Omaha Hockey Press Conference: Forward Marcus Nguyen and Coach Mike Gabinet (Nov. 10, 2026)
Jordan McAlpine
All right, Marcus, big weekend for you guys. How do you guys want to build on it here?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think, coming off last weekend, it was really good. It was our first full home weekend this season, so it was nice playing in front of our fans. And, you know, previously we were coming off the Denver weekend, and, you know, that kind of left a bad taste in our mouths. So I think I was really happy with — you know, how we approached the week, leading up to those two big wins. And, you know, getting 5 out of 6 points is always good. So I think, you know, we're going to a really good Miami team here, and, I think we want to just continue stacking days and, you know, taking it day-by-day.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Marcus, you assisted on Ryan McCleary's goals both nights against St. Cloud. What's working between you two right now, and how has that chemistry developed?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I mean, Clear (Ryan McCleary) is a really good player, obviously. I played with him in Portland in juniors (Portland Winterhawks of the CHL), and we kind of have the chemistry of, you know, just kind of knowing where each other are (on the ice), I guess. You know, he's on the ice, you know, whenever I am. And, I think it just kind of happened to play out well, and, you know, he was in great spots for me to find him. And, you know, obviously, you know, he does the rest, on those — especially on that Saturday goal.
Jordan McAlpine
Marcus, you were on a line with Brett (Hyland) and Vince (Desjardins) throughout the weekend. How do you feel you guys are meshing together?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, really good. You know, playing with those two guys, you know, makes it easy on me. And I think, you know, we're starting to kind of have an identity as a line and, you know, just being able to practice with each other and, you know, having the success we did in preseason. And then, you know, bringing it, you know, this past weekend against St. Cloud, we just want to keep continuing and, you know, bring that to Miami.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Last February, you talked about how your speed had translated from the WHL to college hockey. Now that you've had a little bit more experience at this level, what other parts of your game do you feel have improved since then?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think, you know, obviously, my speed's always been, you know, one of my strengths I've thought of. And, you know, just having a full season in college hockey has really kind of broadened my game a lot. And I think, one aspect (that) really comes to mind is just being heavy on pucks. And coming to college, it's, you know, you're playing against men. You're not playing against boys anymore, and, you know, guys are going to push, push you off pucks and, you know, be heavy in corners. So I think, you know, being heavy, stronger on my feet, and protecting the puck as well, I think, those are areas that, you know, I've really built this past year and a half. And, you know, I want to keep doing that.
Jordan McAlpine
How much does that familiarity last year — kind of getting a taste of what it takes on a nightly basis in this conference — help coming into year two?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, it's big. I think, you know, just being able to adjust from, you know, the 68-game schedule I was in juniors to, you know, the two games a week. And, obviously, you know, the two games are, you know, “Game 7” mentality games. And I think, you know, every shift matters, every detail, every period. It comes down to, you know, one play at a time. Like, we kind of saw that in Denver, you know, on that Friday night where, you know, one play with five minutes left — it, you know, brought the game to them. And, I think, you know, guys are just learning, and it's huge.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Miami just went into Duluth and beat the top 10 team, and now they're ranked 17th in the country. What stands out to you about their game as you prepare for this weekend?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think we all know they're coming off a strong weekend against Duluth. And, you know, I think it's great for us. You know, being able to play top teams in the nation early in the season is big for us. And, you know, I think, you know, we want to establish ourselves as a top team in the nation as well. So I think, you know, stacking these weekends and, you know, taking it, you know, Friday and Saturday day by day and, you know, working towards the week as well, I think it's just, it's great for us. And, you know, being able to, you know, have that, you know, early success in the season and then eventually, you know, bring it to when time matters and (the) playoffs, it's big for us. So I think it's great.
Jordan McAlpine
You guys have been in every game the last couple weeks, Saturday night to get the result. How much has that helped from maybe a mental standpoint going forward?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, it's great. You know, being able to just stay with, stay in games, especially against, you know, good teams. It's always hard, you know, finding, you know, ways to get to the net. And, you know, just offensively speaking, just score goals against, you know, good defensive teams. And I think, you know, just being able to, you know, stack these days and, you know, work at it, practice, and prepare during the week, it's good.
