By Bridget (Weide) Brooks
Coming off its first NCHC victory of the season and a five-point weekend against St. Cloud State, Omaha Hockey heads back on the road this weekend to face No. 17 Miami (Ohio).
Omaha (3-4-1 overall, 1-2-1 NCHC) will face Miami (7-3-0, 2-2-0 NCHC) Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, at Steve “Coach” Cady Arena inside Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio. Friday’s game begins at 6:05 p.m. Central, with Saturday’s matchup scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Central.
The Mavericks are looking for their first victory over a nationally ranked opponent this season after dropping two games to then-No. 15 Augustana and two at then-No. 3 Denver.
Omaha picked up five of six available conference points last weekend at Baxter Arena, earning a 2-2 overtime tie and shootout victory Friday before defeating St. Cloud State 5-3 Saturday.
Freshman goaltender William Lacelle made 42 saves Friday, while Gavin Hodnett scored his first collegiate goal and Ryan McCleary added his first goal of the season. Logan Wormald scored the deciding goal in the fifth round of the shootout.
Saturday, Omaha broke a 3-3 tie with two goals in the final 3:53. Maxime Pellerin scored the game-winning power-play goal, and Sean Tschigerl added an empty-net goal for his second tally of the night. Luke Woodworth finished with three assists.
Head coach Mike Gabinet was encouraged by the way his team handled pressure situations against St. Cloud State.
“Ultimately we’re in a results business, and it’s great to be in all these close games that we’ve been in against really good opponents. But at the end of the day, finding those ways to win is the separator,” Gabinet said during Tuesday’s press conference.
He said the Mavericks worked on one-goal situations during Tuesday’s practice to prepare for similar circumstances in upcoming games.
Gabinet also described Tuesday’s session as one of the most intense practices he had seen from the group in some time.
Miami Returns to National Rankings
Miami enters the weekend ranked No. 17 in both the USCHO and USA Hockey national polls after receiving votes the previous week.
The RedHawks are coming off a road split against then-No. 6/7 Minnesota Duluth, winning 3-2 Friday before falling 2-1 Saturday.
Freshman forward Matouš Kucharcík leads Miami with 10 points (two goals, eight assists) through 10 games. Kucharcík contributed a goal and an assist in Friday’s victory over Minnesota Duluth.
Three other RedHawks have nine points: David Deputy (two goals, seven assists), Kocha Delic (four goals, five assists), and Matteo Giampa (two goals, seven assists).
Sophomore forward Ilia Morozov leads Miami with five goals.
Junior goaltender Matteo Drobac has started nine games, compiling a 6-3-0 record with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
Miami is coached by Anthony Noreen, who is in his second season leading the RedHawks.
The teams met four times last season, with Miami winning three of the four games. The RedHawks swept Omaha in Oxford on Jan. 16-17, 2026, winning 3-0 and 6-2.
Omaha earned a 5-3 victory when the teams met at Baxter Arena on Feb. 27, but Miami won the following night 4-2.
McCleary, Nguyen Building on Previous Chemistry
Senior defenseman Ryan McCleary scored in both games against St. Cloud State, recording his first two goals of the season.
Sophomore forward Marcus Nguyen assisted on both goals.
The two played together with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League before coming to Omaha.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Nguyen credited their previous experience together with helping them find each other on the ice.
Gabinet was particularly pleased to see McCleary’s offensive contributions after watching him work on different aspects of his game during practice.
“I think that’s a sign of confidence is when you see guys start to translate the stuff they’re doing in practice into a game in a pressure environment,” Gabinet said.
He also praised Omaha’s defensive corps as a whole, calling the St. Cloud State series its best weekend of the season.
Nguyen, meanwhile, is continuing to develop his game in his second college season.
Asked what has improved since his freshman year, Nguyen pointed to his ability to compete for pucks against older, stronger players.
“I think, one aspect (that) really comes to mind is just being heavy on pucks,” Nguyen said.
He also mentioned becoming stronger on his feet and improving his ability to protect the puck.
Nguyen has been playing on a line with Brett Hyland and Vincent Desjardins. He said the three are beginning to develop an identity together after spending time practicing and playing alongside one another.
Hodnett Earns First NCHC Weekly Honor
Freshman forward Gavin Hodnett was named the KJ Branding NCHC Rookie of the Week on Tuesday following his two-goal performance against St. Cloud State.
Hodnett scored his first collegiate goal Friday, then added another Saturday. His two goals were also his first two collegiate points.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native previously played for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League, serving as team captain during his final two seasons.
Gabinet said Hodnett has become more comfortable as he adjusts to college hockey, particularly after dealing with injuries early in the season.
He described Hodnett as a player who takes his performance seriously and sometimes needs to be reminded to enjoy the process.
Gabinet also praised the developing chemistry between Hodnett, Trevor Wong, and Logan Wormald.
He said the three have been able to take concepts discussed during video sessions and apply them during practices and games.
Scouting Miami
Gabinet expects the Mavericks to face a physical, tight-checking Miami team this weekend.
“(They’re a) pretty heavy team. They play physical. It’s always usually a little tight-checking in that rink,” Gabinet said Tuesday.
He compared the feel of Miami’s arena to Western Michigan’s, explaining that the end zones can seem tighter and plays develop quickly.
Gabinet also emphasized Miami’s ability to transition quickly, making puck management and defensive positioning important for the Mavericks.
Nguyen said the opportunity to face another ranked opponent early in the season is a positive challenge for Omaha.
He also expects an energetic road environment.
Asked about playing in front of opposing student sections, Nguyen said the atmosphere can motivate the visiting team as well.
“And, you know, as much as it probably pumps up the home team, it pumps us, you know, up too when we’re the visitors,” Nguyen said.
Watch the Nov. 10 Press Conference (with full transcript)
Weekend Game Information
Friday, Nov. 13
6:05 p.m. Central
Steve “Coach” Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio
Streaming: NCHC.tv
Live Stats
Saturday, Nov. 14
5:05 p.m. Central
Steve “Coach” Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio
Streaming: NCHC.tv
Live Stats
Both games will also be available on the Varsity Network, with Mike Vaillancourt and Terry Leahy on the call.
MavPuckCast — Season 9, Episode 8
On this episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason look at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series against St. Cloud State in their 3 Takeaways segment — includes their picks for Player of the Week. They talk about some Things You Missed at Baxter Arena — including FanFest, the Jake Guentzel jersey retirement, and the trading card giveaway. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha Hockey’s upcoming series against the Miami (OH) Redhawks in Oxford, OH.
Watch the latest MavPuckCast episode on YouTube
Up Next:
Following the Miami series, Omaha returns to Baxter Arena Nov. 20-21 to host Western Michigan. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Central.
Watch the latest MavPuckCast episode on YouTube
Up Next:
Following the Miami series, Omaha returns to Baxter Arena Nov. 20-21 to host Western Michigan. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Central.
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