From a Colorado College hockey perspective, a warm-up before launching into 10 “pod” games in three weeks sounds appealing. Ditto for Air Force as it begins the season as an Atlantic Hockey outlier.

But the on-ice product isn’t the only concern these days.

Teams are limiting travel due to the pandemic, and hosting a rare opponent when there’s few fans to see it isn’t ideal. A crosstown and long-standing rival with room on its schedule, however, makes a lot of sense, in theory.

The idea of a scrimmage or nonconference game between Air Force and Colorado College, who were not supposed to play each other in 2020-21, has been floated. The teams could add to a rich history while getting valuable experience before play in their respective conferences begins.

CC athletic director Lesley Irvine said she’d discussed the prospect with coach Mike Haviland, but not Air Force directly.

“I do think we have to think about doing all we can to prepare ourselves for success going into the pod,” Irvine said. “I love the in-town rivalry there. I hope we can find a way to do it.

“When we do it is to be determined, and we’re not definitely going to do it.”

National Collegiate Hockey Conference Commissioner Josh Fenton on Friday pointed to risks associated with warm-up games of any kind. In addition to “frequent and regular testing” in the week before departing, the league will try to protect the pod by discouraging contact with potential carriers.

“We are going to ask them to severely restrict their movement and especially to have contact with the outside public for at least a seven-day period in advance of the team departing,” Fenton said, also referencing the two-week span it often takes for the disease to run its course.

Fenton said the topic of nonconference games is at the top of the agenda for a call with athletic directors next week.

Scrimmages within the conference, like the NHL did before diving into postseason play in the bubble, might be “a little more palatable” but no decision has been made.

Still, in terms of unexpected silver linings, there’s a chance the Tigers and Falcons could meet for the first time since the Faceoff at Falcon Stadium where none existed before.