OMAHA, Neb. - The 19th-ranked University of Nebraska at Omaha hockey team is on the road this weekend, Dec. 12-13, in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. to take on the Lake Superior State University Lakers in a two-game Central Collegiate Hockey Association series. Face-off is set for 6:05 p.m. CST both nights.

The Records
UNO (9-4-3, 5-4-3-2) comes into this weekend series riding a four-game winless streak. The Mavs were swept at Ohio State and are coming off a pair of ties with Alaska in Omaha, 0-0 and 1-1. The Mavericks picked up three points last weekend, winning Friday's shootout 2-1 in six rounds before dropping Saturday's shootout 2-1 in three. Junior goalie #Jeremie Dupont picked up his first shutout of the season Friday while freshman Matt Smith# scored his first career goal in Saturday's contest, a bomb from center ice. LSSU (4-6-6, 3-4-5-1) had a similar weekend, tying both games in a two-game set with Northern Michigan, 1-1 and 2-2. NMU won both shootouts.

The Series
The Mavericks lead the all-time series 11-6-5 but have split the eight games in Sault Ste. Marie, 3-3-2. The last five contests between the two teams have gone to overtime with seven of the last nine going into extra time. The teams have posted a record of 1-1-5 in those seven OT contests. The Lakers and Mavericks skated to a pair of ties in Omaha a year ago, 1-1 and 3-3.

The Rankings
UNO appears in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports poll for the fourth straight week, punching in at No. 19. The Mavericks rank fourth in the CCHA in scoring and defense, averaging three goals per game while giving up just over two, 2.08. UNO sports the third best power play in the conference, converting on 11-of-60 man advantages, or 18.3 percent.  The Mavs are successfully killing off 88 percent of opposing power plays to rank sixth in the league.

The Coaches
Nebraska-Omaha's #Mike Kemp#, the only coach in the program's history, is in his 12th season at the helm of the Maverick hockey program. A native of Duluth, Minn. and 1975 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus, Kemp brings a career mark of 188-210-52 into the 2008-09 season. He has amassed a record of 106-118-41 in CCHA play. Jim Roque became the ninth coach in the 41-year history of Lake Superior State hockey when he replaced Frank Anzalone in June of 2005. He is the second former Laker player to take the helm of the LSSU program. Roque sports a career mark of 50-59-23 overall and is 1-1-4 against UNO in his time at LSSU.

Media
The series will be broadcast live on 1290 AM KKAR with Greg Harrington calling the action and Terry Leahy providing color. Coverage begins 20 minutes before faceoff each night. The game will also be available via a live webcast provided by B2 Networks.

Coming Up
The Mavericks will break for the holidays after this weekend's series in Sault Ste. Marie. They will return to action Dec. 29-30 when they travel to the East Coast to take on a pair of Ivy League powers, Yale and Princeton. UNO lost to both Yale and Princeton in Omaha last season, 6-3 and 5-3 respectively.