Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey

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Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey
Hockey current event.svg Current season
Colorado College Tigers logo.svg
University Colorado College
Conference NCHC
Head coach Kris Mayotte [1]
5th season, 61–77–10 (.446)
Assistant coaches
Arena Ed Robson Arena
Colorado Springs, Colorado
ColorsBlack and gold [2]
   
NCAA tournament champions
1950, 1957
NCAA tournament runner-up
1952, 1955, 1996
NCAA tournament Frozen Four
1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1996, 1997, 2005
NCAA tournament appearances
1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1978, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011
Conference tournament champions
WCHA: 1978
Conference regular season champions
WCHA: 1952, 1955, 1957, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2008

The Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Colorado College. The Tigers are a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. They began play at Ed Robson Arena on the CC campus in Colorado Springs starting in the 2021 season. [3]

Contents

History

Early history

In 1938 Spencer Penrose and Charles Tutt developed plans to convert The Broadmoor's unused equestrian center into an indoor ice arena, known as the Broadmoor Ice Palace. [4] After three weeks at a cost of $200,000 the Ice Palace opened and became the home of the Tigers Hockey program and the Broadmoor Skating Club. [5] Colorado College Tiger Hockey began in 1938 playing in the Pikes Peak Hockey League with various local teams sponsored by Colorado Springs area businesses., [4] The Tigers opened play on January 21, 1938 in a 1-8 loss to a team sponsored by Giddings Department Store. [6] Garrett Livingston took over as head coach fin 1939 from John Atwood, who served as player/coach for the first season. [6] Livingston increased recruiting, bringing players from Canada and New England and transitioned the program from the Pikes Peak Hockey League into an NCAA Division I independent program. [6] The Tigers swept Michigan 4-2 and 4-3 in the program's first-ever intercollegiate series early in the 1939-40 season. That same season Colorado College also played games against Colorado School of Mines, Montana School of Mines, and the University of Southern California. [6]

The program and college was suspended during World War II from 1942 to 1944. [4] Colorado College, with the cooperation of The Broadmoor, sponsored the first National Collegiate Athletic Association Ice Hockey Championship to conclude the 1947-48 season. The tournament was held at the Ice Palace for the next 10 years, during which time CC participating seven times. [6] Cheddy Thompson became the program's third head coach in 1945 after coming to Colorado Springs on assignment by the Air Force during the war. Thompson lead CC to the program's first NCAA championship in 1950 with a 13-4 win over Boston University. Colorado College became one of the founding members of the Mid-West Collegiate Hockey League (MWCHL) in 1951 with University of Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, and North Dakota. [7] The league became the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL) in 1953 and became the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in November 1959. [7] The Tigers also finished as runner-up in 1952 and 1955, losing to Michigan in both appearances in the championship game. [6] In addition, he was named national Coach of the Year in 1952 by the United States Hockey Coaches Association. [6] The Tigers returned to the championship game in 1957 with Tom Bedecki behind the bench. CC beat Clarkson 5-3 in the semifinal round and won the school's second hockey championship with a 13-6 win over Michigan. [8] In 1961 the Ice Palace became known as the Broadmoor World Arena. [5] The 1957 championship was the final appearance in the NCAA Tournament until 1978. [9] The Tigers finished the regular season and captured the school's first and only WCHA Tournament Championship and received a bid to the NCAA Tournament, in the first round the Tigers lost to Bowling Green State 3-5. [10]

The lean years

Bedecki abruptly resigned in 1958, and the Tigers went into a decline that would last for almost four decades. From 1958 to 1993, the Tigers would have only three winning seasons. The low point came in 1961-62, when the Tigers finished with a 0-23 record, still the worst in school history.

Recent history

Jaden Schwartz during the 2011 NCAA Tournament JSchwartz32611.jpg
Jaden Schwartz during the 2011 NCAA Tournament

In 1993 Don Lucia became the head coach of the Tigers. In his first season, 1993–94, he led the team to win the MacNaughton Cup, given to the WCHA regular season champion. It was Colorado College's first Cup win since 1957. [11] After serving as the Tigers' home ice for 55 years the Broadmoor World Arena closed in March 1994 and later demolished by The Broadmoor to make room for the resort's expansion. [5] [12] Colorado College was then invited by the Air Force Academy to play at their home ice, the Cadet Ice Arena until the new World Arena opened in 1998 on the southern side of Colorado Springs. [13] The Tigers returned to the NCAA post season in 1995 for the first time since 1978. The Tigers lost in the quarterfinal round to Minnesota 2-5. [14] The following season CC made a second straight NCAA tournament appearance, receiving a number one seed in 1996 NCAA Tournament. Colorado College beat UMass Lowell 5-3 in the quarterfinals and Vermont 4-3 in the semifinal round before losing to 2-3 in overtime to Michigan in the championship game. [15] CC returned to the Frozen Four under Lucia for a second straight season in 1997 before losing to North Dakota 6-2. [16] Lucia lead the Tigers to two additional NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999 before leaving Colorado College to become head coach at Minnesota. [9]

