# 2022–23 Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey season was the 83rd season of play for the program and the 10th in the NCHC conference. The Tigers represented Colorado College in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and were coached by Kris Mayotte, in his second season.

## Season

With coach Mayotte continuing the program's overhaul, Colorado College started the year with less-than-stellar results. Since neither Matt Vernon nor Kaidan Mbereko had managed to earn the job outright, the Tigers alternated between the two netminders in the first month of the season. Both were inconsistent early, however, after a 5–0 blanking of Minnesota Duluth, Mbereko was able to establish himself as the starter and remained in that role for the balance of the season.
On the offensive side, the team saw a little improvement in the first half but they were still carried by scoring of Hunter McKown. The Tigers would only go as far as McKown could take them as he accounted for more than a quarter of CC's goals. Unfortunately, he was unable to lift the team on his own. Colorado College was able to post a respectable record in the first half of the season despite their hit-or-miss offense and were able to get themselves up to .500 once they returned from the winter break.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, the second half of their season was littered with ranked teams. After January 1, CC only played teams who were either ranked at the time or finished the season in the top 20. They were able to get a win from St. Cloud State in mid-January but then proceeded to go winless over the next 13 games. No matter which opponent they faced, the story was the same. CC's defense could put forth a solid defensive effort but the offense could not score. Colorado College averaged exactly 1 goal per game in that stretch with Hunter McKown accounting for more than half of their goals. The Tigers' offense was particularly bad at even strength, garnering just 48 goals for the season.
The losses sent CC tumbling down the standings and the Tigers ended the regular season in 7th place. They began postseason play having to face tournament-bound Western Michigan, who possessed one of the top offenses in the nation, and were a heavy underdog when the series began. Their defense kept CC in the game and the team entered the third period down by just a goal. With only a small hill to climb over, the Tigers produced a shocking outcome when they scored three times in under a minute to take the lead and eventually the game. In the rematch, CC kept the momentum on their side and stymied the Broncos, allowing just 2 goals while adding a pair themselves. Overtime was a furious affair with 7 shots being recorded in just 3 minutes. Luckily for the Tigers, the last came from the stick of Matthew Gleason and was the game winner.
After the improbable win, CC headed to Saint Paul and had to take on long-time rival Denver in the conference semifinal. The Pioneers had swept the season series and, despite missing their starting goaltender, were expected to continue that trend. The Colorado College defense, however, had other ideas; the Tiger defenders shut down Denver's attack all game, limiting the Pios to just 23 shots on goal, all of which were stopped by Mbereko. McKown's power play marker in the second was all that CC could muster but it was all they needed and the Tigers advanced to the title game with a 1–0 shutout.
Colorado College now found itself just 1 win away from the NCAA tournament and only St. Cloud State could stop them. While the defense played well in the game, the offense did not. CC got just 17 shots on goal while the Huskies only gave the Tigers' dangerous power play just 1 opportunity. The complete lack of offense put an end to the Tigers' miraculous run and the team would have to wait for another year.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Dominic Basse | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to St. Cloud State |
| Jordan Biro | Forward | Canada | Transferred to American International |
| Hugo Blixt | Defenseman | Sweden | Graduation (signed with Almtuna IS) |
| Cooper Fensterstock | Forward | United States | Transferred to Geneseo State |
| Brian Hawkinson | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jackson Jutting | Forward | United States | Transferred to Bemidji State |
| Marc Pasemko | Forward | Canada | Left Program (retired) |
| Jackson Ross | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Brian Williams | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Cade Ahrenholz | Forward | United States | 19 | Lakeville, MN |
| Ryan Beck | Forward | United States | 19 | Linden, MI |
| Nikolai Charchenko | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Victoria, MN |
| Noah Laba | Forward | United States | 19 | Northville, MI; selected 111th overall in 2022 |
| Kaidan Mbereko | Goaltender | United States | 19 | West Bloomfield, MI |
| Noah Serdachny | Forward | Canada | 19 | Edmonton, AB |
| Ethan Straky | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Walnut Creek, CA |
