This Week
The Omaha hockey team returns to action this weekend, hosting Colorado College in the final two games of their season series on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22. Both games begin at 7:07 p.m. from Baxter Arena.
The Teams
Omaha is 12-13-5 overall and 6-9-3-0/0 in the NCHC, putting it in sixth place. The Mavericks are coming off 3-2 and 4-1 losses at No. 4 Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 7-8. UNO is 17-9-5 all-time against the Tigers including a record of 8-3-3 at home. Last month, the Mavericks earned a pair of wins over CC in Colorado Springs. This season, the Mavericks are 5-6-3 at home and 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.
Colorado College is 10-16-2 this season and 3-13-2-0/1 in the NCHC, putting it in eighth place. The Tigers are coming off 6-2 and 4-2 wins in a home-and-home series with crosstown rival Air Force last weekend. CC is 5-8-0 on the road this year and 2-7-1 in its last 10 games. The Tigers are unbeaten in their last three (2-0-1).
Last Time Out
The Mavericks dropped 3-2 and 4-1 decisions at Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 7-8 in their last action before the bye week. In game one,
Chayse Primeau and
Teemu Pulkkinen scored goals, but the Bulldogs held off a late push by the Mavericks to win by a goal.
Isaiah Saville made a game-high 38 saves for the Mavericks.
The next night, Primeau again would score to tie the game at one early in the second period, but the Bulldogs scored three unanswered goals to pull away for a 4-1 win.
Austin Roden had 35 saves for UNO.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his third season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 38-54-10 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 year as head coach at Colorado College. The 1990 graduate of Elmira College is 62-132-19 in his time in Colorado Springs. 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.
Dave Ahlers 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 with enhanced coverage on Saturday night on the Maverick Digital Network. Live audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks will make their final road trip of the regular season, visiting Miami on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-29. Both games start at 6:05 p.m. CT from Steve Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio.
