2023–24 Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2023–24 Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey season was the 84th season of play for the program and the 11th in the NCHC . The Tigers represented Colorado College in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season , played their home games at the Ed Robson Arena and were coached by Kris Mayotte , in his 3rd season.
Season
After narrowly missing out on a surprise conference championship the year before, there was a sense of renewed hope for the program. With the goaltending situation presumably taken care of, thanks to returning starter Kaidan Mbereko , the biggest task for CC was to fix its scoring woes. Having had one of the worst offenses in the nation in '23, Colorado College entered this season by losing it top scorer and more than a quarter of its goals. The Tigers would need to see improvements from across the board if they wanted to end their decade-plus of losing hockey and that's exactly what they received. Noah Laba , who had finished second in scoring the year before, took over as the primary threat for the Tigers and became a 20-goal scorer for CC. The team also got a huge boost from Gleb Veremyev who looked to be completely recovered from a torn ACL .[ 1]
The team looked strong in October, beginning the season 5–0 for the first time since 2005.[ 2] Miami , the worst team in the conference. Mbereko was a little shaky during the stretch but it was the lack of offense that doomed CC. In the six games they played against ranked teams, the Tigers managed just 5 goals and were shutout twice. If Colorado College had any pretentions of being a contender for the NCAA tournament they would have to find a way to win against good teams.
Just before the winter break, CC travelled up to face North Dakota who was then the #1 team in the country. Defying their recent struggles, Colorado College overcame a 2-goal deficit to win in overtime thanks to Laba's 7th of the season. The Tigers appeared to be strengthened by the win and fought even harder in the rematch, this time with Veremyev netting the winning goal. As the team headed into its mid-season vacation, the road sweep of the Fighting Hawks completely altered the fortunes of the Tigers. Upon the team's return to the ice, Mbereko found a new level and become one of the top goaltenders in the nation. From mid-January through early March, Mbereko allowed more than 2 goals in just two games and his stellar play enabled the team to go 9–2–2 in that span.
CC rocketed up the rankings and at the end of the regular season, they were sitting 11th in the PairWise. With the club all but guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, all the Tigers needed to do was win their semifinal match against Omaha and they'd make their first postseason appearance since 2011. However, the Mavericks were also playing for the lives and played desperate in the first game. CC found itself down by 3 goals in the second period but a stellar game from their special teams enabled the Tigers to tie the game and win it in overtime. After Omaha countered with a win in the rematch, the season came down to the deciding game three. Klāvs Veinbergs got CC a lead in the first but the rest of the offense was silent in the game. Despite a strong defensive effort, Omaha took the lead in the third and Colorado College was unable to respond.[ 3]
Despite the loss, the Tigers still had a chance to make the NCAA tournament. They had dropped to 14th in the PairWise but that was still good enough to receive an at-large bid if events broke their way over the final weekend. All the Tigers needed was for either Quinnipiac to win the ECAC Hockey title, North Dakota to win the NCHC title, or Boston College to lose in the Hockey East championship game and, so long as there were no other upsets, the Tigers would make the field of 16.[ 4] Massachusetts .0004 points ahead of CC for the last spot in the tournament and left the Tigers out in the cold.
