Early Rematch With The Broncos
Colorado College plays Western Michigan for the second time in four days and the final time this season on Friday, Dec. 11 as part of the NCHC Pod at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb. The puck drops at 7:35 p.m. (CT). The game will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM, 1240 AM and 92.5 FM and televised live on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, Root Sports Northwest and TSN3 in Canada.

Last Time Out
18th-ranked Omaha scored two power-play goals, two shorthanded goals and two even strength goals in a 6-1 victory over Colorado College Wednesday night at the NCHC Pod in Omaha, Neb. The Tigers, playing their second game, compared to the fifth for Omaha, had three power-play opportunities in the first period, but allowed a pair of shorthanded goals as the Mavericks jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes. Early in the third period, freshman Jack Millar blasted a shot from the right point past Omaha goalie Isaiah Saville for his first collegiate goal to cut the Maverick lead to 4-1, but Omaha struck twice during a five-minute power play later in the period for the final margin. Freshman goalie Dominic Basse finished with 22 saves in a relief role and Josiah Slavin collected his third assist of the young season, while Zach Berzolla led all players with five blocked shots.

Tigers At The "NCHC Pod"
Due to the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCHC announced the 2020-21 season will start with all eight teams playing in Omaha, Neb. With the focus on the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, staff, and officials, the conference has intentionally attempted to limit team travel. Because of this, NCHC teams have been divided into two divisions based on geography for 2020-21 scheduling purposes: East and West. The East Division consists of Miami, Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan. The West Division consists of Colorado College, Denver, North Dakota and Omaha. Teams will play each of their divisional opponents six times (18 games total) and each cross-division opponent twice (8 games total).

Tiger Tales
Slavin collected a career-high two assists in the season-opener against Western Michigan ... Hunter McKown scored the first goal of his collegiate career on Tuesday vs. WMU ... Grant Cruikshank leads the team with 10 shots after two games.

For the Record
Colorado College is 0-1-1 after its loss to Omaha on Wednesday ... Western Michigan is 1-3-1 after defeating 13th-ranked St. Cloud State, 2-1, on Wednesday.   

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Western Michigan have met 25 times, with the Broncos holding a 13-6-6 advantage in the series. The teams skated to a 3-3 draw on Tuesday, Dec. 8, with the Tigers winning the shootout to gain the extra point in the NCHC standings.

Scouting the Broncos
Josh Passolt and Paul Washe lead the Broncos with five points apiece. Washe has three goals, including two vs. the Tigers on Tuesday, while Passolt has two goals and a team-high three assists. Austin Cain has appeared in all five games in the net, with a 4.80 goals-against average and .855 saves percentage.  

The Coaches
Mike Haviland (Elmira College, '90) is in his seventh 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 … Andy Murray (Brandon University, '72) is in his 10th season at Western Michigan. Murray has 10 years of NHL head coaching experience, spending six seasons at the helm of the Los Angeles Kings and four with the St. Louis Blues.

Up Next
The Tigers play Minnesota Duluth on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 12:05 p.m. (CT).

Cruikshank, Berzolla to Wear the "C"
Junior forward Grant Cruikshank and senior defenseman Zach Berzolla will serve as team captains in 2020-21. Cruikshank, who will be a captain for the second straight year, was the first sophomore in program history to wear the "C". Berzolla was an assistant captain in 2019-20.

Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers' 2020-21 schedule includes 16 of their 26 regular-season games against teams that were ranked in the preseason USCHO.com Top 20 Poll. Colorado College also has eight games scheduled against teams that received votes and 10 contests against the last four national champions (North Dakota, Denver and Minnesota Duluth (x2)).   

14 Newcomers Join the Program
The Tigers welcome transfers Hugo Blixt (Boston University) and Brian Hawkinson      (Miami University) and 12 incoming freshmen to the program. At one point last spring, the incoming class was ranked No. 2 in the country by Neutral Zone.

Robson Arena Coming October of 2021
Never in the storied 80-plus years history of Colorado College Tiger Hockey has the team played its home games on campus. Thanks to the generosity of donors, including former CC hockey player Ed Robson '54, P'79, G'11, along with the vision of former President Jill Tiefenthaler and the Board of Trustees, that will change in 2021. The Ed Robson Arena will be a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena with a capacity of 3,400, including bar rail and club level seating.