This Weekend
Colorado College travels to Omaha, Neb., this weekend for a two-game series against the Omaha Mavericks, Feb. 21-22. Both games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 and 92.5 FM and 1240 AM, and streamed live on NCHC.tv.
Last Time Out
The Tigers swept Air Force in an extended weekend series and retained the Pikes Peak Trophy ... On Friday,
Connor Mayer scored twice and
Ben Copeland added three assists to lead CC to a 6-2 victory. After
Chris Wilkie notched his 19th goal of the season in the first period, CC pulled away with three goals in the first 2:34 of the middle frame.
Nick Halloran found himself behind the Air Force defense and poked the puck past goalie Alex Schilling just 11 seconds into the period for a 2-0 lead. Following coincidental penalties at the 1:09 mark, the Tigers notched a couple of 4-on-4 goals.
Alex Berardinelli scored on a breakaway at the 2:13 mark, sparking Air Force coach Frank Serratore to pull Schilling in favor of Zach LaRocque, then Mayer scored 21 seconds later from the slot to make it 4-0. The Falcons pulled to within two as Marshall Bowery scored a power-play goal at the 8:57 mark, then tallied his second of the game at 16:58 of the middle frame. Colorado College settled down in the third period as Mayer scored his second of the game at the 9:16 mark when his shot from the left point deflected off an Air Force defender past LaRocque.
Grant Cruikshank wrapped up the scoring with a power-play goal with 1:36 remaining, giving the Tigers their highest output since a 7-3 victory over St. Lawrence on Dec. 29 ... On Monday, Cruikshank posted the first hat trick of his career and
Matt Vernon finished with 27 saves to lead Colorado College to a 4-2 victory in the Faceoff at Falcon Stadium. Cruikshank scored the first two goals of the game, then put the icing on the cake with an empty-netter in the final minute as the Tigers tied their season-long unbeaten streak to three games and completed the weekend sweep of the Falcons. Cruikshank opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 13:18 mark of the first period. He redirected a pass from
Bryan Yoon past Schilling from the slot for his ninth goal of the season. The sophomore captain posted his second of the game at the 11:49 mark of the middle period for a 2-0 lead. After taking a pass from Yoon, Cruikshank's initial shot from the right circle was saved by Schilling, but the puck went right back to him and he placed a backhander past the Falcon netminder. Vernon did a great job keeping the Falcons off the board for the first 39 minutes and change, including a huge save on a breakaway by Willie Reim with two minutes left in the second. He lost the shutout and the Falcons cut the lead in half with a power-play goal in the final minute of the second period when Brandon Koch found the puck in a scrum in front of the net and poked it past Vernon with 34.5 seconds remaining. The Tigers regained its two-goal lead when
Chris Wilkie scored the eventual game-winner at the 3:21 mark of the third period. He took a drop pass from
Josiah Slavin and fired a rocket that beat Schilling top shelf for his NCHC-leading 20th goal of the season. The two-goal lead didn't last long, however, as Luke Rowe scored at the 4:59 mark of the third to make it 3-2. Air Force kept the pressure on in the final frame, outshooting the Tigers, 14-6, but Vernon was solid and robbed Reim again with less than three minutes remaining to set up Cruikshank's empty netter.
Tiger Tales
Connor Mayer produced the first two-goal game of his career,
Ben Copeland dished out a career-high three assists and
Bryan Yoon notched a career-high +5 on Friday, the first Tiger with a +5 since
Westin Michaud vs. Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 6, 2018 ... The Tigers improved their overall record against Air Force to 63-13-2 ...
Grant Cruikshank's hat trick on Monday was CC's second this season (
Chris Wilkie vs. St. Lawrence).
Pikes Peak Trophy Stays at CC
The Tigers retained the Pikes Peak Trophy with the 6-2 victory over Air Force Friday night. 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. Â
Second Outdoor Game For Colorado College
The Faceoff at Falcon Stadium was the second outdoor game ever for the CC hockey program and the first in Colorado Springs. The Tigers played Denver at Coors Field on Feb. 20, 2016 in the "Battle on Blake."
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 … Mike Gabinet (Omaha, '04) is in his third season as head coach at Omaha after serving as the team's associate head coach during the 2016-17 season. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 2015-16.
For the Record
Colorado College is 10-16-2 overall and 3-13-2-1 in the NCHC, good for eighth place in the league with 12 points ... Omaha is 12-13-5 overall and 6-9-3 in the NCHC, good for sixth place with 21 points.
Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Omaha have met 31 times, with the Mavericks holding a 17-9-5 advantage in the series. Omaha swept the TIgers, 6-4 and 4-1, earlier this season in Colorado Springs.
Scouting the Mavericks
Taylor Ward leads Omaha with 27 points (16g,11a), followed by Kevin Conley with 24 (10g,14a) and Tyler Weiss with 21 (4g,17a). Isaiah Saville has started 23 of Omaha's 30 games in the net this season and has a 2.94 goals-against average and .902 saves pct. Â
Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play 16 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 two games against teams that received votes and 10 contests against the last four national champions (North Dakota, Denver and Minnesota Duluth). Â
Wilkie Up There in National Stats
Chris Wilkie leads the nation with 143 shots and shots per game (5.11). Wilkie, who leads the Tigers in scoring with 28 points (20g,8a), leads the NCHC and is tied for second in the country with 20 goals.
Wilkie and Halloran Nominated for Hobey Baker Award
Chris Wilkie and
Nick Halloran are among 79 student-athletes nominated for the 2020 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).
Halloran Moves Into Top 100
Nick Halloran moved into the top 100 on CC's career scoring list with an assist on Feb. 18 at Western Michigan. With his assist vs. Air Force Monday night, he has 92 career points (37g,55a), good for a tie for 88th place with Gary Reinking (1976-80).
Top Baker's Dozen in Fewest Penalties
The Tigers are 13th in the country for fewest penalties taken this season with 112 in 28 games. Â
Very Defensive in 10 Wins
In the 10 victories this season, the Tigers have allowed just 19 goals, and given up 80 in the other 18 games.
Hundreds Celebrate Robson Arena Groundbreaking
Never in the storied 80-year history of Colorado College Tiger Hockey has the team played its home games on campus. Thanks to the vision of President Jill Tiefenthaler and the Board of Trustees, along with the generosity of donors, including former CC hockey player Ed Robson '54, P'79, G'11, and many others, that will change in 2021. President Tiefenthaler and Mr. Robson joined Colorado College Vice President and Director of Athletics
Lesley Irvine, hockey coach
Mike Haviland and Colorado Springs City Council President Richard Skorman in talking about the importance of the Ed Robson Arena at the official groundbreaking ceremony Saturday, Feb. 15, on the CC campus. The state-of-the-art arena will maximize the student-athlete experience and enhance the ability to recruit the best to Colorado College, while educating and training our Tigers to compete for and win conference and national championships. It will house 3,400+ chair-back seats, locker room, film room, player's lounge, staff offices, academic success area, sports medicine, and strength and performance center, providing a true home ice advantage for CC Tiger Hockey. The Ed Robson Arena is also part of the City for Champions project, which is targeted to increase local and state tourism and generously boost local economies. In addition, it will build upon the unique Olympic City USA brand that establishes Colorado Springs' reputation as a regional sports, health and fitness hub for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Colorado Springs City Council unanimously approved the Ed Robson Arena project and the arena is expected to open in the fall of 2021.
