Omaha takes the road again after sweeping Minnesota Duluth at Baxter Arena last weekend. With only eight conference games remaining, getting conference points is the team’s top priority. Omaha is currently in sixth place in the NCHC with 21 points. Western Michigan, this weekend’s opponent, is four points ahead of Omaha with 25 points. With North Dakota, Colorado College, Denver, and Minnesota Duluth all having a bye weekend, it’s a chance for Omaha to move up in the standings.
It’s a battle of Top 20 teams. Omaha is 18th in the Pairwise; Western is in 11th place.
WMU (16-9-1 overall, 7-9-0 in conference) is coming off a split with Denver in Denver. The Broncos lost 3-2 on Friday and won 7-2 on Saturday. Omaha is 14-9-3 overall and 7-7-2 in the NCHC. In the teams' previous matchup earlier this season in Omaha, the Mavericks lost Friday’s game 5-2 but won 3-2 in overtime with a Victor Mancini overtime goal.
The Mavericks are 35-26-6 all-time versus the Broncos (19-9-2 in Omaha; 14-17-4 in Kalamazoo). The two teams are 5-5 in the last 10 meetings, dating back to Dec. 2021.
Western’s roster features three Hobey Baker candidates: Dylan Wendt (21 goals, 13 assists), Sam Colangelo (17 goals, 14 assists), and Luke Grainger (9 goals, 28 assists). Former Minnesota high school hockey standout Alex Bump has 7 goals and 13 assists in his first season with WMU.
In the weekly press conference, UNO Hockey Coach Mike Gabinet said the team is looking forward to a “fun road trip.” He’s pleased with the teams performance of late, saying the Mavericks are playing “consistent hockey.”
Previewing the WMU series, Gabinet said “They’re a good team. They like to go north in a hurry.” He said despite Lawson Arena’s standard 200x85 configuration, it’s designed a little differently than more modern rinks — adding that the “tight offensive zone” makes it a challenge.
Gabinet praised the work of sophomore goalie Simon Latkoczy, who recorded his 1000th save in Friday night’s 5-1 win over UMD. “He’s done a great job learning and growing. He continues to grow and develop and get better and better.”
Latkoczy said the previous weekend gave the team a spark. “There are some ups and downs, but sweeping Duluth is a big weekend for us. We did a very good job as a team.”
He said he’s excited to go to Western Michigan. “It’s a fun barn to play in. Their fans will chirp us a lot. I kind of enjoy it,” he said.
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