Series Preview: Omaha vs. Minnesota State-Mankato, Oct. 10-11, 2025

 

By Bridget (Weide) Brooks

No. 20 Minnesota State-Mankato comes into town for the first series of the regular season in a battle for the Spirit of the Mavericks trophy.

On the road in Mankato last year, the “Purple Mavericks” earned the trophy with a sweep of the “Red Mavericks,” winning 4-3 on Friday night, and 1-0 on Saturday night. In the Friday night game, Omaha clawed back from a 0-3 deficit in the third period to tie it midway through the period, but MSU scored with less than a minute left to claim the victory. On Saturday night, Adam Eisele (brother of former Omaha Maverick Seth Eisele), scored the only goal of the game in the first period.

The “Spirit of the Mavericks Trophy” is awarded to the team that wins the annual series. The winner will be decided by one team winning both games, one team winning one game (with the other ending in a tie), or in the case of a series split, the winner will be determined by the total goals differential. Should the series end in a split — and both teams score the same number of goals — the trophy stays with the team that previously held the trophy. 

Former MSU-Mankato Blue Line Club President Brad Reeves and UNO Blue Line Club President Jim Semerad (now deceased) originally came up with the trophy as a way to try and spur a rivalry between the two schools (who played more frequently two decades ago). 

Fun Fact: I had the opportunity to be involved in the presentation of the Spirit of the Mavericks Trophy in February 2008. (I was the UNO Blue Line Club representative in attendance for the series finale that season.)

Interesting Tidbits:

• Both teams made the jump to Division I men's hockey in the same season (1997-98) and have competed against one another in various conference and non-conference matchups since since that season (we were in the same conference as Mankato from 2009 to 2013). 
• Omaha Coach Mike Gabinet played four games in the “Mavs vs. Mavs” series during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, recording several shots and serving one penalty.
• MSU leads the all-time series 20-16-5, although the series is 8-8-3 in home games for Omaha (UNO is 8-12-2 on the road in the overall series). 

The series will likely feature a battle of two of the best goaltenders in the nation. MSU’s goalie, Alex Tracy, was CCHA Goaltender of the Year, and was just invited to participate in the 2025 Spengler Cup, joining a squad of college hockey players representing NCAA Division I hockey in the tournament, held annually in Davos, Switzerland. This year’s tournament will be the first time a select team representing college hockey has ever competed in the event. The team is comprised of active Division I players of any nationality representing all six conferences as well as the Division I independent programs. Last season, Tracy was a Mike Richter Award finalist and Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist.

Omaha goaltender Simon Latkoczy was last season’s NCHC Goaltender of the Year. Latkoczy started 31 games in the 2024-25 season, finishing with a 14-16-1 record, including one shutout. He ranked 10th in Division I last season with 952 saves (.922 save percentage overall, .926 in the NCHC). He also has a 2.61 career goals against average. 

For Fans Attending the Game in Person: 
The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is open to donors and single-game pass holders 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). Omaha Athletics is also encouraging fans to park in one of the public garages at Aksarben Village.

NOTE: Center Street is under construction with a major resurfacing project. We recommend an alternate route (Grover or Pacific) to reach Baxter Arena this weekend.



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. Concession stands are card only (no cash).

Promotions: 

There will be a schedule magnet giveaway on Friday night.

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

Radio:
The game 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 ($) 

Live Stats:
Game stats will be available here. 



There are TWO new episodes of the MavPuckCast this week in advance of the first regular series action of the season.

On this episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason talk about the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s season-opening exhibition win against Air Force Academy (including their picks for “Player of the Week.”) They analyze Omaha’s new hockey jerseys for the 2025-26 season. They conclude the episode with a preview of the upcoming regular season series against Minnesota State-Mankato at Baxter Arena.

And in a first for the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason interview Omaha Hockey Coach Mike Gabinet. Gabinet is an Edmonton, Alberta, native who is in his ninth season as the head hockey coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Gabinet discusses how he decided to join the Mavericks as a player 25 years ago, how he got into coaching, what he thinks of the team’s 2025-26 roster, recruiting, his coaching philosophy, and how he has evolved during his career.

Next Weekend:

Omaha is off for a week following the MSU-Mankato series. The Mavs return to Baxter Arena with another non-conference series versus UMass. That series (Oct. 24-25) is also Homecoming weekend.