Colorado College wraps up the 2022 calendar year with a weekend series against the Princeton University Tigers, Dec. 30-31, at Ed Robson Arena. The series opener on Friday, Dec. 30, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (MT). Live streaming and live stats links for the game can be found on the CC Hockey schedule page at CCTigers.com.

Getting Started
This season marks the 84th year of varsity ice hockey at Colorado College and 10th 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.

How To Watch / Listen
Friday's game will be televised live on AT&T SportsNet with Josh Howe and Kyle Huson on the call, broadcast in the Colorado Springs area and Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM / 95.5 FM / 1240 AM with the 'Voice of the Tigers' Ken Landau, and streamed live on NCHC.tv. Saturday's contest will be televised on KRDO-13.  

Last Time Out
Colorado College posted its first weekend sweep ever against Omaha, Dec. 9-10, at Robson Arena ... On Friday, Hunter McKown scored three of Colorado College's four goals in the third period for his second career hat trick to lead Colorado College to a come from behind 6-4 victory. McKown evened the score at 3-3 just 48 seconds into the third period with a spectacular individual effort. He stole the puck in the slot, skated in on Omaha goalie Jake Kucharski and made it look like he was moving the puck from his forehand to his backhand. However, he put the puck behind him and with his stick between his legs, slid the puck past Kucharski for his 10th goal of the season. The junior from San Jose, Calif., didn't waste much time giving the Tigers the lead back as he notched his second of the game at the 4:14 mark of the third. With an Omaha penalty just about to expire, Bryan Yoon's wrister dinged off the post and right to McKown, who had an open net and just like that it was 4-3. Omaha's Ty Mueller tied things up once again at the 8:19 mark, but Tyler Coffey scored from a nearly impossible angle along the goal line to give CC the lead for good with 4:35 remaining. McKown completed the hat trick with 1:12 left by tipping in the puck after Patrick Cozzi attempted a wraparound with Kucharski on the bench in favor of an extra skater. Connor Mayer opened the scoring with his first goal of the season five minutes into the contest and Cozzi scored at the 12:38 mark of the first period to double the Tiger lead. He collected the puck along the right boards at the center ice and with an Omaha defender draped on him, placed a wrister over Kucharski's left shoulder for his third of the season. The Mavericks cut the lead in half with a power-play goal with 1:13 remaining in the first period, then took the lead with a pair of goals in the second period by Jack Randl and Jacob Guevin. Mbereko kept it a one-goal game with a big save on Randl during a shorthanded breakaway with 6:47 remaining in the middle frame, setting up CC's big third period rally ... On Saturday, Mbereko had a career-high 40 saves and McKown scored the game's only goal as CC completed the weekend sweep with a 1-0 victory. Following a scoreless first period, the Tigers took the lead thanks to McKown's nation-leading ninth power-play goal of the season at the 4:57 mark of the second period. He took a feed from Bryan Yoon (team-high 12th assist) and blasted a shot from the left circle past Simon Latkoczy for his fourth tally of the weekend. The rest of the middle frame belonged to Mbereko. The freshman stopped 18 shots, including five during a Tiger penalty kill and several from point-blank range. He continued his stellar play in the final period, making 14 saves to even his record this season to 6-6-1.

The Coaches
Kris Mayotte is in his second season at the helm of the Tigers. He came to Colorado College after serving two years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan. Mayotte was an assistant coach for Providence College when the Friars won the NCAA Division I title in 2015. In addition, he has won a pair of gold medals and a bronze in four stints as an assistant coach with Team USA at the World Junior Championships … Ron Fogarty is in his ninth season as head coach at Princeton. He coached the Tigers to the 2018 ECAC Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to joining the Princeton staff, Fogarty spent seven seasons as head coach at NCAA Division III Adrian College (Adrian, Mich.) from 2007-14.

Up Next
The Tigers resume action with a weekend series against NCHC-foe St. Cloud State, Jan. 13-14, at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Princeton have met 11 times, with CC holding a 10-1 advantage in the series, including a 6-0 mark in Colorado Springs. The teams last played in December of 2019, with CC winning 7-2 and 2-1 in overtime, in Princeton, N.J.

