Omaha Hockey Secures Home Ice for 2025 NCHC Playoffs

Needing two points to secure home ice for the NCHC playoff quarterfinals, Omaha went one better and earned three points with a win over no. 18 North Dakota on Saturday night in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The Mavericks (who finished fourth in NCHC conference play) will host a best-of-three series at Baxter Arena against the Fighting Hawks (who finished in fifth place). The games will be Friday, March 14 (7:07 p.m. puck drop), Saturday, March 15 (7:07 p.m. puck drop) and, if necessary, Sunday, March 16 (6:07 p.m. puck drop).

Season ticket holders for Maverick Hockey already have the playoff tickets in their MyMavs account.  Tickets were included in the 2024-25 season ticket package. (Season ticket holders receive the same seats they had for the regular season.) There are no refunds for Sunday’s game if the series is decided in two games.

Single-game tickets start at $20. There are no discounts or promotions for playoff games. In addition, students must purchase their playoff tickets (no complimentary tickets for student admissions for the playoffs). 

Purchase tickets for Friday here.

Purchase tickets for Saturday here.

Purchase tickets for Sunday here.

If you purchase single game tickets for Sunday and the game is not needed, you will be refunded for that ticket cost. (Season ticket holders will not receive a refund for the Sunday game if it is not played as playoff tickets were complimentary in the season ticket package.)

You can also buy or sell tickets in the MavPuck Facebook group if you are a member. 

If you have any questions about playoff tickets, contact the Baxter Arena ticket office at 402-554-MAVS.

The winner of the quarterfinal round will advance to the final Frozen Faceoff at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tickets to the Frozen Faceoff semi-finals and championship game can be purchased here.  (The NCHC playoffs will move to campus sites entirely in the 2025-26 season.)

Omaha vs. UMass Lowell: Oct. 28-29, 2016 at Baxter Arena

Well, last weekend didn't really go how we thought it might. Mavs were ranked in the Top 20 in one of the major polls, but surrendered two goal leads both nights to end up with a tie (the goal by Jake Randolph in the second overtime period didn't count officially as a win) and a 5-2 loss.

I chalk it up to overconfidence. We saw this last season a bit too (and in previous seasons). The team just doesn't play as well when they think they're better than the opposition. So this weekend's contest should be better -- but UMass Lowell is going to be tough. Ranked fifth in the nation, the River Hawks are 3-1-2, coming off a split last weekend. However, the Mavericks have traditionally played better when they're up against tough competition. The Mavs and the River Hawks have only faced each other twice previously -- both were single games within tournaments. The Mavs won both match-ups. It will be interesting to see back-to-back games between the two teams.

Working against the Mavs is that fact that they haven't officially won a game at Baxter Arena since Feb. 13. Once almost unbeatable on home ice, the Mavs have struggled as of late at home, so a win (or a couple of wins) this weekend is a must before beginning conference play next week.

Penalties have also been a significant issue through the first four games, and Tony Boone's Omaha World-Herald article (linked below) describes how the Mavericks are working to change their style of play to avoid making as many trips to the box.

There are a couple of activities going on this weekend. It's the first weekend of homecoming week, so expect more students than usual (although the actual HOMECOMING game will be next Friday, Nov. 4). Students are being encouraged to wear costumes to Friday night's game. It's also supposed to be a "Pink Out," although that hasn't been well publicized.

Media Roundup Leading to the Series:
Omavs series preview:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=211255395

River Hawks series preview:
http://goriverhawks.com/news/2016/10/26/mens-ice-hockey-no-5-river-hawks-hit-the-road-for-two-games-at-omaha.aspx

Tony Boone's Omaha World-Herald series preview (with an emphasis on penalties):
http://www.omaha.com/uno/hockey/four-games-in-mavs-adjusting-to-ncaa-s-emphasis-on/article_b2f877f6-cfe7-5320-b83d-0f60487d9667.html

OMavs game notes:
http://www.omavs.com/pdf9/5045007.pdf

Tickets:
There are plenty of tickets available to this weekend's series.