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Max Burkholder
Defenseman
United States 20
Chaska, MN
Tyler Dunbar
Defenseman
United States 19
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Antonio Fernandez
Defenseman
United States 19
San Jose, CA
Bret Link
Forward
United States 21
Anchorage, AK
Drew Montgomery
Forward
United States 20
Grand Forks, ND
Riley Stuart
Forward
United States 21
Phoenix, AZ
Klāvs Veinbergs
Forward
Latvia 20
Riga, LAT ; selected 224th overall in 2022
Evan Werner
Forward
United States 20
Flower Mound, TX
Henry Wilder
Goaltender
United States 22
Needham, MA ; transfer from Boston College
Zaccharya Wisdom
Forward
Canada 19
Toronto, ON ; selected 212th overall in 2023
Roster
As of July 24, 2023.[ 5]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Jake Begley Senior
G 6' 1" (1.85 m)
172 lb (78 kg)
1999-03-18
Mahtomedi, Minnesota Brockville (CCHL —
2
Zaccharya Wisdom Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2004-04-21
Toronto, Ontario Cedar Rapids (USHL SEA 2023
4
Max Burkholder Freshman
D 5' 9" (1.75 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
2003-08-08
Chaska, Minnesota Dubuque (USHL —
5
Jack Millar A Senior
D 6' 5" (1.96 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
2000-11-30
Westminster, Colorado Cedar Rapids (USHL —
7
Chase Foley Senior
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2000-02-17
Mendota Heights, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL —
8
Ryan Beck Sophomore
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2002-08-25
Linden, Michigan Dubuque (USHL —
9
Noah Serdachny Sophomore
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2003-03-09
Edmonton, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL —
10
Bret Link Freshman
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
2002-04-09
Anchorage, Alaska Fargo (USHL —
11
Ray Christy A Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-09-15
Saint Paul, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL —
13
Tommy Middleton Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-06-19
Midland, Michigan Janesville (NAHL —
15
Antonio Fernandez Freshman
D 5' 8" (1.73 m)
178 lb (81 kg)
2003-10-11
San Jose, California Lincoln (USHL —
17
Tyler Coffey Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2000-05-19
Hamilton, New Jersey Sioux Falls (USHL —
18
Connor Mayer Graduate
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-06-13
Champlin, Minnesota Central Illinois (USHL —
19
Evan Werner Freshman
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
173 lb (78 kg)
2003-02-13
Flower Mound, Texas Tri-City (USHL —
20
Logan Will C Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-06-14
Ames, Iowa Omaha (USHL —
21
Tyler Dunbar Freshman
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
197 lb (89 kg)
2003-12-18
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Lincoln (USHL —
22
Nikolai Charchenko Sophomore
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
2001-06-03
Victoria, Minnesota Minot (NAHL —
23
Ethan Straky Sophomore
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
2003-04-18
Walnut Creek, California Green Bay (USHL —
24
Klāvs Veinbergs Freshman
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
2003-03-27
Riga, Latvia Lincoln (USHL TBL 2022
25
Riley Stuart Freshman
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
201 lb (91 kg)
2002-01-17
Phoenix, Arizona Dubuque (USHL —
26
Noah Laba Sophomore
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
2003-08-04
Northville, Michigan Lincoln (USHL NYR 2022
27
Stanley Cooley A Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
2002-05-27
Regina, Saskatchewan Lincoln (USHL —
28
Gleb Veremyev Sophomore
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
206 lb (93 kg)
2003-06-28
Sayreville, New Jersey Lincoln (USHL —
29
Drew Montgomery Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
2003-03-27
Grand Forks, North Dakota Omaha (USHL —
31
Henry Wilder Freshman
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2001-03-19
Needham, Massachusetts Boston College (HEA —
33
Kaidan Mbereko Sophomore
G 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2003-07-28
Aspen, Colorado Lincoln (USHL —
37
Nicklas Andrews Senior
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
2001-07-06
Canton, Michigan Des Moines (USHL —
39
