‘No quit’ Tigers rally from down three goals for a 4-3 OT home win over Omaha in NCHC playoffs

By Joe Paisley

Colorado College aced its biggest test of the year and moved within one win of a return trip to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

The resilient Tigers scored four unanswered goals to complete a historic comeback against Omaha when sophomore Gleb Veremyev tapped in a diagonal pass from freshman Zaccharya Wisdom with 8:07 left in overtime to take Game 1, 4-3,. Game 2 of the NCHC quarterfinal series is 6 pm Saturday.

The Friday OT winner capped a rally from down 3-0 midway through the second period when Omaha seemed to pull away despite a good performance by CC (21-11-3). 

The Tigers refused to quit and overcame a superb effort by Omaha goalie Simon Latkoczy, who made 46 saves in the game, including 17 in the third period and 15 in OT.

“A lot of goals in the postseason aren’t pretty, they’re gritty,” Veremyev said. “You just want to get the puck on net and get bodies there. We know that no matter what obstacle, we got it. We have a motto: Execution Over Emotion (and another), No Quit, Be Relentless. That is what you saw tonight.”

The first playoff game ever in Ed Robson Arena lived up to expectations after Colorado College forced overtime when leading scorer Noah Laba converted a pass from Veremyev to tie the game at 3-3 with the extra attacker with just 49.1 seconds remaining.

The tying goal capped a two-goal third-period rally by the Tigers, who scored once during a pivotal five-minute major and game misconduct on Ty Mueller to get back into the contest. CC was controlling the play by that point and the momentum surge from that extended power play tilted the ice the rest of the contest.

The five-minute major came with 12:08 remaining in regulation. CC scored when Wisdom used his speed to create a power-play breakaway. He cut across the goal face for a short-range shot that left behind a rebound for Klavs Veinbergs to tap in with 10:45 left. All three goals in the third and OT were scored from within 3-5 feet of the Omaha net.

“We were playing good hockey,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “The (3-0) score was unfortunate, especially when they scored 21 seconds after they scored the first one.”

“Our guys took advantage of the moment,” he added. “I am really proud of our ability to handle adversity and our ability to be tough. We had 13 forwards and six D who just went to work.”

CC was unable to score again over the next 3:38 of the man advantage but that helped the fourth-seeded Tigers out shoot the fifth-seeded Mavericks 19-1 in the third period to force OT in the first postseason home contest for the program since March 2012.

Omaha built a 3-0 lead in the second period when Mueller scored on a wrister to complete a 2-on-1 breakaway and Jack Randl scored high glove side just 21 seconds later to stake the 20-11-4 Mavericks to a 2-0 lead with 14:09 left against Tigers sophomore goalie Kaidan Mbereko (12 saves). Eight minutes later, Jacob Slipec made it 3-0 with 6:35 left.

Mbereko would bounce back with a huge save 4:29 into OT on a Omaha breakaway by Zack Urdahl to set up Veremyev’s late heroics.

After Omaha went ahead 3-0 in the second period, the announced sellout crowd of 3,410 was pretty quiet, but the resilient Tigers gave their fans reason to hope when CC converted its first power play just 18 seconds into the man advantage. Defenseman Chase Foley’s rising shot beat Latkoczy high stick side just inside the right goalpost to cut the lead to 3-1 just 48 seconds later. The Slovakian netminder was probably screened by Veremyev and the goal energized the crowd, who was loud the rest of the game.

Ice chips

The win lifted CC into 10th in the Pairwise rankings, which are used by the NCAA Selection Committee to help determine the 16-team NCAA Tournament field. Omaha fell to 14th. The teams were tied at 11th entering Friday’s game. … Nationwide, all home teams (higher seeds) won the 10 Game 1s Friday, except Colgate, with lost 3-2 in 2OT to St. Lawrence. … The last CC overtime playoff win was last season when the Tigers knocked off Western Michigan. … The last home OT game before Friday’s thriller was a 4-3 loss to Michigan Tech that ended the Tigers’ 2011-12 season and was Jaden Schwartz’s final college game. He signed his NHL entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues two days later. … UNO leads the all-time series 28-15-7 with a 12-10-1 mark in Colorado Springs.

