The No. 8-ranked Colorado College Tigers opens the Battle for the Pikes Peak Trophy against Air Force on Friday, Nov. 1, at Ed Robson Arena beginning at 7 p.m. The teams will play at the Cadet Ice Arena on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. Live streaming and live stats links can be found on the CC Hockey schedule page at CCTigers.com.

Getting Started
The 2024-25 season marks the 86th year of varsity ice hockey at Colorado College and 12th 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 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 contest will be televised on SOCO CW and streamed on NCHC.tv, with Josh Howe and former Tiger Brandon Straub on the call.    

Last Time Out
Colorado College swept Alaska Anchorage last weekend in Anchorage ... On Friday, Owen Beckner scored a goal and added an assist and Kaidan Mbereko had 28 saves to lead Colorado College to a 2-1 victory. Beckner opened the scoring with a power-play goal just 1:37 into the second period. Ryan Beck sent a pass behind the net to Zaccharya Wisdom, who found Beckner open in the slot and he sent a one-timer past UAA goalie Greg Orosz. In the third period, with the Tigers on a 4-on-3 power play, Beckner found Philippe Blais-Savoie in the slot and he cleanly beat Orosz for his second tally of the campaign. Klavs Veinbergs also collected a helper on the play. Mbereko was outstanding all evening, making several point-blank saves, including one on a shorthanded breakaway attempt by UAA's Maximillion Helgeson just 1:32 into the third period ... On Saturday, Bret Link and Klavs Veinbergs scored and Mbereko stopped 18 shots in a 2-0 victory. Link, playing in his hometown, opened the scoring with his second goal of the year at the 7:13 mark of the opening period. Gleb Veremyev stole the puck in the CC zone and sent a cross-ice pass to Link, who beat Orosz with a wrister from the right circle. Veinbergs gave the Tigers an insurance goal at the 7:20 mark of the third period with a wrister from the left point. The goal was assisted by Zaccharya Wisdom and Cleveland, who collected his first career point. Mbereko didn't see much work, but was up to the task for the entire game. He made three of his 18 saves during the final 4:29 while UAA pulled Orosz in favor of an extra skater.

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 retained the trophy last year with a 6-2 victory at Cadet Ice Arena. CC has held possession since the 2018-19 season.

The Coaches
Kris Mayotte enters his fourth 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, and was an assistant coach for Providence College when the Friars won the NCAA Division I title in 2015. Mayotte is the reigning NCHC Coach of the Year … Frank Serratore is in his 28th season with Air Force. He previously coached at Denver and has head coaching experience in the USHL and the IHL.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Air Force have met 83 times, with the Tigers holding a 66-15-2 advantage in the series. The TIgers have won six of the last eight meetings.     

Highest Ranking in Nearly 13 Years
Colorado College is ranked No. 8 in the USCHO.com and the USA Hockey / The Rink Live  Top 20 polls. That marks the highest ranking for the Tigers since they were ranked No. 8 on Jan. 9, 2012.  

For The Record
Colorado College is 4-0 for the second consecutive season. Air Force is 4-4 after splitting a pair of games at AIC last weekend.    
   
Mbereko Named NCHC Goaltender of the Week  
Junior Kaidan Mbereko was named the KJ Branding NCHC Forward of the Week after allowing just one goal in the weekend sweep over Alaska Anchorage. In Friday's opener, he made 28 saves in a 2-1 victory. The following night, he stopped all 18 shots he faced in a 2-0 victory for his first shutout of the season and fifth of his career. It was his and the team's first shutout since March 17, 2023.  

Mbereko and Laba Named All-Americans
Kaidan Mbereko and Noah Laba were each named a 2023-24 CCM/AHCA All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Mbereko, from Aspen, Colo., was selected as the first-team goaltender on the West team, while Laba, a forward from Northville, Mich., earned a spot on the West's second team. Mbereko was stellar all season for the Tigers, starting all 37 games and earning the NCHC Goaltender of the Year Award by a unanimous vote. He finished the season with 21 wins, the most by a CC goalie since 2007-08, and led the NCHC with a 2.40 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. Laba led the Tigers with 37 points, scoring a team-high 20 goals and tying for the team lead with 17 assists. The first-team all-NCHC selection finished fourth in the country with seven game-winning goals, including a nation-leading four in overtime. Mbereko and Laba are the first to join the All-American list from CC since forward Nick Halloran, who was a second-team selection in 2018.

Tigers Collected Four Major NCHC Awards
Colorado College collected four of the NCHC's major awards in 2023-24, led by head coach Kris Mayotte winning the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year Award, at the league's Awards Celebration in St. Paul, Minn. The four awards won by Colorado College were the most by any NCHC team. Mayotte, in his third season at CC, led the Tigers to their first 20-win season in 13 seasons and a tie for third in the NCHC standings, the program's best league finish since tying for third in the WCHA in 2008-09. He is the first Colorado College head coach to win a conference Coach of the Year award since Don Lucia won the award in 1995-96. Meanwhile, sophomore goaltender Kaidan Mbereko was unanimously selected as the league's Goaltender of the Year, while fellow sophomore Noah Laba won the Defensive Forward of the Year and the Three Stars Awards.

