Thursday, December 12, 2024

Series Preview: Omaha vs. Lindenwood, Dec. 13-14, 2024

Omaha Hockey is back at Baxter Arena for one more (non-conference) series before the holiday break. The Mavericks will face the Lindenwood Lions for the first time ever after splitting a series with St. Cloud State University on the road last weekend. Omaha is 6-8-0 (4-4-0 in the NCHC). The Lions are 3-12-1 overall but have faced some tough opponents so far, including No. 9 Wisconsin (4-2 win, 2-3 OT loss), No. 1 Denver (lost 4-1 both games), No. 14 Ohio State (lost 5-2 and 3-2), and No. 1 Michigan State (lost 4-0, and 2-0). 

“They’re a good hockey team and have played an extremely hard schedule so far,” said Coach Mike Gabinet. “Any time you get to come in and play at a NCHC team or a Big Ten team … that’s kind of like your playoffs. They beat Wisconsin, [lost] 2-0 to Michigan State. These are good teams. These are top ten teams, top five teams in some situations. So you know you’re going to get their best. So I think that’s really important to make sure you bring your best as well.”

Reflecting on the SCSU series, Gabinet said, “I really liked four periods out of the six (last) weekend. Even Saturday, our first period was one of maybe our most complete periods. I think it is important for us to continue to learn and grow from playing those top-tier opponents.”

Gabinet said the team is looking to finish the first half of the season strong before the holiday break.

“We know there are no easy games, and we know how hard these guys play,” Gabinet added.

He praised the play of forward Sam Stange. “I think he’s been one of our best players, to be honest. You can see his confidence growing [from] when we first got him to where he is now. He continues to take steps in that direction, learning to use his skill and his size,” he said. “I know he didn’t play much at Wisconsin last season, but we were hopeful that he could take a step here and develop and grow, and he’s done exactly that.”

Gabinet also praised freshman defenseman Marcus Broberg. “I think he’s growing. He can really skate out there. He’s not a huge guy, but he’s a very competitive individual. He’s a guy that wasn’t good enough at the start of the year to play. We had a conversation with him and just told him what we’re seeing and what needs to improve,” he said. “He’s an up-and-coming young defenseman with the team and doing well.”

Senior forward Zach Urdahl gave his thoughts on the first half of the season. “We have had some ups and downs. I think every day we seem to be getting a little bit better. We’re a process-driven team, so [we’re] just trying to focus on every weekend getting a little bit better every day.”

Talking about the Lindenwood series, “They have played a lot of good teams, and played close games with good teams. So [we just need to] make sure that we’re ready for them. They’re gonna play hard, they’re gonna play fast, we gotta make sure [we] match that,” he said.

"It’s pretty important that we go out and get two wins this weekend,“ Urdahl added.

After the series, the team will have a brief break (starting Sunday). “It can be hard to not look past the weekend, obviously, to get to go home,“ Urdahl said. “There’s a lot of excitement to be able to get a little rest and go home and spend time with your family and your friends for the holidays. It’s important that we focus on the two games in hand. It’s important that we stay focused, and we don’t get ahead of ourselves.”

>> Watch the full press conference: 


For Fans Attending the Game in Person: 

The west lot outside of the main entrance at Baxter — Lot 25 — is open to donors only (parking passes are required to park in that lot). The north lot — Lot 27 — offers free parking on a first-come, first-served basis, as does Lot 26 (west of the arena, across the creek). Omaha Athletics is also encouraging fans to park in one of the public garages at Aksarben Village.


Fans should arrive early, especially if entering via the west entrance. Have digital tickets ready to scan in the Omaha Mavericks app (or add them from your MyMavs account to your phone’s wallet app). If you have questions, stop by the box office at Baxter Arena before the game or call 402-554-MAVS.

The clear bag policy remains in effect at Baxter Arena, and metal detectors are in place at all entrances. All concession stands are card only (no cash).

Blue Line Club members and Maverick Room pass holders may enter the arena 90 minutes before puck drop. (Learn more about how to become a Blue Line Club or Maverick Room pass holder here.) 

Promotions:

Friday, Dec. 13

Toga Night

• Wear your toga! 

Saturday, Dec. 14

Sheila Leahy Toys for Tots Drive (sponsored by the UNO Blue Line Club)

Donate a new, unwrapped toy before the game. Uniformed U.S. Marines will be collecting toys and cash donations at all entrances to Baxter Arena from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can also donate online here. The UNO BLC will match the first $1000 in donations. 

