Sports Odds and Ends
The quest goes on for hockey that’s truly ‘for everyone’
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) over its existence has made a concerted effort to diversify the sport. A league spokesperson told the MSR last weekend that there have been several Black players in the league, most notably Micah Miller at St. Cloud State and Isaiah Saville at Omaha.
This season there are two Black hockey players in the NCHC, both teammates at Colorado College. The MSR talked separately with each player after a two-game series at Minnesota this month.
Kaiden Mbereko
Colorado College went into last weekend’s series at Minnesota Duluth ranked in the national polls: They finished in the top 20 last season for the first time in over a decade. The Tigers are in the top 20 again this season, and 5-11 sophomore goalie Kaiden Mbereko (Aspen, Colo.) is a big contributor as one of the country’s best collegiate goalies.
Mbereko started 29 of 30 games last season as a freshman. He was a three-time NCHC Goaltender of the Week winner, a second team all-NCHC selection, and he made the league’s All-Rookie Team.
We first saw Mbereko in action during last season’s NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, when he got hot and led the Tigers to the championship game. He was named NCHC Goaltender of the Month for December after a 2-1-1 record and a 1.95 goals-against average last month, averaging 25 saves per game.
Being a goalie takes steel nerves. “I gotta give credit for my brother who got me into being in hockey in general. But my friend at school showed me some pads,” recalled Mbereko, who liked how the goalie pads looked and tried them out for a night.
“I fell in love with it the first time and stuck with it,” he said.
Colorado College and Minnesota split the January 7-8 series. Mbereko stopped 33 shots, including impressive back-to-back saves late in the third period in the Tigers’ 6-4 road win.
“As a goalie,” he explained, “you want to stop every puck. Goals are gonna go in. As a goalie [you] just try to get the team a chance. I’m proud of the guys getting it done,” said Mbereko of his teammates.
The sophomore netminder fully knows he is a rarity as a Black hockey goalie. “Growing up, I didn’t notice as much. But now that I’m on a bigger, better platform and just being able to…advocate for the sport, and obviously for African Americans across the country and even in the world.
“It’s cool. I’ve definitely seen a growth [of Blacks playing hockey] over the years.”
Zaccharya Wisdom
Before he enrolled at Colorado College, freshman forward Zaccharya Wisdom (Toronto, Ontario) played in the USHL and was a seventh-round draft pick of Seattle in the 2023 NHL draft.
“I had a great coach going into the USHL who unfortunately passed away recently,” said Wisdom of the late Dave Adams, who helped prepare him for the rigors of college hockey. “He was mentor, friend, father figure, and I loved him to death,” said the 6-foot forward.
Wisdom scored the game-deciding goal on a breakaway with three minutes left in the Tigers’ 6-4 road win at Minnesota, his third goal of the season. He also posted a team-high five shots for Colorado College.
“I got a great group of guys in there,” said Wisdom afterwards as he pointed toward the visitors’ locker room. “They’ve taken me under their wing and showed me the ropes. And I think the coaching staff has done a good job of making sure and staying on top of me, making sure that I’m doing the right things all the time and holding myself accountable.”
Although hockey in Canada is the national sport, it still lacks diversity. “It’s gotten better,” continued Wisdom. “As a Black player in this game, I want to see it be more diverse.
“I think it’s getting better, but it’s still a work in progress. People like myself and Kaiden [Mbereko, his CC teammate], whenever we see someone of color, we smile—it’s a nice feeling.
“We’re going to do all we can to make sure that it keeps getting more diverse,” said Wisdom. “It doesn’t matter what race you are…especially the Black community.”
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