Box Score The Omaha Mavericks jumped out to an early lead on the Niagara Purple Eagles and never looked back in tonight's regular season debut. Omaha downed Niagara 8-1 to open up the 2023-24 campaign in style.
It was the rookie forward
Tanner Ludtke getting the scoring started for Omaha tonight just 2:20 into the contest. On the goal line, Ludtke fired a shot on net with Niagara's netminder out of his cage to register his first career NCAA goal. 2:45 later, Junior newcomer
Zach Urdahl rifled a bar-down shot from the left faceoff dot to extend the Mavericks lead to 2-0 over the Purple Eagles.
Tanner Ludtke had the lone assist to register his second point of the night.
Niagara's lone goal of the evening came at the 11:05 mark of the first frame.
Omaha wasn't done scoring in the first period quite yet as Graduate blueliner
Dom Vidoli crashed the net and buried a one-timer from
Victor Mancini to go up 3-1. Sophomore
Ray Fust had the secondary helper.
1:45 into the 2
nd period, Fust beautifully tipped a
Nolan Krenzen shot home out front to extend the Mavericks lead to 4-1.
Michael Abgrall found the scoresheet with the secondary assist. The captain,
Nolan Sullivan buried his first of the season when he blew by the Niagara defense, deked out their goalie and deposited a backhand shot top-shelf. The French connection of Jo Lemay and
Jacob Guevin tallied the helpers.
In the final 20 minutes, Omaha poured on three more lamp lighters. Jo Lemay,
Tyler Rollwagen and Graduate newcomer
Jesse Lansdell found twine to finalize the Maverick scoring tonight. It's the first time Omaha has used eight different goal scorers since they defeated Western Michigan in the NCHC Pod 10-2, on December 3, 2020.
Omaha more than doubled the Purple Eagles in shots. The Mavericks won the shot battle 35-16. The penalty kill went a perfect 3-3 on the evening.
Omaha and Niagara will do it all again tomorrow night in the series finale from Baxter Arena. Puck drop slated for 7:07 p.m.
