This Weekend
Colorado College returns home for a two-game series this weekend against the St. Cloud State Huskies. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 7, and 6:07 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 8. The games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 and 92.5 FM and 1240 AM as well as KSBV 93.7 FM (Friday only). Friday's contest will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network and Saturday's will be streamed live on NCHC.tv.
Last Time Out
The Tigers dropped a pair of games at No. 2 North Dakota last weekend ... On Friday, Shane Pinto scored the game's only goal midway through the third period to give the Fighting Hawks a 1-0 victory. CC's
Alex Berardinelli was called for tripping at the 9:25 mark of the final period, and the league-leading Fighting Hawks took advantage. Former Tiger
Westin Michaud's shot from the right circle was saved by CC netminder
Matt Vernon, but the puck caromed off the back wall to the other side of the net, where Pinto was there to place the rebound behind Vernon at 10:23 of the third. The Tigers had a couple of chances late, including good looks by Berardinelli and
Chris Wilkie in the waning minutes with Vernon on the bench, but UND's Peter Thome stopped both, two of his 25 saves in the shutout. Vernon stood toe-to-toe with Thome all game, especially in the first period, making no less than three spectacular saves in the first 20 minutes, including one after his stick was knocked out his hands and he stoned Michaud from point-blank range with
Jack Gates' stick ... On Saturday, UND scored four times in the first period and Thome backed it up with 14 saves during an 8-1 victory. Jordan Kawaguchi scored twice and Andrew Peski added three assists for UND. Cole Smith opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 4:57 mark of the opening frame, then Collin Adams doubled the score less than two minutes later with a wrister from above the right circle that snuck past a screened Vernon. It was nearly 3-0 just a few minutes later, but Vernon made a sprawling kick save on Adams during a 2-on-0 shorthanded rush. Jasper Weatherby scored UND's third goal at the 13:03 mark and Grant Mismash scored the Fighting Hawks' fourth goal just 50 seconds later. Kawaguchi gave UND a 5-0 lead at the 4:11 mark of the second period and Mark Senden scored his second of the weekend on a rebound with 4:34 remaining in the middle frame. Kawaguchi and Pinto scored in the first 5:02 of the third period with backup goalie
Jon Flakne in the net, then
Connor Mayer notched CC's first goal of the weekend and the second of his career with a wrister from the slot that beat Thome at the 9:12 mark of the final frame.
Tiger Tales
Chris Wilkie and
Grant Cruikshank led the Tigers with five shots during the weekend ...
Matt Vernon finished the weekend with 52 saves ... Vernon tied his career best with one goal allowed on Friday ... The Tigers held North Dakota to the fewest goals in a home game this season on Friday ... Friday's game was CC's first 1-0 final score this season ... CC's 15 shots on Saturday were the fewest in a game since Nov. 2, 2018 vs. St. Cloud State (15 shots). Â
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 8-15-1 overall and 3-12-1 in the NCHC, good for eighth place in the league with 10 points ... St. Cloud State is 10-12-4 overall and 7-9-0 in the NCHC, good for fifth-place tie with 21 points.
Previous Meetings
Colorado College and St. Cloud State have met 110 times, with the Huskies holding a 52-50-8 advantage in the series. The Tigers swept SCSU earlier this season in St. Cloud, winning 4-2 and 5-2.
Scouting the Huskies
Sam Hentges leads St. Cloud State with 23 points (7g,16a), followed by Easton Brodzinski with 22 (11g,11a) and Jack Ahcan with 19 (5g,14a). David Hrenak has started 22 of SCSU's 26 games in the net this season and has a 2.81 goals-against average and .901 saves percentage. Â
Up Next
The Tigers will play a home-and-home series against Air Force during President's Day Weekend ... The teams will battle at the Broadmoor World Arena on Friday, Feb. 14, beginning at 7:37 p.m., then play in the Faceoff at Falcon Stadium on Monday, Feb. 17, beginning at 5:05 p.m.
Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play 12 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 11 games against teams that received votes and 10 contests against the last four national champions (North Dakota, Denver and Minnesota Duluth). Â
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 last weekend at North Dakota, he has 90 career points (36g,54a), good for a tie for 92nd place with Bill Baldrica (1969-72) and Larry Soltvedt (1975-79). Â
Wilkie Up There in National Stats
Chris Wilkie leads the nation with 127 shots and shots per game (5.29). He is averaging over half a shot per game more than second place Nick Swaney of Minnesota Duluth (4.70). Wilkie, who leads the Tigers in scoring with 25 points (17g,8a), is tied for third in the country with 17 goals.
Top Dozen in Fewest Penalties
The Tigers are 12th in the country for fewest penalties taken this season with 99 in CC's 24 games. Â
Very Defensive in Eight Wins
In the eight victories this season, the Tigers have allowed just 15 goals, and given up 75 in the other 16 games.
Refreshed Athletics Logo Coming on Friday
The Colorado College Department of Athletics will unveil refreshed logos on Friday, Feb. 7. Throughout the day, several events will be held to show the updated logos around the El Pomar Sports Center and elsewhere on CC's campus. It has been three decades since the current tiger shield logo was designed. A lot has changed at CC in 30 years and it was time to refresh the logo to reflect that progress.
Faceoff at Falcon Stadium
The Colorado College and Air Force hockey teams will meet in the Faceoff at Falcon Stadium, presented by Centura, on Monday, Feb. 17, at 5 p.m. MT. This will be the second outdoor game ever for the CC hockey program and the first in Colorado Springs. The game in Falcon Stadium will be the 78th meeting between the Tigers and Falcons. CC currently has possession of the Pikes Peak Trophy and owns a 61-13-2 advantage in the series. Tickets for the Faceoff at Falcon Stadium are available for $25 and can be purchased online at https://aftickets.com/faceoffatfalconstadium, or by contacting the Air Force ticket office at (719) 472-1895. Colorado College fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in the designated CC sections – L23, M23, L24 and M24.
Robson Arena Unanimously Approved by City Council
On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Colorado Springs City Council unanimously approved the Ed Robson Arena project. Colorado College, in partnership with Colorado Springs' City for Champions initiative, unveiled a proposal to build 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. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, and the arena is expected to open in the fall of 2021.
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).
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