The Colorado College Tigers host the Long Island University Sharks this Friday, Oct. 20, at Ed Robson Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (MT). The teams will also battle on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m.

Getting Started
This season marks the 85th year of varsity ice hockey at Colorado College and 11th 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 Listen / Watch
Both games this weekend will be broadcast live 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. The pregame show on Friday starts at 6 p.m.   

Last Time Out
Colorado College swept Union College last weekend to open the 2023-24 campaign ... On Friday, Drew Montgomery scored twice and added an assist in his first career game and Jack Millar collected a career-high three assists to lead CC to a 7-3 victory. Trailing 1-0, Ethan Straky evened things up at the 14:00 mark of the opening frame, then the Tigers exploded for five goals in the second period, including three in a span of 49 seconds, all by freshmen. Zaccharya Wisdom made it 2-1 at the 6:50 mark by deflecting a shot by Max Burkholder, followed by a deflection by Riley Stuart at 7:22 and an impressive individual effort by Montgomery at 7:39. Millar assisted on Stuart's and Montgomery's tallies, then picked up his third helper of the night on Tyler Coffey's goal to make it 5-1 at the 9:00 mark of the middle frame. Tommy Middleton extended the lead to five at 17:25 when he exited the penalty box, gathered the puck at center ice and placed a wrister past backup goalie Joe Sharib. Montgomery finished the scoring with an empty-netter in the final two minutes ... On Saturday, Noah Laba scored twice and Logan Will added a goal and an assist in a 6-2 victory. Ryan Beck added a pair of assists and Kaidan Mbereko had 28 saves as the Tigers are 2-0 for the second straight season. Evan Werner put the Tigers on the board just 1:41 into the contest. and for the second consecutive night, the Tigers put the game away in the second period, scoring three goals in the frame on Saturday. Laba, who was forced to sit out Friday's game due to being disqualified in the exhibition game last weekend, scored a pair of goals to put CC ahead 3-1. Gleb Veremyev extended the lead at the 16:44 mark with his first of the campaign, then Will and Ray Christy scored in the third.

First Time With 13 in a Series and Five in a Period Since '19
Colorado College's 13 goals last weekend were the most in one series since scoring the same amount at Alaska Anchorage to open the 2018-19 campaign. The Tigers' five goals in the second period Friday night were the most in one period since scoring five in the third period in an 8-2 victory over Western Michigan on Feb. 23, 2019.  

The Coaches
Kris Mayotte enters his third 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 … Brett Riley was named the inagural head coach of LIU men's ice hockey in May of 2020. Riley came to Long Island from Colgate, where he spent the 2019-20 campaign as an assistant coach. He also has experience with first time programs, as he built the Wilkes University program from the ground up, going 16-8-2 in the team's first year, earning conference coach of the year honors.

For The Record
Colorado College is 2-0 for the second straight season. LIU is 1-3 after losing at #5 Boston College, 4-2, and defeating Stonehill, 7-3, last weekend.   

Previous Meetings
This will be the first meeting between the schools. LIU started its Division I program prior to the 2020-21 season.   

Tiger Tales
Colorado College leads the nation in goals per game, averaging 6.5 per contest ... CC's seven goals last Friday were the most in a home opener since defeating Wisconsin, 8-4, in 1995 ... Noah Laba tied his career high with five shots on Saturday ... Jack Millar collected a career-high three assists on Friday ... 11 Tigers scored during the weekend, including four with their first career tally, Drew Montgomery, Zaccharya Wisdom, Riley Stuart and Evan Werner ... 18 different Tigers recorded at least one point vs. Union.

Oglevie, West Join Tiger Staff
Andrew Oglevie and Emily West joined the Tigeaching staff during the summer as an assistant coach and director of hockey operations/video coach, respectively. Oglevie comes to CC after spending one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame, while West was an assistant coach at Ohio State for three seasons and helped the Buckeyes to the national title in 2022. West won a national title in 2012 as a player at the University of Minnesota.

Leadership Named for 2023-24 Season
Senior forward Logan Will has been named team captain for the 2023-24 season, while junior forward Stanley Cooley, senior defenseman Jack Millar and senior forward Ray Christy will serve as assistant captains. Will, from Ames, Iowa, appeared in 33 games and posted 12 points (5g,7a) last season. A team captain last season, Will has 34 points (14g,20a) in 88 games at CC. Cooley, an assistant captain as a sophomore in '22-23, finished third on the team last year with 20 points (6g,14a) and 85 shots. Millar has appeared in 97 games as a Tiger and has 19 career points (4g,15a), including seven (1g,6a) in 38 games last season as a junior. He is second among returners with 146 career blocked shots. Christy picked up four points (1g,3a) in 30 games last season. He has seven career points (3g,4a) in 69 career games.

Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play 12 of their 34 regular-season games against teams that competed in the 2023 NCAA Division I Hockey Championships, and 12 against five of the last seven national champions (Denver, Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota).

10 Newcomers on '23-24 Roster
Colorado College added nine freshmen and one transfer to the roster for the upcoming season. They are: Max Burkholder (D, Dubuque Fighting Saints - USHL), Tyler Dunbar (D, Lincoln Stars - USHL), Antonio Fernandez (D, Lincoln Stars - USHL), Bret Link (F, Fargo Force - USHL), Drew Montgomery (F, Omaha Lancers - USHL), Riley Stuart (F, Dubuque Fighting Saints - USHL), Klavs Veinbergs (F, Lincoln Stars - USHL), Evan Werner (F, Tri-City Storm - USHL), and Zaccharya Wisdom (F, Cedar Rapids Roughriders - USHL). In addition, goalie Henry Wilder is a junior transfer from Boston College. This recruiting class was ranked No. 10 in the country by NeutralZone.net.

Montgomery Named NCHC Rookie of the Week
Freshman Drew Montgomery was named the NCHC Rookie of the Week after leading the Tigers with four points (2g,2a) last weekend. He scored twice, including the game-winner, and added an assist in his first official collegiate game last Friday.

Mbereko Named To Preseason All-NCHC Team
Sophomore goaltender Kaidan Mbereko was named the goalie on the 2023 Preseason All-NCHC Team by a vote of league media members. Mbereko, who collected 23 of the 27 votes cast, is the first Tiger named to the preseason all-conference team since forward Nick Halloran in 2018.

CC to Televise 15 Games This Season
Colorado College is excited to announce a new partnership with SOCO CW, which will televise 15 games during the upcoming 2023-24 season. SOCO CW is available to viewers throughout Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Southern Colorado. Both CC vs. DU games at Ed Robson Arena will also be available on The CW in Denver and Northern Colorado, as well as up to 10 games on KGJT in Grand Junction and Western Colorado.

Tigers Picked Seventh in NCHC Preseason Poll
Colorado College was picked seventh in the 2023-24 NCHC Preseason Poll.

1.    Denver – 199 points (11 first-place votes)
2.    North Dakota – 175 (12)
3.    St. Cloud State – 155 (2)
4.    Western Michigan - 126 (2)
5.    Minnesota Duluth – 123 (1)
6.    Omaha - 113
7.    Colorado College – 89
8.    Miami - 28

Colorado College Receiving Votes in Both Preseason Polls
Colorado College received votes in both college hockey polls this week. The Tigers received 18 votes in the USCHO.com poll and USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll.