The transfer portal opens on Sunday and the “absolute chaos” of the 2025 “preseason” (“there is no offseason, only preseason™”) is here.
Omaha Hockey went 18-17-1 (14-9-1 in the NCHC) in 2024-25. The Mavericks were swept by North Dakota in the NCHC quarterfinals at Baxter Arena on March 14-15, ending the season.
Omaha welcomed 14 new players in the 2024-25 season, including eight freshmen (Joe Gramer, Marcus Broberg, Alexi Van Houtte-Cachero, Myles Hilman, Liam Watkins, Chase LaPinta, Kevin Reidler, and Isaiah Norlin) and six transfer student-athletes (Aiden Gallacher, Sam Stange, Brady Risk, Garrett Pinoniemi, Harrison Israels, and Dylan Gratton).
More change is underway for 2025-26, as eight Omaha players have exhausted their playing eligibility: Gallacher, Stange, Urdahl, Risk, Nolan Krenzen, Jimmy Glynn, Harrison Israels, and Brock Bremer.
That means at least eight new names and faces on the roster for the next season. There will likely be more.
With the changing nature of college athletics — and the NCAA’s decision to lift the ban on Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players, allowing them to play in NCAA Division I hockey starting Aug. 1, 2025 (provided they aren’t compensated “beyond necessary expenses” while in the CHL), change is going to be the new constant.
Players have more opportunities to change their playing situation than in the past. In April 2024, the NCAA eliminated the “year-in-residence” rule, allowing Division I student-athletes to transfer and be immediately eligible to play, regardless of how many times they have transferred, as long as they are academically eligible (“in good standing in accordance with their previous institutions standard; and meet the applicable ‘progress-toward-degree’ requirements at their new institution”).
Student-athletes seeking to transfer must enter the transfer portal during the prescribed “windows,” unless there are certain circumstances, such as the departure of the head coach. This year, the hockey transfer portal window is March 30 to May 13, 2025.
Coach Gabinet said his two main priorities in recruiting are “Making the roster better and maintaining the culture.”
“The new reality of college athletics is there is a lot of movement — and there will be movement every year,” Gabinet said. “Nobody likes it.”
There will be Omaha players whose names are in the transfer portal tomorrow.
Gabinet said this is the new normal for college hockey — it will be more like the pro ranks each year. “The team is made up of 28 free agents at the end of each season” — they are free to move on if they choose to.
But Gabinet said the future is bright. “We have some really good guys coming in.”
He promises several “big pieces are coming back” from last year’s team, and they hope to announce the returning players soon.
Swept, Favorite Memories, Key Takeaways This Season
On this episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon, Bridget, and special guest Brent Bean discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent conference playoff series against North Dakota — including video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They make their picks for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Each shares their favorite memory of the 2024-25 season. And the three offer their key takeaways this season.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Junior goaltender Simon Latkoczy was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Year, it was announced at the conference's Award Celebration on Thursday night.
Latkoczy became the first Maverick goaltender to win the award and the program's inaugural netminder named to the First-Team All-NCHC on Wednesday, March 12.
Through 85 career games with Omaha, Latkoczy has recorded the fourth-most wins in program history and is one of four goaltenders to record 40 or more wins as a Maverick.
Among NCHC goaltenders (min. 33% of the team's minutes played), the Trencin, Slovakia native ranks first in saves and seventh in the nation (952), third in save percentage (.922) and 10th in goals against average (2.71).
Over his three seasons, his .922 save percentage is a new career high.
The 5-foot-11, 177-pound goaltender also set a new program high against then-No. 5 Minnesota with 53 saves in a 2-1 victory to take the 2024 Ice Breaker Tournament title in Las Vegas.
In a single game, 53 saves was the most by an NCHC goaltender and the fifth-most in Division I this season.
Since the NCHC began play in 2013-14, Latkoczy's 952 saves are the fifth-most a junior in the conference has made in a single season.
952 saves is the 13th-most by any goaltender in NCHC history, trailing his 953 in 2023-24 (12th-most).
