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This Week
The No. 13/14 UNO Mavericks return to conference play this week when they visit the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers for games on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1. Each game starts at 7:07 p.m. from Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.
The Teams
The Mavericks head to the Twin Cities riding a six-game winning streak, the second longest in school history. They are 8-3-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the WCHA, putting them in fourth place. They are coming off 3-2 and 8-0 wins over Alabama-Huntsville last weekend. Omaha trails the all-time series with Minnesota, 2-3-0 with both of their wins coming in Minneapolis. The Mavs are 2-0-0 in road games this year.
The Gophers are 9-2-2 this season and 4-2-2 in conference action. They are tied with St. Cloud State for second in the WCHA, one point ahead of UNO. Minnesota swept Vermont in Burlington last weekend, winning 5-1 and 3-1. The Gophers are 5-0-1 at home this season.
Last Time Out
Omaha picked up two non-conference wins last week, beating Alabama-Huntsville, 3-2 and 8-0. On Friday,
Bryce Aneloski scored an unassisted goal in the second period that stood up as the game-winner.
Ryan Walters and
Dominic Zombo also tallied, and
John Faulkner earned the win with 16 saves as the Mavs outshot the Chargers, 33-18.
On Saturday, the Mavs had five goals in the third period to cruise past UAH. Matt White scored midway through the first, and Nick Seeler and
Dominic Zombo scored powerplay goals 22 seconds apart to give UNO a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes.
Ryan Walters had two goals and
Johnnie Searfoss,
Zahn Raubenheimer and
Brent Gwidt added single tallies in the third as UNO pulled away. Anthony Stolarz made 20 saves to earn his first career win and shutout.
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 325-168-46 (.646) and has guided the Mavericks to a mark of 63-53-15 (.538).
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.
Don Lucia is in his 14th season at Minnesota and his 26th overall. The 1981 graduate of Notre Dame is 606-330-85 in his career and 327-175-56 at UM, a record that includes two national championships and three WCHA regular season and playoff titles. He is assisted by one-time Maverick assistant Mike Guentzel and Grant Potulny.
Media
Both games of this weekend's series can be heard live on 1180 The Zone 2, the 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 and live stats are available at OMavs.com. Fox Sports North will carry the game on Friday while Saturday's game will appear on Fox Sports North Plus.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks conintue their four-game road swing 70 miles northwest of the Twin Cities at St. Cloud State. The two teams will face off on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 and 8. Friday's game begins at 7:37 p.m., and Saturday's game starts at 7:07 p.m. from the National Hockey Center.
