This Week
The Omaha hockey team begins NCAA play this weekend, hosting Alabama Huntsville of the WCHA on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12. Both games begin at 7:07 p.m. at Baxter Arena.
The Teams
Omaha was 9-24-3 overall and finished 5-17-2-0/1 in the NCHC, putting it in a tie with Miami for seventh place. The Mavericks won the tiebreaker with the RedHawks based on goals for and against between the two teams in the four-game season series (12-11), making them the seventh seed in the NCHC Playoffs. UNO was eliminated by eventual national champion, Minnesota Duluth, two games to none.
Alabama Huntsville opened the season at UMass Lowell of Hockey East, losing 5-1 and 3-1 last weekend. Last season, the Chargers were 8-28-2 overall and 8-18-2-1/1 in the WCHA, good for eighth place. The Chargers were eliminated by Minnesota State, 2-0, in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks played to a 3-3 tie with Manitoba on Monday in their lone exhibition game of the season. UNO spotted the Bisons an early goal but stormed back to score the next three.
Teemu Pulkkinen tucked in a pass from
Ryan Jones at 12:54, and
Taylor Ward slid one past goaltender Tyler Brown at 17:19 to put UNO up 2-1 after one.
John Schuldt made it 3-1 when he wired home a feed from
Kevin Conley at 4:27 of the second period. But the Bisons replied at 10:53 of the middle period and then tied the game at 13:23 of the third.
Isaiah Saville and
Austin Roden split time in the Mavericks' net. Saville started, giving up one goal on seven shots. Roden made 19 saves and allowed a pair of goals.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his third season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 26-41-5 record all-time at his alma mater. The 2004 graduate of Omaha served as an associate head coach during the 2016-17 season before being elevated to the head coach position last season.
Gabinet returned to Omaha 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
Paul Jerrard (Lake Superior State, 1987).
Mike Corbett is in his seventh season as the head coach of Alabama Huntsville. The 1996 graduate of Denver is 46-157-18 in his time at UAH. He is assisted by Gavin Morgan (Denver, 1999) and Lance West (Alabama Huntsville, 1995).
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone 2. Donny Baarns will have the play-by-play, Terry Leahy provides analysis and Lester St. James reports. Coverage begins 30 minutes before game time with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.
Live video is available on NCHC.tv with enhanced coverage offered on Saturday from the Maverick Digital Network. Audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
Following this weekend, the Mavericks will be on the road for two straight series beginning Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19, when they visit Ohio State of the Big Ten. Friday's game beings at 6 p.m. CT, and Saturday's game starts at 4 p.m. CT.