Jordan McAlpine
Gavin Hodnett was named NCHC Rookie of the Week today. What's impressed you about him so far?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, Hods (Hodnett) is great. Super smart, very, very offensively gifted. And, you can kind of see it. It kind of sparked out this weekend with him scoring both those goals for us, you know, coming at a great time, during those games. And I think, you know, just seeing it in practice and seeing how much he's improved from August to now — you know, just growing as a person off the ice and a player too — it's been great. And I think, you know, as, you know, every freshman that came in, you know, they're just getting more comfortable. And you kind of see their games trying to come out now.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
When we talked last season, you mentioned how different the student sections and the atmosphere in the NCHC arenas are.
And you're going to Miami, which has a pretty rowdy student section. What have you learned about handling those road environments, especially when you're playing a ranked opponent?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think it's great for us. You know, obviously, you know, the fans bring energy. And, you know, the student sections, you know, wherever we play, it's great. And I think, you know, it's part of the game. It's, you know, it's great to see and feel the energy in the building. 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.
Jordan McAlpine
Awesome.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Thanks. Thank you.
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yep.
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Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Just starting with Marcus (Nguyen), when we talked about him, you know, previously last February, you talked about his coachability and how well he understands the areas of his game that he needs to improve. Now that he's further along in his college career, what have you seen from him in terms of the most growth?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, again, I think just like a few of our guys you're seeing this second year step for them. And one of it's just, you know, you've got that experience, right? And … they've got it. And, and I think a lot of it has built on what you just previously commented on with that coachability and with that hunger to grow and get better. And when you find guys that are, that want to be coached and they're looking for ways to improve, they're taking personal responsibility to, to take those steps in the right direction, it's usually good things are going to happen when you put them in an environment that, that we have here.
So a lot of credit goes to Marcus, right? He wants to get better. He's working on getting better. Yeah, just a, just a good person, hard worker, does all the things right. And, and I just, I keep loving to see that confidence growing in himself, right? Because he's earned that, right? And, and I think as he mentioned a little bit, he's finding a little bit of an identity for himself on, you know, how you have to play to be successful.
And when he does those things, good things are happening. And, just, yeah, moving on first touch, being heavy on pucks, using his speed, his cutback ability there, being hungry around the net, making smart decisions consistently with the puck, all those good things there that are leading to some, you know, just a really good weekend for him here, that he's going to build on going into this next weekend.
Jordan McAlpine
(The) groups coming off a big weekend here against St. Cloud State. Just how have you seen them start this week?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, it's been good. I think we just took the opportunity to, again, just to stick with the same plan that we do all the time. I think that's like, I think some of the great individuals, the great teams, they have that kind of competitiveness, sustainability — like where they have to just be competitive all the time, not when it's easy, not when it's good, not when it's bad. If you can find, as Marcus said, to stack those days together, that's what we're really working hard to do. And that's for the players, that's for the staff. You know, you, you can't get relaxed when you have some success, and you can't panic when you face some adversity. And I think that's what good leaders do. They find ways to really drive that competitiveness all the time. And, so again, we talked about it and, and, you know, keep growing on it, but use some of that confidence they've earned to keep growing, but put the work in. And I thought it was an excellent practice today for us.
We just got off the ice and, just, you know, one of the most intense, hard practices I've seen in a while from the group. And, and that, you know, for me, (someone that) believes in the, the process and, and just stacking those days together, that's great to see.
