This Week
The No. 9/7 Omaha hockey team opens NCHC play and wraps up its 10-game season-opening homestand when it hosts Miami at Baxter Arena. The teams meet on Friday and Saturday at 7:07 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha is off to a 7-1 start in its 25th season of Division I hockey, winning seven straight games after dropping its opener to Lake Superior State in overtime. The Mavericks swept a series with Long Island last weekend, outscoring the Sharks 13-1 to move within one win of the school record for consecutive victories.
Miami was idle last week after going 1-4-1 over its first six games. The RedHawks won their opener at Ferris State 7-4 on Oct. 2, but they have gone winless over their past five starts. Miami skated to a 2-2 tie with Bowling Green to open a home-and-home series on Oct. 22, then lost 6-4 on the road the next night.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Maverick and has posted a 61-70-11 record at his alma mater. The 2004 Omaha graduate 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 the North Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference 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).
Chris Bergeron (Miami, 1993) is in his third season as the head coach of his alma mater. He went 171-154-44 in nine seasons at Bowling Green prior to taking over the RedHawk program in 2019.
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone. Casey Roehl will have the play-by-play while Terry Leahy provides analysis. Coverage begins with the FNBO Pre-Game Show.
Live video is available on NCHC.tv while audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Series History: Omaha vs. Miami
The Mavericks and RedHawks have played each other regularly since 1999, first meeting in a neutral-site game at the Badger Showdown in Milwaukee, Wis. Omaha won that contest, but it trails in the all-time series. Miami holds a 26-20-7 edge and has gone 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings between the teams.
The two teams played twice last season, splitting a pair of games during the NCHC pod in December at Baxter Arena. The Mavericks won the first meeting 2-1 on a
Martin Sundberg goal in overtime. The RedHawks took the rematch a week later 1-0 when Hampus Rydqvist scored the game's lone goal.