Scott Owens took over as head coach of the program in 1999 and lead the Tigers to three straight NCAA Tournaments in 2001, 2002, and 2003. [9] [17] In the 2005 Tournament The Tigers returned to the Frozen Four with a 4-3 victory over Michigan in the Midwest Regional Final. [18] In the Semifinal round the Tigers fell to the eventual national champion and rival Denver 2-6. [19] Owens lead CC to the NCAA Tournament again in 2006 Tournament and in 2008 Tournament, ending in first round exits both times. [9] The Tigers returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2011. The Tigers upset the number one ranked team and defending National Champions, Boston College 8-4. [20] The Tigers' win was led by freshman Jaden Schwartz, a first round draft choice of the St. Louis Blues making his St. Louis debut in the West Regional. [21] The Tigers' season ended in the Regional final in a 1-2 loss to Michigan. [22]

New arena in 2021

In 2018, CC announced plans to build a new $38 million arena located on campus. The facility is named Edward J. Robson Arena in honor of 1954 CC alum and former Tigers hockey player Edward Robson. This is the Tigers' new home rink after playing at the World Arena since 1998.

The new arena has a capacity of 3,407, less than half that of World Arena. [3] It features an NHL-sized rink instead of the World Arena's Olympic-size rink. Robson Arena sits around 6,050 feet above sea level, about 200 feet below the World Arena. Colorado College initially hoped for it to be ready for play by 2020. [23] [24] [25] Changes made during the planning process, most notably the addition of a parking garage and a shift in the arena footprint within its city block, led to delays. The arena opened for the 2021–22 season. [3]

Season-by-season results

Source: [26]

Coaches

Kris Mayotte Kristofer Mayotte ice hockey coach.jpg
Kris Mayotte

As of the end of the 2024–25 season [9]

TenureCoachYearsRecordPct.
1937–1938 John Atwood 13–9–0.250
1938–1942 Garrett Livingston 431–21–6.586
1944–1945 C. E. Moore 11–3–1.300
1945–1955 Cheddy Thompson 10149–72–5.670
1955–1958 Tom Bedecki 359–28–1.676
1958–1963 Tony Frasca 530–85–4.269
1963–1966 Bob Johnson 327–49–4.363
1966–1971 John Matchefts 554–88–3.383
1971–1982 Jeff Sauer 11166–228–11.423
1982–1988 Mike Bertsch 665–157–6.298
1988–1993 Brad Buetow 568–118–11.373
1993–1999 Don Lucia 6166–68–18.694
1999–2014 Scott Owens 14324–228–54.579
2014–2021 Mike Haviland 767–153–22.322
2021–Present Kris Mayotte 461–77–10.446
Totals14 coaches85 seasons1,271–1,384–156.480

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

WCHA

Individual awards

All-Conference

First Team All-WCHA

Second team all-wcha

Third Team All-WCHA

WCHA All-Rookie Team

NCHC

Individual awards

All-Conference

First Team All-NCHC

Second team All-NCHC

NCHC All-Rookie Team

Olympians

This is a list of Colorado College alumni who have played or coached on an Olympic team. [26]

NamePositionCC TenureTeamYearFinish
Andy Gambucci Center1949–1953 Flag of the United States.svg USA 1952 Silver medal icon.svg Silver
Dan Griffin Goaltender1971–1975 Flag of the United States.svg USA 1976 5th
Gary Hughes Defenseman1955–1958 Flag of Poland.svg Poland (Coach) 1964 9th
Roy Ikola Goaltender1946–1950 Flag of the United States.svg USA 1948 DQ
Doug Lidster Defenseman1979–1983 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 1984 4th
Vern Mott Goaltender1976–1977 Flag of Norway.svg Norway 1988 12th
Robert Rompre Forward1950–1951
1953–1956		 Flag of the United States.svg USA 1952 Silver medal icon.svg Silver
Steve Sertich Right wing1970–1974 Flag of the United States.svg USA 1976 5th

