Weekly Release
See 2010-11 Team Photo

This Week:
The UNO hockey team begins its 14th season with an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 2.   Game time is 7:07 p.m.  As they have in all but one prior season, the Mavericks are opening play with an exhibition game against a Canadian university.  This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.  It is also the earliest the Mavericks have played a game of any kind.

A New Neighborhood:
UNO, previously an 11-year member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, makes its debut in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association this season.  The Mavericks were admitted, along with Bemidji State University, on June 26, 2009.  They join a conference rich with tradition and success.  Since 1951, teams representing the WCHA have earned 36 Frozen Four Championships and finished as the runner up 27 more times.  The Mavs concluded their tenure in the CCHA with a record of 120-138-47 and three trips to “The Joe” for the CCHA's final four.  UNO will have some ground to make up when it begins WCHA play.  The Mavs are 18-37-7 all-time against league opponents.

Last Year:
The Mavericks concluded their 13th season of play with a record of 20-16-6 overall, the fourth 20-win season in school history.  They posted a record of 13-12-3-2 in the CCHA, good for sixth place, their best finish since the 2006-07 season.  UNO finished strong down the stretch, posting a record of 8-3-1 over the final 12 regular season games.  They swept Bowling Green, 2-0, in a first round CCHA playoff series at Qwest Center Omaha before being swept by Ferris State to end the season.

The University of British Columbia was 10-24-1 overall last year and 8-19-1 in the seven-team Canada West Universities Athletic Association.  The game with UNO kicks off a three-game exhibition swing south of the border for the Thunderbirds.  They travel to Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 3 and play at Minnesota State on Monday, Oct. 4.  In all, UBC begins the season with seven exhibition games before beginning league play.

The Coaches:
#Dean Blais# begins his second year as the head coach of the Mavericks.  The 1973 graduate of Minnesota has posted a career record of 282-131-39 (.667) and guided the Mavericks to a mark of 20-16-6 in his first season.  Blais is a two-time Spencer Penrose Memorial Award winner as the Division I coach of the year.  He spent 10 years as head coach at North Dakota where he led the Fighting Sioux to national championships in 1997 and 2000.  He is assisted by second-year associate head coach Mike Hastings and first-year assistant coach Mike Guentzel.

Milan Dragicevic is in his ninth season leading UBC.  He has a career record of 74-137-13 guiding the Thunderbirds.  He is a 1994 graduate of Acadia University in Wolfeville, Nova Scotia.

Media:
The 2010-11 season marks the second year UNO hockey can be heard on KVNO, 90.7 FM.  KVNO is the home for all Maverick athletic broadcasts.  Dave Ahlers will call the play-by-play again this season while Terry Leahy provides analysis for his 14th consecutive campaign.  Coverage begins 30 minutes before game time.  Live audio, streaming video and live stats are available at omavs.com.

Up Next For the Mavericks:
UNO hosts its traditional regular season-opening tournament, the Mutual of Omaha Stampede, on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 9.  The tournament will be staged as a “classic” with opponents predetermined each night.  RIT and St. Cloud State will play the opening game on Friday at 4:37 p.m.  The Mavericks face off with Clarkson University of the ECAC in the nightcap at 7:37 p.m.  On Saturday, St. Cloud State and Clarkson play the early game at 4:07 p.m., and UNO and RIT of the Atlantic Hockey Association conclude the tournament that night at 7:07 p.m.