DEC 12, 2024 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano
Kaidan Mbereko ‘26 is no stranger to success.
The 2024 Mike Ritcher Award finalist, awarded to the top three goaltenders in Division I men’s ice hockey, was named goaltender of the month for November by both the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) and National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Adding to his long list of accolades, Mbereko has led the Tigers back into the national polls for 51 weeks, giving the Colorado College Tigers a fighting chance against tough opponents like the University of North Dakota and national champions Denver University.
Amidst his goaltender abilities and attention to detail is an unexpected habit and secret weapon: his notes.
Mbereko has taken meticulous notes before practice since he was 13 after his first goalie coach Stan Matwijiw encouraged him to write down two things he could control about practice. It was one of the habits Matwijiw and the Bandits Goalie School instilled in Mbereko, along with “Have A Purpose,” or HAP.
The term “Have A Purpose” comes from Ian Jenkins, a 2011 second-round OHL draftee and Michigan native, who tragically died 15 days after he was drafted to the London Knights. According to The Hockey Writers, Jenkins lived by “Have A Purpose,” even engraving it in his hockey pads. Jenkins played with Matwijiw for almost six years before his death, and Matwijiw passed Jenkins’ legacy onto his goalies, including 13-year-old Mbereko.
“He tried to get that message onto me and all his goalies he coached,” Mbereko said, who also now embellishes his gear with HAP. “It just really stuck with me, and the notebook came along because that was just something that [Jenkins] did, too. He thought it obviously helped, and I think it’s helped too.”
The habit has followed him through the U.S. Hockey League (USHL) Lincoln Stars, U17 and U18 U.S. National Development Team, an NHL Minnesota Wild development camp, and three years as the Tigers’ starting goalie. Now an All-American collegiate goaltender, Mbereko continues to write notes before and after practice.
Since arriving in Colorado Springs in July 2022, he’s gone through multiple small journals and three composition notebooks. His notebooks are scattered between Ed Robson Arena and his apartment, but he keeps a small black leather-faced journal in his locker at all times. It’s filled with months of practice, usually four or five lines a day.
His daily notes include things like “compete,” “press your hands,” “hit your spots,” “little details” and “for 60 minutes,” or what Mbereko calls the keys to his practice or game. He writes his four goals for the day’s practice before they start and then reflects on how he executed them. During games, he checks his small black journal between periods.
As far as Mbereko knows, none of his teammates take notes like he does. Their high-performance mindset coach and sports psychologist, Dr. Wally Bzdell, – also known as Doc – introduced journaling and daily reflection, a practice Mbereko says the team has “started to really hone in [on] and embrace.”
According to Dr. Bzdell’s website, “Doc helps athletes develop habits of quality thinking and training while identifying and removing obstacles to success; providing performance enhancement within personal development,” primarily through mindfulness.
While Mbereko has employed notes and reflections since he was a teenager, he continues to value reflection.
“I look back at it and [ask], ‘Did I really own up or hold myself accountable? Did I really do what I wanted to do today?’” said Mbereko.
Head coach Kris Mayotte emphasizes his core beliefs, or TIGER, “Team First, Intentionality, Gratitude, Efficacy and Resilience.” While he has high standards for the team, he also instills values that serve the Tigers in all aspects of being, traits Mbereko exemplifies.
Taking notes and HAP also ground Mbereko in his goals, especially when emotions or tensions on the ice rise in games. He skates to the corners to reset while the Tigers have the puck, often running through his goals for the night. Despite roaring crowds, he stays focused and grounded in his performance.
“lt helps me be intentional through each moment, and there’s obviously a lot of situations that can happen and adversity throughout the game,” Mbereko said. “It keeps me grounded, brings me back to the moment and helps me focus on the next player, the next shot.”
For Mayotte, his star goalie’s notes show the depth of his understanding and passion for the game.
“He makes a lot of plays in a lot of situations look really easy that just quite honestly shouldn’t be,” Mayotte told Ryan Lambert for EP Rinkside. “He doesn’t have to use his athleticism very often, and that’s a big credit to how smart he is as a goalie and how well he anticipates and reads plays.”
In class, like many CC students have learned in three-hour classes, taking notes can be tedious, and Mbereko opts for his computer to take notes instead. He’s been named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference team for two consecutive years now, proving that his system works both on the Block Plan and the ice.
The No. 10 Tigers and Mbereko face their biggest challenge yet this weekend: The Battle for the Gold Pan against the No. 2 DU Pioneers on Dec. 13 and 14. The Tigers were the last to beat the Pioneers on March 8, before the Pios’ 21-game win streak, including clinching the NCAA DI national championship title in April.
Just three days before the puck dropped, Mbereko had one major request.
“Don’t disclose all of my secrets, though,” he grinned.
Mbereko and the Tigers welcome the Pioneers to Ed Robson Arena for The Battle for the Gold Pan opening campaign on Friday, Dec. 13, at 7:00 p.m.