National Collegiate Hockey Conference quarterfinals 

Best of three series, Game 2, 6 p.m. Saturday; Game 3, 6 p.m. Sunday (if necessary)

Friday’s scores

St. Cloud State 5, Western Michigan 2

Denver 4, Minnesota Duluth 0

North Dakota 5, Miami 1

Colorado College 4, Omaha 3 (OT)

Saturday games

No. 8 seed Miami (7-25-3) at No. 1 North Dakota (25-10-2), UND leads 1-0

No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (12-19-5) at No. 2 Denver (25-9-3), DU leads 1-0

No. 6 Western Michigan (20-14-1) at No. 3 St. Cloud State (16-14-5), SCSU leads 1-0

No. 5 Omaha (20-11-4) at No. 4 Colorado College (21-11-3), CC leads 1-0

Four Tigers in running for NCHC season awards

Nicklas Andrews, Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko and coach Kris Mayotte are finalists for the 2023-24 National Collegiate Hockey Conference individual season awards, the league announced earlier today.

The winners will be revealed next Thursday, March 21, at the annual NCHC Awards Celebration at the St. Paul Event Center in Saint Paul, Minn.

Sophomore Mbereko is up for Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year honors while second-year center Laba is contending for the Forward of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year and the Three Stars award.

Mbereko led the NCHC with a .927 save percentage in conference play (.017 better than anyone else) and a 2.15 goals-against average (.40 better than anyone else). His 656 saves were also tops in the conference, while his 27.33 saves per game were second. He is the reigning three-time NCHC Goaltender of the Month, only the second NCHC player ever to win three straight monthly honors. Overall, Mbereko is 20-11-3 in 34 starts, while leading the NCHC with a .918 save percentage and ranking second with a 2.38 GAA.

Laba took home the NCHC goal-scoring title with 16 goals in conference play, while his six game-winners led the NCHC by two. He also led the league with three short-handed goals. The New York Rangers draft pick tallied 28 points in 24 NCHC games and handed out 12 assists and posted a plus-19 plus/minus in NCHC play, which was plus-5 better than anyone else. Overall, Laba ranked seventh in the NCHC with 35 points in 33 games, scoring 19 goals.

Senior Andrews is one of three finalists for Defensive Defenseman of the Year. He was third on the Tigers with 43 blocked shots (31 in league play) with substantial time on the penalty kill. He finished plus-5 in the plus-minus ratings and recorded a career-high 16 points (13 assists) this season.

Mayotte is up for Herb Brooks Coach of the Year after leading CC to fourth place and home playoff ice for the first time in 12 years, first in the NCHC, after the Tigers were picked seventh in the preseason poll.

2023-24 NCHC INDIVIDUAL AWARD FINALISTS
 
Herb Brooks Coach of the Year
Brad Berry, North Dakota
David Carle, Denver
Kris Mayotte, Colorado College
 
Player of the Year
Jackson Blake, So., F, North Dakota
Jack Devine, Jr., F, Denver
Kaidan Mbereko, So., G, Colorado College
 
Senior Scholar-Athlete Award
Dominic Basse, G, St. Cloud State
Luke Grainger, F, Western Michigan
Matt Miller, F, Omaha
 
Rookie of the Year
Zeev Buium, D, Denver
Alex Bump, F, Western Michigan
Jake Livanavage, D, North Dakota
 
Goaltender of the Year
Simon Latkoczy, So., Omaha
Kaidan Mbereko, So., Colorado College
Ludvig Persson, Sr., North Dakota
 
Forward of the Year
Jackson Blake, So., North Dakota
Jack Devine, Jr., Denver
Noah Laba, So., Colorado College
 
Offensive Defenseman of the Year
Dylan Anhorn, 5th, St. Cloud State
Shai Buium, Jr., Denver
Zeev Buium, Fr., Denver
 
Defensive Defenseman of the Year
Nicklas Andrews, Sr., Colorado College
Sean Behrens, Jr., Denver
Shai Buium, Jr., Denver
 
Defensive Forward of the Year
Cameron Berg, Jr., North Dakota
Carter King, Jr., Denver
Noah Laba, So., Colorado College
 
Sportsmanship Award
Darian Gotz, Sr., D, Minnesota Duluth
Veeti Miettinen, Sr., F, St. Cloud State
Dylan Wendt, Jr., F, Western Michigan
 
Three Stars Award
Jackson Blake, So., F, North Dakota
Noah Laba, So., F, Colorado College
Veeti Miettinen, Sr., F, St. Cloud State

Familiar foe, similar styles sets stage for historic Omaha-Colorado College NCHC playoff series

By Joe Paisley

Omaha is going to look familiar to Colorado College fans, and not because the teams played each other just three weeks ago.

The fifth-seeded Mavericks are a physical team that uses in-your-face defense to create turnovers and generate transition offense with enough offensive talent to capitalize on those chances.

