KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Junior Kevin Conley posted his first career hat trick and ended with four points as the No. 19 Omaha hockey team beat No. 20 Western Michigan, 6-3, to split the weekend series.

Conley fell one point shy of tying the school record for points in a game and was one of several players with a big night as the Mavericks picked up their first NCHC win of the season.  Chayse Primeau had his second goal of the weekend and an assist, and both Ryan Brushett and Tyler Weiss each had two assists.

Omaha improved to 6-3-1 overall and 1-1-0-0/0 in the conference while the Broncos, who saw a six-game unbeaten streak come to an end, fell to 6-4-2 overall and 2-1-1-0/1 in the conference.

Leading 4-3 after two, the Mavericks got a big goal because of the work of the surging Tyler Weiss.  He stole the puck behind the Broncos net and fed Taylor Ward for a one-timer at 13:30.

Josh Boyer iced the game with 18.8 seconds remaining when he took a pass from Conley and scored into an empty net.  It was a fitting end for the Mavericks who staved off a Bronco manpower advantage when goaltender Brandon Bussi was pulled for more than three and a half minutes.

The Mavericks used a power play to seize the first lead of the game.  Conley knocked in a pass from Primeau in the low slot at 6:15.

Conley was at it again later in the period.  With Joey Abate creating havoc in front of the Broncos' net, Conley wristed a long shot past goalie Bussi who was screened by Abate on the play.

Western Michigan pushed back and halved the Mavericks' lead when Ethen Frank tipped in a shot by Mattias Samuelsson at 15:44 to make it 2-1 after one.

The Mavericks bumped their lead to 3-1 when Primeau fired home a pass from Brushett from the edge of the crease at 3:47 of the second period.

The Broncos fought back to tie the game on a power play goal from Frank and a breakaway by Dawson DiPietro.

But the Mavericks had the lead before the intermission as Conley would strike again.  He reached out to tip a shot by Brushett past Bussi at 15:52.

Isaiah Saville, making his eighth straight start, stopped 26 shots for his fifth win of the year.  Bussi made 18 saves for the Broncos.

The Mavericks return home to host Miami for their first NCHC home games on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22-23.

GAME NOTES:

• Conley's hat trick was the first by a Maverick since David Pope did so at St. Cloud State on Feb. 2, 2018.
• Weiss extended his point-scoring streak to a team-high six games with an assist on Conley's third goal.
• The Mavericks, who came into the weekend as the NCAA's most penalized team, tied a season low by being shorthanded just three times.
• The win kept Omaha unbeaten in the second game of the first five series this year (4-0-1).
• The Mavericks tied a season high for goals that they set in the first game of the year, a 6-1 win over Alabama Huntsville.

Three stars:  1. Kevin Conley/Omaha (3-1-4); 2. Tyler Weiss/Omaha (0-2-2); 3. Ethan Frank/WMU (2-0-2)