Jordan McAlpine
From a mental standpoint, I know you talked about this Saturday night too. You guys have been in all these games the last couple weeks, but now to get the result, get the win to show for it Saturday night, how much can that help going forward?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, it's great. And like you said, ultimately we're in a results business, and it's, you know, 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. And, and great job by us, you know, just how close those margins are, to come away with a big win, especially on Saturday night. So yeah, it's great, man. We're learning. We just did a little couple things in practice today, just kind of recreating those, you know, one-goal situations where there's a lot of pressure on the team. And, and you got to be able to play and perform in that circumstance. And, it serves you well there. So nice to see, you know, both games do a lot of good things under pressure situations. And that can really feed the guys' confidence here heading into this weekend.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Jordan mentioned that Gavin Hodnett was named NCHC Rookie of the Week. What have you seen from him as he's made that adjustment to college hockey beyond just putting pucks in the net?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, I think you could see the comfort level growing week in, week out with him. I think he's a guy that's very, you know, very hard on himself, serious, wants to do well, wants the team to do well. That's why he's been a leader in a lot of his previous stops there. So, just you can see just kind of the, you know, I have to tell him to smile once in a while and relax and enjoy the process a little bit there too. And, and he's done just that. And then obviously had a couple tough injuries at the start here that he's bounced back from there. And, and I thought just this weekend you could kind of see what we see in him, you know, just his ability to make plays, his ability to think the game, his ability to be highly competitive in tight areas, which in the NCHC, to me, man, if you, if you don't want to compete, it's, it's tough to — you got to have that hard skill. You know, you got to have that skill, but you got to have that competitive skill. And, and he does that.
So yeah, pretty cool to see him recognized as Rookie of the Week. And that's just going to keep, you know, just reinforcing the good things he's doing there as he continues to grow.
Jordan McAlpine
That line as a whole with, him and (Trevor) Wong and (Logan) Wormald out there this weekend seemed like they were really effective for you guys.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, (they’re) kind of three intellectual players. And we were just messing around with video, I think after last week after practice where I was just showing guys video as they were eating. And, and we were kind of discussing a certain concept. And like those are guys that like see it on video, and then they go implement it in practice the next day. That's the kind of — just some of their strengths or probably how they think the game. And so it's kind of neat to see those guys. And usually kind of intellectual players like to play with intellectual players a little bit. And so, yeah, fun to see those guys kind of working on some of those things that we were discussing there and used it in one of the goals there on, on the weekend. And so yeah, that's great to see. And yeah, a little bit of chemistry there forming with those guys, which is nice.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Looking ahead to this weekend, when you look at this year's Miami team compared to what you've seen from them in recent seasons, what's different?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, again, I think they had a strong team last season too there. And, you know, they've had some early success here in the season there, which always, I think, leads to confidence when you're getting wins and, and stacking some wins together there. And yeah, (they’re a) pretty heavy team. They play physical. It's always usually a little tight-checking in that rink. I don't know the exact dimensions, but it sometimes has a bit of a Western (Michigan) feel where the end zones are a little bit tighter and things happen quick in that arena there. So (we) got to be ready to play a heavy, hard game. And they're going to, they're going to be on you quickly there and be physical. And they transition in a hurry. So, lots of things that we have to prepare for appropriately.
Jordan McAlpine
You saw the patience in the shot (in) his 2 goals this weekend. But season as a whole, what type of jump have you seen from Ryan McCleary to last year and now?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Well, first off, I thought our whole d-corps (defensive corps), that was our best weekend against St. Cloud. I just thought all of them, you could see some of those growth areas they needed early on in the year, whether that was with the puck, away from the puck, whether that was, you know, around the net, how you play the game, whether that's working on your gap in the offensive zone. Like, there's so many nuances that go into playing well defensively as a defenseman there and offensively. And I just thought (our) gaps are better, (our) decision making's better. And just to top it off with (McCleary), the original question was about was just, I mean, just I've seen some of those things in practice. And 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. And I mean, two tremendous plays. I mean, very good plays on that first one there to outwait them. And the, their goalie really likes to challenge. And a beautiful shot there.
And then a great job by Marv (Marcus) with the delay in the offensive zone, waiting (for) two guys (to) attack him, finds his right angle support there, and then outwaits their first checker and elevates it over the pad, you know. So just, yeah, I don't know, he might be on the power play soon (if) he keeps that up, right? So, it's, yeah, great to see it. (It’s) great to see a guy that kind of prides himself on probably a defensive-first mindset (and still) contribute offensively.
