Series Preview: Omaha at Cornell, Jan. 2-3, 2026

By Bridget (Weide) Brooks

Omaha Hockey opens the 2026 calendar year on the road, traveling east to face No. 17 Cornell in a two-game non-conference series at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, New York. The Mavericks enter the weekend 7-11-0 overall (3-7-0 in the NCHC), while the Big Red sit at 7-4-0 (6-2-0 in the ECAC).

This series marks Omaha’s eighth series against a ranked opponent this season and its third consecutive road weekend (not counting the exhibition against the University of Manitoba at Baxter Arena on Tuesday night). The Mavericks defeated the Bison 4-1 in that game.

Through 19 games, the Mavericks have received offensive contributions from across the lineup. Nineteen of Omaha’s 26 skaters have scored this season, with three players recording five or more goals. Luke Woodworth leads the team with 13 points (3G, 10A), followed by Maxime Pellerin with 12 points (6G, 6A).

The Mavericks have been more comfortable away from Omaha so far, posting a 5-5-0 record on the road. Omaha is 1-1-0 against ECAC teams this season.

Cornell enters the weekend opening a program-record eight-game homestand, the longest single-season homestand in Big Red history. The Big Red are 4-0-0 at home this season and have won six straight games at Lynah Rink, dating back to last year.

Since the 2017-18 season, Cornell is 82-22-9 at home, ranking third nationally in home winning percentage. Lynah Rink has consistently been one of the toughest buildings in college hockey, both statistically and atmospherically.

Jon summed the challenge up succinctly on the most recent episode of the MavPuckCast: “Cornell has always had a reputation for being a tough team to play out of the ECAC.”

Profiling The Big Red
This season marks Casey Jones first year as head coach at Cornell, following the retirement of longtime coach Mike Schafer. Jones is no stranger to the program, returning for his third stint with Cornell after previous assistant and associate head coach roles.

Jones spent the previous 13 seasons as head coach at Clarkson, compiling a 234-185-56 record and leading the Golden Knights to multiple 20-win seasons, an ECAC tournament championship, and NCAA tournament appearances.

Through 11 games, Cornell’s 7-4-0 start represents one of the strongest openings by a first-year head coach in program history.

“They've always been super responsible when it comes to systems. This is not an easy outing for Omaha,” Jason said on the MavPuckCast.

Cornell’s defensive numbers back up its reputation.

The Big Red have allowed 19 goals through 11 games, ranking among the top teams nationally in scoring defense. Over the last two decades, Cornell has ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense 12 times and has not allowed 100 goals in a season since 1997-98.

In net, freshman Alexis Cournoyer has been exceptional, posting a 1.69 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage through nine games. Among qualifying Division I goaltenders, his save percentage ranks among the national leaders.

Senior Remington Keopple provides an experienced option behind him, giving Cornell flexibility coming off a long break.

Jason noted Cornell’s goaltenders have put up “some seriously good numbers.”

Cornell’s power play has been a strength throughout the season. The Big Red have scored with the man advantage in six of their last seven games and enter the weekend converting at a 25.7 percent rate, ranking among the national leaders.

Faceoffs are another area where Cornell has excelled. Jonathan Castagna leads the nation in faceoff win percentage among high-volume players and anchors a Big Red group that consistently starts with the puck.

These details feed directly into one of Omaha’s recurring discussion points this season: discipline and situational awareness.

Players to Watch (Or Stop)
Cornell’s offensive production is balanced, but several names stood out in the MavPuckCast preview. Jon suggested retitling his “Players to Watch” to “Players to Stop.” These include:

• Ryan Walsh, the Big Red captain, leads the team in points and recently participated in the Spengler Cup with the U.S. Collegiate Selects.

• Jonathan Castagna leads Cornell in goals and dominates the faceoff circle.

• Charlie Major has been especially efficient, scoring three game-winning goals this season.

Jason flagged Major specifically: “He’s only played nine games, but he has 11 points in those games.”

What Jon and Jason are Watching
With Cornell coming off nearly a month without game action, both hosts focused on Omaha’s start as a potential swing factor.

Jason laid out the approach clearly: “The rust is real. So I think a key to success for Omaha is going to be to come out of the gate (with) lots of energy, you know, try to net goals early, like really put a lot of pressure on them right off the bat.”

The Mavericks are 3-2-0 on the season when leading after one period, and are 0-6-0 when trailing going into the second period.

At the same time, Jon cautioned that this may not be a free-flowing series: “This could be one of those low-scoring matchups. So they’ve gotta play smart.”

Interesting Tidbits:

• Rare international experience: Cornell captain Ryan Walsh recently competed in the Spengler Cup with the U.S. Collegiate Selects during the Big Red’s December break, gaining in-season international experience before returning to ECAC play.

• Freshman influence: Cornell’s freshman class has accounted for more than one-third of the Big Red’s offensive production this season, including 14 of the team’s 34 goals.

• Road resilience: Omaha enters the weekend having played its best hockey away from Baxter Arena so far, posting a .500 record on the road through the first half of the season.

• Non-conference familiarity: Omaha and Cornell have met only four times since 2013, making this a relatively rare non-conference matchup for both programs.

• Opening the year away: This series marks Omaha’s first games of the 2026 calendar year and is the last non-conference series of the 2025-26 season.

When:

> Friday, Jan. 2 – 6 p.m. CT at Lynah Rink (Ithaca, NY)

> Friday, Jan. 3 – 6 p.m. CT at Lynah Rink (Ithaca, NY)

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 from Terry Leahy.

TV:

Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ ($)

Live Stats:

Live stats can be found here.  

