It’s now 10 years since the season ended for the 2014-15 Colorado College Tigers under then-first-year coach Mike Haviland. This seems like a timely opportunity to check the hockey databases and give fans an update on their playing and coaching careers. 

Databases can be incomplete and often do not list any semi-pro leagues former Tigers may have played in toward the end of their playing days. I included any youth or junior coaching updates if provided but that proved scarce. I did not search for any post-playing updates.

Players are listed in order of their points total during the 2014-15 season.

Skaters

Cody Bradley — Following 10 ECHL games, continued career overseas in China, Czechia, Germany and Slovakia, with a final season (2019-20) in Sweden.

Scott Wamsganz – Currently an assistant coach with the Team Alaska U15 AA team, the Anchorage native played for three ECHL teams before concluding his playing career in the BeNeLiga (Belgium-Netherlands league), now called the Central European Hockey League, in 2018.

Hunter Fejes – After 89 AHL and 160 ECHL games spread out over six seasons, the 2012 sixth-round draft pick (Coyotes) has spent the past two seasons playing in Slovakia, where Zilina is currently in the playoffs. Won the Slovakian league title with HC Kosice in 2023 as a late-season import.

Jaccob Slavin (assistant captain) — After two seasons at CC and a few weeks in the AHL, the Colorado native made the jump to the Carolina Hurricanes where the two-time Lady Bing Trophy winner became the team’s top defenseman. Now in his 10th NHL season, his impressive defensive talents were on display playing for Team USA during the recent Four Nations tournament.

Sam Rothstein – After eight ECHL games following graduation in 2017, played a single season for Italy’s Fassa in the Alps Hockey League (Austria, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia).

Luc Geodes – Playing career ended after 2017-18 senior season at CC.

Teemu Kivihalme – After three seasons at CC, continues an eight-year pro career in Finland (one league title) and Sweden, not including three seasons with AHL Toronto Marlies (107 games). His Malmo (Sweden) Redhawks were eliminated from the playoffs on March 30.

Peter Stoykewich (captain) – Played 269 AHL games over six seasons. Ended his career with his hometown (Winnipeg) Manitoba Moose during the 2019-20 season.

Matt Hansen — Nothing listed following 2016-17 senior season at CC.

Aaron Harstad (assistant captain) – Played in 33 AHL games and 132 ECHL games over five seasons, ending with a short stint with the Idaho Steelheads during the 2021-22 campaign. Played a single season for the Aaborg Pirates in Denmark.

Peter Maric – Nothing listed after 2015-16 senior season at CC.

Charlie Taft – Played two seasons in the German third division (2015-17)

Christian Heil — Nothing listed following 2016-17 senior season at CC.

Alex Roos – Played a graduate year at Michigan and a season for ECHL Reading (2018-19).

Zach Aman — Nothing listed following 2016-17 senior season at CC.

Ian Young – Moved up from the Southern Professional Hockey League at midseason to ECHL Elmira for 1.5 seasons. Final campaign was for the Fife (Scotland) Flyers (2017-18) in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in Great Britain.

Jared Hanson (assistant captain) – Retired from playing in August 2015 due to concussion issues, then worked as a student assistant his senior year (2015-16).

Garrett Cecere – After leaving CC early, played two seasons at Northeastern and four in the ECHL. Spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach in USHL Des Moines.

Jordan Berger — Nothing listed following 2015-16 sophomore season at CC.

Michael King — Nothing listed after 2015-16 senior season at CC.

Dan Labosky – After leaving CC, played two seasons at Wisconsin (2016-18).

Jordan DiGiando — Spent 2020-21 season as head coach of Westerville HS (Ohio) Wildcats.

Duggie Lagrone – After three years at CC, transferred to D3 SUNY-Geneseo. Continues a six-year pro career including four seasons in the ECHL and two overseas (France and EIHL). 

Goalies

Tyler Marble – Nothing listed after three seasons at CC (2013-16)

Chase Perry – After one season at CC (2014-15), the 2014 fifth-round draft pick (Detroit) played three seasons for RPI. He spent parts of five seasons in either the Southern Professional Hockey League or ECHL until March 2024 (Allen Americans). Not listed as retired on any database.

