This Week
The No. 19 Omaha hockey team officially begins its seventh season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, visiting No. 20 Western Michigan on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16. Both games start at 6:05 p.m. CT from Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich. They are the Mavericks' first conference games of the season.
The Teams
Omaha is 5-2-1 following a split at home with then-No. 12 Wisconsin last week. The Mavericks are 2-1-1 on the road this season. UNO is 26-19-6 all-time against Western Michigan including a record of 11-12-4 at Lawson Arena. Last season, the Mavericks were 2-2-0 against the Broncos and went 1-1-0 at WMU.
Western Michigan is 5-3-2 overall and 1-0-1-0/1 in the NCHC, putting it in second place. The Broncos are coming off a home-and-home sweep of Ferris State last weekend, winning 4-2 and 8-2. So far this season, WMU has gone 2-1-0 at home. These will be the Broncos' first conference home games.
Last Time Out
Last week, the Mavericks lost to visiting Wisconsin, 5-2, before coming back for a win by the same score to split the non-conference series. On Friday,
Brandon Scanlin and
Nolan Sullivan each scored goals in the loss. The Mavericks got to within a goal on Sullivan's tally late in the third period, but the Badgers potted a couple of empty-net goals for the final margin.
Isaiah Saville made 16 saves for the Mavericks.
The following night, the Mavericks scored first and never trailed in winning, 5-2.
Martin Sundberg and
Joey Abate each had a goal and an assist, and
Nate Knoepke and Sullivan each had two assists as the Mavericks pulled away in the third period. Saville made 29 saves for his fourth win of the year.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his third season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 31-43-6 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 in 2017-18.
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).
Andy Murray is in his ninth season as head coach at Western Michigan. The 1972 graduate of Brandon University is 144-134-37 in Kalamazoo. He is assisted by Dave Shyiak (Northern Michigan, 1991) and Pat Ferschweiler (Western Michigan, 1993).
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone 2. Donny Baarns 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 is available on NCHC.tv while audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks will play their first NCHC home games next weekend, hosting Miami on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22-23. Both games will begin at 7:07 p.m. from Baxter Arena.