And again, I think those are, you know, how we win as a team, right? When we're, when we're the best team, that's our best chance to be successful. And, great to see contributors like him step up and, and do great things out there.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
We get this question a lot from folks. He came back obviously from playing pro hockey basically. Same thing with Parker Berge.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
What did they come back to college to develop? What are they learning here that they didn't get at that level?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, I think just development. You know, I think in pro (hockey), you know, it's just so much, what have you done for me lately? And, and, you know — do it or we're going to look at the next guy to do it. Unfortunately, you just usually don't have as limited of a roster (size as in college hockey). You got, you know, right, where you, don't have as much time to practice. There's just so many different, different equations that go into it, where it's kind of like you better be probably ready to go.
You know, obviously there's still some form of development that takes place at the pro level, but I think there's so many games being played. It's so, you know, you need to get the results and you need to play the players that give (you) your best chance at success. So here we have so much time with them for practice and do video with them. And it was nice. We just had parents' weekend. And I mean, both their parents just wish they could be here for a longer time, right? You know, because it's just nice to see a, a guy like that that had to go to pro right at 20 years old — which is a tough transition at 20 years old.
And, and, to come here and just get to work on some of those skills. And again, just to talk about those 2 guys, just really good kids that are hungry to learn and just fully embracing the opportunity to go to school and practice and all those things that every other player does, right? So it's kind of cool to, to see their growth. And I think just seeing, you know, even Berge, just how he's progressing here, right? And McCleary the same thing. So yeah, those are fun cases there. Obviously you, you kind of … — I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish we get (them) for longer. But we got to make the most time of when we have them and, and help them get better.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
One more question. So, Saturday's win was your 150th career victory at Omaha. When you reflect on your time here in Omaha, what are you most proud of and what does reaching that milestone mean to you?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Oh, man. Yeah, I just, Jordan told me I forgot, I honestly didn't remember that that was that case. And, I remember 100 in Denver not, you know, not too long ago. And, and it's exciting. I mean, I think again, just for me, I think it's hard to summarize sometimes, you know, what exactly that answer is.
And I just kind of — like we talked to our players, just kind of being the day-to-day person that I wish my kids have teaching them and getting to spend time to learn from, you know, right? I think at the end of the day, I think it can translate to both fields — hockey and life. You know, like if you can develop that “Today Matters” mindset, if you can “forge the standard” and “choose discipline over default,” if you can understand we need each other as a group and you find ways to — “for today matters” — be a contributor, you know, have relentless focus and effort, “break through your edge.” We talk about breaking through your edge, where talent stops and getting better becomes a choice.
And that leads to continuous growth. We talk about “forging your standard” — where discipline (is) over default, right? “Choosing hard, not being on autopilot, not being reactive, you know, but being purposeful and really embracing discipline, you know, which I think is hard to do. We talk about “E plus R equals O” — event plus response equals outcome. You know, you don't get to control the event, you don't get to control the outcome, but you get to control your response. Just teaching these guys how to “choose their R,” right?
We talk about “no B, C, D,” and when things are tough, no blaming, complaining, and defending yourself. And I think, you know, if you do all those things, that's where you're kind of “forging your standard” where you can execute — or you can perform — no matter what the situation you're in.
And then the last thing we talk about is kind of needing each other, right? We're a team and, and building trust and building those relationships and, and being coachable and having honest communication when it's needed and holding people accountable and, you know, having that uncommon bond if you do all those things.
So again, I just really come back to that culture blueprint and, you know, just trying to instill that in these guys. And I think that, you know, if they can leave with those things, whether it's in hockey or in life — I know I still got to go through it myself, right? So I'm, I'm trying to practice what I'm teaching and, and just create that environment where guys get better and, and we help these guys and, and ultimately win a championship. So, you know, I hope that day-to-day stuff's the most important thing rather than just maybe summarizing it with the perfect quote or the perfect statement. I think that's hard to do. But (I) just pride myself on trying to be the, the best leader for these guys every single day for sure.