Tiger Tales
Hunter McKown continues to lead the nation with nine power-play goals ... Kaidan Mbereko leads the country among freshmen with a .927 save percentage and is second with a 2.26 goals-against average ... In CC's 1-0 victory over Omaha on Dec. 10, Mbereko collected a career-high 40 career saves and became the first CC freshman goalie since Joe Howe (2009-10) with three shutouts in one season ... The Tigers swept Omaha for the first time in the all-time series against the Mavericks ... It also marked CC's first NCHC sweep this season ... Colorado College is 17th in the nation in power-play percentage (23.5%).    

Mbereko, Laba Selected for World Junior Team
Freshmen Kaidan Mbereko and Noah Laba were selected to the 2023 U.S. National Junior Team and are currently representing their country at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The tournament began on Dec. 26 and will conclude on Jan. 5. Mbereko is making his fourth international tournament appearance. He posted a 2-1 record with a 2.85 GAA and .927 save percentage in three games for the silver-medalist Team USA at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, then backstopped three of the 2022 World Junior Championship squad's four victories in pool play before falling in the quarterfinals this past August, after the original 2022 tournament was canceled in December of 2021 due to COVID-19. Laba, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick of the New York Rangers, is making his first appearance on a U.S. National Junior Team.
 
Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play 18 of their 34 regular-season games against teams that competed in the 2022 NCAA Division I Hockey Championships, including 12 against five of the last six national champions (Denver, Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota). Outside of the New Year's weekend series vs. Princeton, every opponent the rest of the season is either currently ranked or receiving votes in the two major polls.

Mbereko Named NCHC Goaltender of the Month
Freshman Kaidan Mbereko was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for November. Mbereko, from Aspen, Colo., was a rock in net for the Tigers in November, starting all six games as CC began conference play. He earned two wins and a tie and while compiling a .945 save percentage, which ranks second in the NCHC in November. Mbereko's 1.68 goals-against average is also second among NCHC netminders this month. He racked up 155 saves in November, tying for third in the NCHC, while averaging 25.83 saves per game. Mbereko opened the month with his first collegiate shutout, collecting a career-high 34 saves on Nov. 4 in a 5-0 win over then-No. 19 Minnesota Duluth. He matched his 34-save total the following weekend in a 2-1 win at Miami on Nov. 12. Mbereko also stopped 32 shots on Nov. 5 in the series finale with the Bulldogs, giving up only two goals. He was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Week twice in November, earning it for his performance in the split with UMD, Nov. 4-5, and for his win and tie at Miami the next weekend. On the season, Mbereko has a 3-5-1 record, while boasting a .920 save percentage, which is third in the NCHC. He also lowered his GAA to 2.38 on the year, tying for fifth in the NCHC. Mbereko is now eligible for Hockey Commissioners' Association (HCA) National Goaltender of the Month.

Six Future Tigers Sign National Letter of Intent
Six future Tigers have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play hockey at Colorado College. Owen Beckner (Salmon Arm Silverbacks - BCHL), Philippe Blais-Savoie (Tri-City Storm - USHL), Ryan Koering (Eden Prairie High School - MN), Gavin Lindberg (Waterloo Black Hawks - USHL), Fisher Scott (Dubuque Fighting Saints - USHL) and Riley Stuart (Dubuque Fighting Saints - USHL) will don the black and gold in coming years.

Tigers Picked Sixth in NCHC Preseason Poll
Colorado College was picked eighth in the 2022-23 NCHC Preseason Poll.
1.    Denver – 180 points (19 first-place votes)
2.    North Dakota – 160 (4)
3.    Minnesota Duluth – 136
4.    St. Cloud State – 115
5.    Western Michigan - 86
6.    Colorado College – 64
7.    Omaha - 59
8.    Miami - 28

CC to Have 14 Games Televised This Season
11 of Colorado College's 34 games will be televised live on AT&T SportsNet, including 10 from Ed Robson Arena, while the Princeton game on New Year's Eve will be broadcast live in Colorado Springs and throughout the Southern Colorado region on KRDO NewsChannel 13. Road games at Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Denver on Friday, March 3 will be televised on Altitude 2 and CBS Sports Network, respectively.