Omaha vs. UMass Lowell: Oct. 28-29, 2016 at Baxter Arena

Well, last weekend didn't really go how we thought it might. Mavs were ranked in the Top 20 in one of the major polls, but surrendered two goal leads both nights to end up with a tie (the goal by Jake Randolph in the second overtime period didn't count officially as a win) and a 5-2 loss.

I chalk it up to overconfidence. We saw this last season a bit too (and in previous seasons). The team just doesn't play as well when they think they're better than the opposition. So this weekend's contest should be better -- but UMass Lowell is going to be tough. Ranked fifth in the nation, the River Hawks are 3-1-2, coming off a split last weekend. However, the Mavericks have traditionally played better when they're up against tough competition. The Mavs and the River Hawks have only faced each other twice previously -- both were single games within tournaments. The Mavs won both match-ups. It will be interesting to see back-to-back games between the two teams.

Working against the Mavs is that fact that they haven't officially won a game at Baxter Arena since Feb. 13. Once almost unbeatable on home ice, the Mavs have struggled as of late at home, so a win (or a couple of wins) this weekend is a must before beginning conference play next week.

Penalties have also been a significant issue through the first four games, and Tony Boone's Omaha World-Herald article (linked below) describes how the Mavericks are working to change their style of play to avoid making as many trips to the box.

There are a couple of activities going on this weekend. It's the first weekend of homecoming week, so expect more students than usual (although the actual HOMECOMING game will be next Friday, Nov. 4). Students are being encouraged to wear costumes to Friday night's game. It's also supposed to be a "Pink Out," although that hasn't been well publicized.

Media Roundup Leading to the Series:
Omavs series preview:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=211255395

River Hawks series preview:
http://goriverhawks.com/news/2016/10/26/mens-ice-hockey-no-5-river-hawks-hit-the-road-for-two-games-at-omaha.aspx

Tony Boone's Omaha World-Herald series preview (with an emphasis on penalties):
http://www.omaha.com/uno/hockey/four-games-in-mavs-adjusting-to-ncaa-s-emphasis-on/article_b2f877f6-cfe7-5320-b83d-0f60487d9667.html

OMavs game notes:
http://www.omavs.com/pdf9/5045007.pdf

Tickets:
There are plenty of tickets available to this weekend's series.

Friday tickets on Ticketmaster ($20-$27):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/omaha-mavericks-hockey-v-umass-lowell-omaha-nebraska-10-28-2016/event/06005103ED9EB45B?artistid=838151&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9&tm_link=artist_msg-0_06005103ED9EB45B

Saturday tickets on Ticketmaster ($20-$27):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/omaha-mavericks-hockey-v-umass-lowell-omaha-nebraska-10-29-2016/event/06005103EDA3B461?artistid=838151&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9&tm_link=artist_msg-0_06005103EDA3B461

Ticket Express has a handful of Saturday tickets still available: ($6-$10):
http://www.ticketexpress.com/event/uno-mavericks-vs-umass-lowell-riverhawks-baxter-arena-hockey-2016-10-29-7:07-pm-tickets

And there are tickets available for sale within the MavPuck Group on Facebook (must be approved for group membership to see the posts):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mavpuck/

We're also giving away three tickets to the Saturday night game on our MavPuck Facebook page. Comment to win; a winner will be selected at 6:45 p.m. tonight:
https://www.facebook.com/MavpuckPage

Radio/TV Coverage:
Friday and Saturday night's games will be available by subscription ($) on NCHC.tv.

Radio coverage begins with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show at 6:30 p.m. both nights. Dave Ahlers will have the play-by-play, Terry Leahy will give color commentary and analysis, and Lester St. James will report from ice level.

Live Audio and Stats: 
Live audio link here.
Live stats (Friday) here.
Live stats (Saturday) here.

Next Weekend:
The Mavs wraup up their three-weekend home stand -- and start NCHC conference play -- with a series against Colorado College at Baxter Arena on Nov. 4-5. Both games will begin at 7:07 p.m. Central.