A pair of Colorado natives have earned weekly honors from the NCHC.

Denver junior forward Aidan Thompson (Fort Collins) is the Forward of the Week, while Colorado College goalie Kaidan Mbereko (Aspen) is the Goaltender of the Week.

Thompson powered top-ranked Denver to a sweep at Yale with a four-point series, leading all NCHC forwards in points on the weekend. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick recorded points in both victories, starting with a primary assist on DU’s fifth goal in Friday’s 6-0 win. The next night, Thompson tallied three points in a 5-1 win, scoring two goals and adding another helper. He had the primary assist on the Pioneers’ first goal, which tied the game, then scored the game-winning goal on the power play to break a 1-1 tie in the second period before adding the final tally to clinch the sweep.

Thompson finished the series in Connecticut with two goals, two assists and 15 shots on goal, including a career-high 11 shots in Saturday’s victory. The DU alternate captain also posted a plus-3 plus/minus on the weekend, including plus-2 in Friday’s shutout. Saturday marked his third career multi-goal game, while he is now on a career-long eight-game point streak (six goals, nine assists) to start the season. Thompson is second on the team with 15 points this season and tied for second with six goals, while also adding nine assists.

During his youth hockey days, Thompson skated for the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders and Colorado Thunderbirds.

Mbereko, who earned his second straight weekly honor, backstopped Colorado College to a sweep of cross-town rival Air Force, allowing only three goals all weekend while helping CC capture the Pikes Peak Trophy for a sixth straight season.

On Friday at Ed Robson Arena, Mbereko made 25 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory, including a stop in the extra session that led directly to the game-winning goal by Max Burkholder. A night later at the Air Force Academy, he was even better, compiling 27 stops in a 6-1 victory. Mbereko made nine saves during the Falcons seven power plays Saturday, as CC went 6-for-7 on the penalty kill in the series finale. He also made nine short-handed saves in Friday’s win on three Air Force power plays.

Mbereko finished the series 2-0-0 in net while stopping 52 of 55 shots for a .945 save percentage, with the 52 saves the most in the NCHC over the weekend. He also posted a 1.49 goals-against average in the victories, as CC improved to 6-0-0 for the first time since 2000-01.

On the season, Mbereko is 6-0-0 with a .940 save percentage and 1.33 GAA, both of which are tops in the NCHC.

Back home, Mbereko played for the Aspen Leafs and Rocky Mountain Snow Kings.

Photos/C. Morgan Engel/Clarkson Creative Photography (Thompson), Colorado College Athletics (Mbereko)

(November 4, 2024)