Colorado College Athletic Hall of Fame

The following is a list of people associated with the Colorado College men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Colorado College Athletic Hall of Fame (induction date in parentheses). [29]

Statistical leaders

Source: [26]

Career points leaders

PlayerYearsGPGAPtsPIM
Dave Delich 1975–1979153111174285
Brian Swanson 1995–199916788144232
Doug Palazzari 1970–197411795133228
Bruce Aikens 1978–1982137100117217
Rob Doyle 1983–198715351151202
Jim Warner 1974–197814289109198
Greg Whyte 1977–198114986111197
Peter Sejna 2000–20031269199190
Jay McNeill 1992–199615810089189
Dave Feamster 1976–198015045139184
Brett Sterling 2002–200615010876184

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 50 Games

PlayerYearsGPMinWLTGASOSV%GAA
Richard Bachman 2007–20097041763920111567.9222.24
Curtis McElhinney 2001–2005915153621581999.9112.32
Matt Zaba 2003–2007110634955421025610.9132.42
Jeff Sanger 1998–200212774667645430916.9062.48
Colin Zulianello 1997–200160312113522.60

Statistics current through the start of the 2024-25 season.

Players

Roster

As of August 11, 2025. [30]

No. Nat.PlayerClassPosHeightWeightDoBHometownPrevious teamNHL rights
1 Flag of the United States.svg Beckham DempseyFreshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m)183 lb (83 kg)2004-09-06 Wayne, Illinois Boston Junior Rangers  ( NCDC )—
3 Flag of the United States.svg Seth ConstanceSophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m)187 lb (85 kg)2004-10-26 Northville, Michigan Northeastern  ( HEA )—
4 Flag of the United States.svg Max BurkholderJunior D 5' 9" (1.75 m)176 lb (80 kg)2003-08-08 Chaska, Minnesota Dubuque Fighting Saints  ( USHL )—
5 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan KoeringSophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m)187 lb (85 kg)2005-02-11 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Muskegon Lumberjacks  ( USHL )—
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Colton RobertsFreshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m)209 lb (95 kg)2006-06-08 North Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver Giants  ( WHL ) SJS , 131st overall  2024
7 Flag of the United States.svg Philippe Blais-SavoieSophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg)2005-06-10 San Jose, California Tri-City Storm  ( USHL )—
8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Brandon LisowskyFreshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m)183 lb (83 kg)2004-04-13 Port Coquitlam, British Columbia Victoria Royals  ( WHL ) TOR , 218th overall  2022
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Owen BecknerSophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m)181 lb (82 kg)2005-02-27 Victoria, British Columbia Tri-City Storm  ( USHL ) OTT , 204th overall  2023
10 Flag of the United States.svg Bret LinkJunior F 6' 3" (1.91 m)188 lb (85 kg)2002-04-09 Anchorage, Alaska Fargo Force  ( USHL )—
11 Flag of the United States.svg Shane KozlinaFreshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m)174 lb (79 kg)2004-06-23 Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania Maine Nordiques  ( NAHL )—
12 Flag of the United States.svg Merril SteenariFreshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m)181 lb (82 kg)2004-01-18 Aliso Viejo, California Fargo Force  ( USHL )—
14 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Connor HvidstonFreshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg)2004-09-11 Tisdale, Saskatchewan Calgary Hitmen  ( WHL ) ANA , 139th overall  2022
15 Flag of the United States.svg Nick BaerSophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m)181 lb (82 kg)2004-03-14 Minnetonka, Minnesota Bismarck Bobcats  ( NAHL )—
17 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Tomas MrsicFreshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m)174 lb (79 kg)2006-02-26 Surrey, British Columbia Prince Albert Raiders  ( WHL ) STL , 113th overall  2024
18 Flag of the United States.svg Fisher ScottSophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m)179 lb (81 kg)2004-10-27 Carbondale, Colorado Dubuque Fighting Saints  ( USHL ) DET , 208th overall  2024
19 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mateo MrsicFreshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m)185 lb (84 kg)2004-08-29 Cloverdale, British Columbia Chilliwack Chiefs  ( BCHL )—
20 Flag of the United States.svg Gavin LindbergSophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m)192 lb (87 kg)2004-04-20 Fergus Falls, Minnesota Waterloo Black Hawks  ( USHL )—
21 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ryan AlexanderSenior F 5' 10" (1.78 m)178 lb (81 kg)2002-06-17 Toronto, Ontario Arizona State  ( NCHC )—
22 Flag of the United States.svg Jordan BrissonSophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg)2003-12-01 Manhattan Beach, California Chicago Steel  ( USHL )—
24 Flag of Latvia.svg Klāvs VeinbergsJunior F 6' 3" (1.91 m)198 lb (90 kg)2003-03-27 Riga, Latvia Lincoln Stars  ( USHL ) TBL , 224th overall  2022
25 Flag of the United States.svg Riley StuartJunior F 6' 2" (1.88 m)201 lb (91 kg)2002-01-17 Phoenix, Arizona Dubuque Fighting Saints  ( USHL )—
26 Flag of Sweden.svg Wilson BjörckFreshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m)165 lb (75 kg)2006-01-13 Stockholm, Sweden Djurgårdens IF U20 ( J20 Nationell ) VAN , 143rd overall  2025
27 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Matteo MannFreshman D 6' 6" (1.98 m)229 lb (104 kg)2004-12-31 Sackville, New Brunswick Saint John Sea Dogs  ( QMJHL ) PHI , 199th overall  2023
28 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Brayden SchuurmanFreshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m)201 lb (91 kg)2004-02-22 Abbotsford, British Columbia Seattle Thunderbirds  ( WHL )—
29 Flag of the United States.svg Drew MontgomeryJunior F 5' 11" (1.8 m)174 lb (79 kg)2003-03-27 Grand Forks, North Dakota Omaha Lancers  ( USHL )—
30 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jackson UngerFreshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg)2005-01-13 Calgary, Alberta Lethbridge Hurricanes  ( WHL )—
33 Flag of the United States.svg Kaidan Mbereko Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m)185 lb (84 kg)2003-07-28 Aspen, Colorado Lincoln Stars  ( USHL )—

