Monday, February 29, 2016

Mavs Going On the Road for the Playoffs

After being swept by North Dakota last weekend (and a sweep by St. Cloud the previous weekend), the Mavs are out of contention for home ice during the NCHC playoffs. That means they'll be going on the road for the playoffs. (The good news for Mav season ticket holders: You'll get credit for those three playoff tickets in your book on next year's season ticket invoice.)

Currently six points behind Minnesota-Duluth and Miami (which are tied for fourth place in the NCHC going into the final week of conference play), the Mavs have been mathematically eliminated from home ice, because the fourth NCHC seed will be claimed by either of those teams, as they play each other this weekend.

Consequently, UNO is playing for points to determine its opponent on the road the weekend of March 11-13. The Mavs could finish in either fifth or sixth place, depending on how they do this weekend in Denver and how that UMD/Miami series turns out.

The Mavs could end up playing Miami, Denver, or St. Cloud on the road.

One possible scenario: The scenario involving UMD sweeping Miami and UNO sweeping Denver would result in UNO being tied with Miami at 31 points. However, Miami has the better winning percentage in head-to-head games versus UNO, which is the first tiebreaker for NCHC seeding. That would give Miami the fifth place seed.

If Miami sweeps UMD, Miami would finish in fourth place with 37 points. UMD would finish the season with 31 points. If UNO were to sweep Denver, we'd be tied with UMD with 31 points. Because we played an "unbalanced" conference schedule with UMD (only one series, when they came to Baxter Arena), the first tiebreaker (head-to-head comparison) cannot be used. Consequently, it goes to a comparison of overall wins versus NCHC teams. In that scenario, UNO would finish ahead of UMD and play at Miami, as the number five seed.

If UMD and Miami end up splitting the series or if they both come away with ties (basically, if both of them get points), we will finish in sixth place, regardless of what happens in Denver this weekend.


The NCHC has compiled a PDF that outlines all the possible scenarios. Check it out here:

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Omaha vs. North Dakota: Feb. 26-27, 2016 at Baxter Arena

The Mavs didn't get any breaks on the ice last weekend, coming up short in their bid to get a win against #3 St. Cloud at home as the regular season comes to an end. Saturday night, the three seniors will be honored (Brian Cooper, Tanner Lane, Aaron Pearce).

North Dakota's high-flying offense is averaging more than four goals a game. The Mavs have struggled with offense as of late. Keys to the game will be limiting the F'n Hawks' first line and for the Mavs, scoring first, early, and often.

Speaking of Cooper, the latest "Maverick Minutes" features an interview with him:



And if you missed last week's segment with "Junior Reporter" Brian Cooper, you can watch that here:



Earlier this week, the Omaha World-Herald did a Q&A with Fredrik Olofsson:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/q-a-with-uno-freshman-forward-fredrik-olofsson/article_4d4cc2b7-6561-5b9f-810c-d96c4082277b.html

Series preview article from OMavs:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=210745123

Here's the North Dakota newspaper article in advance of the series:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/3955720-mens-hockey-und-forced-break-defensive-pairing-tough-matchup-looming

Here's Friday night's recap from the Omaha World-Herald:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/north-dakota-holds-off-mavericks-at-baxter-arena/article_5b474f88-dd02-11e5-805b-03c750cc2588.html

The World-Herald also did a nice profile of new UNO equipment manager Iggy Tarajos:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/labor-of-love-equipment-manager-iggy-tarajos-keeps-uno-hockey/article_d785737b-ef6e-54ab-9209-d5379adae102.html

Here's Saturday night's Omaha World-Herald article after the UND sweep:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/north-dakota-sweeps-uno-mavs-lose-fourth-straight-home-game/article_de4105ea-ddcb-11e5-981b-47bd2587f68f.html

Some neat photos from Saturday night from the Omaha World-Herald (including senior night):
http://odc.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=5002&p=6462


TV Coverage:
Friday and Saturday night's game will both be on NCHC.tv.  Saturday night's game will also be shown on KXVO (CW-15).



Radio Coverage:
The games will be broadcast on 1180 AM (1180 The Zone 2). Dave Ahlers will provide radio play-by-play and Terry Leahy will provide color commentary. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. both nights with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.


The Story Behind #PlayFor13

Two years ago, four of us were in Kalamazoo, Michigan when a pivotal moment happened. With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Mavs were playing in a crucial NCHC series. With just seconds to go in the second period, the Mavs were on the penalty kill. Senior forward Zahn Raubenheimer went down to block a shot, and the puck broke his first metatarsal bone on his foot. Although injured, Raubenheimer got up and tried to block another shot. Time ran out in the period and his teammates on the ice immediately surrounded him and helped him off the ice.

Maverick fan Lindsay Schellhardt captured that moment on camera:


That moment was his last in his hockey career. But it sparked a movement, and a hashtag: #PlayFor13.

John Sparano came up with the #PlayFor13 hashtag and it quickly spread. Here is John's original tweet:

Jon designed a t-shirt logo that we were going to sell to show fan support for Zahn. Unfortunately, UNO compliance intervened and we weren't able to produce them, but it remains a powerful image.



