In the first of four home series to open the 2023-24 season, Omaha will face Niagara in a pair of non-conference games on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14.
Omaha is looking for revenge for the Niagara series last season when the Purple Eagles swept Omaha 4-3 in a pair of games at Baxter Arena. (Is it odd that both of these non-conference series were in Omaha? Usually we play a series there, and a series here. Hmm.) Several pundits traced Omaha missing the NCAA tournament last year to this series, and the players interviewed at the weekly news conferences have alluded to the need for a strong non-conference showing to start the season off on the right foot. The 2022 series also represents the last time that Omaha was swept at home.
In the pre-series press conference, head coach Mike Gabinet reiterated the importance of the series. "No one is taking these games for granted. We’re committed to bring our best effort come Friday and Saturday night.”
Junior forward Ty Mueller echoed the sentiment. “Looking back at it, [that series] kind of ruined our whole season in a way. So I think it’s super important that we come out remembering that and make sure we play this game like our season depends on it and make sure we win both [games] this weekend.”
Niagara leads Omaha in the all-time series, 6-3-1.
Offense will be the question mark for Omaha in this series. The team lost five of its top 10 point producers from last season, although top performers senior Matt Miller and graduate students Jack Randl and Nolan Sullivan return.
Goaltenders Simon Latkoczy and Seth Eisele split time in the net during last weekend’s exhibition game at MSU Mankato, combining to turn aside 38 shots and keeping the Purple Mavericks scoreless. Latkoczy is expected to get the start in net on Friday.
For Fans Attending the Games in Person:
A couple of key changes await fans at Baxter Arena in the 2023-24 season. The first is that one parking option has changed. The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is now open to donors only and parking passes will be required to park in that lot. The north lot, Lot 27, offers free parking on a first-come, first-served basis, as is Lot 26 (west of the arena, across the creek).
The second change is that the venue has added metal detectors at all entrances. Fans should allow a few extra minutes for entry as staff and fans adjust to this new change. In addition, fans can no longer print tickets from their MyMavs account, so be prepared to access your digital tickets in your Mavericks app or add them from your MyMavs account to your phone’s wallet app. Note that the digital tickets will not have a barcode. Some fans have reported trouble with these processes, so test it before coming to the arena. If you have questions, call 402-554-MAVS or visit the box office at Baxter Arena.
Omaha.com ($):
https://omaha.com/sports/college/uno/omaha-hockey-looking-for-redemption-with-season-opening-series-against-niagara/article_3b64eba0-690c-11ee-bdcf-4bd675ac52a2.html
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