Omaha’s final road series of 2025 came against one of the nation’s hottest teams, and while the Mavericks showed stretches of strong possession and goaltending, No. 4/6 North Dakota’s timely scoring and special teams execution proved decisive in a two-game sweep at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Fighting Hawks took Friday’s opener 4-1 after building an early three-goal cushion, then edged Omaha 3-1 Saturday with goals in the final minute of both the second and third periods.
Friday, Dec. 12
No. 4/6 North Dakota 4, Omaha 1
North Dakota struck early and never relinquished control Friday night, scoring three times in the opening 13:49 on the way to a 4-1 victory. Omaha finished with a 31-29 edge in shots, but spent most of the night playing from behind after losing starting goaltender Simon Latkoczy to an apparent lower-body injury just over a minute into the game.
The Mavericks successfully killed an early power play after Latkoczy’s exit, but North Dakota converted an Omaha turnover seven minutes in when Ben Strinden opened the scoring. The Fighting Hawks followed with a power-play goal four minutes later, then added a third on a David Klee rebound with 6:11 remaining in the first period to make it 3-0.
Omaha controlled much of the second period and finally broke through at 5:59 when Trevor Wong scored his first goal as a Maverick, finishing a play set up by Maxime Pellerin and Samuel Huo. The goal cut the deficit to 3-1, but North Dakota answered late in the period. After an Omaha delay-of-game penalty, Strinden scored his second goal of the night on the power play with 3:05 left in the second to restore the three-goal margin.
The third period featured no scoring, though it included a lengthy stoppage and multiple misconducts in the final minute of play. North Dakota finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Omaha went 0-for-3. Jan Špunar stopped 30 shots for the Fighting Hawks, and Dawson Cowan made 23 saves in relief for Omaha.
Period scoring: Omaha 0-1-0 = 1; North Dakota 3-1-0 = 4
Key storyline: Omaha carried play for long stretches and outshot North Dakota, but early goals and power-play efficiency allowed the Fighting Hawks to control the game state from start to finish.
Goaltending:
• Simon Latkoczy: 2 saves on 2 shots (left the game after 1:17 of play due to injury)
• Dawson Cowan: 23 saves on 27 shots
• Jan Špunar (UND): 30 saves on 31 shots
Saturday, Dec. 13
No. 4 North Dakota 3, Omaha 1
Saturday’s contest was tighter throughout, with Dawson Cowan keeping North Dakota scoreless through the first period and Omaha striking first early in the second. Despite the improved start, the Fighting Hawks again found decisive goals late in periods to secure a 3-1 win and complete the series sweep.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Omaha capitalized on an early second-period power play. Just 1:29 into the frame, freshman Cameron Briere scored his second goal of the season, ripping a shot from the face-off circle off a cross-ice feed from Jeremy Loranger and Luke Woodworth.
The lead lasted just 52 seconds, as North Dakota answered quickly when Anthony Menghini beat Cowan to tie the game at 1-1. Omaha earned two additional power-play opportunities later in the period and generated a flurry of shots, but couldn’t convert. North Dakota then seized momentum in the closing seconds of the second, as Ellis Rickwood scored with 2.4 seconds remaining to give the Fighting Hawks a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.
Omaha pressed again in the third and finished the night 1-for-5 on the power play, but North Dakota maintained its edge. With Cowan pulled for the extra attacker, Cody Croal sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 42 seconds left. Omaha was outshot 31-29 and Cowan finished with 28 saves in another strong performance.
Period scoring: Omaha 0-1-0 = 1; North Dakota 0-2-1 = 3
Key storyline: Timely goals at the end of periods defined Saturday’s game. North Dakota’s last-minute second-period strike flipped momentum, and the empty-netter erased Omaha’s late push.
Goaltending:
• Dawson Cowan: 28 saves on 30 shots
• Gibson Homer (UND): 29 saves on 30 shots
Weekend Themes & Notes
Strong possession, limited margin for error:
Omaha held shot advantages in both games (31-29 Friday; 30-31 Saturday), but North Dakota’s early and late goals killed the Maverick momentum.
Special teams swung Friday, stalled Saturday:
North Dakota went 2-for-5 on the power play Friday, while Omaha was 0-for-3. Saturday flipped partially, with Omaha scoring once on five chances, but additional opportunities went unfinished.
Cowan steadied the crease:
After entering Friday’s game early, Cowan logged 117:09 of action over the weekend and stopped 51 of 57 shots, including a scoreless first period Saturday.
Freshman scoring spark:
Cameron Briere’s power-play goal Saturday marked Omaha’s lone lead of the weekend and his second goal of the season.
Up Next…
Omaha returns to action Friday and Saturday in Sioux Falls in a non-conference road series at Augustana, closing out the 2025 portion of the schedule before the team enjoys a brief holiday break.
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