By Bridget (Weide) Brooks
No. 20 Minnesota State-Mankato comes into town for the first series of the regular season in a battle for the Spirit of the Mavericks trophy.
On the road in Mankato last year, the “Purple Mavericks” earned the trophy with a sweep of the “Red Mavericks,” winning 4-3 on Friday night, and 1-0 on Saturday night. In the Friday night game, Omaha clawed back from a 0-3 deficit in the third period to tie it midway through the period, but MSU scored with less than a minute left to claim the victory. On Saturday night, Adam Eisele (brother of former Omaha Maverick Seth Eisele), scored the only goal of the game in the first period.
The “Spirit of the Mavericks Trophy” is awarded to the team that wins the annual series. The winner will be decided by one team winning both games, one team winning one game (with the other ending in a tie), or in the case of a series split, the winner will be determined by the total goals differential. Should the series end in a split — and both teams score the same number of goals — the trophy stays with the team that previously held the trophy.
Former MSU-Mankato Blue Line Club President Brad Reeves and UNO Blue Line Club President Jim Semerad (now deceased) originally came up with the trophy as a way to try and spur a rivalry between the two schools (who played more frequently two decades ago).
- Both teams made the jump to Division I men's hockey in the same season (1997-98) and have competed against one another in various conference and non-conference matchups since since that season (we were in the same conference as Mankato from 2009 to 2013).
- Omaha Coach Mike Gabinet played four games in the “Mavs vs. Mavs” series during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, recording several shots and serving one penalty.
- MSU leads the all-time series 20-16-5, although the series is 8-8-3 in home games for Omaha (UNO is 8-12-2 on the road in the overall series).
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.
NOTE: Center Street is under construction with a major resurfacing project. We recommend an alternate route (Grover or Pacific) to reach Baxter Arena this weekend.
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).
Promotions:
When:
> 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.
There are TWO new episodes of the MavPuckCast this week in advance of the first regular series action of the season.
