The 2024-25 hockey season kicks off at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Omaha Mavericks will face the UMass Minutemen on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Central. The Mavs will face either the University of Minnesota or the Air Force Academy on Saturday, depending on the outcomes of Friday’s games.
No. 15/17 Omaha and No. 14 UMass last faced off almost 20 years ago — in December 2004 in Amherst, Mass. — with Omaha Hockey losing 5-2. The overall series is 5-2-1 in favor of the Mavericks all-time.
UMass has played two games already, a regular-season win against Bentley and an exhibition loss in overtime versus RPI.
Omaha fell 3-2 in overtime to the University of Wisconsin in an exhibition on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Baxter Arena. Omaha had jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from junior forward Tyler Rollwagen before surrendering two goals in the third period.
Coach Mike Gabinet said the team “got some really good feedback from the game.” He added, “It didn’t feel like an exhibition game. It felt like a game almost in February or March, to be honest, with the pace and tempo to that.”
Looking ahead to UMass, Gabinet said, “It will be an exciting test to get those guys to open the season.” He noted they are a ranked team that won a national championship in 2021.
UMass is one of the top 3 college hockey teams by average height (6'1.3"), while Omaha is one of the 5 smallest teams (average height of 5'11.6"). The height difference doesn’t worry Coach Gabinet. “So long as you are ultra-competitive and get inside and have good posture, have good leverage — good things happen, no matter [the] size of the [team] you’re going against.”
For Fans Attending the Games in Person in Las Vegas:
The Omaha vs. UMass game starts at 4 p.m. local time at Orleans Arena, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue in Paradise, Nevada. Orleans Arena has a clear bag policy and is cashless for concession purchases. Parking is free for all guests. (Full arena policies.)
Game tickets can be accessed from the Boyd Gaming Ticketmaster site here.
The “Mavs on the Move” event, sponsored by the UNO Alumni Association, will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 in the Dauphine Ballroom in the Orleans Hotel & Casino. Registration has closed. Omaha fans WILL be able to re-enter the arena for the Air Force vs. Minnesota game. Please stop at the box office to have your hand stamped BEFORE leaving the arena (your game ticket will not work for a second entry).
> Friday, 6 p.m. Central at Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
> Saturday, either 6 p.m. Central or 9:30 p.m. Central (depending on outcome of Friday’s game)
Radio:
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.
TV:
Friday and Saturday night’s games will be streamed on the Big 10+ Network.
(It’s $12.99 to subscribe to the Big 10+ Network for one month; be sure to cancel your subscription after the weekend so it doesn’t automatically renew next month)
(Note: the Saturday game streams will be activated after the outcome of Friday’s games is known.)
There is a watch party on Friday night at Aksarben Cinema; however, it is sold out.
Live Stats:
Friday and Saturday night stats will be available here.
Catch up on the MavPuckCast podcast by watching a special mini episode of the podcast. In the 13-minute Season 7, Episode 4, Jon recaps the Wisconsin series, previews the Ice Breaker, and showcases our amazing Founding Members!
Next up: Omaha faces Augustana at Baxter Arena on Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19. Puck drop for both games is at 7:07 p.m.
The no. 15/17 Omaha Maverick Hockey team faces no. 10/10 Wisconsin Badgers in an exhibition on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Baxter Arena.
Wisconsin Head Coach Mike Hastings is a familiar face, having previously been head coach at MSU-Mankato from 2012 to 2023 after being an assistant for Coach Dean Blais at UNO from 2009-2012. He also served as head coach and general manager of the Omaha Lancers (USHL) from 1994 to 2008.
Omaha is 5-9-1 all-time in games versus the Badgers. Their last matchup — a home series at Baxter Arena — resulted in a split, with Omaha losing 5-2 in the Nov. 8 game, and winning 5-2 on Nov. 9.