Friday tickets on Ticketmaster ($20-$27):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/omaha-mavericks-hockey-v-umass-lowell-omaha-nebraska-10-28-2016/event/06005103ED9EB45B?artistid=838151&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9&tm_link=artist_msg-0_06005103ED9EB45B

Saturday tickets on Ticketmaster ($20-$27):
http://www.ticketmaster.com/omaha-mavericks-hockey-v-umass-lowell-omaha-nebraska-10-29-2016/event/06005103EDA3B461?artistid=838151&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9&tm_link=artist_msg-0_06005103EDA3B461

Ticket Express has a handful of Saturday tickets still available: ($6-$10):
http://www.ticketexpress.com/event/uno-mavericks-vs-umass-lowell-riverhawks-baxter-arena-hockey-2016-10-29-7:07-pm-tickets

And there are tickets available for sale within the MavPuck Group on Facebook (must be approved for group membership to see the posts):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mavpuck/

We're also giving away three tickets to the Saturday night game on our MavPuck Facebook page. Comment to win; a winner will be selected at 6:45 p.m. tonight:
https://www.facebook.com/MavpuckPage

Radio/TV Coverage:
Friday and Saturday night's games will be available by subscription ($) on NCHC.tv.

Radio coverage begins with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show at 6:30 p.m. both nights. Dave Ahlers will have the play-by-play, Terry Leahy will give color commentary and analysis, and Lester St. James will report from ice level.

Live Audio and Stats: 
Live audio link here.
Live stats (Friday) here.
Live stats (Saturday) here.

Next Weekend:
The Mavs wraup up their three-weekend home stand -- and start NCHC conference play -- with a series against Colorado College at Baxter Arena on Nov. 4-5. Both games will begin at 7:07 p.m. Central.

Wrapping Up The Weekend: Vermont Series

Well, that was a less-than-awesome start to the three weekend home series at Baxter Arena. Friday's game officially went down in the books as a tie, and Saturday, the Mavs lost 5-2.

Fans got to see a little "free" hockey on Friday. Following the 5-on-5 overtime, the game was officially classified as a tie. However, the Mavs and Catamounts played a brief sudden death 3-on-3 that ended when Jake Randolph buried the puck. This gave the Mavs a symbolic "win" and culminated in the first post-game lobby celebration of the year:


Saturday night, the Mavs had a stellar first period, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. However, they surrendered the next five goals to the Catamounts, losing 5-2. Chalk it up to the Parent's Night curse (players and their parents were recognized during the first intermission).

The Mavs dropped out of the weekly USCHO poll following the tie and loss. They were number 20 last week. This week, they're "receiving votes."

The Mavs didn't even receive votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine weekly poll:

Media Roundup:
Here's the Omavs story about Friday night's tie:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=211244053

Tony Boone's Omaha World-Herald story from Friday:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/hockey/no-uno-settles-for-draw-with-vermont-in-home-opener/article_fe3791f4-9804-11e6-8225-73f2242b5705.html

Check out Mark Kuhlman's photos from Friday night here.

Here's the Omavs story from Saturday night:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=211246112

And Tony Boone reviews Saturday night's action:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/hockey/mavs-waste-early-lead-allow-five-straight-goals-in-loss/article_a2d5120a-98c7-11e6-982b-bf9e96ad89f6.html

Omaha vs. Denver: March 4-5, 2016 in Denver

Wow, it's hard to believe that we're already at the end of the regular season. What a roller coaster ride it's been. From starting the season 8-0 at Baxter Arena, to winning 10 non-conference games, many of us (me included) thought this would be "the year" for the Mavs. (Especially after last year's magical run through the playoffs, culminating in the team's first Frozen Four appearance.)

But the departure of Avery Peterson at Christmas seems to have knocked the Mavs off the track. Or something did. Looking at the team from the outside in, it's hard to know what's going on. Dean Blais described the team as "fragile" this week. Phil Aldrich called them a "hot mess."