Danny Weight Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-05-01
Lattingtown, New York Boston College (HEA —
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OTW
OTL
SW
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#8 North Dakota †
24
15
8
1
1
4
0
49 87
67
40
26
12
2
151
105
#1 Denver *
24
15
7
2
3
0
1
45 110
80
42
30
9
3
198
119
#18 St. Cloud State
24
11
9
4
1
3
2
41 77
74
38
17
16
5
121
114
#15 Colorado College 24
14
8
2
5
2
0
41 66
56
37
21
13
3
111
93
#12 Omaha
24
13
8
3
5
0
3
40 68
74
40
23
13
4
117
112
#14 Western Michigan 24
11
13
0
1
5
0
35 78
64
38
21
16
1
136
97
Minnesota Duluth 24
8
14
2
3
3
2
28 65
80
37
12
20
5
103
125
Miami 24
1
21
2
0
2
0
7 44
100
36
7
26
3
78
135
Championship : March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)USCHO.com Top 20 Poll Updated: April 1, 2024
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Exhibition
October 7
6:00 pm
Simon Fraser *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition)
W 6–3
Regular Season
October 13
7:00 pm
Union *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
W 7–3 3,607
1–0–0
October 14
6:00 pm
Union *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mbereko
W 6–2 3,611
2–0–0
October 20
7:00 pm
Long Island *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
W 3–2 3,412
3–0–0
October 21
6:00 pm
Long Island *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mbereko
W 4–2 3,407
4–0–0
October 27
7:05 pm
at Air Force *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry )
Mbereko
W 6–2 2,701
5–0–0
October 28
6:00 pm
Augustana *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
L 3–4 3,407
5–1–0
November 3
7:00 pm
at #2 Denver
Magness Arena • Denver , Colorado (Rivalry )
Mbereko
L 1–6 7,021
5–2–0 (0–1–0)
November 4
6:00 pm
#2 Denver
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry )SOCO CW
Mbereko
L 1–5 3,749
5–3–0 (0–2–0)
November 10
5:00 pm
at Miami
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
Mbereko
W 5–1 2,107
6–3–0 (1–2–0)
November 11
5:00 pm
at Miami
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
Mbereko
W 4–1 2,431
7–3–0 (2–2–0)
November 17
7:00 pm
#16 Western Michigan
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
L 1–3 3,407
7–4–0 (2–3–0)
November 18
6:00 pm
#16 Western Michigan
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mbereko
L 0–4 3,410
7–5–0 (2–4–0)
December 1
7:00 pm
#12 Arizona State *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
T 2–2 OT
3,519
7–5–1
December 2
6:00 pm
#12 Arizona State *
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mbereko
L 0–2 3,463
7–6–1
December 8
6:07 pm
at #1 North Dakota
Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota Midco , SOCO CW
Mbereko
W 3–2 OT
11,569
8–6–1 (3–4–0)
December 9
5:07 pm
at #1 North Dakota
Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota Midco
Mbereko
W 3–2 OT
11,673
9–6–1 (4–4–0)
December 29
7:00 pm
Minot State *
#20
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition)
Wilder
W 7–1 3,416
January 7
4:00 pm
at #10 Minnesota *
#20
3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota Fox 9+ , BTN+
Mbereko
W 6–4 9,490
10–6–1
January 8
6:00 pm
at #12 Minnesota *
#17
3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota Fox 9+ , BTN+
Mbereko
L 2–6 7,369
10–7–1
January 12
6:07 pm
at Minnesota Duluth
#17
AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota SOCO CW
Mbereko
L 2–3 OT
5,671
10–8–1 (4–5–0)
January 13
6:07 pm
at Minnesota Duluth
#17
AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota
Mbereko
W 3–2 OT
6,246
11–8–1 (5–5–0)
January 19
7:00 pm
Miami
#18
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW , CBSSN
Mbereko
W 2–1 3,474
12–8–1 (6–5–0)
January 20
4:00 pm
Miami
#18
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mbereko
W 4–2 3,454
13–8–1 (7–5–0)
January 26
5:00 pm
at #12 Western Michigan
#16
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Mbereko
W 2–1 OT
3,611
14–8–1 (8–5–0)
January 27
4:00 pm
at #12 Western Michigan
#16
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Mbereko
W 2–1 OT
3,710
15–8–1 (9–5–0)
February 2
7:00 pm
#16 St. Cloud State
#14
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
L 1–2 OT
3,640
15–9–1 (9–6–0)
February 3
6:00 pm
#16 St. Cloud State
#14
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
W 5–3 3,687
16–9–1 (10–6–0)
February 16
7:00 pm
#2 North Dakota
#15
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
