This Week
The Omaha hockey team finishes its four-game season series with Western Michigan on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Friday's game begins at 7:36 p.m., and Saturday's game starts at 7:07 p.m. from Baxter Arena.
The Teams
Omaha is 11-10-5 overall and 5-6-3-0/0 in the NCHC, putting it in fifth place. The Mavericks are coming off sweep at Colorado College last weekend. UNO is 27-20-6 all-time against the Broncos including a record of 15-7-2 at home. In November, the Mavericks split a two-game series at Lawson Arena. This season, the Mavericks are 4-5-3 at home and 4-3-3 in their last 10 games. They are unbeaten in their last four (2-0-2).
Western Michigan is 11-9-4 this season and 7-5-2-0/2 in the NCHC, putting it in fourth place. The Broncos are coming off a pair of 6-2 wins over St. Cloud State last weekend. WMU is 4-4-4 on the road and in neutral site games this year and 4-4-2 in its last 10 games. The Broncos are unbeaten in their last five (4-0-1).
Last Time Out
The Mavericks picked up a sweep of Colorado College last weekend in Colorado Springs. On Friday, the Mavericks spotted the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the first 8:33 of the game but reeled off six of the next seven goals to win 6-4.
Joey Abate and
Tyler Weiss each had a goal and an assist, and
Taylor Ward had a pair of helpers.
Teemu Pulkkinen,
Martin Sundberg,
Dean Stewart and
Zach Jordan also scored, and
Austin Roden made 29 saves and allowed just one goal in 51:27 of relief work.
On Saturday, the Tigers again scored the first goal of the game when Nick Halloran tallied 5:40 in the second, but again the Mavericks responded.
Tristan Keck,
Kevin Conley and
Nolan Sullivan all tallied before the period ended to put the Mavericks up, 3-1.
John Schuldt added an insurance marker in the third.
Isaiah Saville stopped 38 of 39 to pick up the win.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his third season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 37-51-10 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).
Andy Murray is in his ninth season as head coach at Western Michigan. The 1972 graduate of Brandon University is 150-140-39 leading the Broncos. He is assisted by Dave Shyiak (Northern Michigan, 1991) and Pat Ferschweiler (Western Michigan, 1993).
Media
Friday's game will be shown nationally on CBS Sports Network, the premier television partner of the NCHC. Ben Holden will call the action, Dave Starman provides analysis and Shireen Saski reports.
Both games also 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.
Streaming video is available on NCHC.tv on Saturday only. Live audio and stat links for both games are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks travel to two-time defending national champion Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7-8. Both games start at 7:07 p.m. from AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