| Gleb Veremyev | Forward | United States | 19 | Monroe Township, NJ |

## Roster

As of August 1, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #6 Denver † | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 94 | 53 | 40 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 150 | 86 |
| #11 Western Michigan | 24 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 86 | 60 | 39 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 148 | 102 |
| #20 Omaha | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 71 | 64 | 37 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 109 | 97 |
| #5 St. Cloud State * | 24 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 85 | 68 | 41 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 133 | 95 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 65 | 81 | 37 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 95 | 114 |
| #17 North Dakota | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 75 | 70 | 39 | 18 | 15 | 6 | 127 | 110 |
| Colorado College | 24 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 37 | 60 | 38 | 13 | 22 | 3 | 79 | 99 |
| Miami | 24 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 39 | 96 | 36 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 73 | 137 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 1 | 6:05 PM | at Air Force* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition) | | Mbereko | W 5–1 | 1,535 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Vernon | W 6–2 | 3,652 | 1–0–0 |
| October 8 | 6:00 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Mbereko | W 4–1 | 3,701 | 2–0–0 |
| October 14 | 5:00 PM | at St. Lawrence* | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | ESPN+ | Vernon | L 1–5 | 893 | 2–1–0 |
| October 15 | 5:00 PM | at St. Lawrence* | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | ESPN+ | Mbereko | L 1–4 | 923 | 2–2–0 |
| October 21 | 7:00 PM | at Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Pac-12 Insider | Vernon | L 3–5 | 4,692 | 2–3–0 |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | at Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Pac-12 Insider | Mbereko | L 1–6 | 4,967 | 2–4–0 |
| October 28 | 7:30 PM | Air Force* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | ATTRM | Vernon | W 8–0 | 3,418 | 3–4–0 |
| October 29 | 7:00 PM | at Air Force* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | Altitude 2 | Vernon | L 3–6 | 2,050 | 3–5–0 |
| November 4 | 7:30 PM | #19 Minnesota Duluth | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Mbereko | W 5–0 | 3,411 | 4–5–0 (1–0–0) |
| November 5 | 6:00 PM | #19 Minnesota Duluth | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Mbereko | L 1–3 | 3,412 | 4–6–0 (1–1–0) |
| November 11 | 5:00 PM | at Miami | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Mbereko | T 1–1 $^{SOW}$ | 1,978 | 4–6–1 (1–1–1) |
| November 12 | 3:00 PM | at Miami | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Mbereko | W 2–1 | 2,131 | 5–6–1 (2–1–1) |
| November 18 | 7:30 PM | #4 St. Cloud State | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Mbereko | L 1–3 | 3,416 | 5–7–1 (2–2–1) |
| November 19 | 6:00 PM | #4 St. Cloud State | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Mbereko | L 0–5 | 3,423 | 5–8–1 (2–3–1) |
| December 2 | 6:00 PM | at Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | ATTRM, MY9 | Mbereko | W 3–0 | 6,184 | 6–8–1 (3–3–1) |
| December 3 | 6:00 PM | at Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | MY9 | Mbereko | L 0–4 | 5,794 | 6–9–1 (3–4–1) |
| December 9 | 7:30 PM | Omaha | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Mbereko | W 6–4 | 3,409 | 7–9–1 (4–4–1) |
| December 10 | 6:00 PM | Omaha | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Mbereko | W 1–0 | 3,416 | 8–9–1 (5–4–1) |
| December 30 | 7:00 PM | Princeton* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Vernon | W 7–2 | 3,425 | 9–9–1 |
| December 31 | 4:00 PM | Princeton* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Vernon | L 1–2 | 3,415 | 9–10–1 |
| January 13 | 6:30 PM | at #3 St. Cloud State | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | FOX 9+ | Vernon | W 4–2 | 3,764 | 10–10–1 (6–4–1) |
| January 14 | 5:00 PM | at #3 St. Cloud State | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | FOX 9+ | Mbereko | L 0–4 | 5,103 | 10–11–1 (6–5–1) |
| January 20 | 7:30 PM | #10 Western Michigan | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Mbereko | L 1–4 | 3,408 | 10–12–1 (6–6–1) |
| January 21 | 6:00 PM | #10 Western Michigan | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Mbereko | L 1–4 | 3,407 | 10–13–1 (6–7–1) |
| January 27 | 7:00 PM | at #5 Denver | Ball Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry) | Altitude | Mbereko | L 0–2 | 17,952 | 10–14–1 (6–8–1) |
| February 4 | 6:00 PM | #4 Denver | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | ATTRM | Mbereko | L 1–4 | 3,892 | 10–15–1 (6–9–1) |
| February 10 | 6:00 PM | at #16 Omaha | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Mbereko | L 2–3 | 7,942 | 10–16–1 (6–10–1) |
