The Colorado College Tigers open NCHC play and the annual Battle for the Gold Pan this weekend with a home-and-home series vs. No. 2-ranked University of Denver. Friday's game is at Magness Arena beginning at 7 p.m., followed by Saturday's contest at Ed Robson Arena, beginning at 6 p.m. Live streaming and live stats links can be found at CCTigers.com.

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. Friday's pregame show starts at 6 p.m., and the game will be televised on Altitude 2. Saturday's game at Robson Arena will be televised on SOCO CW.   

Last Time Out
The Tigers split a pair of games last weekend ... On Friday, CC won the Pikes Peak Trophy for the fifth straight year with a dominating 6-2 victory over Air Force. Sophomore Gleb Veremyev scored two goals and added an assist for the Tigers, who improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Seniors Logan Will and Ray Christy each chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Kaidan Mbereko had 27 saves and allowed just two goals for the fourth straight game. Evan Werner and Stanley Cooley also scored for the Tigers ... On Saturday, Augustana University jumped out to a 4-1 lead midway through the second period and held on for a 4-3 victory, handing the Tigers their first loss of the 2023-24 season. Werner and fellow freshmen Zaccharya Wisdom and Max Burholder scored for the Tigers. Mbereko finished with 21 saves.

Battle For The Gold Pan
Established by former head coaches Don Lucia of Colorado College and Frank Serratore of Denver in 1993-94, the Gold Pan has been awarded every season since to the team that prevails in the regular-season series between CC and DU. In the event of an even split, the team currently in possession of the trophy keeps it. After retaining the Gold Pan last season, Denver has hoisted the trophy 17 times, compared to 13 for CC.

Best Start in 12 Years  
The Tigers have a 5-1 record for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Colorado College is tied for second in the country with five victories.  

Tigers Retain The Pikes Peak Trophy
In 2013, Colorado College and Air Force established the Pikes Peak Trophy in memory of former CC and Falcons head coach John Matchefts. The winner of the season series between the two teams captures the trophy. If the season series ends in a tie, the team that holds the trophy will retain it. Colorado College has held possession of it since the 2018-19 season.

The Coaches
Kris Mayotte is in 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 … David Carle is in his sixth season as head coach at Denver. He led the Pioneers to the NCAA Division I title in 2021-22. Carle served as an assistant coach for the Pioneers the previous four and a half seasons following a season and a half as an assistant coach with the Green Bay Gamblers.

Up Next
The Tigers travel to Oxford, Ohio, for a weekend series against the Miami Univeristy RedHawks, Nov. 10-11. Both games start at 7 p.m. (ET).

For The Record
Colorado College is 5-1-0 after its victory over Air Force and loss to Augustana. The Tigers are tied for second in the country with five wins. Denver is 4-1-1 after tying Augustana, 5-5, last Friday and beating Air Force, 4-0, on Saturday, both at Magness Arena.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Denver have met 337 times, with the Pioneers holding a 194-122-21 advantage in the series, including a 111-52-11 record in Denver. The Tigers snapped an 11-game losing streak to Denver with a 1-0 victory in the semifinal of the 2023 NCHC Tournament last March. The 337 games played between CC and DU entering Friday's game are tied for the most among two schools in college hockey history. Michigan and Michigan State have also played 337 contests.

Tiger Tales
Colorado College is tied for second in the nation in goals per game, averaging 4.8 per contest (29 in six games) ... Seven of CC's nine freshmen have scored his first career goal in the team's first six games, the other two have not appeared in a game yet this season ... Zaccharya Wisdom and Gleb Veremyev are tied for fourth in the NCHC with a +8 this season, while Max Burholder, Connor Mayer, Logan Will and Ethan Straky are all tied for ninth at +6 ... Burkholder is tied for third in the league with a pair of power-play goals ... CC's 29 goals have come on 188 shots, a .154 shot percentage, the third-highest in the nation ... 20 Tigers have recorded at least one point in the first six games, while 19 have multiple points and 17 have scored at least one goal.

Colorado College Receiving Votes in Both Preseason Polls
Colorado College received votes in both Division I college hockey polls this week. The Tigers received 62 votes in the USCHO.com poll, good for 21st on the list, and 22 in the USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll, good for 23rd. The last time CC was ranked in either poll was Dec. 2, 2012, when the TIgers were #19 in the USCHO poll.

Oglevie, West Join Tiger Staff
Andrew Oglevie and Emily West joined the Tiger coaching 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.

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.

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.

15 Televised Games This Season
Colorado College is excited to announce a new partnership with SOCO CW, which will televise 13 games during the upcoming 2023-24 season. SOCO CW is available to viewers throughout Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Southern Colorado. CBS Sports Network will televise two games nationally, Jan. 19 vs. Miami and March 8 vs. Denver.

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