Awesome. Okay, thanks guys.
All right, Marcus, big weekend for you guys. How do you guys want to build on it here?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think, coming off last weekend, it was really good. It was our first full home weekend this season, so it was nice playing in front of our fans. And, you know, previously we were coming off the Denver weekend, and, you know, that kind of left a bad taste in our mouths. So I think I was really happy with — you know, how we approached the week, leading up to those two big wins. And, you know, getting 5 out of 6 points is always good. So I think, you know, we're going to a really good Miami team here, and, I think we want to just continue stacking days and, you know, taking it day-by-day.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Marcus, you assisted on Ryan McCleary's goals both nights against St. Cloud. What's working between you two right now, and how has that chemistry developed?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I mean, Clear (Ryan McCleary) is a really good player, obviously. I played with him in Portland in juniors (Portland Winterhawks of the CHL), and we kind of have the chemistry of, you know, just kind of knowing where each other are (on the ice), I guess. You know, he's on the ice, you know, whenever I am. And, I think it just kind of happened to play out well, and, you know, he was in great spots for me to find him. And, you know, obviously, you know, he does the rest, on those — especially on that Saturday goal.
Jordan McAlpine
Marcus, you were on a line with Brett (Hyland) and Vince (Desjardins) throughout the weekend. How do you feel you guys are meshing together?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, really good. You know, playing with those two guys, you know, makes it easy on me. And I think, you know, we're starting to kind of have an identity as a line and, you know, just being able to practice with each other and, you know, having the success we did in preseason. And then, you know, bringing it, you know, this past weekend against St. Cloud, we just want to keep continuing and, you know, bring that to Miami.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Last February, you talked about how your speed had translated from the WHL to college hockey. Now that you've had a little bit more experience at this level, what other parts of your game do you feel have improved since then?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think, you know, obviously, my speed's always been, you know, one of my strengths I've thought of. And, you know, just having a full season in college hockey has really kind of broadened my game a lot. And I think, one aspect (that) really comes to mind is just being heavy on pucks. And coming to college, it's, you know, you're playing against men. You're not playing against boys anymore, and, you know, guys are going to push, push you off pucks and, you know, be heavy in corners. So I think, you know, being heavy, stronger on my feet, and protecting the puck as well, I think, those are areas that, you know, I've really built this past year and a half. And, you know, I want to keep doing that.
Jordan McAlpine
How much does that familiarity last year — kind of getting a taste of what it takes on a nightly basis in this conference — help coming into year two?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, it's big. I think, you know, just being able to adjust from, you know, the 68-game schedule I was in juniors to, you know, the two games a week. And, obviously, you know, the two games are, you know, “Game 7” mentality games. And I think, you know, every shift matters, every detail, every period. It comes down to, you know, one play at a time. Like, we kind of saw that in Denver, you know, on that Friday night where, you know, one play with five minutes left — it, you know, brought the game to them. And, I think, you know, guys are just learning, and it's huge.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Miami just went into Duluth and beat the top 10 team, and now they're ranked 17th in the country. What stands out to you about their game as you prepare for this weekend?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think we all know they're coming off a strong weekend against Duluth. And, you know, I think it's great for us. You know, being able to play top teams in the nation early in the season is big for us. And, you know, I think, you know, we want to establish ourselves as a top team in the nation as well. So I think, you know, stacking these weekends and, you know, taking it, you know, Friday and Saturday day by day and, you know, working towards the week as well, I think it's just, it's great for us. And, you know, being able to, you know, have that, you know, early success in the season and then eventually, you know, bring it to when time matters and (the) playoffs, it's big for us. So I think it's great.
Jordan McAlpine
You guys have been in every game the last couple weeks, Saturday night to get the result. How much has that helped from maybe a mental standpoint going forward?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, it's great. You know, being able to just stay with, stay in games, especially against, you know, good teams. It's always hard, you know, finding, you know, ways to get to the net. And, you know, just offensively speaking, just score goals against, you know, good defensive teams. And I think, you know, just being able to, you know, stack these days and, you know, work at it, practice, and prepare during the week, it's good.