Omaha (20-10-4) is one of the better faceoff teams in men’s Division 1 and uses that to gain puck possession to build offensive pressure in the opposing zone or alleviate it in their own end.

Sound familiar, Tiger faithful? Those are some of the reasons this NCHC home quarterfinal playoff series for fourth-seeded CC (20-11-3) promises to be a tight one.

“They pressure pucks really well,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said “The physical attributes are much the same. Because we are similar, that is why it will be such a good battle.”

“They do a good job keeping three guys above you,” he added. “Their D corps is big, strong and mobile so you have to find a way to get inside the dots against them.”

One reason Omaha went 1-0-1 against the Tigers three weeks ago was by denying lanes to get the puck behind the Mavericks to set up the forecheck, a key to CC’s 200-foot defensive structure. As a result, UNO had CC hemmed in for five of that weekend’s seven periods (including Saturday’s overtime).

“We learned a lot from that series,” Mayotte said. “It is easier to take lessons sometimes when you lose. We didn’t have the right game plan, It’s a different game plan this weekend.”

It may be a different environment too for the first postseason games between the two teams.

The atmosphere for the first home playoff series for CC in 12 years and inaugural postseason games at Ed Robson Arena, which set a record of 3,912 (3,407 capacity) against Denver last Friday, could be electric. That would prove beneficial for the Tigers, who started taking advantage with a 11-6-2 home record this season after a 5-4-1 first half.

“Our guys have a real comfort factor with how our game plays at our rink,” Mayotte said. “It’s a place that can get really loud and that feeds how we play. We are a forechecking team. We are a hard-to-play-against team. It fits the identity of our building. We want to use that energy and apply that and play a style that makes a team feel like they have no time and space. That is crowded and things are happening fast. We have found that in the second half. Now we just have to go out and execute.”

This series also features some of the league’s best at key positions.

This weekend’s best-of-three playoff series features unanimous league first team goalie honoree and sophomore Kaidan Mbereko, a former Team USA netminder at the world junior championships, taking on former Slovakian world juniors and NCHC honorable mention sophomore goalie Simon Latkoczy.

“He’s a tremendous goalie,” Mbereko said. “He has accomplished a lot. You come here to compete against the best and that is the opportunity this weekend.”

“There’s never a dull moment in the NCHC,” he said. “You are going to get everyone’s best. It will be a good challenge for our group. Hopefully we can come out on top.”

Challenging Latkoczy will be the CC forward group, paced by leading scorer Noah Laba, a first-team NCHC honoree like Mbereko.  The NY Rangers draft pick is confident the Tigers will be ready.

“We have been playing playoff hockey here for the last 10 games or so, so not much is going to change this weekend but we have a special opportunity to secure our spot in the NCAA Tournament as well as play for the NCHC (tournament title) so we’re excited and looking forward to it,” Laba said.

The Tiger’s scoring depth, led by the now-experienced underclassmen, is paced by Laba (35 points, 19 goals), sophomores Gleb Veremyev (25, 14 goals) and Ryan Beck (20, team-high 17 assists), freshman Zaccharya Wisdom (18, 10 goals), senior captain Logan Will (18, 11 assists) and freshmen Max Burkholder (16, seven goals) and Evan Werner (16, 10 assists). Eight Tigers have at least 10 assists, the most since the 2018-19 season (eight).

Omaha has its own standout forward in all-rookie teamer Tanner Luedtke, a third-round Coyotes draft pick, who led the Mavs with 25 points (10 goals) in 34 league games, He led a strong supporting cast including graduate forward Jack Randl (24, 12 goals) and juniors Victor Mancini (plus-10 defenseman), Zach Urdahl (20, 10 goals) and Ty Mueller (24, 15 assists). That scoring depth is why Omaha enters this weekend on a 9-1-2 tear since Jan. 26, including a home sweep of NCHC regular-season champion North Dakota last weekend.

“We’re just trying to prepare the same way we have the last 2 1/2 months,” UNO coach Mike Gabinet said. “We have a lot of positivity to build on. The guys have built some confidence going into this weekend.”

The same can be said for the Tigers, who remember dropping five of six possible standings points that weekend in Omaha, making the path to home playoff ice that much more difficult.”

