No. 10/12 Colorado College wraps up the 2023-24 regular season with a home-and-home series against 4th-ranked Denver, March 8-9. The game on Friday, March 8, will be played at Robson Arena, beginning at 8 p.m., while the contest on Saturday, March 9, at Magness Arena is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Live streaming and live stats links can be found at CCTigers.com.

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. Friday's contest will be televised live nationally on CBS Sports Network, while Saturday's will be streamed on NCHC.tv.

Last Time Out
The Tigers collected four points against Minnesota Duluth last weekend at Robson Arena ... On Friday, Noah Laba had a goal and an assist, but Minnesota Duluth scored in the third period and the teams skated to a 2-2 tie. Following a scoreless overtime frame, UMD outscored the Tigers, 2-1, in the shootout to gain the extra point in the NCHC standings. The teams combined for just 10 shots in a scoreless first period, then UMD's Anthony Menghini opened the scoring just 1:49 into the middle frame. After Jack Smith won a faceoff in the CC end, Kyle Bettens sent a shot that went wide of the net but caromed back to the crease and Menghini poked it into the net behind CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko. Gleb Veremyev evened the score at the 13:35 mark with his 13th goal of the season. He took a pass from Laba and fired a rocket from the left circle that beat UMD goalie Matthew Thiessen top shelf. Laba gave the Tigers their first lead with just 14 seconds remaining in the second period. Even Werner's shot from the top of the right circle was saved by Thiessen, but retrieved by Laba at the left circle and his shot went in off the stick of a Minnesota Duluth player. Connor McMenamin tied the game 5:01 into the third period with an unassisted goal. With the teams playing 4x4, McMenamin gathered the puck in the Tiger end, skated down the left side and sent a wrist shot past Mbereko. UMD attempted the only shot on goal in the overtime period and held a 26-20 advantage in shots for the game. After Mbereko saved Quinn Olson's attempt in the shootout, Laba scored on Thiessen, but Ben Steeves and Menghini beat Mbereko for the final margin. The Tigers owned the special teams battle Friday night, converting on one of their two power-play opportunities while killing all four UMD man advantage situations, including a pair of five-minute major calls against CC ... On Saturday, Max Burkholder scored a pair of power-play goals and Mbereko stopped 17 of 18 shots in a 4-1 victory.
Burkholder opened the scoring with his fourth power-play goal of the season. Gleb Veremyev had his wrap-around attempt saved by Thiessen, but Burkholder was right in front of the net to deposit the rebound just 2:22 into the game. Matthew Perkins evened the score at the 13:20 mark of the opening period for UMD's lone goal. Stanley Cooley put the Tigers back in front with a highlight-reel goal at 5:06 of the second period. Ray Christy sent a pass behind the net to Tommy Middleton, who sent a backhand pass to the front of the net where Cooley collected it and placed a backhander past Thiessen while spinning around and falling down with his back to the net. Burkholder gave CC an insurance goal with his second power-play tally of the night, a one-timer from the left circle that cleanly beat Thiessen with 3:07 remaining in the third period, then Drew Montgomery closed the scoring with an empty goal 32 seconds later.

First Winning Record in 12 Years  
Colorado College's victory over North Dakota on Feb. 17 clinched its first winning season since the 2011-12 campaign. CC's 19 wins are the most in a season since 2010-11, when it won 23 games.    

Best Record in 16 Years  
Colorado College's 19-10-3 record after 32 overall games and 13-7-2 mark after 22  conference games are the best since the 2007-08 season (23-8-1 and 17-4-1). The Tigers are tied for 11th in the nation with 19 wins.   

Back into the Top 10  
Colorado College moved back into the Top 10 this week. The Tigers are No. 10 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 12 the USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll. CC is 11th in the latest Pairwise rankings.

Senior Night on Friday
Friday night will be Senior Night at Robson Arena, with nine Tigers playing their final regular-season game at Robson Arena. Connor Mayer, Jake Begley, Jack Millar, Chase Foley, Ray Christy, Tyler Coffey, Logan Will, Nicklas Andrews and Danny Weight will be honored in a post-game ceremony. Mayer has been with the Tigers for five years, Begley, Millar, Foley, Christy, Coffey, Will and Andrews for four, while Weight (Boston College) transferred to CC prior to his sophomore season.  

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 … David Carle is in his sixth season as head coach at Denver. He led the Pioneers to the NCAA Division I title in 2021-22. 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 339 times, with the Pioneers holding a 196-122-21 advantage in the series, including a 78-68-10 record in Colorado Springs. Denver swept the Tigers, 6-1 and 5-1, earlier this season. The 339 games played between CC and DU are the second-most most among two schools in college hockey history. Michigan and Michigan State have played 341 contests. The last time the teams played with both in the Top 10 was Dec. 2, 2011 (#8 CC 4, #10 DU 3 in overtime).

Mbereko Named Richter Award Semifinalist
Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko has been named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goaltender in men's NCAA Division I hockey since 2014. Mbereko is the lone NCHC goalie and sophomore to make the list of 10 semifinalists. Three finalists will be announced in early March and the winner will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

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).

Hoping For Home Ice
Colorado College is in search of its first post-season playoff series at home since the 2011-12 season. The Tigers are currently in fourth-place and hold the final home-ice spot int he NCHC standings, four points ahead of fifth-place Omaha.   

Tiger Tales
Colorado College has played 10 overtime games this season, the most since 2013-14 (11) ... CC has lost just twice in regulation in its last 17 games ... CC's seven sweeps this season are the most since the 2007-08 campaign (10) ... The Tigers are tied for second in the nation with a .553 faceoff winning percentage ... CC is tied for second in the NCHC and tied for seventh in the country in goals allowed per game (2.4) ...  Noah Laba is third in the nation with seven game-winning goals, the most by a Tiger in one season since Brett Sterling had eight during the 2005-06 campaign ... Laba is the first Tiger to record 32 points in a season since Trey Bradley had 34 in 2018-19 ... Laba leads the NCHC in game-winning goals (6) and +/- (+17), and is tied for first in goals scored (14) in conference games only ... Logan Will is fourth in the NCHC in faceoff win percentage (.599) ... Senior Ray Christy played his 100th career game last Saturday ... Seven Tigers have at least 10 assists this season, the most since 2018-19 (8).

Mbereko Named National Goaltender of the Month
After winning three straight NCHC Goaltie of the Month awards, Kaidan Mbereko was named the National Goaltender of the Month by the HCA. In February, Mbereko posted a 3-2-1 record and led the NCHC in saves (168) and save percentage (.939). He was second in the league in GAA (1.79). Mbereko had a career-high 43 saves in the 6-2 victory over then-No. 2 North Dakota on Feb. 17, then had 41 saves, the second-most in his career, in a 1-1 tie at Omaha on Feb. 24. He is just the second player in NCHC history to win a monthly award three straight months and the first Tiger to win a national monthly award since Chris Wilkie was the National Player of the Month in December of 2019.

Three is the Number
The Tigers are 16-1 this season when scoring three or more goals. The only loss was a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Augustana. CC is 18-5-3 when it allows three goals or less.

Youngsters Scoring  
Freshmen and sophomores have combined for 67 of the team's 98 goals and 157 of the 254 points. 27 of CC's last 36 goals have been scored by freshmen or sophomores.  

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