Jordan McAlpine
Gavin Hodnett was named NCHC Rookie of the Week today. What's impressed you about him so far?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, Hods (Hodnett) is great. Super smart, very, very offensively gifted. And, you can kind of see it. It kind of sparked out this weekend with him scoring both those goals for us, you know, coming at a great time, during those games. And I think, you know, just seeing it in practice and seeing how much he's improved from August to now — you know, just growing as a person off the ice and a player too — it's been great. And I think, you know, as, you know, every freshman that came in, you know, they're just getting more comfortable. And you kind of see their games trying to come out now.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
When we talked last season, you mentioned how different the student sections and the atmosphere in the NCHC arenas are.
And you're going to Miami, which has a pretty rowdy student section. What have you learned about handling those road environments, especially when you're playing a ranked opponent?
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yeah, I think it's great for us. You know, obviously, you know, the fans bring energy. And, you know, the student sections, you know, wherever we play, it's great. And I think, you know, it's part of the game. It's, you know, it's great to see and feel the energy in the building. 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.
Jordan McAlpine
Awesome.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Thanks. Thank you.
Marcus Nguyen, Sophomore Forward
Yep.
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Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Just starting with Marcus (Nguyen), when we talked about him, you know, previously last February, you talked about his coachability and how well he understands the areas of his game that he needs to improve. Now that he's further along in his college career, what have you seen from him in terms of the most growth?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, again, I think just like a few of our guys you're seeing this second year step for them. And one of it's just, you know, you've got that experience, right? And … they've got it. And, and I think a lot of it has built on what you just previously commented on with that coachability and with that hunger to grow and get better. And when you find guys that are, that want to be coached and they're looking for ways to improve, they're taking personal responsibility to, to take those steps in the right direction, it's usually good things are going to happen when you put them in an environment that, that we have here.
So a lot of credit goes to Marcus, right? He wants to get better. He's working on getting better. Yeah, just a, just a good person, hard worker, does all the things right. And, and I just, I keep loving to see that confidence growing in himself, right? Because he's earned that, right? And, and I think as he mentioned a little bit, he's finding a little bit of an identity for himself on, you know, how you have to play to be successful.
And when he does those things, good things are happening. And, just, yeah, moving on first touch, being heavy on pucks, using his speed, his cutback ability there, being hungry around the net, making smart decisions consistently with the puck, all those good things there that are leading to some, you know, just a really good weekend for him here, that he's going to build on going into this next weekend.
Jordan McAlpine
(The) groups coming off a big weekend here against St. Cloud State. Just how have you seen them start this week?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, it's been good. I think we just took the opportunity to, again, just to stick with the same plan that we do all the time. I think that's like, I think some of the great individuals, the great teams, they have that kind of competitiveness, sustainability — like where they have to just be competitive all the time, not when it's easy, not when it's good, not when it's bad. If you can find, as Marcus said, to stack those days together, that's what we're really working hard to do. And that's for the players, that's for the staff. You know, you, you can't get relaxed when you have some success, and you can't panic when you face some adversity. And I think that's what good leaders do. They find ways to really drive that competitiveness all the time. And, so again, we talked about it and, and, you know, keep growing on it, but use some of that confidence they've earned to keep growing, but put the work in. And I thought it was an excellent practice today for us.
We just got off the ice and, just, you know, one of the most intense, hard practices I've seen in a while from the group. And, and that, you know, for me, (someone that) believes in the, the process and, and just stacking those days together, that's great to see.
