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.
>> Watch this week’s press conference:
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For Fans Attending the Game in Person:
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:
Friday Parking + Maverick Room Access
Saturday Parking + Maverick Room Access
Sunday Parking + Maverick Room Access
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.
Series preview articles:
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