Two weeks were on the clock instead of two penalty minutes. And when it was over, the Colorado College Tigers rushed out of the box like a stretch pass was coming.

A player’s positive COVID-19 test necessitated quarantine, pushing back the start of the Tigers’ season and shutting down team activity at a time when they should have been ramping up.

“Getting ready for practice” rarely, if ever, sounded as good as it did Tuesday.

“We all kind of swallowed our pride a bit, understood what the situation was,” senior Zach Berzolla said. “And now it’s go time for us.”

The first day of quarantine, Nov. 17, and the days that followed were the worst of it. Through two NFL Sundays, countless TV episodes, plenty of competition and communication via Xbox and zero new positive tests, Berzolla said the Tigers handled the situation well.

“It kind of brought us closer together as a team. We’re going to get back to work this week and head to Omaha and get ready for our games,” the newly announced team captain said.

“I think it maybe even gave us more of an edge to go out there now.”

The Tigers took the first of three expected practices at Honnen Arena before a bus ride to Nebraska for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s 21-day “pod” to start the season, which got underway without CC on Tuesday afternoon. Coach Mike Haviland said the team will be tested two more times and then again upon arrival in Omaha.

Back in Colorado Springs, Tuesday was designed as a day to get reacclimated.

“I’ve got to worry about groins and backs. I don’t want anybody having that issue,” Haviland said. “We’ve got to get their feet and their hands and their minds back into it today and then tomorrow kind of ramp it up, get into more of the meat and potatoes of the practice. Special teams is obviously going to be a big part of it.

“Let’s not go crazy here after two weeks off.”

Cruikshank, Berzolla to captain Tigers

For the fourth straight season, Colorado College will have a pair of team captains. Junior forward Grant Cruikshank will again don the “C” after becoming the first sophomore in program history to take on that role. He will be joined by senior defenseman Berzolla, who was an alternate captain in 2019-20.

Alex Berardinelli was team captain with Cruikshank last season but has since graduated.

“They know what our culture is and how we want to play and the standards,”  Haviland said. “They’re great selections.”