Derek Shatzer — Nothing listed after the 2016-17 senior season at CC.

Coaches

Mike Haviland – After being let go by CC following the 2020-21 season, spent two seasons as the associate head coach with AHL Cleveland (Blue Jackets) before moving up to NHL assistant in Columbus this season.

Gene Reilly – After leaving CC in 2017, spent three seasons in college and juniors before leaving for a three-year stint as a consultant for the KHL’s Avangard Omsk. Spent this past season working as an associate coach for the Chinese national program.

RJ Enga – Has worked past four seasons at St. Cloud State, three as an assistant coach.

No. 20 Colorado College scored three goals in 3:07 in the second period to pull ahead and junior goalie Kaidan Mbereko made 15 off his 42 saves in the third to lift the Tigers to a 4-3 win at St. Cloud State Friday night.

The road victory is the third National Collegiate Hockey Conference win in a row for the sixth-place Tigers (17-13-1, 11-9-1-4-1, 32 points).

“(Mbereko) was good for us all night,” Tigers coach Kris Mayotte told KRDO Radio. “We were out shot in all three periods and he helped us get our feet under us during the first 20 minutes. Once we figured (the larger Olympic-sized) rink, we were pretty good.”

Tyler Coffey, Bret Link and Stanley Cooley (eventual game winner) scored the three goals in the second period that put CC ahead 4-2. SCSU would take advantage of an unforced CC turnover deep in the Tigers zone to cut the lead to 4-3, but Mbereko made sure they would get no closer.

“I was proud of how our guys stuck with it,” Mayotte said. “I liked our third. In the final eight minutes we tightened up and we played to win which is good for this group.”

The Tigers are now 10-1 when leading after two periods and 11-0 when scoring four goals or more in a game this season. CC improved to 6-2 in its last eight games to stay in the hunt for home playoff ice with three league games remaining.

CC’s Gavin Lindberg opened the scoring in the first period for an early 1-0 Tigers lead.

By Joe Paisley

TEMPE, Ariz. – In what Tigers fans hope is the start of a turnaround, Colorado College scored five goals in the third period, four in an eight-minute span, to upend league-leading Arizona State, 5-4, and rejuvenate the team’s flagging confidence.

Junior center Noah Laba scored twice and sophomore defenseman Max Burkholder recorded the tying goal and added two assists during the third to spark the Tigers, who dominated the final two periods only to find themselves trailing 4-1 with 13:43 left.

CC was on the verge of being swept by a surging Sun Devils squad and looking at a 1-8 record (1-6 league) since a 5-4 comeback win over Denver on Dec. 13.

But instead of accepting defeat, Laba stepped forward and the Tigers’ confidence, sometimes lacking during that downturn, grew and grew. Laba scored off an assist from Burkholder to cut the lead to 4-2 just eight seconds later. Suddenly, the team CC fans expected after an 8-0 start to the season emerged from its hibernation.

“On the bench we talked about actions over emotions,” Tigers coach Kris Mayotte said. “You have to flush that feeling of disappointment if you have played well but the scoreboard doesn’t show it.”

Consider it flushed, at least for one night. 

Chase McLane scored 50 seconds later to make it 4-3 off assists from Ty Gallagher and Burkholder and the pressure was suddenly on the Sun Devils (14-9-1, 9-5-0). The Tigers continued to attack the net and a jumble of bodies including a fallen ASU goalie Gibson Homer (36 saves) in front set up the tying goal from Burkholder. A rebound from a McLane shot rolled out into the slot to the defenseman, who fired the puck in off Homer’s right leg pad. 

The tying score survived a video review for possible goalie interference and it was 4-4, silencing about 5,000 of the 5,160 fans at a sold-out Mullett Arena. The Sun Devils would try to regain the momentum but freshman Carsen Musser (30 saves) made 11 stops down the stretch to pick up his first NCAA victory. His performance during the first period, allowing only one goal despite a slow start by CC, helped keep the National Collegiate Hockey Conference game within reach.

About three minutes later, CC (12-11-1, 6-7-1 NCHC) would take its first and only lead this weekend when Drew Montgomery scored off assists from Gavin Lindberg and Bret Link with 5:23 left.