Zahn was never able to play for the Mavs again. His injury was season-ending, and he's now enrolled in medical school.

One more Zahn story:
Zahn was already a fan favorite in my family. He was my niece Olivia's favorite player. At a Skate With the Mavs event in December 2013, I introduced Olivia to Zahn, telling him, "Olivia is your biggest fan." He looked her right in the eye and replied, "No, Olivia, I'm YOUR biggest fan."

Awwww.....



Here's Zahn with my nieces (left to right) Olivia, Julia, (family friend, Emma), Veronica, and Emily.



You can read Rob White's story about Zahn in the Omaha World-Herald:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/uno-s-raubenheimer-has-no-regret-over-injury/article_c173cb3d-1649-5d8a-8182-0165f0bc4765.html


Friday, February 19, 2016

Omaha vs. St. Cloud: Feb. 19-20, 2016 at Baxter Arena



This weekend begins a stretch of four crucial home games for the Mavs -- we're calling it #HomeStretchFOURHomeIce. This weekend, UNO faces #3 St. Cloud State at Baxter Arena.

As Jon pointed out in the Mavpuck Group this week, the Huskies have the nation's top-ranked power play unit, and is a team that has scored a nation-leading 130 goals on the season. However, St. Cloud has struggled a bit on the penalty kill. So if the Mavs can stay OUT of the box, and St. Cloud spends some time IN the box, that bodes well. Of course, another key stat for the Mavs this year is scoring first. So #WearBlackGetLoud!

We're back to normal game times for this weekend too -- 7:07 p.m. starts both nights.

And watch for UNO Student Involvement as you come into Friday night's game. They'll be giving out postcards tonight advertising the Hobey Baker Award voting. If you would like postcards to give out in your section, stop by the ticket box office at 6:30 p.m. and pick up a stack!

The Mavs remained #12 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll this week.

Evan Weninger picked up Goaltender of the Week honors from The NCHC:
http://www.nchchockey.com/news_article/show/612422?referrer_id=878553



And Tyler Vesel's SICK goal earned him top honors in this week's NCHC Top 5 Plays of the week:


NCHC Top 5 Plays of the Week - 2/16/16
The NCHC Top 5 Plays of the Week, presented by TRIA Orthopaedic Center, from Feb. 12-13 are up! This week's plays feature four goals and a save off the goal line by a defenseman. See who took the top spot:
Posted by The National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Here's the roundup of stories leading up to the series (and post-game coverage links, when they're added).

Here's the OMavs.com preview of the series:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=210723911

COOOOOPPPPP!!! Nice article about senior defenseman and captain Brian Cooper from the OWH:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/captain-cooper-versatile-defenseman-produces-on-the-ice-while-being/article_ecf498ee-dab7-5182-8417-9c8f2ce73cfa.html

Series Preview from the Omaha World-Herald:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/mavs-three-closing-series-have-playoff-atmosphere-in-bid-for/article_29341ae7-7415-5ab1-bf8b-57e3cdc3320d.html

Here's the video highlights from Saturday night:

TV 

Coverage:
Friday and Saturday night's games will be televised on NCHC.tv.




Radio Coverage:
The games will be broadcast on 1180 AM (1180 The Zone 2). Dave Ahlers will provide radio play-by-play and Terry Leahy will provide color commentary. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. both nights with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.




Sunday, February 14, 2016

2016-2017 UNO Hockey Schedule

UNO released the 2016-17 hockey schedule on Wednesday. We had started this blog post back in February to try and piece together what it would look like, but now we know!

Saturday, Oct. 8 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Exhibition (opponent TBD)
Friday, Oct. 14 -- 7:05 p.m. -- vs Alaska Anchorage (Brice Alaska Gold Rush) (Fairbanks, AK)
Saturday, Oct. 15 -- 10:05 p.m. -- vs. Alaska (Brice Alaska Gold Rush) (Fairbanks, AK)
Friday, Oct. 21 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Vermont
Saturday, Oct. 22 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Vermont
Friday, Oct. 28 -- 7:07 p.m. -- UMass Lowell
Saturday, Oct. 29 -- 7:07 p.m. -- UMass Lowell

Friday, Nov. 4 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Colorado College
Saturday, Nov. 5 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Colorado College
Friday, Nov. 11 -- 6:35 p.m. -- Miami (Oxford, OH)
Saturday, Nov. 12 -- 6:05 p.m. -- Miami (Oxford, OH)
Friday, Nov. 18 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Minnesota Duluth
Saturday, Nov. 19 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Minnesota Duluth
Friday, Nov. 25 -- 6:07 p.m. -- Northern Michigan (Marquette, MI)
Saturday, Nov. 26 -- 6:07 p.m. -- Northern Michigan (Marquette, MI)