On this episode of the Mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason talk about the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent road trip to Augustana (includes their picks for “Player of the Week”). They talk about some “Things You Missed at Midco Arena” during the Augustana series. Jon and Jason have a “6-7” debate regarding the start time for Omaha Hockey games on Saturday nights. They wrap up the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against Cornell University at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, New York.

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Up Next:

Omaha Hockey returns home to Baxter Arena next weekend to open the 2026 home slate, welcoming St. Cloud State for a two-game NCHC series on Jan. 9-10. Both games will stream on NCHC.tv, with radio coverage available on 1290 KOIL and the Varsity Network.

Series Preview: Omaha at Yale, Nov. 28-29, 2025

By Bridget (Weide) Brooks 

The Omaha Mavericks hit the road for Thanksgiving weekend, traveling to New Haven, Conn., for a two-game non-conference series against the Yale Bulldogs on Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29 at Ingalls Rink. 

Omaha enters the weekend 5-7-0 overall (3-5-0 in the NCHC), coming off a challenging home series against No. 8 Western Michigan. Yale arrives at 3-4-0 overall (3-3-0 in the ECAC), fresh off a 3-1 win over Brown that snapped a three-game losing streak.

This series marks Omaha’s first unranked opponent of the season after navigating what has been described as the second-hardest strength of schedule nationally — an early-season gauntlet that has already included 11 straight ranked matchups.

This is also the Mavericks’ first trip to Ingalls Rink since 2008, when Omaha earned an 8-3 victory. The programs have faced each other previously five times, with Omaha holding a 3-1-1 overall record. However, the teams have never played a two-game series. 

Omaha returns to action following a difficult pair of losses to Western Michigan, falling 7-2 Friday and 4-2 Saturday at Baxter Arena.

Despite the results, the Mavericks generated meaningful positives across the lineup:

• Brett Hyland has six points in eight games including the first goal on Friday night vs WMU, his second goal of the season.

• Myles Hilman added his third goal of the year in the series opener.

• Samuel (“Big Sam”) Huo scored his first collegiate goal on Saturday, sparking Omaha’s pushback.

• Cam Mitchell scored his first goal of the season, just nine seconds into the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2.

• Luke Woodworth recorded his sixth assist of the season and now shares the team scoring lead with nine points.

• Griffin Ludtke continues to pace Omaha in assists (8). All of his points this season have come from assists.

A pair of sophomores lead the team in goals this season. Forward Maxime Pellerin has five so far this season. Defenseman Marc Lajoie has four goals on the season (three of them on the power play). 

In net, senior co-captain Simon Latkoczy turned away 36 shots Friday in his ninth appearance of the season. On Saturday, freshman Dawson Cowan delivered another strong performance with 28 saves (.903) in his first home start, bringing his season totals to 96 saves through three games.

Even with last weekend’s setbacks, Omaha’s résumé remains nationally significant — the Mavericks have already earned five victories over ranked teams, including a 2-0 shutout of then-No. 3 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Nov. 15.

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Scouting the Bulldogs

Yale enters the weekend trending upward after a 3-1 win over Brown last Saturday. The Bulldogs have held opponents to three goals or fewer in four of their last five games and are beginning to settle into a more consistent defensive structure.

This series represents a rare meeting between the programs — and Yale’s first opportunity to host Omaha since the 2008 matchup.

Key trends for Yale:

• Snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday’s 3-1 win

• Young lineup gaining traction in conference play

• Defensive play improving week-over-week

• All three wins have come at home

The Bulldogs are still finding their offensive rhythm, but they’ve been competitive in low-scoring, tight-checking games — especially at Ingalls Rink.

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Keys to the Weekend

A few storylines to watch as Omaha visits Yale:

1. Establish momentum early. Yale has played in several low-scoring, tight-checking games this season, and early goals could be especially important in a series where both teams are looking to control momentum. A strong opening 20 minutes — particularly on the forecheck — could set the tone in a building where goals are often hard to come by.

2. Lean on depth scoring. With multiple underclassmen producing (Pellerin, Lajoie, Woodworth, Marcus Nguyen, Hilman), Omaha continues to develop a more balanced attack. Depth will matter in a low-scoring series.

3. Omaha’s goaltending needs to be solid. Latkoczy remains Omaha’s workhorse, and Cowan continues to impress in limited starts. Standing strong in net will be critical for Omaha victories.

4. Manage the defensive details. Yale thrives in tight, defensive contests. Omaha’s puck management and discipline — especially in transition — will be critical in preventing extended offensive-zone time for the Bulldogs.

5. Carry lessons into the bye week. With North Dakota on deck after a week off, this series is an opportunity to reset, refine details, and pick up non-conference points.

When:

> Friday, Nov. 28 – 6 p.m. CT at Ingalls Rink (New Haven, Conn.)

> Saturday, Nov. 29 – 6 p.m. CT at Ingalls Rink (New Haven, Conn.)

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:

Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ ($)

Canadian viewers — International feed: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/yale ($)

Live Stats:

Live stats can be found here. 

On this episode of the Mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason talk about the Omaha Maverick Hockey team getting swept at the hands of Western Michigan (includes their picks for “Player of the Week”). They discuss some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena” during the series (including a new concession stand option). Jason presents his NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Top 20 for the week. They wrap up the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against the Yale Bulldogs at Ingalls Rink.

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Next Weekend:

Omaha has a bye week before resuming NCHC play Dec. 12-13 at North Dakota — the second meeting of the season between the teams. Both games will stream on NCHC.tv with radio coverage on 1290 KOIL and the Varsity Network.