W 7–1 3,503
17–9–1 (11–6–0)
February 17
6:00 pm
#2 North Dakota
#15
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mbereko
W 6–2 3,585
18–9–1 (12–6–0)
February 23
6:00 pm
at #19 Omaha
#10
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Mbereko
L 0–3 7,802
18–10–1 (12–7–0)
February 24
6:00 pm
at #19 Omaha
#10
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Mbereko
T 1–1 SOL
7,802
18–10–2 (12–7–1)
March 1
7:00 pm
Minnesota Duluth
#11
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
T 2–2 SOL
3,602
18–10–3 (12–7–2)
March 2
6:00 pm
Minnesota Duluth
#11
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado SOCO CW
Mbereko
W 4–1 3,600
19–10–3 (13–7–2)
March 8
7:00 pm
#4 Denver
#10
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry )SOCO CW , CBSSN
Mbereko
W 4–3 3,912
20–10–3 (14–7–2)
March 9
6:00 pm
at #4 Denver
#10
Magness Arena • Denver , Colorado (Rivalry )
Mbereko
L 3–4 7,033
20–11–3 (14–8–2)
NCHC Tournament
March 15
7:07 pm
#12 Omaha *
#10
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 1)
Mbereko
W 4–3 OT
3,410
21–11–3
March 16
6:07 pm
#12 Omaha *
#10
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 2)
Mbereko
L 1–3 3,425
21–12–3
March 17
6:07 pm
#12 Omaha *
#10
Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 3)
Mbereko
L 1–2 3,416
21–13–3
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Mountain Time . [ 6]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Noah Laba C 36
20
17
37 27
Gleb Veremyev C 37
15
13
28 55
Zaccharya Wisdom RW 33
10
10
20 22
Ryan Beck C 34
3
17
20 26
Evan Werner F 37
6
13
19 10
Logan Will F 37
7
11
18 12
Nicklas Andrews D 37
3
14
17 29
Chase Foley D 32
2
14
16 6
Max Burkholder D 37
7
9
16 6
Bret Link RW 35
4
11
15 6
Stan Cooley C 37
5
9
14 14
Jack Millar D 37
4
8
12 24
Drew Montgomery F 35
5
5
10 12
Klāvs Veinbergs C /LW 19
4
6
10 10
Tommy Middleton F 36
4
4
8 8
Ray Christy F 36
2
5
7 15
Ethan Straky D 37
2
3
5 16
Tyler Coffey F 24
5
0
5 10
Connor Mayer D 37
0
5
5 24
Riley Stuart F 19
1
2
3 11
Danny Weight C 6
1
0
1 0
Tyler Dunbar D 17
1
0
1 8
Antonio Fernandez D 2
0
0
0 0
Henry Wilder G 3
0
0
0 0
Kaidan Mbereko G 37
0
0
0 0
Noah Serdachny F 5
0
0
0 2
Total
111
176
287
361
[ 7]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Kaidan Mbereko 37
2227:17
21
13
3
89
959
0
.915
2.40
Henry Wilder 4
18:30
0
0
0
1
12
0
.923
3.24
Empty Net
-
15:19
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
Total
37
2261:06
21
13
3
93
971
0
.913
2.47
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
20
–
20
17
18
16
14
15
15
10
11
10
10
12
15
–
15
USA Hockey
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
20
20
–
18
18
17
16
15
16
10
14
12
10
13
15
15
15
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. [ 8] Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.
Awards and honors
† incoming freshman
[ 12]
References
^ "Colorado College scoring leader Gleb Veremyev having tremendous success following ACL tear" . The Gazette . November 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2024 .^ "COLORADO COLLEGE TIGER HOCKEY RECORD BOOK" (PDF) . The Gazette . Retrieved May 10, 2024 .^ "Colorado College vs Omaha - NCAA College Hockey - Highlights - March 17, 2024" . YouTube . Retrieved May 10, 2024 .^ "NCAA Tournament Pairwise Comparison Ratings" . College Hockey News . Retrieved May 10, 2024 .^ "2023–2024 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . Colorado College Athletics. Retrieved August 2, 2018 .^ "2023-2024 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule" . Colorado College Tigers . Retrieved August 13, 2023 .^ "Colorado College 2023-2024 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved July 3, 2020 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .^ a b "Top 25 men's college hockey players earn distinction as CCM/AHCA Hockey All-Americans for 2023-24 season" . USCHO.com . April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024 .^ a b c d Weisman, Michael (March 21, 2024). "NCHC Unveils 2023-2024 Individual Award Winners" . nchchockey.com . Retrieved March 21, 2024 . ^ Weisman, Michael (March 13, 2024). "NCHC Unveils 2023-2024 All-Conference Teams" . nchchockey.com . Retrieved March 13, 2024 . ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2024 NHL Draft" . USCHO.com . Retrieved June 29, 2024 .
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