Weekly Release
This Week: The UNO hockey team plays its final two regular season games as a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association when it visits the #1 Miami University RedHawks on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19 and 20. Friday's game begins at 6:35 p.m. CT and Saturday's contest starts 6:05 p.m. CT.
Last Week: The Mavericks swept the Michigan Wolverines for the first time ever, beating their visitors from Ann Arbor, 4-3 and 4-1. On Friday, #
Joey Martin and Terry Broadhurst# each had two goals, and #
Matt Ambroz# posted three assists as the Mavs snapped an eight-game losing streak against UM and got their first ever win against the Wolverines at the Qwest Center. #
John Faulkner# had 29 saves. The next night, #
Dan Swanson had a two-goal game while John Kemp and Jordan Willert# also tallied to finish the sweep. #
Brandon Richardson# had three assists in the finale, and Faulkner made 36 saves.
The Records: The Mavericks are 16-12-6 this season and 12-11-3-2 in the CCHA, putting them in a fourth place, two points ahead of fifth-place Alaska and Northern Michigan. The RedHawks wrapped up the CCHA regular season title with a sweep of Bowling Green last weekend. They are 22-4-6 overall and 19-1-4-2 in the league.
The Series: The Mavericks trail the all-time series with Miami, 6-16-3. They are 1-9-2 all-time in Oxford, Ohio. Last season, the Mavs tied the RedHawks, 2-2 before winning in a shootout, 3-2. They lost the next night 6-1 in Omaha. UNO is winless in its last eleven games against Miami (0-10-1). The Mavs' last win in the series was a 5-2 victory in Oxford on Jan. 21, 2005.
The Coaches: #
Dean Blais# is in his first year as the head coach of the Mavericks. He brings an impressive resume to Omaha, having 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 277-126-37. He coached Team USA to a gold medal in the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on January 5, 2010. Blais is assisted by former Omaha Lancer head coach and first-year associate head coach Mike Hastings and third-year assistant coach Nick Fohr.
Enrico Blasi is in his eleventh season as the head coach of the RedHawks. The 1994 graduate of Miami is 232-155-39 all-time.
Media: Both games will be broadcast live on “The Voice of Omaha's Team”, KVNO 90.7 FM.
Dave Ahlers will call the action while Terry Leahy will provide analysis. Coverage begins 20 minutes before the face-off. Live audio is available at kvno.org and live stats at omavs.com. Friday's game also will be televised live on the NHL Network.
Coming Up: The Mavericks conclude the regular season back at home when they host the #7/9 Bemidji State Beavers on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26 and 27. Friday's game starts at 7:35 p.m. and Saturday's game begins with a special 8:05 p.m. face-off. Both UNO and Bemidji State will enter the Western Collegiate Hockey Association next season.
