The No. 14/16 Colorado College Tigers return home with a five-game winning streak to face the No. 16/15 St. Cloud State Huskies, Feb. 2-3, at Ed Robson Arena. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (MT), while the puck will drop on Saturday at 6 p.m. (MT). Live streaming and live stats links can be found at CCTigers.com.

85 Years of CC Hockey
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 and streamed on NCHC.tv. Friday's contest will be televised live in Southern Colorado on SOC CW with Josh Howe and Kyle Huson.

Last Time Out
No. 16/17 Colorado College posted a pair of 2-1 overtime victories at 12th-ranked Western Michigan last weekend in Kalamazoo. Noah Laba scored the game-winning goal in each game ... On Friday, Laba scored 15 seconds into overtime by skating the entire length of the ice with the puck, splitting a pair of WMU defenders and placing a backhander past Bronco goalie Cameron Rowe. Dylan Wendt opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 14:21 mark of the first period. The Tigers were solid during the penalty kill, but Alex Bump fired a shot from the left circle that Wendt deflected past CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko with one second left on the man advantage. Freshman Klavs Veinbergs evened the score with his first career goal at 6:01 of the second period. Jack Millar sent the puck towards the net from the right point and Veinbergs deflected it past Rowe at the far post. Mbereko (23 saves)  and Rowe (29 saves) each came up big in the third period, making some spectacular saves to keep the game even and setting up overtime ... On Saturday, Laba scored his fourth overtime goal and fifth game winner of the season with 2:03 remaining to secure CC's sixth sweep of the season, the most since the 2007-08 campaign. Evan Werner took a shot from the right circle that was saved by Rowe, but Laba was charging the net and put home the rebound. Mbereko was outstanding in the net once again with 38 saves, the second-most this season, as the Tigers moved ahead of WMU and into a tie for third place with Denver in the NCHC standings. Laba opened the scoring at the 4:59 mark of the first period. Nicklas Andrews' shot from the left point was deflected in front by Gleb Veremyev and saved by Rowe, but Laba was right in front to put home the rebound. Bump tied the score at 9:46 of the second period. Jacob Bauer found Bump from behind the net and Bump put the puck past Mbereko from the right post. For the second consecutive game, neither team scored in the third period to force overtime with the score tied at 1-1. WMU outshot the Tigers, 39-23, led by Bump and Sam Colengelo, each with a game-high seven, while Laba led CC with five.
 
Moving Up in the National Polls  
Following last weekend's sweep at Western Michigan, Colorado College once again moved up in both Division I national polls this week. The Tigers are No. 14 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 16 in the USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll.  

Best Start in 16 Years  
Colorado College's 15-8-1 record and 15 wins after 24 games is the best since the 2007-08 season (started 18-6). The Tigers are tied for 11th in the country with 15 victories. Meanwhile, Jan. 27 is the earliest date CC has reached 15 victories since the '07-08 campaign (Jan. 11, 2008).  

Five-Game Conference Win Streak
Colorado College's five-game conference winning streak is the longest since the 2010-11 season when CC was a member of the WCHA.

Up Next
The Tigers are idle before hosting No. 2 North Dakota, Feb. 16-17, at Robson Arena.

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 … Brett Larson is in his sixth season as head coach at St. Cloud State after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota Duluth. He also was an assistant with the Bulldogs from 2008-11 and helped UMD win the NCAA Division I national title in 2011 and again in 2018. Larson led St. Cloud State to the NCAA Division I Championship game in 2021, falling to UMass, 5-0, in the final.

Previous Meetings
The Tigers and St. Cloud State have met 124 times, with the Huskies holding a 64-51-9 advantage in the series, including a 36-23-3 mark in Colorado Springs. SCSU has a 17-game unbeaten streak (16-0-1) against the Tigers in Colorado Springs dating back to Feb. 22, 2013. St. Cloud State won four of the five meetings last season, including a 3-0 victory in the NCHC Championship Game in St. Paul, Minn. Colorado College's lone victory was a 4-2 victory on Jan. 13 at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Three is the Number
The Tigers are 12-1 this season when scoring three or more goals. The only loss was a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Augustana. CC is 14-3-1 when it allows three goals or less.

Laba and Mbereko Named Hobey Baker Nominees
Sophomores Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko are among 84 student-athletes nominated for the 2024 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).

Youngsters Scoring  
Freshmen and sophomores have combined for 48 of the team's 72 goals and 109 of the 185 points. 27 of CC's last 38 goals, including eight of the last 10, have been scored by freshmen or sophomores.  

Tiger Tales
Colorado College's 9-5 record after 14 conference games is the best as a member of the NCHC and best since the 2011-12 season (9-5) ... The Tigers are 9-3 on the road, the best mark after 12 road games since the 2004-05 season (9-2-1) ... CC's five overtime victories are the most in a season since the 1979-80 campaign (6) ... The Tigers are second in the nation with a .551 faceoff winning percentage ... CC's six sweeps this season are the most since the 2007-08 season ... Logan Will is third in the NCHC with a .594 faceoff win percentage ... CC is third in the NCHC in blocked shots at 11.67 per game ... Noah Laba is tied for the national lead with six game-winning goals, the most by a Tiger in one season since Brett Sterling had eight during the 2005-06 campaign ... Laba is tied for second in the NCHC and fifth in the nation with two shorthanded goals ... Laba is tied for sixth in the NCHC and 20th in the nation with 14 goals ... Max Burkholder is tied for 12th in the league with three power-play goals ... Jack Millar is third in the NCHC with 39 blocks, while Connor Mayer is tied for ninth with 32.

Mbereko and Laba Earn Monthly NCHC Awards
Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko were named the NCHC Player and Goaltender of the Month, respectively, for January. Laba tied for the NCHC lead with seven goals and tied for fifth with 10 points. Three of his seven goals were game-winners, the most in the league. All three GWG came in overtime, including each game at #12 Western Michigan last weekend. Mbereko, meanwhile, led the NCHC with six wins and 234 saves in January. He finished second in the league with a .921 save percentage and tied for fourth with a 2.52 GAA. He was also named the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for December.

Three Future Tigers Sign National Letter of Intent
Three future Tigers recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play hockey at Colorado College. The players are forwards Jordan Brisson (Chicago Steel – USHL),  Cooper Conway (Omaha Lancers - USHL) and Coy Pighin (Drumheller Dragons - AJHL).
This group joins six players, forwards Owen Beckner and Gavin Lindberg, defensemen Philippe Blais-Savoie, Ryan Koering and Fisher Scott, and goaltender Carsen Musser, who previously signed an NLI with Colorado College.

16 Televised Games This Season
Colorado College is excited to announce a new partnership with SOCO CW, which will televise 14 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