Omaha Hockey and Colorado College entered the weekend tied at the bottom of the NCHC standings, and they left it the same way. But the path there told two very different stories.
Behind a strong night from Simon Latkoczy and a three-point weekend opener from Trevor Wong, Omaha took Friday’s series opener 3-1 at Baxter Arena. Saturday looked like it might go the same way early, but Colorado College flipped the script with a dominant second period and skated away with a 3-1 win to earn the split on the weekend.
Friday: Wong leads late as Omaha snaps skid
Friday night was tight, physical, and scoreless for nearly 33 minutes — exactly the kind of game you expect when two teams are fighting for traction in league play.
Colorado College tested Simon Latkoczy early, throwing pressure at him in the opening minutes, and even appeared to grab a first-period lead before an offsides review wiped the goal off the board. Omaha had a goal of its own waved off later in the period, keeping the game locked at 0-0 through 20 minutes.
The breakthrough finally came late in the second period when Aidan de la Gorgendiere stepped into a power-play shot from the blue line and ripped it through traffic to give Omaha a 1-0 lead. The goal shifted the energy in the building.
Trevor Wong doubled the lead early in the third, redirecting a Griffin Ludtke shot from the point past Kaidan Mbereko to make it 2-0. Colorado College answered late to cut into the margin, but Wong sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute, finishing the night with two goals and an assist.
Latkoczy stopped 25 shots for the win as Omaha snapped a three-game skid and pulled even with the Tigers in the standings.
Friday night was tight, physical, and scoreless for nearly 33 minutes — exactly the kind of game you expect when two teams are fighting for traction in league play.
Colorado College tested Simon Latkoczy early, throwing pressure at him in the opening minutes, and even appeared to grab a first-period lead before an offsides review wiped the goal off the board. Omaha had a goal of its own waved off later in the period, keeping the game locked at 0-0 through 20 minutes.
The breakthrough finally came late in the second period when Aidan de la Gorgendiere stepped into a power-play shot from the blue line and ripped it through traffic to give Omaha a 1-0 lead. The goal shifted the energy in the building.
Trevor Wong doubled the lead early in the third, redirecting a Griffin Ludtke shot from the point past Kaidan Mbereko to make it 2-0. Colorado College answered late to cut into the margin, but Wong sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute, finishing the night with two goals and an assist.
Latkoczy stopped 25 shots for the win as Omaha snapped a three-game skid and pulled even with the Tigers in the standings.
Saturday: Fast start, rough middle, familiar ending
If Friday was about patience, Saturday was about swings, and Colorado College got the biggest one.
Omaha came out flying in the first period, controlling possession and piling up shots. The Mavericks outshot the Tigers 21-8 in the opening 20 minutes and were rewarded when Brett Hyland scored midway through the period, finishing off a play set up by Wong and Samuel Huo.
At that point, it looked like Omaha was in position to go for the season sweep.
Then the game turned.
Colorado College completely flipped the ice in the second period, outshooting Omaha 16-4 and turning sustained pressure into goals. A power-play goal tied the game, and Connor Hvidston capitalized on a one-on-one chance late in the period to give the Tigers their first lead of the weekend.
Omaha had chances early in the third, including a scramble right off the opening faceoff — but Kaidan Mbereko stood firm. With the Mavericks pressing late and Simon Latkoczy pulled for the extra attacker, Colorado College hit the empty net to put the game away.
Latkoczy made 32 saves in the loss, which came on a meaningful night for the senior goaltender: his 100th career appearance as a Maverick.
Series Notes:
The split keeps Omaha and Colorado College tied in eighth place in the NCHC standings.
Omaha now heads on the road to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face No. 3 Western Michigan, the defending national champion.
- Special teams mattered: Omaha went 1-for-4 on the power play Friday, scoring the game’s first goal, but did not convert Saturday as Colorado College flipped the momentum with a second-period power-play tally.
- Shot totals told two different stories: Omaha held a decisive edge in first-period shots Saturday (21-8), while Colorado College controlled the final 40 minutes, outshooting the Mavericks 27-10 over the last two periods.
- Wong’s weekend continued a trend: Trevor Wong’s three-point Friday extended his role as one of Omaha’s most consistent point producers in close games, factoring directly into multiple one-goal or late-sealing situations this season.
- Latkoczy milestone watch: With his 100th career appearance Saturday, Latkoczy continues to climb Omaha’s all-time goaltending lists while anchoring the Mavericks in high-volume shot nights. After the weekend, Latkoczy has 49 career wins.
The split keeps Omaha and Colorado College tied in eighth place in the NCHC standings.
Omaha now heads on the road to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face No. 3 Western Michigan, the defending national champion.
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