OCT 3, 2024 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano
Hockey season is back at Colorado College.
The Colorado College Tigers hockey team opens play at Ed Robson Arena on Saturday, Oct. 5 in an exhibition game against Briercrest College (Canada) before starting their season campaign on Oct. 11 and 12 against the Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
The Tigers rose to national ranks for the first time since 2013 last year and even dipped into the Top Ten, sweeping former No. 1 University of North Dakota four times and beating rival Denver University. After narrowly missing a NCAA tournament run by .0004 in the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), the team is hot in pursuit of what head coach Kris Mayotte considers “unfinished business.”
“As devastated as we were [to not make the tournament], it’s left us really hungry,” said Lesley Irvine, CC’s athletic director. “This team is a team that has a history of success. It’s not that we’ve never won. It’s just been a while.”
Heading into the 2024-2025 season, the Tigers sit ranked at No. 11 in the United States Collegiate Hockey Organization (USCHO) polls, their highest preseason ranking since 2011
Despite opportunities to sign professional contracts for stars Noah Laba ‘26, Kaidan Mbereko ‘26, Gleb Veremyev ‘25 and Zaccharya Wisdom ‘27, the players returned to Colorado College.
“They wanted to finish what they started. It was about changing a program and [help] this program do things it hasn’t done in a long time,” said Kris Mayotte, head coach. “And I think that they saw that we were pretty close but fell a little short, so it’s a little bit of unfinished business.”
Laba and Mbereko both claimed All-American and All-NCHC awards following last season, and both were named preseason All-NCHC. The New York Rangers, according to The Gazette, made three significant pushes for Laba to sign pro, but the decorated player returned to Colorado Springs in July.
“That says something,” Ken Landau, broadcaster of the Tigers, said on the decision to stay. “It speaks to the culture here. It speaks to the coaching staff. It speaks to what’s being built: these guys want to finish what they’ve started.”
This year’s roster includes 28 players, including nine NHL draft picks, four transfers, and eight freshmen. Twenty-six of the 28 were recruited by Mayotte and his staff, leaving only Max Burkholder ‘27 and Tyler Coffey ‘25 from the previous coaching staff. With players like Fisher Scott, whom Mayotte recruited immediately following his arrival at CC, this year’s team was long-awaited.
Among top returners, are transfers Ty Gallagher and Chase McLane, both graduate students, Brady Cleveland ‘27 and Charlie Strobel ‘26, all boasting leadership and post-season tournament experience, including Frozen Four appearances from Gallagher and McLane.
Landau, who has covered the Tigers for 17 years, believes this team will enhance offensive output and players are ready to take the next step in collegiate growth. He expects maturity on the ice from all players, regardless of how long they’ve played under Colorado College.
“This is the deepest team that we’ve had here since 2011, and this is probably even a deeper team” Landau said about the current team.” There’s more talent. In my 17 years, we’ve never had nine draft picks on the team.”
Last season’s success propelled the Tigers into success and national recognition, and while they head into the season ranked, Mayotte is relying on his upperclassmen and captains to carry integrity and intentionality in the team’s day-to-day morale and effort. As coach, he emphasizes the values and processes that will lead to success, not where the team is ranked.
Mayotte even has an acronym for their values, TIGER: Team-first, Intentionality, Gratitude, Efficacy, and Resilience.
Stanley Cooley ‘25 will serve as this season’s captain, joined by assistant captains Ethan Straky ‘26 and Laba. Mayotte and Irvine are confident these three will lead the team to success, along with remembering their daily values.
“We also have a group of returning that understands that the reason we became that team that we became last year is because of the work that we did day-to-day,” Mayotte said. “They believe in the formula. They believe in the process. They have more conviction and more confidence in the way that they prepare and the way they develop.”
For Irvine, the Tigers’ recent success is a testament to Mayotte’s coaching. She called him the “right coach at the right time,” and applauded his ability to win and succeed “the right way.” Irvine believes winning is about exceeding your potential, and is confident the CC hockey team is moving in the right direction.
“For the first time in a long time, this team has a lot of expectations coming, and we have to continue to adhere to our values,” Irvine said. “What helped get us there, the hard work, and the focus on [the] process.”
The Tigers open with an exhibition game this Saturday at Robson Arena at 6 p.m. They then take on the Wildcats on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12. Tickets for Saturday’s exhibition game will be available to students through Friday, and Northern Michigan tickets will be available Monday, Oct. 7 at 8 a.m.
Irvine called on students to come to hockey games. As a staple of the Colorado Springs athletic and hockey community, she is excited to see students back in the student section.
“It makes such a difference in there to play in front of a packed area with our students,” she smiled.