Colorado College returns home for a weekend series against the Omaha Mavericks, Dec. 9-10, at Ed Robson Arena. The first game of the series on Friday, Dec. 9, is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. (MT). Live streaming and live stats links for the game can be found on the CC Hockey schedule page at CCTigers.com. Both teams will wear special emblems on their helmets in support of Club Q and our LGBTQIA+ community following the recent tragedy in Colorado Springs. 

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.  

Last Time Out
The Tigers split a pair of shutouts at Minnesota Duluth last weekend at Amsoil Arena ... On Friday, Hunter McKown scored twice and Kaidan Mbereko made a career-high 39 saves in a 3-0 victory. Mbereko posted his second shutout over the Bulldogs in less than a month after collecting a 5-0 win in Colorado Springs on Nov. 4. Following a scoreless first period in which Mbereko made 16 saves, CC's Cade Ahrenholz was whistled for a 5-minute major penalty for checking from behind just 1:27 into the frame. Less than a minute into the penalty, Patrick Cozzi gathered the puck at the red line along the left boards, cut in past a UMD defender and beat Bulldog goalie Matthew Thiessen top shelf for his first career shorthanded goal and a 1-0 lead. The Tigers killed off Ahrenholz's penalty and Mbereko continued his brilliant play in the middle period with another 16 stops. McKown doubled the lead with his team-leading eighth goal of the season at the 16:27 mark. The Tigers' defense clamped down on UMD in the third period, limiting the home team to just seven shots in the final 20 minutes. McKown notched his second of the game and CC's first empty-net goal of the season with three seconds left in the contest ... On Saturday, Ben Steeves scored three goals to lead Minnesota Duluth to a 4-0 victory. UMD opened the game with a pair of goals in the first six minutes. Darian Gotz scored just 2:36 in with a shot from the point that eluded Mbereko. The Bulldogs took advantage of a Tiger turnover to double the lead three minutes later. Steeves stole the puck fdeep in the CC zone and went top shelf over Mbereko's right shoulder to make it 2-0 at the 5:38 mark. Steeves put in his second of the contest at the 7:25 mark of the middle period, a power-play goal that made it 3-0. Isaac Howard sent a cross-ice pass to Steeves, whose wrister from the bottom of the right circle snuck between the near post and Mbereko's skate. Steeves completed his hat trick at the 3:37 mark of the third period.

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 … Mike Gabinet is in his sixth 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.

Up Next
The Tigers are idle until a New Year's weekend series against Princeton University at Robson Arena, Dec. 30-31.

Previous Meetings
The Tigers and Omaha have met 43 times, with the Mavericks holding a 26-12-5 advantage in the series, including a 12-7-1 mark in Colorado Springs. The teams split four games last season, with CC winning 4-1 and falling 3-2, at Robson Arena.

Tiger Tales
Hunter McKown continues to lead the nation with seven power-play goals ... Kaidan Mbereko leads the country among freshmen with a .924 save percentage and is third with a 2.31 goals-against average ... In Friday's 3-0 victory at Minnesota Duluth, Mbereko collected a career-high 39 career saves and became the first CC goalie since Alex Leclerc with multiple shutouts in one season (2018-19) ... Connor Mayer played his 100th career game on Saturday at UMD ... Colorado College is 16th in the nation in power-play percentage (22.4%).    

Mbereko, Laba Selected for World Junior Camp
Colorado College freshmen Kaidan Mbereko and Noah Laba are two of 32 players named to the preliminary roster of the 2023 U.S. National Junior Team. The group will gather for a training camp at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., from Dec. 12-17. Players are auditioning for a spot on the final 23-player roster that will represent the United States in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2022 – Jan. 5, 2023, in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mbereko is searching for his third international tournament appearance. He posted a 2-1 record with a 2.85 GAA and .927 save percentage in three games for the gold-medal winning 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. Laba, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick of the New York Rangers, is attempting to make his first National Junior Team for the United States.
 
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. The HCA November national honors are expected to be announced on December 7.

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.