The 2025 Mike Richter Award semifinalist recorded four of the NCHC's top 10 games with the most saves recorded by an individual. Latkoczy was the only netminder in the conference to record a game with 50 or more saves, doing it twice.
Latkoczy, who had one shutout this season, also recorded 40 or more saves in a single game on five occasions in the 2024-25 campaign.
A rock in net all season, while leading conference play with a .926 save % 😼🙅♂️
Defenseman Jackson van de Leest has been loaned to the Stingrays by the @UticaComets, and the Stingrays have signed defenseman Nolan Krenzen to an ECHL contract. Welcome to the Lowcountry, Jackson and Nolan! 🌴
Below is the Omaha Hockey team’s final lineup for the NCHC quarterfinal round game two against North Dakota at Baxter Arena. Emojis have been placed over players whose eligibility has expired, entered the transfer portal, or signed on with a team to play professional hockey.
With a win last Saturday night in Grand Forks, Omaha Hockey has secured home ice at Baxter Arena for the NCHC playoff quarterfinals. They will meet up again with last weekend’s opponent, the University of North Dakota, for a best-of-three series this weekend to determine which team will advance to the final Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota, “The Last Call in St. Paul.” (The playoff format will change to campus sites for the 2025-26 season.)
Omaha ended the regular season in fourth place with a 18-15-1 overall record, 14-9-1 in the NCHC. North Dakota finished in fifth place with a 19-14-2 overall record, also 14-9-1 in the NCHC. North Dakota is ranked no. 17 in the USCHO.com weekly poll and no. 18 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll. Omaha is no. 20 in the USCHO poll and received votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.
Game one will be Friday, March 14 at 7:07 p.m. Game two will be Saturday, March 15 at 7:07 p.m. If necessary, game three will be Sunday, March 16 at 6:07 p.m.
Fans were thrilled to see forwards Tanner Ludtke and Harrison Israels return to the lineup last weekend. Ludtke had last seen game action on Oct. 25 and had surgery which kept him sidelined. Israels was injured in a faceoff by Western Michigan University forward Tim Washe during the Saturday night game in Kalamazoo.
North Dakota won last Friday night’s matchup 3-1, but Omaha rebounded on Saturday night with a 7-3 victory. Omaha raced to a 4-0 lead on Saturday, chasing starting goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter in the second period. The Fighting Hawks narrowed the lead to 4-2 before Israels scored his second goal of the night to give the Mavs a 5-2 lead. Omaha scored two more goals in the third period, including a power play goal and empty net goal, to seal the win.
Israels and Coach Mike Gabinet met with the media in advance of the series.
Israels had two goals and an assist last weekend in his return. “I think when you have an injury, it’s always good to get back and kind of get your feet moving. I thought Saturday, the team played one of our best games all year, so it’s really exciting. I think it just built a lot of momentum going into (the) playoffs. I am definitely happy I’m back,” he said.
The team’s resilience was put to the test with home ice on the line on Saturday night.
“I think it just kind of shows the group of guys we got, we got such a tight team,” Israels said. “It’s been built all the way from when we got here in July. And I think that’s one of things that championship teams are built out of, right? You need a team that sticks together and just cheers for each other all the time. I think when a guy gets hurt, like Tanner Ludtke — he’s been hurt all year, and guys are just so pumped for him to come back last weekend.”
The team is looking forward to home ice at Baxter Arena, Israels said.
“I think it’s going to be a really exciting weekend. The place is going to be packed. There’s a ton of energy coming from our locker room, the fans, and you can kind of feel it. So I think it’s going to be a really fun couple of games to watch. I know our guys are going to be ready. I’m going to be ready,” he said.
UND freshman forward Sacha Boisvert is on a goal-scoring streak, having scored at least one goal in the last six games. He was named to the NCHC’s All-Rookie Team for the season. Senior forward Carter Wilkie also is on a point streak, earning points in six straight games. Sophomore defenseman Jake Livanavage has 50 points already in his career. He received First-Team All-NCHC honors on Wednesday.