Tigers in the NHL

Over 170 Colorado College alumni have gone on to play professionally, including over 30 current and former NHL players: [31] [32]
As of July 1, 2025.

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star [33] = NHL All-Star [33] and NHL All-Star team = Hall of Famers

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kris Mayotte Named Head Hockey Coach". CC Athletic Communications. April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  2. ↑ Colorado College Visual Identity Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Shefte, Kate (June 29, 2019). "Colorado College's upcoming Robson Arena gets new renderings, with public feedback highlighted". The Gazette . Colorado Springs, CO. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "Colorado College Tigers Hockey History". Colorado College . Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "1930s: Broadmore Ice Palace". Colorado Springs School District 11 . Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "CC Hockey History". Colorado College . April 18, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  7. 1 2 "WCHA History Tradition and Success". Western Collegiate Hockey Association . 2010. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  8. ↑ "1957 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Colorado College Tigers Men's Hockey Team History". U.S. College Hockey Online. 1996–2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  10. ↑ "1978 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  11. ↑ "MacNaughton Cup Winners". Copper Country Hockey History. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
  12. ↑ Michaelis, Vicki (March 23, 2009). "Colorado club a power once again in the skating world". USA Today . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  13. ↑ "About Us". World Arena . Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  14. ↑ "1995 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  15. ↑ "1996 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  16. ↑ "1997 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  17. ↑ Staff (February 6, 2006). "Owens Gets Contract Extension". College Hockey News. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  18. ↑ "2005 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey . Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  19. ↑ Milewski, Todd D. (April 7, 2005). "Denver Cruises Into Second Straight NCAA Title Game". U.S. College Hockey Online.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  20. ↑ O'Connor, Brion (March 26, 2011). "BC blown away by Colorado College". ESPN . Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  21. ↑ Rutherford, Jeremy (March 26, 2011). "Blues' Schwartz impressive in NCAA win". St. Louis Post Dispatch . Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  22. ↑ Staff (March 26, 2011). "Michigan trumps Colo. College to earn spot in Frozen Four". USA Today .
  23. ↑ "Tribune: College men's hockey: Colorado College building new, smaller rink". duluthnewstribune.com. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Colorado College: Ed Robson '54 Gives $8 Million for New Hockey Arena" (Press release). Colorado College. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  25. ↑ Shefte, Kate. "Shefte: Student section, amenities early focuses of new Colorado College hockey arena". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, CO. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  26. 1 2 3 "Colorado College men's Hockey 2017-18 Media Guide". Colorado College Tigers. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Legends of Hockey". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  28. ↑ "United States Hockey Hall of Fame". Hockey Central.co.uk. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Hall of Fame". Colorado College Athletics. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  30. ↑ "2025–2026 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Colorado College Tigers. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Alumni Report". Internet Hockey Database. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Tiger Hockey Media Guide 2013-2014" (PDF). Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  33. 1 2 Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
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