Series preview articles:

Omaha.com ($):

Omavs.com:

Lindenwood Lions Hockey:

When:
> Friday, 7:07 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
> Saturday, 7:07 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)

Radio:
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.

TV:
The game will be streamed on NCHC.tv ($) 

NOTE: If you subscribe to NCHC.tv, choose OMAHA as your home team and the program will receive 80% of your subscription fee for new subscriptions (as well as renewals).

Live Stats:
Game stats will be available here.


On this week’s episode of the #mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series at St. Cloud State — includes video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They talk about some “Things You Missed in St. Cloud” — including the annual Teddy Bear Toss at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. They talk about the upcoming Sheila Leahy Toys for Tots drive at Baxter Arena. They conclude the episode with their predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against the Lindenwood Lions at Baxter Arena.  


Next up: Starting Sunday, Omaha Hockey is off for Christmas break. They will return to Baxter Arena for an exhibition game against the University of Manitoba on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. The Mavs will then return to the desert, playing in the Cactus Cup in Palm Desert, California, on Jan. 3-4, 2025. They will face Holy Cross in the first game, and either UMass Lowell or Michigan Tech on Saturday. 

Follow MavPuck: 

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Omaha Hockey Press Conference (Dec. 4, 2024)

Omaha Hockey Press Conference – Dec. 11, 2024


The Omaha Maverick Hockey team held a press conference for local media on Dec. 4, 2024. Omaha Head Coach Mike Gabinet and senior forward Zach Urdahl fielded a variety of questions during the press conference including the team’s recent series at St. Cloud State, and Omaha’s upcoming series versus Lindenwood at Baxter Arena. Special thanks to our Founding Members for their support of MavPuck.com this season. Your support is greatly appreciated!! Support great content like this at MavPuck.com: https://mavpuck.com/donate Follow MavPuck.com online! https://www.mavpuck.com   / mavpuckpage     / mavpuck     / mavpuck     / mavpuckcast  

MavPuckCast: S7 E11: Omaha Hockey Splits in the Cloud, Things You Missed, Lindenwood Predictions, Toga Night?

Season 7, Episode 11

Omaha Hockey Splits in the Cloud, Things You Missed, Lindenwood Predictions, Toga Night?



On this episode of the #mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series at St. Cloud State — includes video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They talk about some “Things You Missed in St. Cloud” — including the annual Teddy Bear Toss at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. They talk about the upcoming Sheila Leahy Toys for Tots drive at Baxter Arena. They conclude the episode with their predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against the Lindenwood Lions at Baxter Arena. Special thanks for your support of the podcast and MavPuck.com this season. Your support is greatly appreciated!! 
Become a member of MavPuck.com: https://mavpuck.com/join
Support the MavPuckCast: https://mavpuck.com/donate
Chapters:
00:00 - St. Cloud State Recap 13:50 - Players of the Week 16:24 - Things You Missed 20:44 - Toys for Tots 22:44 - Lindenwood Series Predictions Follow MavPuck.com online! Follow MavPuck.com online!
https://www.mavpuck.com   / mavpuckpage  
  / mavpuck     / mavpuck  
  / mavpuckcast  

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Line Chart – Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 Omaha at St. Cloud

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024

Omaha at St. Cloud (Herb Brooks National Hockey Center)

Final: 5-2 St. Cloud





Friday, December 6, 2024

Line Chart – Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 Omaha at St. Cloud

Friday, Dec. 6, 2024

Omaha at St. Cloud (Herb Brooks National Hockey Center)

Final: 4-3 (OT) Omaha





Thursday, December 5, 2024

Series Preview: Omaha at St. Cloud, Dec. 6-7, 2024


By Bridget Brooks 

After sweeping conference foe Miami (OH), Omaha is looking to build on its NCHC point total with a road trip to No. 9 St. Cloud. 

SCSU is 9-4 overall and 3-1 in conference. They are 5-2 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud this season. They are coming off a split with Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They won Friday night 3-2 and lost 0-1 in overtime in the Saturday game versus the Tigers.

Omaha is 5-7-0 (3-3-0 in NCHC conference play). Omaha is coming off a sweep of the Miami (OH) RedHawks at Baxter Arena on Nov. 22-23.

Omaha and SCSU are tied for fourth place in the conference with 9 points each. 

Junior forward Cam Mitchell met with the media ahead of the series with the Huskies. He said the sweep of the RedHawks gave the team confidence.

“It felt really good. Leading up to those games, we’ve played some pretty good hockey. I think we’ve come up on the short end of the stick, though. We’ve had a lot of one-goal games. I think after that last weekend, I think we should be able to keep the ball rolling, especially after a good week of practice,“ Mitchell said.