| February 11 | 6:00 PM | at #16 Omaha | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Mbereko | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 7,755 | 10–16–2 (6–10–2) |
| February 17 | 5:00 PM | at #8 Western Michigan | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | | Mbereko | L 1–4 | 3,585 | 10–17–2 (6–11–2) |
| February 18 | 4:00 PM | at #8 Western Michigan | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | | Mbereko | L 1–2 | 3,761 | 10–18–2 (6–12–2) |
| February 24 | 7:30 PM | North Dakota | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Mbereko | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 3,481 | 10–19–2 (6–13–2) |
| February 25 | 6:00 PM | North Dakota | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Vernon | T 0–0 $^{SOL}$ | 3,501 | 10–19–3 (6–13–3) |
| March 3 | 7:00 PM | at #3 Denver | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry) | CBSSN | Vernon | L 1–2 | 6,667 | 10–20–3 (6–14–3) |
| March 4 | 6:00 PM | #3 Denver | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | ATTRM | Vernon | L 2–4 | 3,894 | 10–21–3 (6–15–3) |
| NCHC Tournament ||||||||||
| March 10 | 3:00 PM | at #7 Western Michigan* | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan (Quarterfinal Game 1) | | Mbereko | W 3–1 | 3,218 | 11–21–3 |
| March 11 | 2:00 PM | at #7 Western Michigan* | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan (Quarterfinal Game 2) | | Mbereko | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 3,557 | 12–21–3 |
| March 17 | 3:00 PM | vs. #3 Denver* | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Semifinal, Rivalry) | CBSSN | Mbereko | W 1–0 | 10,242 | 13–21–3 |
| March 18 | 6:30 PM | vs. #7 St. Cloud State* | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Championship) | CBSSN | Mbereko | L 0–3 | 6,877 | 13–22–3 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Hunter McKown | C | 38 | 21 | 7 | 28 | 30 |
| Noah Laba | C | 35 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 48 |
| Stan Cooley | C | 38 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 18 |
| Bryan Yoon | D | 38 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 4 |
| Nicklas Andrews | D | 37 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
| Ryan Beck | C | 38 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 14 |
| Logan Will | F | 33 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 12 |
| Tyler Coffey | F | 37 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 8 |
| Matthew Gleason | C | 35 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 40 |
| Ethan Straky | D | 38 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Jack Millar | D | 38 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 25 |
| Gleb Veremyev | C | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 |
| Connor Mayer | D | 34 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 22 |
| Noah Serdachny | F | 27 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Patrick Cozzi | RW | 38 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Noah Prokop | C | 36 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 22 |
| Chase Foley | D | 34 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Danny Weight | C | 22 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| Ray Christy | F | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Brett Chorske | C/RW | 19 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Tommy Middleton | F | 33 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Nate Schweitzer | D | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Jake Begley | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nikolai Charchenko | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chad Sasaki | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Matt Vernon | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cade Ahrenholz | RW | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Kaidan Mbereko | G | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 79 | 137 | 216 | 335 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Jake Begley | 1 | 1:22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Kaidan Mbereko | 32 | 1644:40 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 63 | 782 | 4 | .925 | 2.30 |
| Matt Vernon | 12 | 629:45 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 258 | 2 | .905 | 2.57 |
| Empty Net | - | 29:31 | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 2305:18 | 13 | 22 | 3 | 99 | 1041 | 6 | .913 | 2.58 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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 | 27 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Kaidan Mbereko | NCHC Second Team |
| Kaidan Mbereko | NCHC Rookie Team |
| Bryan Yoon | NCHC All-Tournament Team |
| Hunter McKown | NCHC All-Tournament Team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2023 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 6 | 166 | Carsen Musser $^†$ | Arizona Coyotes |
| 7 | 204 | Owen Beckner $^†$ | Ottawa Senators |
| 7 | 212 | Zaccharya Wisdom $^†$ | Seattle Kraken |
† incoming freshman