Weekly Release
CCHA Release
This Week: The 12th-ranked UNO hockey team begins its final season in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association when it hosts the Bowling Green State University Falcons on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31. Face-off is 7:35 p.m. on Friday and 8:05 p.m. Saturday at Qwest Center Omaha.
Last Week: The Mavericks were idle last week. During the prior weekend, they tied Colgate 1-1 and beat the Red Raiders, 4-1, in a two-game series at Hamilton, N.Y. Forwards
Joey Martin and
Jeric Agosta each had a pair of goals during the series, and defenseman
Eddie DelGrosso had a powerplay goal.
John Faulkner earned the tie and the win in goal for the Mavs. In Saturday's win, UNO came from behind to beat Colgate to remain unbeaten at Starr Rink all-time (3-0-1).
The Records: The Mavericks are 3-0-1 to start the season. The Falcons are 0-4-0 on the season. This weekend's series also marks the beginning of the Falcons' CCHA schedule. Bowling Green is coming off a pair of losses to Providence College last weekend (8-2, 3-1).
The Series: This is the 22nd meeting all-time between these two conference rivals. UNO leads the series 19-10-2 and has posted a record of 14-6-1 at home. Last season, the two clubs split a pair of games at Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons won 3-2 the first night before the Mavericks rebounded for a 5-3 victory the next night.
The Coaches: The 2009-2010 season marks a new era for Nebraska-Omaha as #
Dean Blais# takes over as the head coach.
Mike Kemp, the only coach in the program's history, was promoted to Associate Athletic Director in May of 2009. Blais brings an impressive resume to Omaha. He led the University of North Dakota to national titles in 1997 and 2000. He won five WCHA regular season titles with UND and two playoff championships. He is a two-time winner of the Spencer Penrose Memorial Award given to Division I hockey's top coach. The native of International Falls, Minn. has a career record of 265-115-34. Blais will be assisted by former Omaha Lancer head coach and first-year associate head coach Mike Hastings and third-year assistant coach Nick Fohr.
Dennis Williams is in his first year as head coach, succeeding Scott Paluch. He spent last year as an assistant at BGSU. The native of Stratford, Ont. is a 2001 graduate of Bowling Green.
Media: Both games this weekend will be broadcast live on “The Voice of Omaha's Team”, KVNO 90.7 FM.
Dave Ahlers will call the action, and Terry Leahy will provide the analysis. Coverage begins 20 minutes before face-off each night. Live audio is available at
kvno.org, and live stats and live video are at omavs.com.
Coming Up: The Mavericks are on the road next week when they visit the Michigan State Spartans for games on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 5 and 6. The series begins a day early to avoid conflict with the Spartans' football game on Saturday. Face-off is 7:05 p.m. ET each night from Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
