This Week
The Omaha hockey team plays its first games of 2020 when it ventures to Maine for a two-game, split-city series on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 3-4. Friday's game begins at 6 p.m. ET from Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine while Saturday's game starts at Noon ET from Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.
The Teams
Omaha is 8-8-2 overall and 2-5-1-0/0 in the NCHC, putting it in a tie with Colorado College for seventh place. The Mavericks are coming off a split with then-No. 14/16 Arizona State on Dec. 21-22. UNO is 1-3-0 all-time against Maine including a record of 1-1-0 on the road. The Mavericks are renewing acquaintances with the Black Bears whom they have not faced since 1998. This season, the Mavericks are 4-3-1 away from home and 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.
Maine is 9-8-3 this season and 4-6-2 in Hockey East, putting it in a tie with Boston College and UConn for sixth. The Black Bears are coming off a 5-1 home win over AIC on Dec. 29. Maine is unbeaten at home this year, going 6-0-1 at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks wrapped up 2019 with a split of their home series with Arizona State on Dec. 21-22. On Saturday, the Mavericks erased a two-goal deficit with a pair of tallies in the third, only to surrender a shorthanded goal less than a minute later in a 5-4 loss to the Sun Devils.
Nolan Sullivan,
Zach Jordan,
Teemu Pulkkinen and
Taylor Ward all scored for the Mavericks, and
Austin Roden made 16 saves.
The next night, the Mavericks again faced a 4-2 deficit but reeled off six unanswered goals to beat ASU, 8-4. Pulkkinen paced all scorers with four assists while Ward had two goals and an assist.
Tyler Weiss,
Chayse Primeau and
Kevin Conley each had a goal and an assist, and
Tristan Keck scored the shorthanded game winner.
Joey Abate and Jordan also lit the lamp while Roden stopped 30 for the victory.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his third season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 34-49-7 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).
Red Gendron is in his seventh season as head coach at Maine, returning to Orono where he was an assistant coach for three seasons in the early 90's. The 1979 graduate of New England College is 91-123-28 in his time at Maine. He is assisted by alums Ben Guite (Maine, 2000) and Alfie Michaud (Maine, 1999).
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 OMavs.com for Friday's game only. Live audio and stat links for both games also are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks return to NCHC play next week, visiting No. 1 North Dakota on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10-11. Friday's game begins at 7:37 p.m., and Saturday's game starts at 7:07 p.m. from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