“Our guys are excited,’ Mayotte said “We remember how we felt leaving that place. It is still in our locker room. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

Ice chips

CC leads the nation by winning 55.6 percent of its faceoffs, led by Will’s 59.9 percent, while Omaha is at 54.7 percent, second in the NCHC and fifth in the nation. … The last time CC hosted a home playoff series was in March 2012 when the Tigers were swept by Michigan Tech at the Broadmoor World Arena in the former men’s WCHA. ,,, UNO leads the all-time series 28-14-7 with a 12-9-1 mark in Colorado Springs. … CC’s 11 home wins ties that 2011-12 team while the 9-5-1 road mark matches the nine recorded by the 2007-08 team, the last squad to have multiple first-team league honorees.

NCHC Playoffs 

Best of three series, 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday (if necessary)

No. 8 seed Miami (7-24-3) at No. 1 North Dakota (24-10-2)

No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (12-18-5) at No. 2 Denver (24-9-3)

No. 6 Western Michigan (20-13-1) at No. 3 St. Cloud State (15-14-5)

No. 5 Omaha (20-10-4) at No. 4 Colorado College (20-11-3)

Denver pulls ahead for good in third, drops Colorado College to fourth seed in next weekend’s NCHC quarterfinal playoff series

By Joe Paisley

Fourth-ranked Denver seized control in the third period and garnered second
place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with a 4-3 home win over No.
10 Colorado College to conclude the regular season.

The fourth-seeded Tigers (20-11-3) finished tied
for third in the NCHC standings, their best conference finish since a tie for
third in the former men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2008-09. No.
17 St. Cloud State garnered the NCHC third seed on a tiebreaker.

CC will host fifth-seeded No. 16 Omaha (20-13-1) in a best-of-three NCHC
playoff series with Game 1 at 7 pm Friday and Game 2 at 6 Saturday. If
necessary, Game 3 would be at 6 p.m. Sunday at Ed Robson Arena.

UNO and CC are tied for 11th in the Pairwise rankings with Western Michigan 13th, Providence 14th and SCSU tied for 15th with Massachusetts. 

It is the first time the Mavericks and the Tigers will play each other in
the postseason. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. with some available
since the CC students will be on spring break.

Omaha won in regulation and in a shootout Feb. 23-24 in Nebraska in the two
team’s only games this season. The result was disappointing after a home sweep
of North Dakota the weekend prior.

“We’ll get to work on them and we’ll be ready,” Tigers coach Kris Mayotte told
KRDO Radio. “We have a pretty good idea what their (game plan) is. They play
with a lot of confidence and they’re good. But our guys are looking for a
little redemption.”

The Pioneers out shot CC by a 12-5 margin in the third, capped when Jared
Wright knocked in a rebound off a Denver shot that clanged off a net post and
landed out in front for a tap-in tally with 8:16 left.

“They controlled for most of the game tonight like we did (Friday),” Mayotte
said. “They put a lot of pressure on us. We didn’t break up their speed enough.”

Momentum had turned in CC’s favor late in the second period when a Denver
power play goal was disallowed by an offsides call following a video review.
That kept it at 3-2 Pioneers with 3:34 left before Tigers sophomore defenseman Ethan
Straky scored with 19.6 seconds remaining in the middle frame to tie the
game at 3-3.

It was Straky’s second goal this season and his first since the Oct. 13 season-opener
– a span of 32 games. It started off a turnover forced by Drew Montgomery
and collected by Bret Link, who passed over to Straky as he skated
forward into the Pioneers slot for a one-timer that blew past Denver goalie Matt
Davis (22 saves).

Earlier, freshman winger Evan Werner popped in a power-play goal with
12:31 left in second on a toe-drag wrister from the right faceoff circle to tie
the game at 2-2. The assists went to senior Chase Foley and freshman Max
Burkholder.

Denver would answer with Sam Harris’ second goal of the game with 4:47
remaining and the disallowed power-play goal just 71 seconds later that would
have blown the game open. Instead, the resilient Tigers answered with Straky’s
tally, setting up the decisive third period.

In the first period, CC started off well when Noah Laba forced a
Denver turnover and sent the puck forward to Montgomery, who converted the shorthanded
breakaway to put the Tigers head 1-0 just 5:35 into the regular-season finale.

“I liked how we responded every time they took the lead,” Mayotte said. “We didn’t
keep enough momentum after that (shorthanded) goal. When you get the lead like
that you want to build on that.”

Harris took advantage of his good fortune when CC defenseman Jack Millar’s
stick broke while making a pass in the Tigers’ offensive zone, sending the puck
to a wide-open Harris for a goal with 6:20 left in the first period to tie the
game at 1-1.

Rieger Lorenz sparked the Pioneers when he stole the puck and raced ahead, firing
a wrist shot past CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko (34 saves) with 15:46 left in
the second period to put the Pioneers ahead 2-1.

