The University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks return home this weekend, Feb. 6-7, to face Central Collegiate Hockey Association cluster-mate Western Michigan in a two-game series at the Qwest Center Omaha. Both games are slated for 7:05 p.m. CST face-offs and can be heard live on 1290 AM KKAR.

The Broncos and Mavericks have faced each other once already this season in Kalamazoo, Mich. back on Nov. 7-8. The Mavs took four points from that series, winning a shootout after a 2-2 tie in the Friday night contest and winning the game on Saturday 5-2.

This Weekend
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks welcome the Western Michigan Universtiy Broncos to town as they host the Leap-For-A-Cure fundraiser in an effort to bring attention to the plight of those with brain cancer. The Mavs will be wearing specially designed uniforms for this weekend's series that will be auctioned off during Saturday's game. All proceeds from the weekend will go to the Estabrook Cancer Center for brain cancer research and education.

Last Week Recap
UNO suffered its worst loss of the season Friday, Jan. 30, at Ferris State as the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Mavericks, 7-1. Saturday's contest, however, was a different story with the Mavericks and Bulldogs battling back-and-forth to a 1-1 tie. The Mavs lost the shootout following Saturday's game, allowing FSU to take four points from the series and move to within four of UNO in the CCHA standings.

The Records
The Mavericks are 0-4-3 in their last seven and have gone without a win since a 4-3 victory over Northern Michigan on Jan. 9th. UNO is 13-10-6 on the year and 8-8-6-3 in conference action. The Broncos come into this weekend's series after having been swept at home by Northern Michigan last weekend, 6-5 and 4-3. WMU is 7-15-6 overall and 4-11-5-1.

The Series
UNO traveled to Kalamazoo, Mich. earlier this season and came away from that two-game series with four points after a shootout win on Nov. 7 and a 5-2 victory on the 8th. The Mavs hold a 12-7-5 advantage in the all-time series against the Broncos and have been especially dominant at home, claiming six of the ten games that have been played in Omaha, 6-3-1. UNO is unbeaten in the last six meetings with WMU, posting a mark of 5-0-1 in that span. The last time the Mavericks lost to the Broncos in Omaha was on Jan. 14, 2004, a 3-2 setback.

The Rankings
UNO is ranked in the middle of the CCHA pack in both offense and defense, ranking sixth in both categories by scoring and allowing an indentical number of 2.41 goals per game. The Maverick power-play and penalty kill units are similarly placed among league opponents, clocking in a fifth and sixth, respectively. Western Michigan, on the other hand, is eighth in the CCHA in scoring, putting in on average 2.25 goals per game, while its defense is tied for tenth, allowing 3.40 goals per contest. The Broncos
special teams share nearly identical conference rankings to their overall offense and defense. The WMU power play is tenth while their penalty kill is rated last in the league.

The Coaches
Nebraska-Omaha's Mike Kemp, the only coach in the program's history, is in his 12th season. A native of Duluth, Minn. and 1975 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus, Kemp brings a career mark of 192-216-55 into the 2008-09 season. He has amassed a record of 109-122-44 in CCHA play. WMU's Jim Culhane is in his tenth season behind the Bronco's bench, taking over the program prior to the 1999-2000 season. He has accumulated an overall record of 135-170-36 in his tenure in Kalamazoo.

Coming Up
The Mavericks will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. next weekend, Feb. 13-14, to take on the University of Michigan Wolverines. Friday's game will face-off at 6:35 p.m. CST, while Saturday's contest is slated for a later start at 7:05 p.m. CST and will broadcast live on Fox Sports Network Detroit. Both games can also be heard live on 1290 AM KKAR.