With only two more home series left, this weekend Omaha gets a crack at a Denver team that’s rolling, sitting near the top of the league, and very much still in the hunt for home ice. Omaha (10-18-0 and 6-12-0 in conference) is currently at the bottom of the NCHC standings with 18 points and chasing Arizona State (next week’s opponent) for eighth place. The ninth place team at the end of the season misses the playoffs. Omaha doesn’t want to be in that position.
No. 8 Denver (17-11-3 and 13-6-1 in conference) is currently in second place in the NCHC with 40 points, within striking distance of first-place North Dakota (42 points).
The Pioneers enter the weekend unbeaten in their last five games and ranked in the top 10. But that’s nothing new for Omaha — they’ve shown they can knock off ranked opponents on a winning streak. Omaha’s win on Jan. 31 at then-No. 3 Western Michigan gave them six wins versus ranked teams this season. The Mavericks split on the weekend, a series that started with a 5-2 loss and ended with Omaha winning Saturday 4-1 at Lawson Arena. Saturday’s game found Omaha playing the way they want to: detailed, structured, and resilient.
“To stick with it and have the resiliency as a group to keep showing up and battling and come away with a huge win was massive,” Coach Mike Gabinet said. “Not only are you getting three points, but beating that opponent…it’s just nice to get some momentum.”
The “details” theme showed up again and again in Wednesday’s press conference — first from freshman forward Marcus Nguyen, who called this weekend “playoff hockey,” where “every shift matters…every period matters,” and it comes down to details.
“They’re a skilled team over there — you give credit where credit’s due — but it’s going to come down to those details,” Nguyen added.
Coach Gabinet echoed the same message from the coach’s perspective: Denver has talent, but Omaha’s focus has to stay on how the team is playing.
“How are we playing the game?” Gabinet said. “Focus on ourselves here and making sure we’re prepared to go, and bring the best version of ourselves ready to compete and battle.”
He said the growth has been visible over the past several weeks.
“You can just see guys getting more comfortable. You can see guys growing and getting better…you can see the confidence coming,” he added.
(And, in a very relatable moment, Gabinet admitted he started scoreboard-watching the NCHC race on Friday night…then stopped, because it was making him nervous.)
Nguyen has become one of the clearest examples of Omaha’s “do the right things first” identity this season. He talked about learning to prioritize the non-glamorous parts of the game — forechecking, backchecking, the little habits — before “the cool tricks and the goals.” He’s still producing anyway: Nguyen is tied for the team lead with eight goals, and he scored in both games against Western Michigan.
Nguyen is just one of Omaha’s offensive threats. Nineteen of the 26 skaters who have played this season have at least one goal, and seven different Mavericks have five or more. Luke Woodworth leads the team with 17 points (4G, 13A), while Maxime Pellerin has 16 points (8G, 8A) and is tied with Nguyen for that eight-goal team lead.
The Pioneers are coming off a rivalry weekend where they went 3-0-1 against Colorado College this season and locked up the Gold Pan trophy for the seventh straight year. They’ve gotten quality goaltending lately from freshman Johnny Hicks, who’s unbeaten in his first five career decisions (4-0-1), with a 0.87 GAA and a .967 save percentage on the season.
Denver has scoring from junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp. He leads all NCAA defensemen in goals (16) and is tied for the national lead among defensemen in points (28), and his 132 shots rank first among all NCAA skaters.
The Pioneers are 4-0-1 in their last five games, scoring 3.4 goals per game and allowing 2.3.
The last time these teams met, they played to a 3-3 tie on Jan. 31, 2025 before Omaha won the extra point in a 16-round shootout, and then Denver responded the next night with 11 unanswered goals in an 11-2 win that tied the NCHC record for most goals in a league game.
So what does this weekend come down to?
It’s the same answer Omaha kept giving in this week’s press conference, just applied to a different level of opponent: details and discipline. Omaha has proven it can beat ranked teams this season: it’s already played 18 ranked matchups and has six wins against ranked opponents.
For a team still fighting in the standings, Saturday night will carry a little extra weight.
It’s Senior Night, and senior forward Sam Huo will be honored along with six Mavericks who have been with the team for four years: Jacob Guevin, Simon Latkoczy, Griffin Ludtke, Cam Mitchell, Tyler Rollwagen, and Jacob Slipec.
“They’ve really kind of embodied what we’ve been about here in Omaha and the community and the team,” Gabinet said of his senior class.
“But we’re not done yet. We got lots to go here. So we’ll get a chance to celebrate (the seniors) at the end of the season. But right now, you know, we want to do right by everybody and show up the best way we can show up here for starting this weekend,” Gabinet added.
Highlights:
- Friday night is “Stripe the Arena” (see graphic below) and the seven seniors will be honored on Saturday night.
- Senior goaltender Simon Latkoczy earned career win no. 50 versus Western Michigan and made 68 saves on the weekend.
- Denver has had all three of their goaltenders in rotation due to injuries. Johnny Hicks was in net for both games versus Colorado College last weekend. He is unbeaten in his last five games in net (4-0-1), dating back to a shutout against St. Cloud State on Jan. 24.
For Fans Attending the Game in Person:
The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is open to donors and single-game pass holders 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. Concession stands are card only (no cash).
More info: What to Know Before an Omaha Hockey Game at Baxter Arena
When:
> Friday, 7 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
> Saturday, 7 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
Radio:
The game 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 ($)
Live Stats:
Game stats will be available here.
On this episode of the Mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason talk about the University of Nebraska-Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series against Western Michigan at Lawson Ice Arena (includes their picks for “Player of the Week”). They present this week’s “Weekly Top 20.” They talk about the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) race as it stands now. They wrap up the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series versus the Denver Pioneers at Baxter Arena.
Bonus Episode: Interview with Former Omaha Hockey Defenseman Dominic Vidoli
On this special episode of the Mavpuckcast, Bridget interviews former University of Nebraska-Omaha Maverick Hockey defenseman Dominic Vidoli. This wide-ranging discussion looks at Vidoli's hockey origins, what led him to play at Boston University and Ohio State before joining the Mavs, his favorite memories playing hockey in Omaha, what life is like playing as a professional hockey player in France, and what his goals are for the future.
Next Weekend:Omaha is on the road to Tempe, Arizona, to face the ASU Sun Devils on Feb. 20-21. The Friday game will be at 8 p.m. Central, and Saturday’s puck drop is at 6 p.m. Central. Both games will be on NCHC.tv. ($)
The west lot outside Baxter, Lot 25, is open to donors and single-game pass holders 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. Concession stands are card only (no cash).
> Friday, 7 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
> Saturday, 7 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena (Omaha, NE)
The game 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 ($)
Live Stats:
Game stats will be available here.
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