Omaha is led by graduate forward Sam Stange. Stange was named to the NCHC’s Second Team. Stange has 15 goals and 17 assists on the season. He had two goals and two assists in the win against UND on Saturday night. He has three game-winning goals and one shorthanded and one power play goal.
Simon Latkoczy was named goaltender for the NCHC’s First Team. He is the first goaltender in program history to be named to the first team in the NCHC. Through 29 games played, Latkoczy has an NCHC-leading 909 saves (good for seventh in the nation). His .925 save percentage is the second-best in the conference and his 2.68 goals-against average is the 10th best in the NCHC. In addition, Coach Gabinet was named a finalist for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award, the third time in the last five years he has been a finalist for the award.
The teams are pretty evenly matched. North Dakota has a 13-2-0 record when scoring at least four goals. The team that has scored first has won 30 of the last 35 meetings between Omaha and UND.
UND is 37-23-2 all-time in the series. Omaha and North Dakota also faced off at Baxter Arena in 2023 in the NCHC quarterfinals with Omaha winning Friday night and North Dakota winning Saturday and Sunday to advance to the Frozen Faceoff. They met up again in the NCHC semifinals last season in St. Paul, with Omaha winning 6-3 to advance to the NCHC championship game against Denver (despite North Dakota scoring first in that game, a fact Coach Gabinet pointed out with a smile at the press conference).
The Mavs will try to get off to a hot start.
“Obviously both teams are trying to score that opening goal, and you got to do everything in your power to try to be ready to go from the drop of the puck and make sure your process is focused on trying to get that first goal. And if it goes your way, great. If it doesn’t, you got to be able to respond appropriately as well,” Coach Gabinet said.
Midco Sports has paid for the broadcast rights to produce and air this weekend’s games. Alex Heinert and Jim Scanlan will provide play-by-play and analysis for the broadcast, which will also be aired on NCHC.tv. Taylor Budge will report from rinkside.
Omaha is trying to advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff for the second time in program history. The Mavs were the last of the original NCHC teams to make it to St. Paul for the conference semifinals and finals when they knocked off Colorado College in Colorado Springs last season in a thrilling three-game series.
Speaking of the UNO-UND matchup, Coach Gabinet said they’ve learned from what they saw in last week’s games.
“We know they’re a good team, right? They’ve shown it all season long there too. There’s lots of talent on that roster, and you got to play a certain way to be successful, and that’s where our focus is now,” he said.
The team is looking forward to the playoff atmosphere at Baxter Arena.
“I think the support (from fans) has been tremendous,” Coach Gabinet said. “As the guys have commented — for those guys on the bench — when that building’s like that, you don’t get tired. Your adrenaline starts flowing, you can feel the energy of the building, and it’s real. It’s real.”
“It’s been an amazing year, and you know, it’s not done yet. We got a job to finish here. I’m excited for hopefully a long playoff run,” Israels said.
Parking will be at a premium for the series due to multiple events happening at Baxter Arena (including the Aksarben Curling Irish Open Bonspiel on Holland Ice), Omaha Baseball games at Maverick Park, and activities going on in Aksarben Village. Fans are encouraged to carpool and arrive early to allow additional time for traffic and parking.
The west lot outside of the main entrance at Baxter — Lot 25 — is open to donors and those purchasing parking passes on a game-by-game basis (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.
For this weekend only, parking passes (and Maverick Room hospitality) access are just $15 per game. Purchase access here:
Fans should arrive early, especially if entering via the west entrance. Have digital tickets ready to scan in the Omaha Mavericks app (or add them from your MyMavs account to your phone’s wallet app). If you have questions, stop by the box office at Baxter Arena before the game or call 402-554-MAVS.
The clear bag policy remains in effect at Baxter Arena, and metal detectors are in place at all entrances. All concession stands are credit/debit card only (no cash).
Blue Line Club members and Maverick Room pass holders may enter the arena 90 minutes before puck drop. (Learn more about how to become a Blue Line Club or Maverick Room pass holder here.)