Saturday’s scores 

No. 16 Omaha 4, No. 3 North Dakota 1 (Mavs home sweep)

No. 15 Western Michigan 6, Miami 1 (Broncos home sweep)

Minnesota Duluth 4, No. 17 St. Cloud State 2 (Bulldogs home sweep)

NCHC Playoffs 

Best of three series, 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday
(if necessary)

No. 8 seed Miami (7-24-3) at No. 1 North Dakota (24-10-2)

No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (12-18-5) at No. 2 Denver (24-9-3)

No. 6 Western Michigan (20-13-1) at No. 3 St. Cloud State (15-14-5)

No. 5 Omaha (20-10-4) at No. 4 Colorado College (20-11-3)

Ice chips

CC recorded two shorthanded goals against the Pioneers this weekend, the
only ones allowed by DU in 36 games this regular season. Laba scored the first
Friday and set up the other on Saturday. … The Tigers’ 20 wins are the most
since 23 recorded during the 2010-11 season, the last time CC played in the
NCAA Tournament.  … … The 75^thanniversary of the first
game in this rivalry series will be in January 2025. … DU holds a 197-123-21
lead in the all-time series including 113-52-11 in Denver. The last Tigers win
at Magness Arena was the last time CC swept DU to close out the regular season,
March 8, 2019 (2-1). … The 341 games between the rivals ties Michigan-Michigan
State (341) for the most games played in a rivalry series.  … The last time CC hosted a home playoff series
was in March 2012 when the Tigers were swept by Michigan Tech at the Broadmoor
World Arena.

 

Notes from Saturday’s historic season sweep

By Joe Paisley

Since I covered the game for the Gazette, that article is not available here, but here are some notes from Saturday’s historic win that were cut due to space.

Ice chips

CC had swept North Dakota in two-game season series during  the 1950s and 60s but not since the schedule switched to four-game series during the former men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association days. 

CC sophomore Kaidan Mbereko’s 43 saves was the third-most by an NCHC netminder this season.

The Tigers have scored 18 goals in their last three games (2-1 record) after scoring 24 since Dec. 8 (11 games, 9-2 record).

UND owns a 173-88-12 all-time series lead against CC with 173 victories the most against any one program in North Dakota history.  CC now leads the all-time series in Colorado Springs by a 62-61-4 margin

The 18-9-1 Tigers matched their best season win total since going 18-19-5 during the 2012-13 season when CC lost in the former men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five league championship game, falling one win shy of an automatic NCAA Tournament berth as playoff champion.

Friday’s 7-1 win was the first time since Oct. 20, 2001 when three Tigers – freshmen Klavs Veinbergs and Zaccharya Wisdom and sophomore Ryan Beck —  recorded four or more points in a single game (7-1 win over Massachusetts). Veinbergs finished with five points (four assists), Beck four points (all Friday) and Wisdom recorded seven points on the weekend with two assists Saturday. Wisdom seems a shoo-in for either NCHC forward or rookie of the week honors with Mbereko likely to garner another goalie accolade.

Noah Laba is the first Tiger to record at least 22 points in his first two seasons since Seattle Kraken winger Jaden Schwartz (2010-11, 2011-12).

CC is now 15-1 this season when scoring three or more goals including 4-3 home loss to Augustana.

Surging Hawks, Tigers back for rematch of pivotal December series as playoff race heats up

By Joe Paisley

The December National Collegiate Hockey Conference series between Colorado College and North Dakota could be viewed as the turning point for both programs’ seasons as they jockey for playoff position entering this weekend’s rematch.

The Tigers pulled off a historic road sweep, the school’s first at Ralph Engelstad Arena and the first since Thanksgiving 1993 in Grand Forks, to reinvigorate the team, winners of nine of their last 12 games (8-2 league), that pushed them into fourth place in the NCHC and the NCAA Tournament hunt.

It cemented a growing team confidence, further solidified by a subsequent road win at Minnesota when the second half of the season began. In short, this year’s CC team is a good one and they garnered the results to prove it to themselves and others.

“That weekend definitely added something to us,” said sophomore Gleb Veremyev. “Coming out of there with two wins gave us the belief that we can win those hard games and win against anyone.”

“Every win you get reconfirms and allows you to believe in it a little more,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “The way we played Saturday (against North Dakota) showed that (confidence) was growing. College hockey is so good, winning one game somewhere happens all the time. Your ability to stack wins is really about belief, confidence and good play.”