Whatever's going on, I hope they can turn it around. They certainly have the potential. They need some confidence. And some scoring.

It's going to be tough. Denver is on a roll at the moment. They're 12-1-3 since the start of the year, and are on a seven-game winning streak. The Mavs, on the other hand, are slumping, having been swept by UND and St. Cloud the past two weekends.

No matter what happens this weekend in Denver, the Mavs are going on the road for the playoffs next week. No home ice for us. But we have a chance to improve our positioning in the NCHC with the outcomes of the games this weekend, so there's something to play for!

For your reading enjoyment, the NCHC has prepared a PDF with all the possible seeding possibilities:
http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0093/8954/Seeding_scenarios.pdf

Here's a roundup of this week's media:

Mavs fall to #15 in both national polls:
http://www.omaha.com/uno/mavs-fall-to-no-in-major-hockey-polls/article_145329ce-df2f-11e5-8d7a-4385b03fd36d.html

OMavs.com series preview -- #15 UNO at #7 Denver:
http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31400&ATCLID=210769137

Omaha World-Herald Friday night preview -- "Mavericks seek to right the ship against Denver"
http://www.omaha.com/uno/mavericks-seek-to-right-the-ship-against-denver/article_352c4a9b-a172-544c-aabd-c911f85251aa.html

Denver Post series preview:
http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_29593654/goal-denver-pioneers-hockey-keep-it-rolling

Game Times:
Friday night's game is at 8:37 p.m. Central time.
Saturday night's game is at 8:07 p.m. Central time.

TV Coverage:
Both games will be on NCHC.tv. (That's one thing I like this year compared to last year. Last year's Denver games were not on NCHC.tv. for some reason that I can't remember. Good to be able to watch them on NCHC this time around.)

Radio Coverage: 
Both games will be broadcast on 1180 AM (1180 The Zone 2). Dave Ahlers will provide radio play-by-play and Terry Leahy will provide color commentary. Coverage begins at 8:07 Central Friday and 7:37 p.m. Central Saturday with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.

Mavs Going On the Road for the Playoffs

After being swept by North Dakota last weekend (and a sweep by St. Cloud the previous weekend), the Mavs are out of contention for home ice during the NCHC playoffs. That means they'll be going on the road for the playoffs. (The good news for Mav season ticket holders: You'll get credit for those three playoff tickets in your book on next year's season ticket invoice.)

Currently six points behind Minnesota-Duluth and Miami (which are tied for fourth place in the NCHC going into the final week of conference play), the Mavs have been mathematically eliminated from home ice, because the fourth NCHC seed will be claimed by either of those teams, as they play each other this weekend.

Consequently, UNO is playing for points to determine its opponent on the road the weekend of March 11-13. The Mavs could finish in either fifth or sixth place, depending on how they do this weekend in Denver and how that UMD/Miami series turns out.

The Mavs could end up playing Miami, Denver, or St. Cloud on the road.

One possible scenario: The scenario involving UMD sweeping Miami and UNO sweeping Denver would result in UNO being tied with Miami at 31 points. However, Miami has the better winning percentage in head-to-head games versus UNO, which is the first tiebreaker for NCHC seeding. That would give Miami the fifth place seed.

If Miami sweeps UMD, Miami would finish in fourth place with 37 points. UMD would finish the season with 31 points. If UNO were to sweep Denver, we'd be tied with UMD with 31 points. Because we played an "unbalanced" conference schedule with UMD (only one series, when they came to Baxter Arena), the first tiebreaker (head-to-head comparison) cannot be used. Consequently, it goes to a comparison of overall wins versus NCHC teams. In that scenario, UNO would finish ahead of UMD and play at Miami, as the number five seed.

If UMD and Miami end up splitting the series or if they both come away with ties (basically, if both of them get points), we will finish in sixth place, regardless of what happens in Denver this weekend.

The NCHC has compiled a PDF that outlines all the possible scenarios. Check it out here:

http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0093/8954/Seeding_scenarios.pdf