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This Week
The Mavericks play their first true road games of the 2012-13 season when they visit Michigan Tech for games on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2 and 3. Game time each night is 7:07 p.m. ET from the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Mich. The games are the first two of four between the two schools. MTU comes to Omaha for games on Feb. 1 and 2, 2013.
The Teams
The Mavericks are 2-3-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the WCHA following a tie and a loss to visiting Bemidji State last weekend. UNO leads the all-time series with Michigan Tech, 5-2-1 including a mark of 3-0-1 in Houghton. They are currently unbeaten in six straight against the Huskies (5-0-1).
Michigan Tech is 2-4-0 on the season and 1-3-0 in WCHA play, good for a tie for sixth. The Huskies are coming off a pair of losses at Denver last weekend. So far this season, they've posted a record of 2-1-0 at home.
Last Time Out
Omaha opened the WCHA season with a 3-3 tie against Bemidji State before losing the next night, 3-2. On Friday, the Mavericks twice built a two-goal lead, only to see the Beavers come back.
Josh Archibald scored in the first and Matt White in the second before BSU's Radoslav Illo tallied. Less than a minute later,
Johnnie Searfoss restored the two goal edge. But Aaron McLeod and Markus Gerbrandt scored before the period ended, and the two teams skated through overtime without another goal. UNO held a 42-25 shot advantage.
John Faulkner stopped 22 while Andrew Walsh turned aside 39.
The next night, Bemidji State got out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Ben Kinne (powerplay) and David Boehm, but the Mavericks responded with goals from
James Polk and Archibald. The Beavers retook the lead when Boehm scored his second of the night at 18:21 of the second period. BSU then clamped down in the third to earn its fifth win in eight games in Omaha. Anthony Stolarz made 10 saves and took the loss. He was relieved by
John Faulkner in the third who stopped six. Walsh made 25 saves to pick up the win.
The Coaches
Dean Blais is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Mavericks, having led UNO to two 20-win campaigns in that time. The 1973 graduate of Minnesota has posted a career record of 319-168-46 (.642) and has guided the Mavericks to a mark of 57-53-15 (.516).
Blais is a two-time Spencer Penrose Memorial Award winner as the Division I coach of the year and a four-time winner of the WCHA's Coach of the Year Award. He spent 10 years as head coach at North Dakota where he led UND to national championships in 1997 and 2000.
He is assisted by first-year assistant coaches
Steve Johnson and Troy Jutting who both have extensive coaching experience in the WCHA, Johnson as an assistant at St. Cloud State and Jutting as the head coach and an assistant at Minnesota State.
Mel Pearson is in his second season as the head coach at Michigan Tech. The 1981 graduate of MTU is 18-23-4 since returning to Houghton. He is assisted by Damon Whitten and Bill Muckalt.
Media
Both games of this weekend's series can be heard live on 1180 The Zone 2, the new home of Maverick hockey on the radio.
Dave Ahlers will have the play-by-play, and Terry Leahy will provide analysis. Coverage begins with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show 30 minutes before game time. Streaming audio, video through America One and live stats are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks return to Omaha to host a Homecoming series with Minnesota Duluth on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10 and 11. Saturday's game starts at 7:07 p.m., and Sunday's game is a special 2:07 p.m. matinee.
