Series Preview: Omaha vs. Augustana University, Nov. 24-25, 2023 (Home and Home)

 

By Bridget Brooks 

What an unusual weekend at Denver it was! Omaha ended up with a series split (good prediction on the MavPuckCast, Jon!), losing 8-4 on Friday, but winning on Sunday afternoon 4-3 — as the teams finished the game that was suspended for “bad ice” on Saturday night. 

UNO Hockey Coach Mike Gabinet achieved his 100th career victory with the win on Sunday as well.

Omaha is now 6-3-1 overall (2-2-0 in NCHC conference play) and is playing its first home-and-home series in more than 10 years, taking on first-year program Augustana University (Sioux Falls, SD) in a home game on Friday night at Baxter Arena and an away game on Saturday night in Sioux Falls at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. 

The Mavericks had played home-and-home series with fellow Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks previously, but the most recent home-and-home weekend was held December 2009 (prior to Omaha joining the WCHA in the 2010-11 season).

Gabinet previewed the series by saying, “You can tell by their record they’ve had a lot of success.” 

Augustana is 4-5-1 against a high-profile slate that has featured Wisconsin, Denver, and Colorado College already this season. The Vikings had a bye week last weekend.

An emphasis for UNO this week was continuing to work on the power play, which is 0.140 overall (currently sitting at 54 out of 64 D-1 teams in power play percentage). 

“The first period on Sunday [at Denver] was the best it [the power play] had looked,” Gabinet said. “We’re continuing to work on it. [We need to] make the smart plays at the right time.”

For Fans Attending the Friday Night Game in Person:

The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is now open to donors only and 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 is Lot 26 (west of the arena, across the creek).

A large crowd is expected this weekend, so fans should arrive early to avoid crowds, especially at 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 now at all entrances. All concession stands are card only (no cash).

Theme Nights:

Friday night is a BLACK OUT at Baxter Arena and a celebration of broadcaster Terry Leahy’s 1000th game.

Series preview articles:

Omavs.com:

https://omavs.com/news/2023/11/22/mavericks-to-battle-ncaa-hockey-newcomer-augustana-in-home-and-home-series.aspx

GoAugie.com (PDF):

https://goaugie.com/documents/2023/11/22/Augustana_vs_Omaha.pdf

When:

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

> Saturday, 6:07 p.m. CT at the Denny Sanford Premier Center (Sioux Falls, SD)

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:

Friday night’s game will be streamed on NCHC.tv ($) Saturday night will be on FloSports (FloHockey.tv) ($). Saturday night will also be on Midco Sports Two (Channel Finder here.)

Live Stats:

Friday night stats will be available here.

See what you missed when the team was in Denver by watching the seventh episode of the sixth season of the MavPuckCast, with Jon and Jason. In the 39-minute episode, you can see what transpired with the Saturday night “bad ice” incident and check out the “Mavs on the Move” event in Denver that was held prior to the game on Saturday night. The duo also previews the Augustana series.

Next up: Omaha resumes conference play on Dec. 1-2, taking on Minnesota Duluth in Duluth. Friday’s game will be at 7:07 p.m. CT while Saturday’s puck drop is slated for 5:07 p.m. CT. 

Series Preview: Omaha vs. Long Island University, Nov. 10-11, 2023

Coming off a thrilling overtime victory against Western Michigan University in the first series of NCHC play, Omaha is looking to wrap up its 8-game homestand with positive momentum in its non-conference series with LIU. 

Omaha is now 3-2-1 overall (1-1-0 in NCHC conference play). The team is just outside the top 20 in the USCHO.com weekly poll (the team would come in at 21 if the poll were extended).

In the weekly press conference, Coach Mike Gabinet said, “How we played the game [versus WMU] was a good blueprint on how to face a really good opponent. [It] showed examples of guys doing the right things on Saturday night.”

Looking ahead to the Sharks, Gabinet said, “It will be a hard match; we will get their best. They played Colorado College to a one-goal game.” He noted that LIU is “big, heavy, and competitive” but said the Mavericks will “keep bringing the focus back to ourselves.”

Sophomore defenseman Griffin Ludtke was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week for his three-point weekend (1G, 2A). Ludtke emphasized the work that the players have been doing through the offseason and the early weeks of the season to prepare. He referenced the disappointment of how the 2022-23 season ended and working with Nolan Sullivan and Jacob Slipec during the summer, effort that Gabinet lauded when asked about him. “Your weeks and days matter,” Ludtke said.

Ludtke lit up when asked about playing with his younger brother, freshman forward Tanner Ludtke. “It’s great playing with ‘T.’ He’s adjusting super well to college.” Griffin said Tanner is his best friend and he’s enjoying sharing the locker room with him. He also noted that his “Mom and Dad are excited to have [them in] one spot,” adding that he thinks he’s only played a handful of games without at least one parent in attendance.

Griffin said that the Sharks “will definitely give us a challenge.” He noted that “It’s going to be about us again, as it is with every opponent.” 

Long Island University’s website lists the team as 4-5-0, although that includes an Oct. 28 win over Saint Anselm, which is not a Division 1 program. The Mavericks and the Sharks last met in Long Island Oct. 28-29, 2022. Omaha is 4-0 all-time against LIU, including 2-1 and 7-1 victories in last year’s series.

For Fans Attending the Games in Person:

The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is now open to donors only and 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 is Lot 26 (west of the arena, across the creek).

