Colorado College continues its late-season road swing with a weekend series against No. 8-ranked Western Michigan at Lawson Arena. The first game of the series on Friday, Feb. 17, is scheduled to begin at 5 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
Both games this weekend will be 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 had an overtime loss and shootout win last weekend against No. 16 Omaha at Baxter Arena ... On Friday, Tyler Weiss scored 3:16 into overtime to give Omaha a 3-2 victory. The Tigers mounted a furious comeback after trailing 2-0 late in the second period, but Weiss scored just seconds after Hunter McKown was called for tripping at the 3:12 mark in the extra frame. Cameron Berg won the ensuing faceoff and Davis Pennington found Weiss, who fired a shot from the top of the slot that beat CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko. Earlier in overtime, the Tigers' Noah Laba was pulled down during a partial breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. However, Laba lost control of the puck in front of the net and could not get a shot off. Mbereko was stellar between the pipes once again, making 36 saves for Colorado College, including seven in overtime. Ty Mueller opened the scoring for Omaha at the 15:48 mark of the first period, then Kaden Bohlsen doubled the lead at 7:58 of the second period. The Tigers cut the lead in half late in the middle frame with a 5-on-3 power play goal. Logan Will sent a perfect pass from the right circle to Laba, who was camped along the left post and put it home for his ninth goal of the season. McKown evened things up with his national-leading 11th power-play goal at the 8:23 mark of the third period. Will sent another outstanding pass to McKown, who fired a one-timer from his favorite spot, the left circle, that cleanly beat Omaha goalie Simon Latkoczy ... On Saturday, Mbereko tied his career high with 40 saves and Laba sent the game to overtime with 17 seconds remaining in regulation to force a 2-2 tie. The Tigers gained the extra point after Ryan Beck and Noah Serdachny scored in the shootout and Mbereko saved both shots he faced. Mueller put the Mavericks on the board first for the second consecutive night at the 4:54 mark of the second period. Beck evened things up with a clean breakaway goal at the 13:20 mark of the middle frame. Jack Millar sent a clearing pass from his own goal line that eluded a pair of Omaha players and went right to Beck, who deked Latkoczy before beating him with a backhander for his second goal of the season. The Mavericks regained the lead during a 5-on-3 advantage at 16:25 of the second. Jack Randl took a pass from Weiss and scored from the right circle. Mbereko kept it a one-score game with a save on a breakaway by Omaha's Michael Abgrall midway through the third period, then Laba evened it up with his second goal of the weekend as the Tigers had an extra skater on the ice. During a scrum in front of the Omaha net, Laba flipped the puck over Latkoczy with 16.8 seconds left. Omaha challenged the play being offside, but the play held up. Since the home team had taken their timeout, the Tigers opened the overtime period with a power play.

For The Record
Colorado College is 10-16-2 overall and 6-10-2 in the NCHC, good for a tie with Minnesota Duluth for fifth place, the Tigers' highest position in the standings after 18 league games since 2011-12 (4th) in the WCHA ... No. 8 Western Michigan is 19-10-1 overall and 11-6-1 in league play. The Broncos are tied for second place in the NCHC with St. Cloud State and Omaha.

Up Next
The Tigers return home for a weekend series against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Feb. 24-25, at Ed Robson Arena.

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 … Pat Ferschweiler is in his second season as head coach at Western Michigan after spending two seasons as an associate head coach with the program. Prior to rejoining the WMU staff, he spent four years as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings under former Bronco head coach Jeff Blashill.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Western Michigan have met 35 times, with WMU holding a 20-9-6 advantage in the series. The Broncos lead the series, 11-3-1, in Kalamazoo. WMU swept the TIgers earlier this season at Robson Arena and is 8-0-2 overall in the last 10 games against Colorado College, dating back to a 3-2 CC victory at Lawson Arena in the NCHC playoffs on March 18, 2019.

Tiger Tales
Hunter McKown regained the national lead with 11 power-play goals and is tied for 14th overall with 16 goals ... Kaidan Mbereko is second in the country among freshmen and tied for 12th overall with a .923 save percentage, and fourth among first-year players with a 2.45 goals-against average ... In conference games only, CC leads the NCHC in penalty kill pct. (84.7%) ... Noah Laba's 10 goals are the most in one season by a freshman since Grant Cruikshank had 11 in 2018-19 ... Laba is eighth in the NCHC in faceoff pct. at 54.3% ... Saturday's game was Mbereko's ninth this season with at least 30 saves.

McKown and Mbereko Nominated For Hobey Baker Award
Junior forward Hunter McKown and freshman goaltender Kaidan Mbereko are among 82 student-athletes nominated for the 2023 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. Consideration is given for scholastic achievement and sportsmanship. Colorado College has had two winners since the first Hobey Baker was awarded in 1981, Peter Sejna (2003) and Marty Sertich (2005). McKown, an assistant captain from San Jose, Calif., leads the Tigers so far this season with 21 points (16g,5a), while Mbereko from Aspen, Colo., was the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for November and December.

Mbereko Named NCHC Goaltender of the Week
Freshman Kaidan Mbereko earned his third KJ Branding NCHC Goaltender of the Week award after posting 76 saves in two games at No. 16 Omaha last weekend. Mbereko had 36 saves, including 18 in the third period and overtime, in a 3-2 loss, then equaled his career high with 40 stops in the 2-2 tie on Saturday. He stopped both Omaha shots in the shootout, which the TIgers won, 2-0.  

Seven 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), Tyler Dunbar (Lincoln Stars - 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.
Mbereko Repeats as NCHC Goaltender of the Month
Freshman Kaidan Mbereko earned his second consecutive NCHC Goaltender of the Month award after posting a 3-1 record in December. Mbereko, from Aspen, Colo., continued his stellar play for the Tigers in December, starting four of their six games. He recorded shutouts in half of his starts last month, while ranking second in the NCHC in December with a .940 save percentage.

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

Mbereko, Laba Played For Team USA at World Junior Championship
Freshmen Kaidan Mbereko and Noah Laba were selected to the 2023 U.S. National Junior Team and represented their country at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The tournament began on Dec. 26 and concluded on Jan. 5. Team USA claimed a bronze medal with an 8-7 overtime victory over Sweden after falling to Canada, 6-2, in the semifinal. Mbereko appeared in two games during the tournament, including the third period and overtime frame against Sweden. Laba made his tournament debut in the bronze-medal game.

CC to Have 15 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 was broadcast live in Colorado Springs and throughout the Southern Colorado region on KRDO NewsChannel 13. Upcoming road game at Denver on Friday, March 3 will be televised on CBS Sports Network.