Jordan McAlpine
From a mental standpoint, I know you talked about this Saturday night too. You guys have been in all these games the last couple weeks, but now to get the result, get the win to show for it Saturday night, how much can that help going forward?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, it's great. And like you said, ultimately we're in a results business, and it's, you know, 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. And, and great job by us, you know, just how close those margins are, to come away with a big win, especially on Saturday night. So yeah, it's great, man. We're learning. We just did a little couple things in practice today, just kind of recreating those, you know, one-goal situations where there's a lot of pressure on the team. And, and you got to be able to play and perform in that circumstance. And, it serves you well there. So nice to see, you know, both games do a lot of good things under pressure situations. And that can really feed the guys' confidence here heading into this weekend.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Jordan mentioned that Gavin Hodnett was named NCHC Rookie of the Week. What have you seen from him as he's made that adjustment to college hockey beyond just putting pucks in the net?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, I think you could see the comfort level growing week in, week out with him. I think he's a guy that's very, you know, very hard on himself, serious, wants to do well, wants the team to do well. That's why he's been a leader in a lot of his previous stops there. So, just you can see just kind of the, you know, I have to tell him to smile once in a while and relax and enjoy the process a little bit there too. And, and he's done just that. And then obviously had a couple tough injuries at the start here that he's bounced back from there. And, and I thought just this weekend you could kind of see what we see in him, you know, just his ability to make plays, his ability to think the game, his ability to be highly competitive in tight areas, which in the NCHC, to me, man, if you, if you don't want to compete, it's, it's tough to — you got to have that hard skill. You know, you got to have that skill, but you got to have that competitive skill. And, and he does that.
So yeah, pretty cool to see him recognized as Rookie of the Week. And that's just going to keep, you know, just reinforcing the good things he's doing there as he continues to grow.
Jordan McAlpine
That line as a whole with, him and (Trevor) Wong and (Logan) Wormald out there this weekend seemed like they were really effective for you guys.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, (they’re) kind of three intellectual players. And we were just messing around with video, I think after last week after practice where I was just showing guys video as they were eating. And, and we were kind of discussing a certain concept. And like those are guys that like see it on video, and then they go implement it in practice the next day. That's the kind of — just some of their strengths or probably how they think the game. And so it's kind of neat to see those guys. And usually kind of intellectual players like to play with intellectual players a little bit. And so, yeah, fun to see those guys kind of working on some of those things that we were discussing there and used it in one of the goals there on, on the weekend. And so yeah, that's great to see. And yeah, a little bit of chemistry there forming with those guys, which is nice.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
Looking ahead to this weekend, when you look at this year's Miami team compared to what you've seen from them in recent seasons, what's different?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, again, I think they had a strong team last season too there. And, you know, they've had some early success here in the season there, which always, I think, leads to confidence when you're getting wins and, and stacking some wins together there. And yeah, (they’re a) pretty heavy team. They play physical. It's always usually a little tight-checking in that rink. I don't know the exact dimensions, but it sometimes has a bit of a Western (Michigan) feel where the end zones are a little bit tighter and things happen quick in that arena there. So (we) got to be ready to play a heavy, hard game. And they're going to, they're going to be on you quickly there and be physical. And they transition in a hurry. So, lots of things that we have to prepare for appropriately.
Jordan McAlpine
You saw the patience in the shot (in) his 2 goals this weekend. But season as a whole, what type of jump have you seen from Ryan McCleary to last year and now?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Well, first off, I thought our whole d-corps (defensive corps), that was our best weekend against St. Cloud. I just thought all of them, you could see some of those growth areas they needed early on in the year, whether that was with the puck, away from the puck, whether that was, you know, around the net, how you play the game, whether that's working on your gap in the offensive zone. Like, there's so many nuances that go into playing well defensively as a defenseman there and offensively. And I just thought (our) gaps are better, (our) decision making's better. And just to top it off with (McCleary), the original question was about was just, I mean, just I've seen some of those things in practice. And 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. And I mean, two tremendous plays. I mean, very good plays on that first one there to outwait them. And the, their goalie really likes to challenge. And a beautiful shot there.
And then a great job by Marv (Marcus) with the delay in the offensive zone, waiting (for) two guys (to) attack him, finds his right angle support there, and then outwaits their first checker and elevates it over the pad, you know. So just, yeah, I don't know, he might be on the power play soon (if) he keeps that up, right? So, it's, yeah, great to see it. (It’s) great to see a guy that kind of prides himself on probably a defensive-first mindset (and still) contribute offensively.
