins
In their 12 victories this season, the Tigers have allowed 19 goals, and have given up 72 in the other 19 games.

Five in a Period
Colorado College scored five goals in the third period last Saturday against Western Michigan, the first time since Nov. 6, 2010 (6 in the third period vs. Denver) with at least five goals in one period.

Four Goals ...
Freshman Ben Copeland scored four goals last Saturday against Western Michigan, the first CC player to score four times in a game since Andrew Hamburg against Air Force on Oct. 19, 2012 and the first Tiger freshman with four goals since Jay McNeill against Air Force on Nov. 11, 1992. Copeland is the second Division I player in the country to score four goals in a game this season (Arizona State's Johnny Walker on Oct. 27 vs. Omaha) and the first DI freshman to score four goals in a game since New Hampshire's Patrick Grasso on Oct. 29, 2016 vs. Merrimack. He is also the second player to score four goals in an NCHC conference game in the history of the league. Joey Benik of St. Cloud State had four goals vs. WMU on Nov. 14, 2015.

Four Assists ...
Meanwhile, Gooch became the first CC player to collect four assists in a game since Jaden Schwartz at Michigan Tech on Dec. 3, 2010.

Century Club Watch
With his two assists last Saturday night vs. Western Michigan, Bergh has 97 career points (41g,56a) and is tied with Chuck Reinking (1965-68) and Ron Reichert (1978-82) for 79th on CC's career scoring list. The last Tiger to join the Century Club was Alexander Krushelnyski on Feb. 22, 2014.

Senior Class Scoring
Colorado College leads the NCHC and is tied for fourth in the country with 111 points scored by a senior class. The Tigers' Class of 2019 has 42 goals this season, which also leads the league and is tied for fourth in the nation. Mercyhurst leads the nation with 130 points and 50 goals.

Leclerc to Hit Triple Figures on Friday
Leclerc will play his 100th career game for Colorado College on Friday against North Dakota. He joins Gooch (126), Ben Israel (124), Cole McCaskill (113), Bradley (111) and Michaud (105), as players that have reached 100 career games this season.

Lots of Extra Time
Last Friday night's game against Western Michigan was CC's ninth overtime contest this season, equaling last year's total for the most in one season since playing 11 during the 2013-14 campaign. The Tigers are 0-5-4 in overtime this season and last won in overtime on Jan. 20, 2018, a 6-5 victory at Western Michigan.

Tough Schedule Again This Season
After playing 21 of its 36 games against ranked teams last season, the Tigers are at it again this year. Four of Colorado College's 15 opponents this season played in the NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament last season and 20 of CC's 36 regular-season games are scheduled against teams that are ranked in this week's USCHO's Top 20 poll, with 12 against the last three national champions (Minn. Duluth, Denver and North Dakota), the most of any team in the country. Each of CC's final 11 games of the regular season will be against ranked teams, including nine against teams ranked in the top eight.

Not a Lot of Whistles
Colorado College is one of the least penalized teams in college hockey. The Tigers rank fourth in the nation for fewest penalties called per game (3.50) and sixth in fewest      penalty minutes per game (8.53). CC was not called for a penalty against Vermont on Dec. 7, the first time the Tigers were not whistled since Dec. 14, 2013 at Wisconsin.

Nine Straight Road Games
With the postponement of the Jan. 18 home game against Denver, the Tigers played nine consecutive true road games between Dec. 8 and Feb. 1, marking the longest such streak in program history. CC has played eight in a row on the road several times and played 12 straight games away from home, which included four neutral site games,    during the 1965-66 season.

First Road Sweep Since 2012
With a couple of victories at Miami, Jan. 25-26, the Tigers completed their first regular-season weekend sweep on the road since Nov. 2-3, 2012 at Wisconsin. It also marked the first sweep against an NCHC opponent since Dec. 4-5, 2015 against Miami at home.

Happy 80th
This season marks the 80th year of varsity ice hockey at Colorado College and sixth season as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. CC was a charter member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (1951-52) for 62 seasons before joining the NCHC with seven other schools prior to the 2013-14 campaign.

Michaud and Bradley Nominated for Hobey Baker Award
Michaud and Bradley are among 81 student-athletes nominated for the 2019 Hobey Baker Award. The Hobey Baker Award is presented annually to the collegiate hockey player who best demonstrates strength of character both on and off the ice, contributes to the integrity of his team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Colorado College has had two winners since the first Hobey Baker was awarded in 1981, Peter Sejna (2003) and Marty Sertich (2005).

On the Air
All CC games in 2018-19, home and away, will be 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. Friday's pre-game shows start 60 minutes before faceoff, with a 30-minute pregame show on Saturday. The broadcasts also can be heard worldwide via the Internet ... Selected games will also be available on KSBV 93.7 FM in Cripple Creek, Divide, Buena Vista, Monarch and Leadville.

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 between 3,000 and 3,650 seats, would become the permanent home of CC Tiger Hockey and for the first time since the program began in 1938, the hockey team would play games on campus.

Pikes Peak Trophy Comes to CC
With the victory over Air Force on Oct. 13, Colorado College claimed the Pikes Peak Trophy for the first time. 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 Tigers now own a 61-13-2 all-time record against Air Force.

Mason Bergh a Finalist for Senior CLASS Award
Bergh has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award for hockey. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Coaching History at Maine
When the Tigers battled Maine on Jan. 2, it marked the first time in college hockey history that both head coaches owned a Stanley Cup ring as an assistant coach in the NHL. Mike Haviland was an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, while Maine's Red Gendron was on the staff of the New Jersey Devils when they won the Cup in 1995.

Highest Ranked Victory at Home in Nearly Eight Years
With the 4-1 victory on Feb. 1, No. 3 Minnesota Duluth was the highest-ranked team Colorado College had defeated at home since the Tigers downed No. 2 Denver, 3-2, on Feb. 4, 2011.