Colorado College travels to the Midwest for a weekend series against the 16th-ranked Omaha Mavericks at Baxter Arena. The first game of the series on Friday, Feb. 10, is scheduled to begin at 6 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 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
Magnus Chrona saved 22 of the 23 shots he faced to lead fourth-ranked Denver to a 4-1 victory over Colorado College Saturday night in front of a record crowd of 3,892 at Ed Robson Arena. With the victory, Denver (21-7-0, 12-4-0 NCHC) secured its hold on first place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and will keep possession of The Gold Pan. The Tigers fell to 10-15-1 overall and 6-9-1 in league play. The Pioneers struck first with a power-play goal at the 8:53 mark of the opening period. Shai Buium sent the puck towards the net and CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko kicked it out to the left side and Casey Dornbach put in the rebound for a 1-0 lead. That lead doubled for the visitors when Justin Lee was all alone and beat Mbereko from the slot at the 15:54 mark. Chrona preserved the 2-0 lead with a spectacular save on Noah Laba at the end of a 2-on-1 rush with Ryan Beck in the final minute of the first frame. Both teams combined for just seven shots in a scoreless second period. The Tigers gained some momentum early in the third period when Hunter McKown was hooked by Buium on a partial breakaway and awarded a penalty shot at the 4:04 mark. McKown swooped in from the left side, faked a couple of shots in the slot and placed a backhander past Chrona for his team-leading 15th goal of the season. It was CC's first penalty shot since Matthew Gleason had one in a 5-3 victory over Boston College on Oct. 22, 2021. Nearly four minutes later, the Pioneers regained their two-goal lead with Mike Benning scored a 5-on-3 goal with a blast from the left circle, and Carter King closed the scoring with an empty-netter with 1:52 remaining in the contest. Denver outshot the Tigers, 27-23, led by Carter Mazur with six. Mbereko finished with 23 saves, while Chrona had 22. Denver capitalized on two of its five power-play opportunities and killed off all four CC man-advantage chances.

For The Record
Colorado College is 10-15-1 overall and 6-9-1 in the NCHC, good for seventh place in the league standings. The 6-9-1 conference record is the best after 16 games since the 2012-13 season (6-9-1) ... Omaha is 14-10-2 overall and 9-6-1 in league play. The Mavericks are in fourth place in the NCHC.

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 continue on the road for a weekend series against the Western Michigan Broncos, Feb. 17-18, at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Previous Meetings
The Tigers and Omaha have met 45 times, with the Mavericks holding a 26-14-5 advantage in the series, including a 14-5-4 mark in Omaha. CC swept Omaha earlier this season, 6-4 and 1-0, at Robson Arena. It was CC'S first-ever weekend sweep over the Mavericks. The Tigers have won four of the last five meetings vs. Omaha dating back to last season.

Tiger Tales
Hunter McKown, who notched his second career hat trick vs. Omaha on Dec. 9, is tied for the national lead with 10 power-play goals and 15th overall with 15 goals ... Kaidan Mbereko is second in the country among freshmen and tied for 15th overall with a .920 save percentage, and third among first-year players with a 2.46 goals-against average ... In conference games only, CC leads the NCHC in penalty kill pct. (86.3%) ... Noah Laba's eight 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%.

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 20 points (15g,5a). He posted the second hat trick of his career in a 6-4  victory over Omaha on Dec. 9, and has three game-winning goals this season. Mbereko, from Aspen, Colo., was the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for November and December. Mbereko represented his country as part of Team USA at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Canada.

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. His 31.25 saves per game were tops in the NCHC during the month, while his 125 total saves were second. Mbereko's 2.00 goals-against average ranked third in the NCHC in December. Mbereko began December with a 39-save shutout in a 3-0 victory at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 2. He then made 22 saves in the series finale at UMD in a loss. A weekend later, Mbereko compiled 64 saves to backstop CC to a home sweep of Omaha, including a career-high 40 saves in a 1-0 shutout win over the Mavericks.

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.

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.

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 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.