Promotions:
Friday, March 14
The first 2000 fans in attendance will receive a 2024-25 Omaha Hockey team picture.
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.
TV:
All games this weekend will be streamed on NCHC.tv ($) and on Midco Sports in North Dakota. The NCHC is offering a “Quarterfinal Pass” for $29.95 to watch all games from all four best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal series from March 14-16 (between 8-12 games, including the Omaha best-of-three series). This package does not include auto-renew and does NOT include Frozen Faceoff games (which are carried exclusively on CBS Sports Network). Visit NCHC.tv for details.
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).
On this episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series at North Dakota — including video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They look at the final National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings going into the conference playoffs — and give their “upset special” pick for the quarterfinals. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming quarterfinal series against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Baxter Arena.
Next up: A trip to the Frozen Faceoff is on the line for Omaha. Win and they’re in. Lose, and the season is over. (Omaha Hockey does not have any mathematical chance for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, and it’s all math.)
Needing two points to secure home ice for the NCHC playoff quarterfinals, Omaha went one better and earned three points with a win over no. 18 North Dakota on Saturday night in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The Mavericks (who finished fourth in NCHC conference play) will host a best-of-three series at Baxter Arena against the Fighting Hawks (who finished in fifth place). The games will be Friday, March 14 (7:07 p.m. puck drop), Saturday, March 15 (7:07 p.m. puck drop) and, if necessary, Sunday, March 16 (6:07 p.m. puck drop).
Season ticket holders for Maverick Hockey already have the playoff tickets in their MyMavs account. Tickets were included in the 2024-25 season ticket package. (Season ticket holders receive the same seats they had for the regular season.) There are no refunds for Sunday’s game if the series is decided in two games.
Single-game tickets start at $20. There are no discounts or promotions for playoff games. In addition, students must purchase their playoff tickets (no complimentary tickets for student admissions for the playoffs).
If you purchase single game tickets for Sunday and the game is not needed, you will be refunded for that ticket cost. (Season ticket holders will not receive a refund for the Sunday game if it is not played as playoff tickets were complimentary in the season ticket package.)
If you have any questions about playoff tickets, contact the Baxter Arena ticket office at 402-554-MAVS.
The winner of the quarterfinal round will advance to the final Frozen Faceoff at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tickets to the Frozen Faceoff semi-finals and championship game can be purchased here. (The NCHC playoffs will move to campus sites entirely in the 2025-26 season.)
Home ice is at stake in the final regular season series of the 2024-25 season. Omaha is two points ahead of North Dakota and Denver in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings. Western Michigan and Arizona State have locked up two of the four home ice spots, with Omaha, UND, and DU looking to secure the two remaining spots. Omaha needs two points to get home ice for the NCHC quarterfinal playoff series. (If the Mavericks end up in a tie with North Dakota at 43 points, Omaha wins the relevant tie-breaker in that instance with North Dakota, having more "regulation wins" in conference play.)
Omaha is 17-14-1 overall (13-8-1 in the NCHC), good for third place in the conference currently. North Dakota is 18-13-2 (also 13-8-1 in the NCHC, tied for fourth with Denver).
No. 18 North Dakota has the series advantage, 36-22-2 overall. The first team to score a goal in the game has won 28 of the last 33 meetings. But Omaha had the advantage last season, winning four of the five games, including the semifinal game in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul.
Omaha is coming off a split with Arizona State (4-1 loss Friday, 4-2 win Saturday), while North Dakota split with Western Michigan last week (6-4 loss Friday, 4-3 win in overtime Saturday).
A high-scoring affair tends to benefit the Fighting Hawks. UND is 13-2-0 when scoring at least four goals. However, Maverick senior forward Zach Urdahl might have something to say about that. Almost 15 percent of Urdahl’s career goals have come against North Dakota, including a hat trick in the Frozen Faceoff.
Special teams are likely to come into play. Omaha’s power play is clicking at 34.1 percent since Jan. 12, the second-highest in the conference. However, the Mavs were 1-for-9 with the man advantage against ASU last weekend. UND is averaging 5.1 penalties per game, so the Mavs need to capitalize on power play opportunities when they get them.
