Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025
Omaha vs. Colorado College at Baxter Arena
Final: 3-1 Omaha
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Friday, January 10, 2025
Line Chart – Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 – Omaha vs. Colorado College
Friday, Jan. 10, 2025
Omaha vs. Colorado College at Baxter Arena
Final: 5-2 Omaha
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Series Preview: Omaha vs. Colorado College, Jan. 10-11, 2025
Omaha Hockey (8-10-0, 4-4-0 in conference) will face No. 13/14 Colorado College (10-7-1, 4-3-1 in conference) in the first NCHC conference series of the second half of the 2024-25 hockey season after finishing as runners-up in the 2025 Coachella Valley Cactus Cup last weekend in Palm Desert, California.
The Tigers started out the season hot, but have lost five of their last six games. They were swept by Augustana last weekend in Colorado Springs. (Omaha was also swept by Augustana earlier this season.)
Colorado College has a “scoring by committee” offense this season. Eleven Tigers have at least seven points this season. The team’s leading scorer is graduate transfer defenseman Ty Gallagher with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists). The Tigers roster features nine players who are NHL draft picks.
Omaha’s leading scorer is graduate forward Sam Stange. Stange has 8 goals and 5 assists on the season. Fellow Wisconsin native Zach Urdahl has 7 goals and 3 assists, while junior forward Cam Mitchell is third on the team in points with 5 goals and 3 assists. (All five of Mitchell’s goals were scored in the last 8 games, including last Friday’s game-winning goal in overtime against Holy Cross.)
Mitchell was the featured player at the weekly press conference on Jan. 8. He appeared in 13 games for the Mavericks during the 2023-24 season, recording just a single assist. “The coaching staff and I had a long chat of just finding my game and finding that identity piece of my game,” Mitchell said.
Omaha has a 30-15-7 advantage in the series against the Tigers. The Mavs are 16-5-5 versus Colorado College in Omaha.
The teams played two series during the season last year. This is the only scheduled matchup for the two teams this season.
During the regular season series at Baxter Arena last year, Omaha won the first game 3-0 and tied the Tigers 1-1 in the series finale.
The Mavericks went on the road to Colorado Springs for the first round of the NCHC playoffs, coming back to win a best-of-3 series to advance to the team’s first-ever Frozen Faceoff appearance at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul.
A close contest wouldn’t be much of a surprise... 12 of Colorado College’s games this season have been decided by one goal or less.
“We know we’ll get a good team coming here this weekend,” Coach Gabinet said at this week’s press conference.
Special teams will likely be a factor: The Tigers are 10th in the nation on the penalty kill (87.9%). Opponents are 2-for-22 on the power play in the last seven games versus the Tigers.
The Mavericks’ power play has been anemic as of late. The team went 0-for-9 on the power play during the Cactus Cup and allowed 3 power play goals.
Gabinet said the coaches continue to tweak the power play. “Coach Dave Noel-Bernier kind of revamped things a little bit even more this week. When it’s struggling like that, it’s good to look at it and make changes and keep trying new things and new combinations of personnel to try to get a jump start.”
Mitchell said the Cactus Cup experience was good for the team. “We always talk about good teams always finding a way to win. You know, hard games and close games. We found a way down the stretch to get it done. So that was a big momentum thing for us as a group for the rest of the year and for that weekend.”
He said the series should be exciting. “We’re building up a pretty good rivalry with them. Every time we play them, they’re usually pretty close and hard games.”
“We got the right guys, and we got the right game plan as well,” Mitchell said. “I think as long as we execute our game plan, and we want it more than we should, we’ll be able to get the job done.”
Fun Fact: Colorado College head coach Kris Mayotte was an assistant coach at Providence College when the Friars beat the Omaha Hockey team 4-1 in the Frozen Four semifinals in 2015.
>> Watch this week’s full press conference:
For Fans Attending the Game in Person:
The west lot outside of the main entrance at Baxter — Lot 25 — is open to donors only (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 does 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 credit/debit card only (no cash).
Blue Line Club members and Maverick Room pass holders may enter the arena 90 minutes before puck drop. (Learn more about how to become a Blue Line Club or Maverick Room pass holder here.)
Promotions:
Saturday, Jan. 11
Princess and Superhero Night
Dress like your favorite princess or superhero.
Series preview articles:
Omaha.com ($):
Omavs.com:
Colorado College Hockey:
Hurrdat Sports:
When:
> Friday, 7:07 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
> Saturday, 7:07 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
Radio:
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.
TV:
The game will be streamed on NCHC.tv ($)
NOTE: If you subscribe to NCHC.tv, choose OMAHA as your home team and the program will receive 80% of your subscription fee for new subscriptions (as well as renewals).
Live Stats:
Game stats will be available here.