Which sets the stage for a highly anticipated league series between two teams playing good hockey when the second-ranked Fighting Hawks take on the No. 15 Tigers (16-9-1) this weekend at Ed Robson Arena.

That December series result, hard as it was to swallow for the team and its fans, proved beneficial for North Dakota (20-6-2), judging from subsequent results, with an 8-1-1 record since to vault into first place in the league.

“That was a good punch in the face. That’s something we needed,” defenseman Bennett Zmolek said during UND’s weekly media conference.

“We learned a lot as far as ourselves and a lot about what (CC) brings to the table as well,” said coach Brad Berry who recorded his 200^th win at UND earlier this month. “They are a patient team. They try to capitalize on miscues or errors. Puck management (will) be a key. You have to force them into bad situations.”

The series pits strength against strength with a fast-skating Hawks offense looking to punch holes though CC’s frustrating defensive structure, which has it as the top-ranked defensive team in NCHC play (2.44 goals per game) with just 12 allowed in the last seven games.

A major reason behind CC’s surge is the foundation of that team defense — sophomore goalie Kaidan Mbereko, who became the NCHC’s lone semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award on Wednesday. The Aspen native stopped 54 of 58 shots (.931 saves percentage) against UND in December and is now 16-9-1 (2.52 goals against, .912 saves) overall and even better in NCHC play (2.25 goals, .924 saves).

He has more offensive support this season thanks to sophomore center Noah Laba’s breakout season (24 points, 15 goals, 7 game-winners) and linemate Veremyev (18, nine goals), who ended an eight-game scoreless streak in a home series split against second-place St. Cloud State two weeks ago.

Overtime bodes well for CC. Laba has four of the team’s five OT game winners with Veremyev collecting the fifth at UND in December. UND has gone 21-straight games without a loss in regulation (Nov. 3 at Boston University) but own a 3-5 record when playing the extra period.

To get there, the Tigers will need their secondary scorers to produce timely goals. That group is led by senior captain Logan Will (17, 11 assists), sophomore Ryan Beck (15, team-high 12 assists) and 12 points each from junior Stanley Cooley (eight assists) and freshman Evan Werner (eight assists).

The CC defenseman corps is producing as well, led by freshman Max Burkholder (11, three power-play goals) and seniors Nicklas Andrews (11, eight assists) and Jack Millar (10, seven assists). Freshman forward Bret Link is the 10th Tiger in double figures with 11 points (eight assists).

The Fighting Hawks are paced by Jackson Blake with team-highs in Points (39), goals (17) and assists (22) as part of a 10-game points. UND also has 29 points each from Cameron Berg (15 goals) and Owen McLaughlin (20 assists) and a solid goaltender in Miami transfer Ludvig Persson (17-6-2, 2.38 goals, .907 saves), especially behind an improved defensive corps paced by Alaska transfer Garrett Pyke (22, 19 assists).

Ice chips

UND owns a 173-86-12 all-time series lead against CC with 173 victories the most against any one program in North Dakota history.  … UND is 61-60-4 all-time in Colorado Springs. … The Tigers are one victory away from matching their best season win total since going 17-20-4 during the 2018-19 season. Those 16 wins are the best after 26 games since the 2007-08 season (started 18-7-1). … CC’s five OT wins are the most since the 1979-80 season (six).

Tigers goalie Kaidan Mbereko among 10 semifinalists for annual Mike Richter Award

The Hockey Commissioners Association announced the 10 semifinalists, including Colorado College sophomore Kaidan Mbereko, for this year’s Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.

Ten goaltenders from a “Watch List” of 30 were whittled down by a panel of voters from across the hockey community. That list from January did not include Mbereko, who is now the lone National Collegiate Hockey Conference goaltender remaining.

The Aspen native has started all 26 games for the 16-9-1 Tigers with a 2.30 overall goals against average (2.25 NCHC) and a .914 saves percentage (.924 league).

The 10 semifinalists include two who reached this round last year: Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel and Minnesota’s Justen Close.