“Our guys did a really good job handling ASU’s push there,” Mayotte said. “I am proud of our guys. I am not going to act like everything is fixed. I am happy with how committed we were to doing the right things. We continued to face adversity, some of it created by us and some by ASU, which is a very good team.”

CC scored five goals in a period for the first time since Oct. 13, 2023 (7-3 over Union), and the first time in the third period since an 8-2 victory over Western Michigan on Feb, 23, 2019.

That seemed quite improbable when you consider CC had tallied just 20 goals in the previous 11 games. Now with 10 regular-season games left, the confidence appears back for the Tigers.

“We went through a stretch we are not happy with,” Burkholder said. “But we have so much belief and faith in this group. The amount of hard work and talent we have in that locker room is something special. That is the win we needed to get out that hole.”

The win moved CC into a sixth-place tie with Minnesota Duluth, just one point behind Denver and North Dakota.

By Joe Paisley

TEMPE, Ariz. – Inconsistent play cost Colorado College dearly in a 4-1 road loss at league-leading Arizona State Friday night at Mullett Arena.

The host Sun Devils reeled off three goals over the final 8:49 of the second period to blow open the National Collegiate Hockey Conference contest. The three-goal outburst included a shorthanded goal with 4:46 remaining and a victory-sealing tally with just 6.6 seconds left in the middle frame before an announced sellout crowd of 5,150 fans.

“It’s a bit of a broken record right now,” Tigers coach Kris Mayotte said. “We continue to show an inability to manage close games. It continues to cost us games.”

The loss dropped CC (11-11-1, 5-7-1-2-1, 16 points) into seventh place in the NCHC with a 1-7 record (1-5 league) since a 5-4 comeback win over Denver on Dec. 13. Right now, that must seem like an eternity ago for Tiger fans after an 8-0 start that included two wins over these same Sun Devils in Colorado Springs to open league play.

Earlier Friday, Minnesota-Duluth edged now sixth-place Denver 4-3 while Omaha downed St. Cloud State to keep the Huskies in eighth, ahead of Miami.

In Tempe, the third and decisive goal came off an unforced CC turnover. What was a competitive game for the first 31 minutes was suddenly a blowout with the Tigers struggling to score with any consistency.

“It’s a deflating goal because of how it happened,” Mayotte said. “We continue to find ways to give up goals in big moments.”

ASU made it 4-0 with a power-play goal with 14:55 left in the game. Tigers goalie Kaidan Mbereko (21 saves) was pulled in favor of backup Carsen Musser (four saves) with 12:31 left to give the freshman some work.

CC freshman winger Owen Beckner spoiled ASU goalie Luke Pavicich’s shutout bid (24 saves) with a shot that went in off the netminder’s shoulder and in with 6:09 remaining in the contest. The league series concludes at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Expect the Sun Devils (14-8-1, 9-4-0) to keep up the defensive pressure. The hosts used an effective forecheck to force the Tigers to move the puck the entire length of the ice. Often that led to an offensive zone turnover that jump-started ASU’s transition offense through the neutral zone.

It’s a simple approach, but an effective one against a team struggling to score.

“They are a really good transition team and we fed them,” Mayotte added. “(ASU) won a lot of battles. They played well.  But we continue to create our own adversity.”

Colorado College defenseman commit Lincoln Kuehne is one of 43 NHL Draft-eligible Americans selected to play in next month’s 2025 Chipotle All-American Game,

Kuehne, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound righthanded blueliner currently plays on the U.S. National Team Developmental Program’s U18 national team. The 17-year-old West Fargo, N.D. native is on the Team Blue roster for the game in the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich.  It will be televised live on the NHL Network at 5 pm Mountain, Jan. 16.

Since the event’s debut in 2012, 321 players were drafted including 70 first-round selections.

Here are features from when Kuehne entered the USNTDP training camp in March 2023 and from when he made the program.

Not so long ago, a three-goal lead for Denver would be enough to dispatch Colorado College.

These Tigers are built a little different.

After falling behind 3-0 midway through the second period, the Tigers reeled off five-straight goals, capped by Drew Montgomery’s eventual game-winner with 4:09 remaining to pull off a 5-4 comeback home victory over the Pioneers (13-4).