Friday, Dec. 2 -- 7:05 p.m. -- Wisconsin (Madison, WI)
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- 7:05 p.m. -- Wisconsin (Madison, WI)
Friday, Dec. 9 -- 7:37 p.m. -- St. Cloud State (St. Cloud, MN)
Saturday, Dec. 10 -- 7:07 p.m. -- St. Cloud State (St. Cloud, MN)
Friday, Dec. 30 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Lake Superior State
Saturday, Dec. 31 -- 4:07 p.m. -- Lake Superior State

Friday, Jan. 6 -- 7:07 p.m. -- North Dakota
Saturday, Jan. 7 -- 7:07 p.m. -- North Dakota
Friday, Jan. 13 -- 8:37 p.m. -- Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO)
Saturday, Jan. 14 -- 8:07 p.m. -- Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO)
Friday, Jan. 20 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Miami
Saturday, Jan. 21 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Miami
Friday, Jan. 27 -- 8:36 p.m. -- Denver (Denver, CO)
Saturday, Jan. 28 -- 8:06 p.m. -- Denver (Denver, CO)

Friday, Feb. 3 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Minnesota Duluth (Duluth, MN)
Saturday, Feb. 4 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Minnesota Duluth (Duluth, MN)
Friday, Feb. 10 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Western Michigan
Saturday, Feb. 11 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Western Michigan
Friday, Feb. 24 -- 7:37 p.m. -- North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND)
Saturday, Feb. 25 -- 7:07 p.m. -- North Dakota (Grand Fords, ND)

Friday, March 3 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Denver
Saturday, March 4 -- 7:07 p.m. -- Denver

Friday, March 10 -- NCHC Quarterfinals (Game 1)
Saturday, March 11 -- NCHC Quarterfinals (Game 2)
Sunday, March 12 -- NCHC Quarterfinals (Game 3, if needed)

Friday, March 17 -- NCHC Frozen Semifinals
Saturday, March 18 -- NCHC Frozen Faceoff Final/Third Place Game


Home games in BOLD.

Here's an article about UNO appearing in the 2016 Brice Alaska Gold Rush Tournament alongside UAA, UAF and Canisius:
http://www.alaskananooks.com/news/2016/2/12/MHOCKEY_0212164405.aspx

Friday, February 12, 2016

Omaha vs. Western Michigan: Feb. 12-13, 2016 at Baxter Arena

They're tanned, they're rested, they're ready.

Well, okay, they're probably not tanned, but the Mavs have had a chance to heal up some of the bumps and bruises from the first half of the season, and we're ready to enter the "Home Stretch For Home Ice" that starts this weekend!

The MOST important thing you need to know about this weekend is that Friday night's game starts at 6:37 p.m., due to the game being televised on CBS Sports Network.


Tom Shatel gives a preview of the series in the Omaha World-Herald:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/shatel-mavericks-have-gone-cold-at-baxter-arena-but-they/article_16dd60cb-ea72-5840-b242-d582cd97fc75.html

Here's the Omaha World-Herald story about Friday night's game:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/mavericks-brace-for-punch-of-broncos/article_8affb446-36d4-5518-b641-e018744cb8b1.html

Here's the Omavs.com story about the series preview:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=210705816

Here's the wrap-up story from Omavs.com from Friday night:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=210710192

Here's the Omaha World-Herald story about Friday night's win:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/vesel-s-breakaway-goal-in-first-helps-mavs-end-slide/article_22262472-d1fe-11e5-957e-5b892a37dc42.html

Here's the highlights of the Friday night post-game press conference:

And here's highlights from Friday night's game:
Video

Saturday Night SWEEP!!

Omaha World-Herald story about the win:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/mavericks-sweep-western-michigan/article_bde596bc-d2cc-11e5-b897-bb0d88c0a1b8.html

(Mavs are now 2-8 in games when their opponent scores first. That was a huge emotional comeback tonight after getting scored on a minute into the game.)

Omavs.com story about the sweep:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=210712598

I didn't realize that Guentzel played in his 100th game Saturday. Austin Ortega played in his 101st game Saturday night.

Here's the Omaha World-Herald photo gallery from Saturday night's game:
http://odc.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=5002&p=6435


Here's my video of the post-game lobby celebration:


SWEEP CELEBRATION!
Posted by MavPuck.com on Saturday, February 13, 2016


Here's the Saturday night post-game press conference highlights:


And here's the game highlights (courtesy of the NCHC) from Saturday:


Photo gallery from the talented Brad Williams:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1037143693016195.1073741897.101744153222825&type=3

Here's the video highlights from UNO from Saturday night's game:

And finally, a cool time-lapse video of the transformation from UNO Basketball to UNO Hockey on #DoubleheaderDay


TV Coverage:
Friday night's game will be televised on CBS Sports Network (consequently, it will NOT show on NCHC.tv).

Saturday night's game will be on NCHC.tv and will be televised in Nebraska statewide on NET Nebraska. Watch on NET1 as well as Fox College Sports Central (Dish channel 446 and DirecT channel 608-1).





Radio Coverage:
The games will be broadcast on 1180 AM (1180 The Zone 2). Dave Ahlers will provide radio play-by-play and Terry Leahy will provide color commentary. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. on Friday night and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.