Three finalists will be announced in early March and the winner of this year’s Mike Richter Award will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

Semifinalists for the 2024 Mike Richter Award

Trey Augustine, Michigan State (Big Ten)
(FR – South Lyon, MI)

Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame (Big Ten)*
(GR – Medina, MN)

Justen Close, Minnesota (Big Ten)*
(GR – Kindersley, SK)

Vinny Duplessis, Quinnipiac (ECAC Hockey)
(SR – Quebec City, PQ)

Jacob Fowler, Boston College (Hockey East)
(FR – Melbourne, FL)

Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College (NCHC)
(SO – Aspen, CO)

Kyle McClellan, Wisconsin (Big Ten)
(SR – Manchester, MO)

Tommy Scarfone, RIT (Atlantic Hockey)
(JR – Montreal, PQ)

Ian Shane, Cornell (ECAC Hockey)
(JR – Manhattan Beach, CA)

Jake Sibell, St. Thomas (CCHA)
(JR – Isanti, MN)

Past winners: 2014 – Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell; 2015 – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota; 2016 – Thatcher Demko, Boston College; 2017 – Tanner Jaillet, Denver; 2018 – Cale Morris, Notre Dame; 2019 – Cayden Primeau, Northeastern; 2020 – Jeremy Swayman, Maine; 2021 – Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota; 2022 – Devon Levi, Northeastern; 2023 – Devon Levi, Northeastern.

Tigers winger Ryan Beck’s sophomore development one reason why CC enters this weekend’s series against Huskies on win streak

By Joe Paisley

Tigers sophomore Ryan Beck learned perhaps the most important lesson a talented forward can absorb in college hockey.

Controlled defensive tenacity leads to more offensive chances. Understanding that has paid off for the Colorado College winger, who surpassed his first-year offensive output (13 points, 11 assists) by mid-January (14 points, 11 assists) already.

The Michigan native plays at a consistent high level alongside freshman linemate Bret Link (11, eight assists) and senior captain and center Logan Will (17, 11 assists), who is enjoying a strong season of his own.

“Ryan Beck is playing the best hockey he has played since being here,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “I think Link is doing the same. You can see his confidence growing every game. Becker the same thing. His desire to create turnovers and his ability to create turnovers just keeps getting better and better because he is a dynamic stick.”

Beck’s improvement started in practice and video sessions.

“There is always something when you watch it back where I could have done better in that area or this area,” Beck said. “I do feel like I have taken strides in different parts of my game, especially defensively, and kind of earned the trust of the coaches, more so this year.”

It’s a good sign for a successful college career when an offene-oriented freshman learns to be a two-way player, typically by or during their sophomore season. It’s vital to do so in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

“Everyone plays hard-nosed hockey,” Beck said. “You can’t get away with anything. That first year was a big learning year. This year, things started to click, especially with the line that I am on. They know how to play that style of game very well, which helps me out, helps me fit in more. It’s really my linemates and the coaches helping me through that this year.”

Mayotte credited Beck’s improved game management. That often comes with experience and better familiarity of the CC systems you expect from a sophomore.

“Ryan Beck is probably as talented guy as we have with the puck on his stick,” Mayotte said. “He uses it in the right moments. He knows when it is time to hang onto it for the extra second. He knows when it is time to try and beat a guy to the inside. He knows when it is time to just advance the puck and move forward.

“That’s where he has really grown, which is allowing him to get the points and be the impact player that he is becoming.”

Thanks to that simple lesson.

“When you don’t cheat for offense. you actually get more offense,” Beck said. “That’s been the biggest learning curve and that has paid off the most.”

The Link-Will-Beck line are one of the reasons not named Noah Laba or Kaidan Mbereko why the 14^th-ranked Tigers (15-8-1, 9-5-0-5-1-0, 23 points NCHC), tied for third with Denver, are on a five-game winning streak.

This weekend’s home series against second-place St. Cloud State (11-8-5, 7-3-4-0-1-2, 28 points) is the only one scheduled between the league foes this regular season.

The talented Huskies started off NCHC play 7-0-1 but have since come down to Earth — in large part due to the weekly grind of the NCHC schedule. SCSU has not won a league game in regulation in 2024 with former Tigers goalie Dom Basse looking to rebound from a rough personal stretch (0-3-1, 4.67 goals against, .835 saves percentage).

Regardless, the 16^th-ranked Huskies are more than capable of sweeping the Tigers, who are 6-5-1 at Ed Robson Arena.

“They are good defensively,” Mayotte said. “Their D corps has changed a lot. They have some younger guys back there, but they play such good team hockey that it is hard to create advantages. It’s going to come off of our structure and our pursuit to create turnovers and putting our guys in spots where we can attack off of those.”

The importance of each game grows as the NCHC playoffs near. CC shows signs of developing into a team built for the postseason, including the NCAA Tournament, which the program has not reached since NHLer Jaden Schwartz led the Tigers to the 2011 West regional final.

The Tigers are 6-1 this season in tied games when entering the third period, supported by an improved offensive output with 21 goals scored in the last eight games, in contrast with the 8-game run CC ended last season on when they managed just 10.