Mitchell recorded his first two goals as a Maverick during the series, both shorthanded tallies. “I was lucky enough to get my feet moving on that second one especially. And then [Sam] Stange making a great pass — and him moving his feet as well,“ Mitchell said. “I think just being in the right spots and having a little bit of luck, too. I think personally I’ve been playing some pretty good hockey, so it’s nice to kind of feel like this little weight is off my shoulders.”

Mitchell talked about cracking the lineup this season and changing his jersey number from 16 to 25 this year. “I think [the] first two years has been a little bit of ups and downs for me,” he said. “I think I just kind of wanted a full reset … it feels pretty good so far. I think I’ve had a good start to the year, and I’m hoping I can just keep contributing that.”

He joked that his mom was “a little upset” that he changed his number (“every jersey she has, has 16 on it,”) but he needed a “mental reset” and to “start from zero” and “build his way back up.” 

Mitchell added that he hasn’t yet played at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center and said he’s “excited to get on that open sheet.” 

Coach Gabinet said the team will get “a couple skates” on the Olympic ice sheet at St. Cloud before the series. “That’ll be nice just to get a little bit used to the size.” (SCSU is one of a handful of college hockey arenas that play on the 200 x 100 ice sheet.)

Looking ahead to the series, Gabinet said, “They play with a lot of speed and pace. They’re built for that Olympic-size rink, and obviously they’re ninth in the country for a reason.”

He said a few players are getting closer to getting back into the lineup after injury, including Zach Urdahl and Liam Watkins. Tanner Ludtke is expected to be out for the rest of the season, and Alexi Van Houtte-Cachero is likely out for this series.

Coach Gabinet also addressed how he puts together a game lineup. “I think ultimately the players determine the lineup by how they play and how they practice. And I think it’s been interesting — when you reflect back on the season, where maybe you have a guy in your mind [but] it hasn’t kind of came to fruition — both positively or negatively. I think that’s a testimony to the guys that are putting the work [in] and you might have a guy maybe a little bit lower coming in, and the next thing you know, he has played every game, or vice versa.”

“So, ultimately, the head coach has got to make a decision, and that’s not in [the player’s] control, and that’s what I tell ‘em – ‘It’s not in your control,’ – right?” he added. “So that [the player can] focus on is getting better, taking personal responsibility for yourself.”

“I want to win hockey games,” Gabinet said. “Everybody wants to win, so we’re trying to put the best lineup possible out there on the ice.”

Omaha and St. Cloud will meet for the 51st and 52nd games all-time this weekend. The Huskies lead the series 29-17-4 overall, and are 17-7-2 in games in St. Cloud. The last time the two teams met was in January, with Omaha getting an overtime win (7-6) on Friday night and a tie (1-1, with a shootout win for the extra conference point) on Saturday night to take four of six points in the road series.

Series preview articles:

Omavs.com:

SCSU Hockey:

Omaha.com ($)
When:
> Friday, 7:30 p.m. CT at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud, MN)
> Saturday, 6:00 p.m. CT at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud, MN)

Radio:
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face-off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.

TV:
Both games will be streamed on NCHC.tv ($) 

Live Stats:
Live stats can be found here

Game Promotions at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center:







Catch up on “everything hockey” by watching the 10th episode of season 7 of the MavPuckCast. In the 44-minute episode, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s first sweep of the season against Miami (OH) at Baxter Arena. They discuss some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena” — including various game promotions and the UNO Hockey Blue Line Club’s Member Appreciation event. They also discuss some recent changes to the post-game fite song celebration. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against the St. Cloud State Huskies at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. 



Next up: Omaha returns to Baxter Arena for a two-game series against Lindenwood in non-conference action. Both games will start at 7:07 p.m.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Omaha Hockey Press Conference (Dec. 4, 2024)

 Omaha Hockey Press Conference – Dec. 4, 2024

The Omaha Maverick Hockey team held a press conference for local media on Dec. 4, 2024. Omaha Head Coach Mike Gabinet and junior forward Cam Mitchell fielded a variety of questions during the press conference including the team’s recent series against Miami (OH), Omaha’s upcoming series versus St. Cloud State at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, how the coaches select players for the lineup, player resilience, and team injuries. Special thanks to our Founding Members for their support of MavPuck.com this season. 

Your support is greatly appreciated!! Support great content like this at MavPuck.com: https://mavpuck.com/donate Follow MavPuck.com online! https://www.mavpuck.com   / mavpuckpage     / mavpuck     / mavpuck     / mavpuckcast