And again, I think those are, you know, how we win as a team, right? When we're, when we're the best team, that's our best chance to be successful. And, great to see contributors like him step up and, and do great things out there.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
We get this question a lot from folks. He came back obviously from playing pro hockey basically. Same thing with Parker Berge.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
What did they come back to college to develop? What are they learning here that they didn't get at that level?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Yeah, I think just development. You know, I think in pro (hockey), you know, it's just so much, what have you done for me lately? And, and, you know — do it or we're going to look at the next guy to do it. Unfortunately, you just usually don't have as limited of a roster (size as in college hockey). You got, you know, right, where you, don't have as much time to practice. There's just so many different, different equations that go into it, where it's kind of like you better be probably ready to go.
You know, obviously there's still some form of development that takes place at the pro level, but I think there's so many games being played. It's so, you know, you need to get the results and you need to play the players that give (you) your best chance at success. So here we have so much time with them for practice and do video with them. And it was nice. We just had parents' weekend. And I mean, both their parents just wish they could be here for a longer time, right? You know, because it's just nice to see a, a guy like that that had to go to pro right at 20 years old — which is a tough transition at 20 years old.
And, and, to come here and just get to work on some of those skills. And again, just to talk about those 2 guys, just really good kids that are hungry to learn and just fully embracing the opportunity to go to school and practice and all those things that every other player does, right? So it's kind of cool to, to see their growth. And I think just seeing, you know, even Berge, just how he's progressing here, right? And McCleary the same thing. So yeah, those are fun cases there. Obviously you, you kind of … — I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish we get (them) for longer. But we got to make the most time of when we have them and, and help them get better.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com
One more question. So, Saturday's win was your 150th career victory at Omaha. When you reflect on your time here in Omaha, what are you most proud of and what does reaching that milestone mean to you?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey)
Oh, man. Yeah, I just, Jordan told me I forgot, I honestly didn't remember that that was that case. And, I remember 100 in Denver not, you know, not too long ago. And, and it's exciting. I mean, I think again, just for me, I think it's hard to summarize sometimes, you know, what exactly that answer is.
And I just kind of — like we talked to our players, just kind of being the day-to-day person that I wish my kids have teaching them and getting to spend time to learn from, you know, right? I think at the end of the day, I think it can translate to both fields — hockey and life. You know, like if you can develop that “Today Matters” mindset, if you can “forge the standard” and “choose discipline over default,” if you can understand we need each other as a group and you find ways to — “for today matters” — be a contributor, you know, have relentless focus and effort, “break through your edge.” We talk about breaking through your edge, where talent stops and getting better becomes a choice.
And that leads to continuous growth. We talk about “forging your standard” — where discipline (is) over default, right? “Choosing hard, not being on autopilot, not being reactive, you know, but being purposeful and really embracing discipline, you know, which I think is hard to do. We talk about “E plus R equals O” — event plus response equals outcome. You know, you don't get to control the event, you don't get to control the outcome, but you get to control your response. Just teaching these guys how to “choose their R,” right?
We talk about “no B, C, D,” and when things are tough, no blaming, complaining, and defending yourself. And I think, you know, if you do all those things, that's where you're kind of “forging your standard” where you can execute — or you can perform — no matter what the situation you're in.
And then the last thing we talk about is kind of needing each other, right? We're a team and, and building trust and building those relationships and, and being coachable and having honest communication when it's needed and holding people accountable and, you know, having that uncommon bond if you do all those things.
So again, I just really come back to that culture blueprint and, you know, just trying to instill that in these guys. And I think that, you know, if they can leave with those things, whether it's in hockey or in life — I know I still got to go through it myself, right? So I'm, I'm trying to practice what I'm teaching and, and just create that environment where guys get better and, and we help these guys and, and ultimately win a championship. So, you know, I hope that day-to-day stuff's the most important thing rather than just maybe summarizing it with the perfect quote or the perfect statement. I think that's hard to do. But (I) just pride myself on trying to be the, the best leader for these guys every single day for sure.
Awesome. Okay, thanks guys.