“We are building the characteristics of teams that win down the stretch,” Mayotte said. “But what we have done has no bearing on what is ahead of us. This team has a good focus, a good hunger and a good drive, so I trust we will be ready to play.”

Colorado College sophomore Noah Laba, Kaidan Mbereko garner NCHC monthly honors

Colorado College sophomore goalie Kaidan Mbereko repeated as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Goalie of the Month, garnering the award after taking home December’s honors while second-year center Noah Laba was named as the January Player of the Month for his performance.

This was Laba’s first monthly honor while Mbereko is a five-time career honoree, including three last season. North Dakota defenseman Jake LIvanavage is January’s Rookie of the Month.

All three NCHC honorees are now eligible for national player, goalie and rookie of the month awards, which will be announced Feb. 6.

Laba, of Northville, Mich., led the league with seven goals and three game-winners to pace CC to a 6-2 record in January with an average of 1.25 points per game. The New York Rangers draft pick recorded four multi-point games. The 15-8-1 Tigers went 6-0 when Laba scored a goal in January.

His seven goals in January doubled his season total to a team-high 14 goals and pushed him to the team lead in points at 22, matching his total from his freshman season (22 in 35 games) in just 23 games as a sophomore.

Mbereko led the Tigers to a 6-2-0 record in January with a league-high 234 saves, 36 more than the second best, while ranking second with a .921 saves percentage. The Aspen native posted a 2.52 goals against average.

The college free agent did not allow more than two goals during his current, career-high five-game winning streak and recorded 30-plus saves in four January contests, including 38 in a 2-1 overtime win at Western Michigan last Saturday.

He received the NCHC Goaltender of the Week honor twice in January. He now leads the league with a .915 saves percentage, and is fourth at 2.52 goals against. His 15-8-1 record is tied for most wins among NCHC goalies.

Image courtesy CCTigers.com.

Another night, another OT winner for Noah Laba after 38-save performance by Kaidan Mbereko

By Joe Paisley

On a drizzly Saturday night in Kalamazoo, the stars – Tigers sophomore standouts Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko – shined inside Lawson Ice Arena.

For the second overtime game in a row, Colorado College’s Laba scored to lift the No. 16 Tigers to a 2-1 win over No. 12 Western Michigan Saturday night, winning by the same score as Friday night.

The victory moves CC (15-8-1, 9-5-0-5-1, 23 points) into third place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with a program-high nine NCHC wins.

On Saturday, Laba scored with 2:03 left in the 5-minute 3-on-3 OT, ending what was a dominant performance by the fifth-place Broncos, who swarmed the Tigers and tilted the ice in their favor in the second and third periods.

“(Laba) has been great for us. He really stepped forward and is that guy for us,” Mbereko told KRDO Radio. “They were playing a really good game for 60 minutes but our guys stuck with it. It wasn’t perfect but those guys executed when it mattered most. I am thankful for them.”

Safe to say they were pretty happy to have No. 30 in their team. 

Mbereko finished with 38 saves, one shy of his season high and two of his career best (40 vs. Omaha, Feb. 11, 2023). He made 16 in the scoreless third period to set up OT and Laba’s fourth OT game-winner this season and second this weekend.

“They beat us in every aspect of the game except, fortunately, on the scoreboard,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “They were in complete control of tonight’s game. We didn’t have an answer against their transition. I guess, we did, Kaidan Mbereko.”

“We gutted out a result we probably didn’t deserve,” Mayotte added. “But we have a belief, we have a toughness and right now this team continues to find ways (to win). Labs and Kaidan had an incredible weekend. I would be surprised if he isn’t national goalie of the month. That might be the best performance I have seen from him in 1 1/2 years.”

Laba’s game winner was set up by a high hard shot by freshman Evan Werner that WMU goalie Cameron Rowe (21 saves) was unable to snag, leaving the rebound there for Laba, who also banged in a rebound to open the scoring about five minutes into the first period of the series finale.

“Both of his goals weren’t how he usually scores (on the rush) but he muscled those in,” Mayotte said after the Tigers’ sixth sweep this season. “We had a lot of guys step forward. For a while there Logan Will was hot and leading us and now Labs is. We have a ton of confidence in how we play.”

Gleb Veremyev and Nicklas Andrews picked up the assists on Laba’s first tally while Jack Millar and Werner assisted the game winner, which was Laba’s 14th goal this season and third this weekend. His 22 points in 23 games matches his 22 in 35 games from last season with all six career game winners coming as a sophomore.

Mbereko made 61 saves with two goals allowed for a .968 saves percentage this weekend.