OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha Hockey (7-9-0, 4-4-0 NCHC) finished out the 2024 slice of its 2024-25 regular season on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Lindenwood (4-13-1), closing out the first series between the two teams with a record of 1-1-0 against the Lions.
Freshman goaltender
Kevin Reidler appeared in his third career game, making his second career start and his first on the Kemp Ice at Baxter Arena. Reidler made 29 saves in the contest and only allowed one goal during the first period.
Reidler went two straight periods without allowing a goal, making 22 saves between the second and third periods.
"It was good, obviously, to get the win," Reidler said. "For my own sake, I tried to be as confident as possible out there when it's my first start [at home]."
Both the Mavericks and Lions recorded 30 shots on goal. This marked the first game this season in which shots were even between Omaha and an opponent.
The Mavericks opened the scoring and made it 1-0 just 3:54 into the first period when junior defenseman
Noah Ellis netted his first goal in an Omaha sweater.
Sophomore forward
Charlie Lurie threaded the puck out between the circles to Ellis, who took advantage of the one-timer and ripped it through Lindenwood's Owen Bartoszkiewicz.
Lurie led the Mavericks in the series with three points (1G-2A) and assisted goals in tonight's win. Junior forward
Jacob Slipec also recorded an assist on the game-opening goal.
Lindenwood's Tyler Loughman got its only goal tonight 17:57 into the opening period when he put one behind Reidler to knot things up at 1-1, the score the same as the opening game of the series was after the first period.
15:23 into the second period, Lurie was circling and looking for a pass to make as time on the Omaha power play ticked under 10 seconds. Lurie pushed it to graduate forward
Harrison Israels with three seconds left on the Mavericks' man advantage opportunity. Israels then completed a game of tic-tac-toe as graduate forward
Brady Risk connected with the pass, giving Omaha a 2-1 lead.
Risk's second goal of the season is also his seventh career game-winning goal (first with Omaha).
The Omaha penalty kill unit stayed strong this series as it held off all four Lindenwood power play opportunities it faced in the series.
The Mavericks rank second in the nation and lead the NCHC in penalty kill percentage on home ice at 95.2 percent. They have allowed only one power play goal this season at Baxter Arena.
Reidler, Ellis and Risk were tonight's three stars, from three to one.
Omaha only plays once more in 2024 when it faces Manitoba in an exhibition contest on Sunday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. on the Kemp Ice at Baxter Arena. The regular season continues after the new year when the Mavericks compete in the 2025 Cactus Cup on Friday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 4, in Palm Springs, Calif.
