By Bridget (Weide) Brooks
Omaha Hockey heads to Grand Forks this weekend for a rivalry series with No. 4/6 North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena — the Mavericks’ 12th and 13th ranked matchups of the season. Omaha enters the weekend 6-8-0 (3-5-0 in the NCHC), while UND comes in at 12-4-0 (6-2-0 in the NCHC) riding a four-game winning streak.
The teams faced off earlier this season at Baxter Arena on Nov. 7-8. North Dakota won both contests — 7-2 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday — but several Mavericks pointed to Saturday’s game as one of their stronger efforts of the fall.
The Mavericks are coming off a Thanksgiving weekend split at Yale, falling 2-1 in the opener before bouncing back for a 3-1 win. Freshman forward Luke Woodworth continues to lead Omaha in points (10), while senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke leads the team with nine assists. Sophomore forward Maxime Pellerin owns a team-best six goals.
North Dakota, meanwhile, swept St. Cloud State last weekend and has won eight of its last nine games. Freshman forward Cole Reschny leads UND with 18 points (2G, 16A), while Will Zellers has scored a team-high 10 goals. UND’s home-ice record is 5-3-0 this season, but their overall depth and third-period scoring have fueled their climb into the top five nationally. Reschny was selected to Canada’s World Junior Tournament team and will miss this weekend’s games (along with Keaton Verhoeff, who was also selected for the squad).
UND leads the all-time series 41-23-2. Omaha is 4-6 in the last 10 matchups with the Fighting Sioux. Omaha is 11-19-1 all-time in Grand Forks, and 11-22-1 in Omaha.
Omaha Hockey Head Coach Mike Gabinet noted that the team used the bye week to recover physically and sharpen individual skills.
“It was nice to practice a little bit… We did some skill work. We did some smaller games,” he said. “It’s nice to get that scoring touch back a little bit… because at the end of the day, you got to put the puck in the net.”
The Mavericks have spent significant time preparing for UND’s offensive tendencies.
“You got to look at how teams produce their offense,” Gabinet noted. “Some guys are really good in the offensive zone. Some guys are really good off the rush… make sure you’re prepared to defend that appropriately.”
Even with the challenge ahead, he emphasized his confidence in the group.
“I think we’re a good hockey team. I think guys are learning and getting better,” he said. “They’re doing a lot of really good things, and they got to just stick with it.”
Gabinet said the team is excited about the opportunity.
“It’s an opportunity for us. I know they’re excited for it,” he added. “A chance to go up there against the fourth, fifth team in the country and battle as hard as you can possibly battle.”
Omaha freshman forward Luke Woodworth also met with the media. Woodworth is Omaha’s top point producer heading into the series and has emerged as one of the team’s most reliable faceoff options.
On being the team’s early points leader:
“You walk into a new situation, you don’t really know what to expect… It always feels really good to contribute, especially on a team where you’re having fun.”
On adapting to NCHC play:
“You can’t take a game off… Every game’s pretty much a playoff game.”
On facing North Dakota again:
“They’re a good team… I thought we played them pretty well, especially Saturday night. I thought that was one of our best efforts of the year.”
Woodworth said the team has watched plenty of film this week.
“We’ve looked at quite a few videos… and we’ll definitely be ready for them.”
On the atmosphere at Ralph Engelstad Arena:
“It’s a fun atmosphere… You want to play in arenas like that where there’s a lot of energy.”
And on starting strong after the bye:
“We’re kind of itching to play… We’re all going to be ready to roll on Friday night.”
You can watch the full press conference here.
Interesting Tidbits
North Dakota’s Reschny and Zellers are among the top-producing freshmen nationally. Reschny has 16 assists, Zellers has 10 goals.
UND is one of the best third-period teams in the country, with a +13 goal differential in the final frame.
Omaha has played 12 ranked matchups already this season, with five ranked wins and a shutout of then-No. 3 Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 15.
UND’s freshman goaltender Jan Špunar is 8-0-0 to begin his career, tied for the fourth-longest unbeaten start in program history.
- Omaha has been more successful on the road than at home this season (4-2-0 away).
- This is the first season since 2017-18 without a scheduled March meeting between Omaha and North Dakota.
Save 20% on your order at Wahoo Distillery!
Use PROMO CODE: mavpuckcast
No comments:
Post a Comment