January 25, 2024 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano
The No. 16 Colorado College hockey team returned to Ed Robson Arena to face the Miami University RedHawks on Jan. 19 and 20, after six weeks on the road. The series welcomed the CC Tiger’s second season meeting against Miami and first conference campaign in their home arena.
The RedHawks, fresh off their first conference win against Western Michigan, entered the weekend determined to clinch another National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) victory. However, the ranked Tigers tallied two wins against Miami, celebrating a triumphant return to campus.
“Our building was great, our fans were fantastic,” head coach Kris Mayotte concluded after the series. “They were in it all 120 minutes and gave us energy when we didn’t have any. It was good to be home.”
In both games, the RedHawks found the back of the net first, securing early leads against the Tigers. Visiting Matthew Barbolini and Hampus Rydqvist earned minor penalties in the opening period, and Barbolini scored Miami’s only goal of the night at 16:17 minutes, following his release from the penalty box.
The Tigers started slowly in the second period, allowing 26 RedHawk shots on goal compared to their 13. However, goaltender Kaidan Mbereko ‘26 answered his opponents’ offensive efforts skillfully, shutting the visiting team out.
Mayotte recognized his team’s second period as their weak spot and wasn’t surprised by their waning energy. He applauded Mbereko’s performance in press conferences Friday and Saturday, confident his goalie would get the team on their feet.
“[Mbereko] has the ability to make stuff look easy. We’re so fortunate to have a guy like that; we really are,” Mayotte noted following Saturday’s game. “We give up big-time chances, and our guys don’t ride the roller coaster because we have Mbereko there. He’s invaluable to what we’re doing.”
Down 0-1, the Tigers entered the third poised to pounce back. 33 seconds in, Chase Foley ‘24 fired from the offensive line, and teammate Noah Laba ‘26 found the open right corner behind RedHawk goalie Bruno Bruveris. Robson’s packed stands erupted, and the score was tied 1-1 with 19 minutes left.
With two minutes remaining, Laba broke the puck out from Miami, drove down the ice, and was met by Evan Werner ’27 and Tommy Middleton ’25 in the offensive zone. When Middleton spotted a clearing in the right circle, he brought the Tigers on top with his second game-winning goal.
However, Miami challenged Middleton’s goal immediately. After discussion between referees, the officials returned with the final call of the game, and Robson was once again on its feet. With the confirmed goal, Colorado College ran the clock out.
“I’m happy for our guys, especially Tommy – there’s a guy you can root for. That was a huge goal for him,” said Mayotte. “He’s a character guy, it doesn’t matter. He has a smile on his face every single day. He’s been so close so many times, so for him to get that type of goal, a game-winner in crunch time, that’s awesome for him.”
Saturday’s campaign began with an early penalty goal, placing the RedHawks on the board first. Gleb Veremyev ‘26 received a two-minute penalty for roughing within 90 seconds of the puck drop, and Miami took advantage of the power play. Forward Stanley Cooley ’25 blocked a shot, but Miami’s PJ Fletcher knocked the puck past Mbereko at 2:13.
Four minutes later, first-year defenseman Max Burkholder passed to Laba just outside the crease, and the sophomore tallied his second goal of the weekend against Bruveris. Burkholder struck again at 9:22, coming around the crease and sending the puck into the net with a snapshot. He was assisted by Klavs Veinbergs ‘27 and captain Logan Will ‘24.
At 14:31, in the second period, Werner and Veinbergs moved the puck off the boards, navigating it to Jack Millar. While Millar waited above the faceoff circles, he had a clear view of the goal when he took his shot and furthered the Tigers’ lead 3-1.
With one period remaining in the weekend, CC’s fans were confident in a sweep. Their energy propelled the game into the third as the Tigers held possession of the puck, frustrating the visiting team. Blake Mesenburg was called for goalie interference at 10:28, and the Tigers went on a power play.
Mesenburg’s penalty allowed CC to end their tally with four goals. Supported by Burkholder and Will, forward Zaccharya Wisdom ‘27 pushed the puck into the goal, tying CC’s only power-play goal of the weekend. The goal was Wisdom’s fifth of the season and Burkholder’s second assist of the night.
Burkholder’s performance over the weekend earned him NCHC Rookie of the Week — his first conference recognition.
“[Burkholder] is dynamic offensively — he holds it on his forehand,” Mayotte said during Saturday’s press conference. “I think he got his feet moving again with pucks instead of just being a distributor. He attacked and was smart about it.”
Miami finished the series with a short-handed goal by Max Dukovac with two minutes left, but the sweep was determined. The Tigers earned two more home wins, moving them from No. 18 to No. 16 in United States College Hockey Oorganization’s (USCHO) polls.
CC is now 7-5-0 in conference wins and 13-8-1 overall, their most successful season since 2011/2012. However, the Tigers shared they don’t focus too much on rankings, despite their historical year.
“We’ve earned that. It’s not something that’s been given to us in the past few years,” noted Nicklas Andrews on Jan. 16’s Kris Mayotte Show. “It’s something that we’ve created and molded into who we are as a team in the locker room, something we carry each and every weekend.”
With over six weeks remaining in the regular season, the Tigers hit the road this weekend to face No. 12 Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, MI. Both games will be available through NCHC.