On this episode of the #MavPuckCast, Jon and Bridget discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent trip to Palm Desert, California, to play in the inaugural Coachella Valley Cactus Cup. Includes video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They talk about some “Things You Missed at the Cactus Cup” — including a photos and videos from their trip to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Laguna Beach, and the tournament at Acrisure Arena. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming NCHC hockey series against the Colorado College Tigers at Baxter Arena.
Next up: Omaha Hockey heads to Oxford, Ohio for a series against Miami (OH) Jan. 17-18. Omaha’s only sweep so far this season came against the RedHawks.
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Saturday, January 4, 2025
Line Chart – Saturday, Jan. 3, 2025 – Omaha vs. UMass Lowell (Coachella Valley Cactus Cup)
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2025
Omaha vs. UMass Lowell in the Coachella Valley Cactus CupFinal: 3-2
Friday, January 3, 2025
Line Chart – Friday, Jan. 2, 2025 – Omaha vs. Holy Cross (Coachella Valley Cactus Cup)
Friday, Jan. 2, 2025
Omaha vs. Holy Cross in the Coachella Valley Cactus CupFinal: 4-3 Omaha (OT)
Tournament Preview: Cactus Cup Tournament, Palm Desert California, Jan. 3-4, 2025
The second half of the 2024-25 season kicks off at the inaugural Coachella Valley Cactus Cup tournament in Palm Desert, California. The Omaha Mavericks will face the Holy Cross Crusaders on Friday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Central. Omaha is expected to be the home team for the game.
UDPATE: The Mavs will face UMass Lowell on Saturday in the championship game. Omaha will be the visiting team as UMass Lowell is the official tournament host. (Losers of both Friday matchups play at 3:30 p.m. Pacific on Saturday; winners play at 7 p.m. Pacific Saturday.) Holy Cross will face Michigan Tech in the early game.
Omaha and Holy Cross have only met once — also at a tournament in Troy, New York, in 2005. The Mavericks defeated the Crusaders to win the 55th Annual Rensselaer/Bank of America Holiday Hockey Tournament with a 6-1 victory that night. So the overall series is 1-0-0 in favor of the Mavericks.
The Mavericks are coming off an exhibition win against the University of Manitoba on Dec. 29. In that game, five different Mavericks scored (Jacob Guevin, Sam Stange, Jimmy Glynn, Isaiah Norlin, and Zach Urdahl) to give Omaha a 5-0 win.
There was no pre-tournament press conference before the team came out to California, and there was no new episode of the MavPuckCast recorded after the exhibition.
About Saturday’s Possible Opponent:
- UMass Lowell. Omaha faced the River Hawks in last year’s January tournament — ASU’s Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe — defeating them 4-3 in overtime to advance to the tournament championship against the Sun Devils. UNO is 5-2-0 all-time against the River Hawks. UMass Lowell is currently ranked no. 10 in the national polls.
- Michigan Tech. Omaha is 8-3-1 all time against the Huskies. They last played Feb. 2, 2013 in Omaha, with MTU winning that game 2-1.
For Fans Attending the Games in Person in Palm Desert:
The Omaha vs. Holy Cross game starts at 7 p.m. local time at Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Road in Palm Desert. The two main entrances are located on the east side of the building, next to the Patio. Acrisure Arena has a clear bag policy. Paid parking is available. (Full arena policies.)
Game tickets can be accessed from the Acrisure Arena Ticketmaster site here.
There is no pre-game send-off. There is also no official fan gathering before or after the games.
For Fans Not Attending In Person:
All games will be on Flo Sports ($). You can sign up for a monthly pass for $29.99/month. (Don’t forget to cancel the pass after this weekend though or it will automatically renew!)
Friday’s game link is here.
Saturday’s game link is here.
There are no watch parties scheduled in Omaha.
When:
> Friday, 7 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Central at Acrisure Arena (Palm Desert, California)
> Saturday, either 3:30 p.m. Pacific/5:30 p.m. Central or 7 p.m. Pacific/9 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 Flo Hockey (Flo Sports).
Here is the link to the Friday broadcast:
Here is the link for the Saturday broadcast:
(It’s $29.99 to subscribe to Flo Sports for one month; be sure to cancel your subscription after the weekend so it doesn’t automatically renew next month!)
Live Stats:
Friday and Saturday night stats will be available here.
On the most recent episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s series against Lindenwood at Baxter Arena — includes video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They talk about some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena” — including a surprise Mavboni driver picking up the fish. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming trip to Palm Desert, California, to participate in the 2025 Coachella Valley Cactus Cup holiday hockey tournament at Acrisure Arena.
Next up: Omaha faces Colorado College at Baxter Arena on Friday, Jan. 10 and Saturday, Jan. 11. Puck drop for both games is at 7:07 p.m. Saturday night is “Princess and Super Hero Night.”
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