Colorado
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College gets late bounce, knocks off Denver in Game 1
Colorado College has had so many nights this season when the Tigers felt like they played well, but some bit of adversity went against them.
The Tigers got a bounce they desperately needed Friday night.
Sophomore defenseman Brady Cleveland scored with 3:43 remaining in the third period, and the sixth-seeded Tigers knocked off third-seeded University of Denver, 3-1, in Game 1 of a best-of-three NCHC conference tournament series Friday night at Magness Arena.
“You’re just really proud of (Cleveland),” CC coach Kris Mayotte said. “He’s come in here and worked his tail off and continued to get better. You need your big boys to be big boys in these moments, but you also need your unsung heroes to kind of rise up and get something like that for us.”
Kaidan Mbereko was fantastic in net for the Tigers, turning aside 32 shots. Matt Davis, who put together a historic postseason a year ago and led DU to its NCAA-record 10th national championship, had a strong night as well with 20 saves.
Cleveland’s shot from the top of the zone broke a DU player’s stick and re-directed into the Pioneers net to give CC its first lead of the game. It was also the first goal of Cleveland’s NCAA career, in his 52nd game.
“It’s something pretty special,” said Cleveland, who transferred from Wisconsin after his freshman season. “I think about all the extra reps and all the stuff people don’t see behind the scenes that led up to this moment. It’s pretty special knowing the hard work finally pays off. It’s something I’ll remember the rest of the my life.”
Ty Gallagher scored 32 seconds into a 5-on-3 for the Tigers to bring CC level early in the third period. DU’s Rieger Lorenz had a shorthanded chance, but barreled into Mbereko and was called for charging. It was Gallagher’s seventh goal of the season, which leads the CC defense corps.
Jack Devine gave the Pios the lead at 13:38 of the second period on a goal mouth scramble shortly after an offensive-zone faceoff. It was Devine’s 13th goal and team-leading 51st point of the season.
The Pios had a faceoff in the CC end in part because Tigers forward Gleb Veremyev was laying on the ice in pain at the other end. When DU transitioned the puck out of the defensive zone and away from Veremyev, the officials let play continue — much to the chagrin of a very animated Mayotte.
Junior center Noah Laba added an empty-netter for the Tigers in the final minute.
Despite allowing the only goal, the Tigers were much better in the middle period. Davis had very little to do in the first period, but needed to make several saves on shots from the slot in the second.
Mbereko kept the Tigers afloat despite a hot start from the Pioneers. Denver had the first 12 shots on goal of the game, and it took more than 10 minutes for CC to get its first shot on Davis.
“Unbelievable performance,” Laba said. “We know he has always has that in him. For him to go out there and show out in a big game is huge. We’re going to need him from here on out.”
DU retained the Gold Pan for the sixth straight season, winning three of the four regular-season matchups. Three of the games were tied in the third period, and the other ended up a one-goal contest.
Both of these teams got off to great starts to this season. The Pioneers set a program record by winning their first 12 games, spending eight weeks at No. 1 in both major polls. The Tigers won eight straight at the start, climbing as high as No. 8 in the national rankings.
Colorado College stumbled through January, losing seven of nine at one point, and the Tigers’ only path to an NCAA tournament bid is winning this series, then winning twice next weekend at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minn.
DU entered this weekend at No. 9 in the Pairwise rankings, solidly in the NCAA field of 16, but what seed the Pios land is still to be determined.
Game 2 of this series is Saturday night at Magness, with Game 3 on Sunday evening if necessary.
“We know what they’re going to do, and they obviously know what we’re going to do,” Cleveland said. “It just comes down to who’s going to perform better. We came out on top, and we’re going to do it again.”
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Originally Published:
Damage assessments are still ongoing for homes and businesses affected by the Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado, but over 200 homes have been confirmed destroyed so far. The United Way of Southern Colorado is working to raise relief funds for those affected and says it’s making progress towards its fundraising goal.
In an update on Wednesday afternoon, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said they’ve assessed approximately 67% of the properties affected in the county. Authorities have confirmed the loss of 192 homes and four commercial structures so far and are working to contact property owners as quickly as possible.
Lucero urged everyone affected by the fire to use the survivor portal for more information on assistance.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith says they’ve lost approximately 83 homes so far, almost 2% of the county’s homes. The worst hit area is along the Highway 165 corridor, Smith added. He said that authorities don’t expect any new evacuation areas, but are not yet ready to release the existing evacuation orders.
Smith said a hotline is available during business hours for affected Custer County Residents to ask questions. He urged residents to contact them at (719) 467-0271 and advised they may need to leave a voicemail if the line is busy due to the high number of calls.
A flash flood watch is in effect for areas near the burn scar, which could affect nearby homes.
The President of the United Way of Southern Colorado, Shanna Farmer, said the organization is working to raise wildfire relief funds for those affected. Over the last few days, they have reached just over $417,000 of their $10 million goal.
“It has been incredible, the number of individuals and companies who have come out to support, to provide matches, and to provide innovative ways to raise those funds,” said Farmer. “And so, I encourage anyone who is willing to work with us on a corporate, business, or individual level to please reach out because it is going to take all of us to help rebuild.”
Farmer said that the community not only needs help with their immediate needs but also long-term support. She urged anyone interested in donating to visit their website.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office says anyone who has evacuated needs to contact the Disaster Assistance Center located at 29 Lehigh Ave. in Pueblo. The center is open between 9 a.m and 6 p.m. and provides multiple resources for those forced to evacuate.
Residents must also visit the center to obtain a re-entry pass, which will allow them to return home once evacuation orders have been lifted. A photo ID and proof of residency are required. Visitors can sign up online to reserve a place in line for faster service.
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Colorado
Julian Lewis Says Deion Sanders’ Colorado ‘Wasn’t Really Looking at Defenses Much’ Last Season
Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis made a stunning admission that could explain the team’s 3-9 finish to the 2025 season.
While speaking to ESPNU at Big 12 media days, Lewis was asked what the biggest difference was between last year and this year, and he revealed that the Deion Sanders-coached Buffaloes typically didn’t watch film during his first season with the team.
“My play, I’m actually looking at the defenses now,” Lewis said. “Last year, we wasn’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun.”
Before taking a redshirt year, Lewis played in four games as a true freshman with two starts and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. He should fare even better this season with the benefit of film study.
Lewis will enter the 2026 campaign as Colorado’s starting quarterback, so he will have the opportunity to show his improvements when the Buffaloes open the year against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.
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