This Week
The No. 14/15 Omaha hockey team concludes its fifth regular season in the NCHC when it visits No. 7 Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday, March 2-3. Both games begin at 7:07 p.m. from AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
The Teams
Omaha is 16-14-2 this season and 9-12-1-0/0 in the NCHC, putting it in a tie with Colorado College and Western Michigan for fifth place. The Mavericks are coming off a win and tie with Colorado College last weekend. The Mavericks are 4-10-0 on the road this season including a mark of 2-8-0 in conference games. All time, UNO is 10-16-3 against the Bulldogs including a record of 2-7-3 in Duluth. The Mavericks split with UMD in Omaha in December, winning 7-5 and losing 6-2. UNO is 4-5-1 in its last 10 games.
Minnesota Duluth is 18-13-3 overall and 12-10-0-0/0 in the conference, putting it in third place. The Bulldogs swept Western Michigan in Kalamazoo last weekend, winning 8-0 and 6-1. UMD is 9-5-2 at home this year including a mark of 6-4-0 in conference games. The Bulldogs have won four straight and are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games.
Last Time Out
Omaha earned a win and a tie with visiting Colorado College last weekend. On Friday,
Tristan Keck,
Zach Jordan and
Teemu Pulkkinen each had a goal and two assists to help the Mavericks to a 4-2 win. UNO built a 4-0 lead through two periods and then held on in the third behind the goaltending of
Evan Weninger who had 32 saves.
Lukas Buchta also scored for the Mavericks.
The next night, the Mavericks spotted the Tigers a 1-0 lead but got goals from
Steven Spinner and Keck to take a 2-1 lead after two. CC tied the game in the third on a goal by Nick Halloran and then earned an extra standings point with a goal from Mason Bergh in the NCHC-mandated 3-on-3 overtime. Weninger stopped 23 shots in the tie.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his first season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 16-14-2 record. The 2004 graduate of Omaha served as an associate head coach under
Dean Blais last season and was elevated to the head coach position following Blais' departure after eight years at the helm.
Gabinet returned to his alma mater after four seasons at NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the ACAC Championship. He was named the conference Coach of the Year and became the first rookie head coach in Canadian college hockey to guide his team to an undefeated record.
Gabinet, a standout defenseman for the Mavericks from 2000-04, is assisted by
Dave Noel-Bernier (Omaha, 2001) and
Peter Mannino (Denver, 2008).
Scott Sandelin is in his 18th season as head coach at Minnesota Duluth. The 1986 graduate of North Dakota is 333-297-35 during his time in Duluth. He is assisted by Jason Herter and Brett Larson.
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone 2.
Dave Ahlers will have the play-by-play, and Terry Leahy provides analysis. Coverage begins 30 minutes before game time with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.
Live video of both games can be found on NCHC.tv with audio and stat links available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks will await the conclusion of play on Saturday to determine their opponent and venue in the first round of the NCHC Playoffs. The best-of-three series will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if necessary, March 9-11.
