Omaha Hockey (8-10-0, 4-4-0 in conference) will face No. 13/14 Colorado College (10-7-1, 4-3-1 in conference) in the first NCHC conference series of the second half of the 2024-25 hockey season after finishing as runners-up in the 2025 Coachella Valley Cactus Cup last weekend in Palm Desert, California.
The Tigers started out the season hot, but have lost five of their last six games. They were swept by Augustana last weekend in Colorado Springs. (Omaha was also swept by Augustana earlier this season.)
Colorado College has a “scoring by committee” offense this season. Eleven Tigers have at least seven points this season. The team’s leading scorer is graduate transfer defenseman Ty Gallagher with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists). The Tigers roster features nine players who are NHL draft picks.
Omaha’s leading scorer is graduate forward Sam Stange. Stange has 8 goals and 5 assists on the season. Fellow Wisconsin native Zach Urdahl has 7 goals and 3 assists, while junior forward Cam Mitchell is third on the team in points with 5 goals and 3 assists. (All five of Mitchell’s goals were scored in the last 8 games, including last Friday’s game-winning goal in overtime against Holy Cross.)
Mitchell was the featured player at the weekly press conference on Jan. 8. He appeared in 13 games for the Mavericks during the 2023-24 season, recording just a single assist. “The coaching staff and I had a long chat of just finding my game and finding that identity piece of my game,” Mitchell said.
Omaha has a 30-15-7 advantage in the series against the Tigers. The Mavs are 16-5-5 versus Colorado College in Omaha.
The teams played two series during the season last year. This is the only scheduled matchup for the two teams this season.
During the regular season series at Baxter Arena last year, Omaha won the first game 3-0 and tied the Tigers 1-1 in the series finale.
The Mavericks went on the road to Colorado Springs for the first round of the NCHC playoffs, coming back to win a best-of-3 series to advance to the team’s first-ever Frozen Faceoff appearance at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul.
A close contest wouldn’t be much of a surprise... 12 of Colorado College’s games this season have been decided by one goal or less.
“We know we’ll get a good team coming here this weekend,” Coach Gabinet said at this week’s press conference.
Special teams will likely be a factor: The Tigers are 10th in the nation on the penalty kill (87.9%). Opponents are 2-for-22 on the power play in the last seven games versus the Tigers.
The Mavericks’ power play has been anemic as of late. The team went 0-for-9 on the power play during the Cactus Cup and allowed 3 power play goals.
Gabinet said the coaches continue to tweak the power play. “Coach Dave Noel-Bernier kind of revamped things a little bit even more this week. When it’s struggling like that, it’s good to look at it and make changes and keep trying new things and new combinations of personnel to try to get a jump start.”
Mitchell said the Cactus Cup experience was good for the team. “We always talk about good teams always finding a way to win. You know, hard games and close games. We found a way down the stretch to get it done. So that was a big momentum thing for us as a group for the rest of the year and for that weekend.”
He said the series should be exciting. “We’re building up a pretty good rivalry with them. Every time we play them, they’re usually pretty close and hard games.”
“We got the right guys, and we got the right game plan as well,” Mitchell said. “I think as long as we execute our game plan, and we want it more than we should, we’ll be able to get the job done.”
Fun Fact: Colorado College head coach Kris Mayotte was an assistant coach at Providence College when the Friars beat the Omaha Hockey team 4-1 in the Frozen Four semifinals in 2015.
>> Watch this week’s full press conference:
For Fans Attending the Game in Person:
The west lot outside of the main entrance at Baxter — Lot 25 — is open to donors only (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.
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:
Saturday, Jan. 11
Princess and Superhero Night
Dress like your favorite princess or superhero.
Series preview articles:
