The much-anticipated Pikes Peak Trophy rivalry swept through Colorado Springs last weekend as the Colorado College Tigers faced off against the Air Force Academy Falcons. The Tigers competed on Friday and Saturday night, defeating the Falcons in both games to win the weekend series and the Pikes Peak Trophy for the ninth consecutive year.
The Tigers started the weekend ranked 12th by the U.S. College Hockey Organization (USCHO) National Poll and have now moved up three spots, coming in ninth after the series win. This is the first time since the middle of the 2024-25 season that the Tigers have been ranked top ten in the polls.
To start the weekend, the Tigers played at Ed Robson Arena, marking a historic 100 games played at Ed Robson Arena. The arena also just celebrated its fifth year of operation after opening on Sept. 8, 2021. The Air Force Academy has been a huge part of the Arena’s legacy. They played the first game, and the Tigers scored their first goal in the rink during an exhibition game on Oct. 2, 2021. They were also part of the Tigers’ first home win on Oct. 30, 2021, when CC won 8-1 against the Falcons.
In an after-game interview, Head Coach Kris Mayotte commented on the importance of Ed Robson Arena for the school’s hockey program. “The first goal that we ever scored is the picture that’s in our video room on the wall…we are trying to build a program that is going to win a championship. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we have everything we need to do it.”
On Friday night, the Tigers glided onto the ice and played an aggressive and impressive game to start the weekend. Jackson Unger ‘29 played in net for the Tigers and started the game with impressive saves to keep the Falcons scoreless for the first period. The chants ringing throughout the student section were outwardly creative in this game and included, “coast guard’s better,” “start the airplanes,” and “it’s all your fault.”
Mayotte also commented on how important the fans and student section are to this program, “Our student section was awesome. When we played that pregame video tonight, the student sections were dancing and enjoying themselves…We have such loyal and great fans, they support us every single night, they make this a really hard place for opponents to come and play.”
With shot after shot, the Tigers got their first goal of the night, four minutes into the first period, after a smooth pass from Zach Olsen ‘30 to Ryan Koering ‘28, who took a slap shot straight to the back of the net. This goal was also assisted by Mats Lindgren ‘29. The second goal of the game came halfway through the period after Olsen picked up a failed shot by the Falcons and sent the puck down the ice to be picked up by Wilson Bjork ‘29, who passed to Klavs Veinbergs ‘27, who was wide open in front of the net. Veinbergs, while kneeling, backhanded the puck above the goalie’s pads to get another point on the board for the Tigers. For the rest of the period, the Tigers kept the score at 2-0 and killed off many penalties as well.
The second period started with the Tigers hungry for more goals on the board. After a delayed penalty call, Unger left the net to help the Tigers have a one-man advantage while the Falcons tried to force a whistle. As the Tigers were on a man advantage, Tomas Mrsic ‘29 sent a pass to Max Burkholder ‘27 who skated around the back of the net up to the blue line, taking a shot. That shot soared into the back of the net after being deflected by the stick of Carmelo Crandell ‘29, earning his first goal of his inaugural Colorado College season. With five minutes left of the period, the Falcons received a holding penalty and subsequently, the Tigers went on the power play and received another point on the board. After receiving a pass from Crandell, Veinbergs passed over to Bjork, who took a shot, landing another point on the board for the Tigers. The Tigers ended the period leading by four but also on a penalty kill after Olsen received a minor penalty for high-sticking.
Crandell commented on his first goal for the Tigers in the Ed Robson Arena, “To score at the Ed Robson Arena is an unreal feeling. It’s always nice to score but in front of this crowd it makes it even more special.”
To start the third period, the Tigers were still down a player for 29 seconds. During which, 18 seconds into the third period, the Falcons scored their first goal. The Falcons also switched out their goalie, who had started the game, for their backup goalie, Jack Solomon ‘30. Two minutes later, the Tigers responded again with a top-shelf shot from Colton Roberts ‘29, assisted by Philippe Blais-Savoie ‘28 and Bret Link ‘27. A minute after the Tigers’ fifth goal of the night, they got one more goal to drive the game home, a pass from Seth Constance ‘28 to Fisher Scott ‘28 and a shot from Scott was tipped in by Link, making the score a resounding 6-1. Finishing out the aggressive and chippy period, the Falcons scored one more goal with two minutes left to make the score 6-2.
After their win on Friday night, the Colorado College Tigers went to the Air Force Academy to play at the Cadet Ice Arena on Saturday. The Falcons, adorned in their black jerseys with “strategic deterrence” on the backs, got ready to face off against the excited Tigers, who were ready for another win in the series.
The first period started slowly as both teams worked to get into their respective offensive zones, though both teams ended the first period scoreless. CC took two penalties but, on-par with a common theme throughout this weekend and past games, the penalty kill was very strong and Unger played just as strongly, keeping pucks from the back of the net.
The second period started to become a chippier game and the penalty box showed that as well. CC was able to have three power play opportunities and collected on one of those, scoring the first goal of the night. After a pass from Lindgren and Burkholder, Owen Beckner took a slapshot straight to the back of the net, making that his first goal of the season. Four minutes later, the Tigers fought to get the puck out of their defensive zone and after a pass from Connor Hvidston ‘29, Crandell took the puck all the way to the back of the net, scoring the second goal of the night and his second goal of the weekend. Ending the second period, CC was put into a predicament. After a successful coaches’ challenge from the Air Force bench, Bjork received a five-minute major for cross-checking and was ejected from the game with four minutes left in the period.
Colorado College killed off the five minute penalty after starting the third period with 55 seconds left of the penalty kill to start the third period. One minute after killing off the penalty, the Tigers responded with another goal. After a pass and a shot from Ty Halabara ‘30 and Scott, respectively, a rebound was open out front and Beckner tallied his second of the night, making the Tigers lead 3-0 now. The period stayed consistent with each team getting shots off, but the score stayed with the Tigers leading by three. As the time in the third period ran down, a buzzer-beater shot was taken by Crandell with 0.6 seconds left on the clock with an assist from Colton Roberts ‘29, marking his second goal of the night and ending the game with the Tigers winning 4-0.
After the impressive weekend he had, earning the first star of the game on Friday, tallying three goals in the series and having a team best for the season with six points, Carmelo Crandell was named the KJ Branding NCHC forward of the week. Crandell commented on the impressive week he had, specifically noting winning the first star of the game on Friday, “Honestly, I didn’t know what to feel at the moment. Looking back on it, I can say for sure that I am extremely grateful”
Crandell is a transfer from Arizona State University and had great things to say about his teammates and the coaches here. “I’ve been really enjoying it so far, there are so many great things here. My teammates, the staff, our facilities, there’s really nothing not to like,” he said. He added a point about how much the coaching here is important for him, “The coaches push us hard to develop and get better and that’s something I really appreciate. Since coming here, I feel like I’ve been able to round out my game while also improving on my strengths as a player.”
The Tigers are still finding their footing as a team and a spooky test of their skills is coming up this Halloween weekend, Oct. 30 and 31. The Tigers will face off against a top-10 matchup, No.7 Minnesota Duluth. This will also be the Tigers’ first face-off against an NCHC opponent.