A large crowd is expected this weekend, so fans should arrive early to avoid crowds, especially at 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 now at all entrances. All concession stands are card only (no cash).

Theme Nights:

Friday night is Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by WoodmenLife. The team is expected to wear Military Appreciation jerseys, which are being auctioned off online: 

https://omavs.com/auctions/ 

Series preview articles:

Omavs.com:

https://omavs.com/news/2023/11/9/hockey-mavericks-to-close-out-hot-homestand-with-long-island-sharks.aspx

Omaha.com ($):
https://omaha.com/sports/college/uno/victor-mancinis-first-career-goal-for-omaha-hockey-was-better-late-than-never/article_97022e8c-7f1e-11ee-bd03-f7c3d135771f.html

When:

> Friday, 7:07 p.m. CT

> Saturday, 7:07 p.m. CT 

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:

Click here.

Also check out episode 5 of the sixth season of the MavPuckCast, with Jon and guest host Bridget. In the 34-minute episode, Jon and Bridget recap the WMU series, plus some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena” (#oldbull Greg Zanon was honored), UNO Giving Day (“Wear Black, Give Back”), and a preview of the Long Island University series.

Next up: Omaha finally heads out on the road, taking on current top-ranked Denver University in Denver, Nov. 17-18. Friday night’s game is at 8 p.m. Central; Saturday night’s game will start at 7 p.m. Central. 

Series Preview: Omaha vs. Western Michigan, Nov. 3-4, 2023

Omaha Hockey opens up NCHC conference play on Nov. 3-4 after a disappointing tie (shootout loss) and loss to Ohio State at Baxter Arena on Oct. 27-28. Omaha (2-1-1) has dropped out of the top 20 in the USCHO.com weekly poll, although the team is still receiving votes. WMU is currently ranked 11 in the poll.

In the weekly press conference, Head Coach Mike Gabinet said the team was excited to open up conference play against the no. 11 team in the nation. “Guys get up for every game, but especially against ranked teams.”

Gabinet said the Broncos are “big, heavy, and fast” and have a high potent offense. “They like to forecheck hard.”

He added that the Mavericks “deserved a win” out of last weekend’s games, but that they would “keep progressing and keep going.” He said the team’s motto is “Keep showing up and doing the work.”

Assistant Captain Jack Randl said the team is excited to get into conference play. “We want to get off to a good start,” he said. “Every point is so huge, and we definitely want to finish as high as we can.”

He echoed Coach Gabinet’s statements about the team’s resilience. “We’re going to battle some adversity this year. We played two pretty good games, but didn’t get the results. We’re going to keep playing our game.”

The Mavericks are hoping to get graduate defenseman Dom Vidoli back in the lineup this weekend after he was out for the Ohio State series. 

Western Michigan is 3-0-1 on the season and is scoring just under five goals on average per game (4.8 GPG). The Broncos also have a top-ranked power play (44.4%), while Omaha’s is ranked 52nd in the nation. The Mavericks have been perfect on the penalty kill, however, holding opponents to no goals on 13 penalties.

Omaha and Western met four times during the 2022-23 season, with Omaha sweeping Western in Omaha and splitting in Kalamazoo. WMU advanced to the NCAA tournament last season for the second year in a row.

The all-time series is 34-25-6 in favor of Omaha, and 18-8-2 in games in Omaha.

>> Since this is UNO’s first NCHC series of the season, we encourage you to read Jason Combs’ NCHC Preview from Sept. 2023 — click here to read. 

For Fans Attending the Games in Person:

The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is now open to donors only and 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 is Lot 26 (west of the arena, across the creek).

Fans should arrive early to avoid crowds, especially at the west entrance. Have digital tickets ready to scan in the 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 now at all entrances. All concession stands are card only (no cash).

Theme Nights:

It’s Homecoming weekend! And Friday night is “Vintage Night,” so wear your retro gear! The students will have milk jugs, and fans are invited to bring their own.

Saturday night is the UNO Alumni Association’s Maverick Fan Fest on Holland Ice from 5-6:45 p.m. Stop by the MavPuck table and pick up some candy! (If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, here’s the link.) 

Also, #oldbull Greg Zanon will be honored at the game on Saturday night. According to the athletic department’s Twitter account, the former UNO Hockey defenseman will be inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame — the names of other inductees will also be announced.

Series preview articles:

Omavs.com:

https://omavs.com/news/2023/11/1/hockey-mavericks-open-up-nchc-play-with-no-11-western-michigan.aspx

Western Michigan Hockey:

https://wmubroncos.com/news/2023/11/1/mens-ice-hockey-hockey-begins-nchc-play-at-omaha.aspx

Omaha.com ($):
https://omaha.com/sports/college/uno/omaha-hockey-aim-to-bounce-back-with-series-against-no-11-western-michigan/article_28155036-7991-11ee-a576-637f7700de53.html

When:

> Friday, 7:07 p.m. CT

> Saturday, 7:07 p.m. CT 

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:

Click here.

Also check out episode 4 of the sixth season of the “MavPuckCast with Jason and Jon.” The duo recap the Ohio State series, plus some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena”, UNO Giving Day (“Wear Black, Give Back”), Vintage Mav Night, a preview of the Western Michigan series.

 

Next up: The final two games of the four-series homestand at Baxter Arena wrap up when Omaha takes on LIU on Friday, Nov. 10 (7:07 p.m.) and Saturday, Nov. 11 (7:07 p.m.)