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Omaha Athletics

Seniors
Mark Kuhlmann
1
North Dakota UND 22-12-1, 17-6-1
4
Winner Omaha UNO 21-15-0, 11-13-0
North Dakota UND
22-12-1, 17-6-1
1
Final
4
Omaha UNO
21-15-0, 11-13-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
North Dakota UND 0 1 0 1
Omaha UNO 1 2 1 4

Game Recap: Hockey |

Omaha Tops No. 4 North Dakota on Senior Night

No. 20 Omaha is heading into the National Collegiate Hockey Conference postseason on a high note.

The Mavericks (21-15) snapped No. 4 North Dakota's seven-game winning streak Saturday with a 4-1 victory in the final game of the regular season at Baxter Arena. The win was Omaha's seventh against Top 10 teams this season. Four of those victories came on home ice during the final three weeks.

Chayse Primeau found the net twice on rebounds as the Mavericks built a 3-0 lead. Defenseman Nate Knoepke added his first goal of the season with 8:49 left to cap the victory over the NCHC co-champions.

Both were part of a nine-player group honored for Senior Night prior to the regular-season finale.

"What an effort from our guys on a special night – Senior Night," Omaha coach Mike Gabinet said. "[That's] a lot of guys who are really special to the program and the university. Just to have that type of performance tonight on a special night like that, it was a great experience. I'm so happy for the players."

One night after pushing the Fighting Hawks (22-12-1) to overtime with a third-period rally on Friday, the Mavericks put offensive pressure on North Dakota from the opening moments of their series finale.

Primeau got Omaha going in its win over the Fighting Hawks by putting back a rebound off a Taylor Ward blast with 1:29 left in the first period. His other goal also came on a second-chance opportunity, this time following a Nolan Krenzen shot just 3:55 into the second, which gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead.  

"Couldn't ask for any better [way] to go out with the boys," Primeau said. "A win against NoDak at home on a Saturday is unreal. The building was rocking all weekend again. It's a special place to play. It was special tonight, for sure."

Primeau, who narrowly missed a natural hat trick, also had the primary assist on Jack Randl's second-period power-play goal that made it 3-0. Judd Caulfield responded with a power-play goal of his own for UND four minutes later. Knoepke's wrist shot off a Tyler Weiss pass in the third put the game away.

"I've got to give all the credit to Weiss," Knoepke said. "He tried, a couple of times last night, to find me. And they kept bouncing over my stick. But we locked eyes for a good three seconds before he passed it."

Omaha goaltender Isaiah Saville made 30 saves in his 16th win of the season.

The sixth-seeded Mavericks will head to third-seeded Western Michigan for an NCHC quarterfinal series next week in Kalamazoo, Mich. Game times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if necessary.
 
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