Omaha junior defenseman Griffin Ludtke and Coach Mike Gabinet met with the media (via Zoom this week due to the weather) to talk about the UND series.
“I grew up in Minnesota and was never a [UND] fan, but I always loved their environment. I love playing at the Ralph. I love playing at Western. I love playing at Denver … all these high-energy arenas,” Ludtke said. “I just think it’s fun to get those opportunities. Someone is going to get to score the game winner on Friday and Saturday. Someone is going to get to make the big play.”
“We’re not looking just to get, you know, ‘X’ amount of points to secure home ice advantage. We’re going there to win and to continue to send a message to the rest of the league — and the country — that we’re the team to beat,” Ludtke said. “It’s an exciting time to play with this group.”
Growth and resilience have epitomized the theme for the team this season.
“I think you look at our tough start to the year — especially non-conference, getting swept by Mankato and Augustana — and I think it’s easy to get down on yourselves in those moments, and I think part of our growth has come from when we give up a goal and get scored on … what’s our response?” Ludtke said. “I think that’s something that’s really propelled us to having a ton of success here down the stretch.”
His coach agrees. “I think that’s kind of been our theme for our whole team, where you see some of these guys — where they were at the start of the year, where they were in years past in the lineup, to where they are now, it’s pretty unbelievable to see the development that’s taking place individually and collectively with these players,” Gabinet said. “I just love the word ‘growth’ — I think that is a testimony to how the whole organization looks at this season.”
As of this writing, Tanner Ludtke’s playing status is uncertain for the weekend. He has spent the bulk of the season recovering from an upper-body injury. His last game played was Friday, Oct. 25.
Griffin Ludtke said he would relish the opportunity to play with Tanner again this season. “You just notice all the things that you miss when your brother and best friend is not in the lineup. It’s the small things — of doing dry-land warm-up together, or kicking the soccer ball, or tying your skates across the room from each other.”
“Being injured is no fun, let alone what could or would be a season-ending injury, and he’s made a strong case to potentially play here down the stretch,” Ludtke added.
Both Tanner Ludtke and Harrison Israels made the trip to Grand Forks. “Both those guys are trying their best to come back as quickly and safely as possible,“ Gabinet said. “Probably be a game-time decision to see where those guys end up.”
Gabinet said the series will be exciting, and the team is looking forward to the challenge. “We’ve played some pretty tough games over the course of the [season], and we know it will be no different there.”
“Both teams are probably excited to play each other for the first time [this season], and [we’re] looking forward to a good weekend,” Gabinet said. “Every weekend’s a big game and [it’s] no different this weekend.”
Weekly Press Conference (held on Zoom due to weather):
> Friday, 6:36 p.m. CT at Ralph Engelstad Arena (Grand Forks, ND)
> Saturday, 6 p.m. CT at Ralph Engelstad (Grand Forks, ND)
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.
Live stats can be found hereFriday and here Saturday.
It’s a doubleheader on the MavPuckCast this week!
First up is Season 7, Episode 20: the first-ever episode with a current Maverick Hockey player. Jon and Jason have a wide-ranging chat with junior forward Jacob Slipec, a native of White Rock, British Columbia. Slipec talks about his career, how he ended up being a recruit for the Mavericks, how he prepares for games, his favorite road venue to play in, hobbies, goals, and what he thinks of playing for UNO at Baxter Arena.
On the “regular” episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Baxter Arena. The episode includes video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They analyze the current National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings, look at where UNO is ranked in the latest Pairwise rankings, and discuss potential playoff scenarios. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Ralph Engelstad Arena — the final NCHC series of the regular season.
Next up: NCHC quarterfinals begin next weekend. Omaha has a chance to host home ice, or go on the road, depending on the results of the Omaha-UND series. Best-of-three playoffs will be Friday, March 14; Saturday, March 15; and, if necessary, Sunday, March 16.