A rule change in 2021 allowed NCAA teams to schedule each other in exhibition contests, with the results not counting towards official season records. Previously, NCAA teams would typically schedule Canadian college teams or teams from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for exhibition matchups. Omaha is scheduled for another exhibition later in the season on Dec. 29 against Manitoba at Baxter Arena.
A ceremony to dedicate “Mike Kemp Ice at Baxter Arena” will be held before the 6:07 p.m. puck drop of the Wisconsin exhibition.
"It’s a real special beginning to this season Saturday with an on-ice ceremony for the dedication of the Mike Kemp Ice, which is really a privilege for us to be there,” Coach Mike Gabinet said. “I’m really excited to start our season off with that.”
Captain Nolan Krenzen addressed the number of new faces on the Maverick squad (14 new players in total for the 2024-25 season — read our feature on the newcomers). “It gives us the opportunity to bring in guys — aside from freshmen — that we wouldn’t normally see — guys who have a lot of college hockey experience — and not just great players, but great people as well, that can contribute to the Omaha culture.”
Coach Gabinet addressed a question about implementing a team culture when half the team is new.
“You have to approach it as this is the one time this team will be together — to make sure you’re doing things step-by-step,” he said. “I do believe that culture is an ‘our’ thing. It’s not a ‘my’ thing. It‘s not a ‘him or her’ thing. It’s an ‘our’ thing. And when you do that, I think that creates ownership with everybody.”
“The group has really come together fast, which is really cool to see,” Krenzen said. “I think we have a good combination of age, skills, and just overall grit.”
“It’s important for us to know where we have been, but set new goals for ourselves — and especially in the last few years, expectations have, I think, grown higher and higher, and we just plan on pushing ourselves to those.”
Coach Gabinet attempted to temper expectations about the exhibition and the Ice Breaker Tournament that follows. “We’ll be potentially playing a lot of ranked teams right off the bat, with Wisconsin coming in, obviously ranked high as well,” he said. “I like it. I would rather have some failures early on, especially in the exhibition game; to be tested. If gives you some really immediate feedback for your players — which I think is a good thing sometimes early on, when you’re developing and learning — to get that immediate feedback from the game.”
The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is open to donors only and 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 is 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 card only (no cash).
> Saturday, 6:07 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
Radio:
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.
We haven’t even started the season yet, and there are already three episodes of season 7 of the MavPuckCast! In the newest episode (S7, E3), Jon and Jason give their NCHC preseason rankings and predictions, talk about UNO’s #WearBlackGiveBack fundraising campaign, look at the team’s annual Open House & Scrimmage, discuss the UNO Blue Line Club’s Dinner with the Mavs event, offer their national championship predictions, and preview the upcoming exhibition with Wisconsin.
Next up: Omaha Hockey heads to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Ice Breaker Tournament. Omaha will face Massachusetts in the first game of the tournament on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Central. The Mavs will take on either Minnesota or Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The duo discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey program’s recent Open House and Scrimmage event at Baxter Arena. They talk about ways that you can support the hockey program with the upcoming “Wear Black Give Back” campaign (UNO Giving Day). They share their thoughts on the UNO Hockey Blue Line Club’s recent “Dinner With The Mavs.” They dive into their preseason rankings and predictions for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) — Omaha’s hockey conference home. They also pick the team they think will win the NCAA D-1 Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship.
The episode concludes with a discussion of what they are “looking for from the team” in Omaha Hockey’s upcoming exhibition against the Wisconsin Badgers at Baxter Arena on Oct. 5.
Special thanks this season to our Founding Members for their support of the podcast and MavPuck.com this season. Your support is greatly appreciated!!
Chapters:
00:00- Become a Member 04:27- Wear Black Give Back 07:03- Open House & Scrimmage 11:35- Dinner With The Mavs 15:03- Our NCHC Preseason Rankings 40:00- Who Will Win the National Championship? 44:25- Wisconsin Badgers Preview
Video version:
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