Friday night, Colorado College hockey walked the walk.

The Tigers earned a 4-1 win over No. 9 Minnesota Duluth at the Bulldogs’ Amsoil Arena. After five straight weeks of close calls, CC earned the win on the opening night of a series. No overtime, no ties, no shootouts, no moral victories, just getting the job done. The Tigers clinched a spot in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with the win.

Kaidan Mbereko was a big part of the reason for the Tigers’ win. The senior captain and netminder finished with a season-high 39 saves in his 127th appearance tying Jeff Sanger for the most by goalie in program history.

Other upperclassmen answered the call as well. The Tigers (13-15-5, 7-11-5) had a 1-0 lead entering the third period. Minnesota Duluth forward scored the equalizer for the hosts at 11:41 of the frame but CC junior right wing Bret Link regained the lead for his team just 25 seconds later. He deflected a shot from sophomore center Owen Beckner past Duluth goalie Ethan Dahlmeir.

Junior right wing and assistant captain Drew Montgomery added an insurance goal with an empty-netter at 19:11. Link added a second score for his second-career multi-goal game in the same fashion 28 seconds later.

Rookie defenseman Mats Lindgren continued his hot streak with his second goal in three games to open the evening’s scoring at 9:46 of the first period. Lindgren has been a revelation since joining the Tigers in late December with six goals on the season.

CC earned the win despite being outshot 40-19.

The Tigers and Bulldogs conclude the series on Saturday at 5 p.m.