JAN 23, 2025 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano and Thomas Nielsen
Before their series against the University of Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 17 and 18, the Colorado College Tigers were on a five-game losing streak. They had dropped from No. 8 in the USA College Hockey Online (USCHO) coaches polls to No. 18 in a span of just two weeks.
On Jan. 17, the Tigers snapped their losing streak in a decisive 7-2 victory against National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) rival, Minnesota-Duluth. While they ultimately split the series after a 1-4 loss on Saturday, fans and students caught a glimpse at the team that went on a remarkable 8-0 run at the beginning of the season.
“I felt like it was a great team effort tonight. Everyone was going, pucks were moving,” said Noah Laba ‘26 following the win.
“We’ve worked hard for this. The past two weekends didn’t go our way, but we show up every Monday and get back to work. Great team win.”
Heading into the weekend, the Tigers and Bulldogs were tied at No. 7 in the NCHC’s regular season rankings, and a sweep for either side would have broken the tie. For the Tigers, a loss would have put their record below .500 and potentially dropped them from the national polls altogether.
The stakes were high, and the games were physical. Both teams accrued 16 penalties by the end of the third period on Friday.
“We wanted to play physical,” head coach Kris Mayotte shared after the game. “I didn’t notice us being more physical than normal, but I do think sometimes the penalties go up to keep the game at a certain level.”
With nine seconds left in the second period, Tiger captain Stanley Cooley ‘25 received a two-minute minor for cross-checking. Seven seconds later, Brady Cleveland ‘27 joined Cooley for high-sticking.
Despite their 6-1 lead, the Tigers now had to kill a 5-on-3 penalty. They started the final period down two men, and at 1:28 in the third, Fischer Scott ‘28 was called for tripping. Once all three players had been released, the fans at Ed Robson Arena collectively exhaled. The Tigers had destroyed one of the Bulldogs’ final chances to settle the night’s score.
“There was some belief that we could get it done. 5-on-3, that’s a big opportunity,” said Mayotte. “We’d obviously scored up until that point, but one of our objectives is to limit what we’re giving up right now.”
Laba was at the front of Friday’s offensive output. He has struggled to score since missing five games in Oct. and Nov. due to an ankle injury. On Friday, the star center and Rangers draft pick gave one of his best collegiate performances. He scored his first career hat trick, accounting for three of the team’s seven goals on the night.
Rookie left winger Owen Beckner ‘28 assisted all three of Laba’s goals. Beckner recently moved up to the first line with Laba and Zaccharya Wisdom ‘27 and currently leads the freshmen Tigers in points and goals. Beckner totaled four assists on Friday.
“Unreal guy. Unreal player. From the minute he’s been here, he’s been impactful,” Laba said on Beckner. “His playmaking is on another level, and I’m really grateful I get to be on a line with him.”
The 7-2 win on Friday marked the Tigers’ season high for goals in one game. They also recorded eight penalties, another, less exciting season high.
Though they didn’t hold the team back from a big win on Friday, time in the box hurt the Tigers on Saturday.
The Tigers started strong in the first period, outshooting the Bulldogs 12-5. However, the visitors held strong and struck first with a power play goal with 1:07 left in the period. CC junior forward Gleb Veremyev evened the score 42 seconds later.
Minnesota-Duluth put two more past Tigers goalie Kaidan Mbereko ‘26 in the second period. The first was scored by Bulldogs winger Blake Bechen, who redirected a shot midair from defenseman Aidan Dubinsky. The Tigers challenged the goal for high-sticking, but it was upheld.
After Cleveland was booked for indirect contact to the head, Mbereko saved Bulldogs center Callum Arnott’s shot in front of goal on the power play. Mbereko was knocked over and didn’t get back into position until after winger Jayson Shaunacy scored. Mayotte challenged the goal for goaltender interference to no avail, with CC receiving a delay of game penalty for a second unsuccessful challenge.
The Bulldogs defense held strong in the third period to outlast the Tigers. Anthony Menghihi scored the Bulldogs’ fourth goal of the night against an empty net with two minutes left to put the game out of reach. The final score was 1-4, adding another loss to the Tigers’ season record.
Mayotte said postgame that the Tigers had set a goal for the number of penalties the team would take this weekend. He did not share the exact number but with a season penalty high, the Tigers struggled at the hands of penalty kills.
The Tigers moved from No. 18 to No. 19 in the USCHO’s weekly poll on Monday, Jan. 20. They remained at No. 33 in the pairwise rankings.
Colorado College now faces an uphill path to qualifying for the NCAA tournament. To qualify, teams must either win their conference tournament or be among the top ten remaining teams in the pairwise rankings. The Tigers have 12 games left to improve their spot, 10 against teams ranked higher in nationwide polls. If the Tigers don’t improve their pairwise rank, they must win the NCHC championship to qualify.
When asked what the team needs to do to get back on track, Tigers coach Kris Mayotte had only one thing to say: “Stop taking penalties.”
The Tigers travel to Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24 and 25 for a pair of conference games against No. 11 Arizona State University.