It was CC’s second-straight win over their Gold Plan Trophy rivals, losers of three of their last four following a 12-0 start, in Game No. 342 of the series.

“We were down early but we liked our game,” Montgomery told NCHC.TV after the game. “We were getting the puck in behind their (defense) but they made a couple nice plays. There is no quit in this group.”

Things looked grim for the Tigers when Denver forward Samu Salminen scored two shorthanded goals over a span of 2:24 to seize a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. DU added a third goal midway through the second period to seize command.

But then the tide turned in yet another memorable game from this rivalry series. The two teams play at Denver’s Magness Arena Saturday night before entering the holiday break.

The tide turned in part thanks to CC’s penalty kill which stymied the nation’s top power play (33 percent) by holding DU scoreless on four man-opportunities when the Pioneers could have blown the National Collegiate Hockey Conference game open.

Instead, junior Kaidan Mbereko, November’s co-national goaltender of the month, made several of his 25 saves and the Tigers continued to win most of the even-strength battles.

“They have been a source of confidence and momentum for us,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “Our bench feeds off it. To get down three and find a way … this (sold-out Ed Robson Arena) crowd was unbelievable. They sustained us with their energy.”

That energy started to rise when Gavin Lindberg and Ryan Koering scored less than two minutes apart to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 3-2 late in the second period. It was Koering’s first NCAA goal.

That momentum surged entering the third period as the Tigers played inspired hockey, taking away DU’s time and space for the remainder of that period, carrying over into the third when Owen Beckner scored on a power-play goal 4:13 into the period to tie it at 3-3.

By that point, the Tigers were controlling much of the play, funneling the puck toward the DU net front and finding room for quality scoring chances.

The Tigers seized their first lead of the game 5:20 later when Chase McLane one-timed a pass from defenseman Max Burkholder to make it 4-3, CC. The momentum surged for the Tigers when Montgomery made it 5-3.

The defending NCAA champions would not fade away. NCAA leading scorer Jack Devine (27 points) cut the CC lead to 5-4 with 3:57 left with goalie Matt Davis (34 saves) pulled for the extra attacker.

Denver tried to complete its own comeback, but fell short as the cheering Robson Arena crowd rose to its collective feet as the clock expired.

Ice chips

Despite its 10 victories, the Tigers still do not have a multi-goal scorer in a game this season. … All eight Friday night contests have been decided by one goal (5-3 record including four overtime games). … The CC penalty kill has gone 12-for-12 in its last four games. … The Tigers have nine NHL draft picks on the roster this season, the most since nine for the 2002-3 squad and behind only the 10 each for the 2003-4 and 2004-5 teams.

Going 0-1-1 this past weekend at then-No. 13 Western Michigan, combined with some losses for most teams ranked ahead of Colorado College, helped lift the Tigers to No. 7 in the latest USCHO.com national poll. It is the highest ranking for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference program since No. 6 on Jan. 2, 2012.

Defending national champion Denver, winners of 21-straight dating back to a March 8, 2024 loss (4-3) at CC, garnered all 50 first-place votes in the rankings. The 10-0 Pioneers are the only D1 team without a tie or loss this season. The Broncos moved up to No. 9 in Monday’s poll.

By Joe Paisley

A strong defensive performance anchored by junior goalie Kaidan Mbereko’s season-high 41 saves have eighth-ranked Colorado College already among its historic best.

The Tigers never trailed in a 3-1 win over Arizona State Saturday night to improve to 8-0-0 for the first time since 1956. Colorado College won the second of its two NCAA titles (1950, 1957) at the end of that season.

“You couldn’t ask for a better start,” Tigers coach Kris Mayotte said.  We have to continue to learn through wins which can be challenging. So far so good with us in close games coming out on top.”

Despite being out shot 42-21, the Tigers defense kept the Sun Devil shooting from distance and then denied redirections or second-chance opportunities.

“We knew we needed to control hands around the net,” Mayotte said. “I like how we boxed out. When we weren’t able to control their hands, Kaidan was there for us.”

“The guys played really great in front me,” Mbereko said. “We know what type of team we have and that we have a lot of potential. We are going to learn from this weekend and try to be our best selves, especially as we go deeper into conference play.”