Mbereko, Laba Named To Preseason All-NCHC Team
Juniors Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko were named to the 2024-25 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Preseason All-Conference Team. Thirty (30) ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media.  Laba was one of two players, joining defenseman Zeev Buium of Denver, that were named on all 30 ballots. Denver senior forward Jack Devine followed with 26 votes, while North Dakota sophomore defenseman Jake Livanavage collected 25. Mbereko received 22 votes as the team's goaltender.

Preseason All-NCHC
F: Noah Laba, Jr., Colorado College – 30 votes (unanimous)
F: Jack Devine, Sr., Denver – 26
F: Cameron Berg, Sr. North Dakota – 11
D: Zeev Buium, So., Denver – 30 (unanimous)
D: Jake Livanavage, So., North Dakota – 25
G: Kaidan Mbereko, Jr., Colorado College – 22

Another Tough Schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play 12 of their 34 regular-season games against teams that competed in the 2024 NCAA Division I Hockey Championships, and eight against six of the last eight national champions (Denver, Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota). In  addition, CC will play 24 games against teams that were ranked in the USCHO.com preseason Top 20 poll, the seven other NCHC opponents and Providence.

Leadership Named for 2024-25 Season
Senior forward Stanley Cooley will serve as team captain for the 2024-25 season, while junior forward Noah Laba and junior defenseman Ethan Straky will serve as assistant captains. Cooley, from Regina, Sask., appeared in all 37 games and posted 14 points (5g,9a) last season. An assistant captain each of the last two seasons, Cooley has 52 points (17g,35a) in 111 games at Colorado College. Laba, from Northville, Mich., led the team last year with 37 points (20g,17a). He has appeared in 71 games in his two seasons at CC and is the leading scorer among active players with 59 points (31g,28a). Straky, from Ormond Beach, Fla., has not missed a game as a Tiger and has 15 career points (4g,11a), including five (2g,3a) in 37 games last season as a sophomore.  

12 Newcomers on '24-25 Roster
Twelve newcomers join the Tiger hockey program for the 2024-25 season.The class consists of eight incoming freshmen and four transfers. The incoming class consists of Nick Baer (Bismarck Bobcats – NAHL), Owen Beckner (Tri-City Storm – USHL), Philippe Blais-Savoie (Tri-City Storm – USHL), Jordan Brisson (Chicago Steel – USHL), Brady Cleveland (university of Wisconsin – Big Ten), Ty Gallagher (Boston University – HEA), Ryan Koering (Muskegon Lumberjacks – USHL), Gavin Lindberg (Waterloo Black Hawks – USHL), Chase McLane (Penn State University – Big Ten), Carsen Musser (Madison Capitols – USHL), Fisher Scott (Dubuque Fighting Saints – USHL) and Charlie Strobel (University of Minnesota – Big Ten). Six of the players (Beckner, Cleveland, Gallagher, McLane, Musser and Scott) have been drafted by NHL franchises.

One of Two With a Perfect Record
Of the college hockey teams that have played games this season (Ivy League teams have not started their seasons yet), there are only two unbeaten and untied teams in the nation: Colorado College (4-0-0) and Denver (6-0-0).

Tigers Picked Third in NCHC Preseason Poll
Colorado College was picked third in the 2024-25 NCHC Preseason Poll.

1.    Denver – 263 points (24 first-place votes)
2.    North Dakota – 241 (4)
3.    Colorado College – 200 (1)
4.    St. Cloud State – 149
5.    Omaha - 137
6.    Western Michigan - 127 (1)
7.    Minnesota Duluth – 115
8.     Arizona State - 80
9.    Miami - 38

Most NHL Draft Picks on Roster in Two Decades
With six of the 12 newcomers (three transfers and three freshmen) joining Noah Laba, Klavs Veinbergs and Zaccharya Wisdom as National Hockey League draft picks, the 2024-25 roster has nine players that have been drafted by the NHL. THat tied for the third-most on a roster in program history. The 2003-04 and '04-05 rosters each had 10 draft picks, while there were nine on the 2002-03 roster.  

Season Four at Robson Arena
Never in the storied 80-plus years history of Colorado College Tiger Hockey had the team played its home games on campus. Thanks to the generosity of donors, including former CC hockey player Ed Robson '54, along with the vision of former President Jill Tiefenthaler and the Board of Trustees, that changed on October 8, 2021, when the Tigers and St. Lawrence battled in the first regular-season game at Ed Robson Arena. Colorado College was one of seven Division I teams to surpass capacity on a per game basis last season at 103.7 percent. The capacity of Robson Arena is 3,407 and CC averaged an attendance of 3,532 in its 22 home games.