The No. 10/11 Colorado College Tigers return to NCHC action and open the annual Battle for the Gold Pan this weekend with a home-and-home series vs. No. 4-ranked University of Denver. Friday's game is at Ed Robson Arena beginning at 7 p.m., followed by Saturday's contest at Magness Arena, also at 7 p.m. Live streaming and live stats links can be found at CCTigers.com.

How To Listen / Watch
Friday's game 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. It will also be televised live on CW throughout the state of Colorado and TSN2 in Canada, and streamed on NCHC.tv, with Josh Howe and Kyle Huson on the call.     

Last Time Out
8th-ranked CC lost a pair of games at No. 10 Providence College last weekend ... On Friday, Providence used three second period goals and 29 saves from Philip Svedeback to win 4-3. CC's Drew Montgomery opened the scoring at the 11:17 mark of the first period. The Friars rallied for three goals in the second period, starting with Trevor Connelly evening the score just 1:57 into the frame. Logan Sawyer put Providence ahead for the first time at the 11:56 mark, then Hudson Malinoski made it 3-1 with 35.3 seconds remaining in the period with a one-timer from the high slot. The Tigers came out strong in the third period and Chase McLane cut the Providence lead to 3-2 just 2:19 into the period. Providence regained its two-goal advantage just two minutes later as Tomas Machu scored from the right circle. Gleb Veremyev made it 4-3 at the 6:34 mark of the final frame, putting home a rebound, but the Tigers could not connect on a game-tying goal the rest of the way, including the final 2:13 of regulation with Kaidan Mbereko on the bench in favor of an extra skater ... On Saturday, John Mustard had a goal and two assists and Taige Harding added four assists in a 5-1 Providence victory. After a scoreless first period PC's Andrew Centrella opened the scoring at the 5:34 mark of the middle frame. Former Tiger Logan Will, who transferred to Providence as a graduate student prior to this season, put the Friars ahead 2-0 at 12:36 of the second period. The Tigers cut the lead to one just 1:32 into the third period when Veremyev scored on the power play. The Friars put the game away with goals from Graham Ganache and Mustard in a span of 1:32 later in the final frame. Aleksi Kivioja closed out the scoring with an empty-netter with 26.8 seconds remaining in the third period.
 
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 18 times, compared to 13 for CC.

The Coaches
Kris Mayotte is in 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 … David Carle is in his seventh season as head coach at Denver. He led the Pioneers to the NCAA Division I title in 2021-22 and 2023-24. 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.

Previous Meetings
Colorado College and Denver have met 341 times, with the Pioneers holding a 197-123-21 advantage in the series, including a 78-69-10 record in Colorado Springs. Denver won three of four games last season, with the Tigers claiming a 4-3 victory at Robson Arena on March 8. The 341 games played between CC and DU are the second-most  among two schools in college hockey history. Michigan and Michigan State have played 343 contests against each other.

Best Start in 15 Years
Colorado College's 9-4-1 record is the best start after 13 games since since the 2009-10 season (10-2-1).     

Highest Ranking in Nearly 13 Years
Colorado College is ranked No. 10 in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey / The Rink Live Top 20 polls. The Tigers' No. 7 ranking on Nov. 18 marked the highest since they were ranked No. 6 on Jan. 2, 2012.  

Most Overtime Wins in the Country
Colorado College and Providence are tied for the national lead with four overtime victories this season.

Balanced Scoring
Nine Tigers have at least six points this season, led by graduate transfer Ty Gallagher, who has 11 (3g,8a). Max Burkholder (4g,6a) and Noah Laba (1g,9a) follow with 10, while Klavs Veinbergs has nine (5g,4a). Gleb Veremyev (5g,3a), Drew Montgomery (4g,4a) and Bret Link (2g,6a) each have eight. Veinbergs and Veremyev top the team with five goals each, while Laba has a team-high nine assists.

Mbereko Named National Co-Goaltender of the Month For November
Junior Kaidan Mbereko was named the National Co-Goaltender of the Month for November after leading the NCHC in wins during the month. Mbereko posted a 5-2-1 record in CC's eight games, allowing just 14 goals. He was fourth in the NCHC in goals-against average (1.71) and save percentage (.941). Mbereko had a season-high 41 saves vs. Arizona State on Nov. 9 and blanked St. Cloud State on Nov. 23.

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, seven NCHC opponents (excluding Miami) and Providence.

Tiger Tales
The Tigers have lost consecutive games for the first time this season ... CC does not have a multi-goal scorer in a game this season ... All seven Friday night games this season have been decided by one goal (4-3 record, including four OT games) ... CC is one of 16 teams in the nation with four or fewer losses this season ... Kaidan Mbereko is No. 2 on CC's career list with a .921 save percentage and a 2.28 goals-against average ... The Tigers are 10th in the country in penalty killing (88.6%) and their opponents are 0-for-8 on the power play in the last three games ...   

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.

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. Last Friday against Air Force was the first time all nine were in the lineup.