Graduate winger Tyler Coffey lifted a backhanded shot over ASU goalie Luke Pavicich’s left leg with 8:40 remaining in the third period for a 2-0 lead and record the eventual game-winner in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference series sweep.

“He is playing good hockey right now,” Mayotte said. “That’s experience. We knew he had the potential to rise to the occasion in these moments.”

ASU broke through with the extra attacker with 46 seconds left in the game to spoil Mbereko’s shutout bid, but Klavs Veinbergs scored his fourth goal this season when he tapped in an empty-netter with 9.6 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Drew Montgomery opened the scoring, recording his third goal this season just six seconds into the Tigers’ first power play of the weekend finale. Defenseman Max Burkholder’s pass sparked the rush by Zaccharya Wisdom who passed to Montgomery instead of shooting on the rush, as he did for Friday’s OT winner to down ASU 4-3 to open the league series.

Stanley Cooley, who scored the tying goal on Friday to force OT, assisted Coffey’s game-winner.

No one expected anything to come easy for eighth-ranked Colorado College in its National Collegiate Hockey Conference season opener. Arizona State made sure of it.

But the undefeated Tigers (7-0, 1-0 NCHC) showed why hopes and expectations are high for the program after captain Stanley Cooley scored the tying goal with the extra attacker late in regulation and sophomore winger Zaccharya Wisdom scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 thriller at Ed Robson Arena.

For the second Friday in a row, CC battled back to eke out an overtime victory which extended the Tigers’ season-opening win streak to seven games.

“We didn’t play that well but good teams find a way to win,” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “Different guys continue to step up and that is what good teams do. We will make sure we are better (Saturday) night.”

On Friday, Colorado College jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Max Burkholder, last Friday’s OT hero, and Klavs Veinbergs just 11:45 into the game. But an own goal credited to ASU’s Ryan Alexander and a tying goal by Dylan Jackson early in the second period helped the Sun Devils (3-5-1, 0-1) take control of the contest for most of the final 20 minutes.

The Sun Devils took their first lead, 3-2, on a third-period power-play goal by Noah Beck past a screened Kaidan Mbereko (27 saves). ASU looked poised to win their first-ever D1 league game with the Sun Devils outshooting the Tigers 30-21 and winning faceoffs by a 28-22 margin, often tell-tale statistics for a victory.

But Cooley forced what was an entertaining 3-on-3 overtime with ASU hitting the CC post and Mbereko making a critical save before Wisdom converted on the ensuing rush by firing a rising shot past a glove attempt by Gibson Homer (17 saves).

Image taken by Parker Seibold of The Colorado Springs Gazette when Wisdom scored four goals in a 7-1 home rout of North Dakota.

Sophomore defenseman Max Burkholder completed the Tiger comeback when he scored just 1:08 into overtime as eighth-ranked Colorado College rallied to upend Air Force, 3-2.

The nonconference victory clinched CC’s retention of the Pikes Peak Rivalry Trophy since the 2018-19 season and kept the Tigers undefeated at 5-0 with a Saturday night rematch at Air Force next.

It was a tough win for CC which fell behind 2-0 in the second period Friday against the opportunistic Falcons (4-5).

“I didn’t like our game until we were down 2-0,” Tigers coach Kris Mayotte said after the game at Ed Robson Arena Friday night. “We were committing too many turnovers. Once we got down, we decided to start playing our game.”

The Tigers dominated play for most of the second period and cut the AFA lead to 2-1 when Klavs Veinbergs scored on the power-play goal off a rebound scramble between the circles that was controlled by Ryan Beck. He sent the pass to Veinbergs for a one-timer then when in off Falcons goalie Guy Blessing’s left shoulder with 6:04 left in the middle frame.

Sophomore Drew Montgomery tied the game in the opening minute of the third period and that score held thanks to another clutch performance by CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko (25 saves).

“We got a bit loose in the third and Kaidan came up big against those funnels,” Mayotte said.

Ice chips

CC is now 67-15-2 all-time against Air Force with seven wins in the last nine meetings. … Air Force fell to 4-1 in one-goal games and 1-5 against Top 20 foes this season. … The Falcons entered the game having led for just 18 minutes this season despite a 4-4 record. AFA led for 31:03 against CC Friday before Montgomery’s tying goal early in the third.