This Week
The Omaha hockey team heads to the Rocky Mountains this week to face Colorado College on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 24-25. Friday's game begins at 8:37 p.m. CT, and Saturday's game starts at 5:07 p.m. CT from Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Teams
Omaha is 9-10-5 overall and 3-6-3-0/0 in the NCHC, putting it in a tie with Miami for sixth place. The Mavericks are coming off a pair of ties at home with then-No. 4 Denver last weekend. UNO is 15-9-5 all-time against the Tigers including a record of 7-6-1 at Colorado Springs. Last season, the Mavericks went 0-1-1 against CC with both games played at Baxter Arena. This season, the Mavericks are 5-5-2 at home and 3-4-3 in their last 10 games.
Colorado College is 8-11-1 this season and 3-8-1-0/0 in the NCHC, putting it in eighth place. The Tigers lost 5-2 and 6-2 at Western Michigan last weekend. CC is 3-5-1 on the road this year and 4-6-0 in its last 10 games. The Tigers are unbeaten in their last three against the Mavericks (1-0-2).
Last Time Out
The Mavericks played to 1-1 and 2-2 ties with Denver last weekend at Baxter Arena. On Friday, they surrendered an early goal but tied the game early in the third on an unassisted shorthanded tally by freshman
Noah Prokop. Following two overtimes, the Pioneers secured the extra standings point with a shootout win in five rounds.
Isaiah Saville stopped 27 shots for Omaha.
The next night, the Mavericks built a 2-0 lead after one on goals by
Taylor Ward and
Tristan Keck. But DU got a power play goal early in the second and the tying goal with 13.8 seconds to go in the third. The Pioneers again picked up the extra standings point, this time in the 3-on-3 overtime. Saville made 45 saves.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his third season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 35-51-10 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).
Mike Haviland is in his sixth season leading Colorado College. The 1990 graduate of Elmira College is 60-127-18 in his time leading the Tigers. He is assisted by R.J. Enga (Colorado College, 1995) and Leon Hayward (Northeastern, 2002).
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.
Streaming video is available on NCHC.tv. Live audio and stat links for both games are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks are back home to host Western Michigan on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Friday's game begins at 7:37 p.m. and will be shown live nationally on CBS Sports Network. Saturday's game starts at 7:07 p.m.
