February 29, 2024 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano
Hot off their Feb. 16 and 17 home sweeps against No. 5 University of North Dakota, the former No. 10 Colorado College Tigers hit the road to face the University of Omaha for their final regular season away games.
When the weekend concluded, the University of Omaha Mavericks claimed five points of the available six, winning 0-3 on Friday before tying the Tigers 1-1 on Saturday.
The Tigers were propelled into the NCAA Top 10 for the first time in 12 years on Feb. 19. CC’s domination over North Dakota received praise nationwide, prompting an Instagram user, @bquimby.29, to call Colorado College the “hottest team in the NCAA right now.”
Head coach Kris Mayotte, shared he was ready to hit the road again during a Feb. 22
“I think we’re fortunate that it’s on the road,” Mayotte told host Dan Cochell. “For us, we have to make sure the North Dakota series is behind us so they don’t think that has any indication on how this weekend [will] go. It’s going to be a battle.”
Ken Landau, CC’s play-by-play broadcaster, agreed that previous games would not dictate the series outcome in Nebraska in his own KRDO interview “The scoreboard reads 0-0 when you start the game. They take that approach into every game, and that’s the way they’ll approach tonight when they go inside Baxter Arena to take on Omaha.”
Both teams entered hungry, but the Mavericks dominated control of the puck. The Tigers placed five shots on goal in the first fifteen minutes, while Omaha tallied nine. The hosting Mavericks secured the lead at 16:10 in the first period when fifth year Jack Randl sank the puck behind CC’s Kaidan Mbereko ‘26.
Following Randl’s goal, the Mavericks placed three more shots on net before the first period ended. Both teams ended the period man-down following a two-minute roughing minor on Klavs Veinbergs ‘27 and Omaha’s Jimmy Glyenn.
The Tigers charged back in the second period. Senior Logan Will drove to the Tiger’s offensive zone and fired two consecutive shots. His efforts fell just short, nicking the pipe in his first attempt.
Neither team scored in the second period, but Friday’s final 20 minutes carried the Mavericks to their victory. Six minutes in, Ty Mueller raised the Mavericks 0-2 with help from Randl and Tanner Ludtke. A loose puck in the neutral zone allowed Omaha’s final goal of the night at 17:41, bringing the final score to 0-3.
Maverick’s goalie Simon Latkoczy denied CC’s chance to score, and despite 40 attempted shots, the Tigers could not find the back of the net.
In a video from Colorado College Tiger Hockey, Mayotte stated the team couldn’t dwell on the loss with Saturday ahead of them. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference [NCHC] is known for its cutthroat environment, which Mayotte noted.
“That’s what this league is. Nobody gets through it clean. You’ve got to be able to handle hockey and tough results. That’s what creates really good teams and creates champions.”
The Tigers stormed back on Saturday. Jack Millar ‘24, Nicklas Andrews ‘24, Stanley Cooley ‘25 and Max Burkholder ‘27 drove to the goal within the starting two minutes, rebounding shots off each other.
However, first-year Bret Link tallied the Tigers their first lead of the weekend. After receiving a pass from Ryan Beck ‘26 and Millar, Link fired a wrist shot from the right circle, burying the puck behind Latkoczy.
With a scoreless second period across the board, the Tigers and Mavericks fought back and forth for possession of the puck in the final period. With only five minutes remaining and determined to tie the game, the Mavericks put consistent pressure on Mbereko.
The final score was 1-1 and neither team walked away from overtime with a lead. The game was recorded as a conference tie with a pending shootout. Omaha won the shootout and earned their fifth point of the series.
“I liked our start. I thought we were committed to it, I thought we executed early on. Obviously got us a lead, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t stick with it. Part of it was us, part of it was them,” Mayotte said following Saturday’s game.
The time on the road allowed for the team to refocus, but Mayotte’s excitement for the trip wasn’t only reserved for a different environment; multiple Tigers were returning to familiar stomping grounds.
“The majority of guys that make it to this league come from the USHL, so there’s a lot of comfortability with [this] part of the country,” said Mayotte on Feb. 21. “It feels comfortable, and I think going back to a place like Omaha it’s a great trip, it’s a great town, it’s a great rink; they do a lot of things…really well. It’s one of the ones we look forward to.”
Captain Logan Will grew up two hours away from Omaha in Ames, Iowa, and spent his junior career with the Omaha Lancers. Drew Montgomery ‘27 is also a Lancers alumnus.
Lincoln Stars alumni include junior Stanley Cooley, sophomores Kaidan Mbereko, Gleb Veremyev, and Noah Laba, and freshmen Tyler Dunbar, Klavs Veinbergs, and Antonio Fernandez. Evan Werner ‘27 also played for the Stars before transferring to the Tri-City Storm.
The series against Omaha dropped the Tigers to No. 11 in the United States Collegiate Hockey Organization (USCHO) polls. With under a month until post-season games begin, Mayotte noted, “There is too much volatility to feel good or bad about the number next to your name.”
The No. 11 Tigers will return to Ed Robson Arena on March 1 and 2 for their final home weekend series of the year against the University of Minnesota Duluth.