Old UNO Hockey Threads

UNOstudent · Post by **UNOstudent** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 5:41 pm

HD is awesome!

SychoBC · Post by **SychoBC** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 7:42 pm

I couldn't go to the game, but is it nice that NETV got an HD-production truck. The College Wrestling last week was on in HD too.

They do need to work on the picture though, for something that is supposed to be HD quality the picture looked really soft.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 8:15 pm

Record attendance for last nights game was 10,415

Mavs are bitten again

BY LEE BARFKNECHT
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Michigan's T.J. Hensick showed Saturday night why he's the leading point producer in the CCHA.

As most of the players on the ice fight for room in front of the goal, the puck slips past Michigan goalie Al Montoya in the second period.

The sophomore center scored the tying goal with 9:19 left in the third period, then assisted on the winning goal with 2:11 to play in the sixth-ranked Wolverines' 4-3 victory over the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Hensick also scored a power-play goal in the second period, giving him 19 goals and 22 assists for the season.

UNO fans in the record crowd of 10,415 left Qwest Center Omaha with visions of No. 7 in maize and blue blazing around the ice.

"If you give him chances, he's going to bury them," UNO defenseman Dan Knapp said. "We didn't eliminate him when we had to, and he capitalized."

Hensick's outburst allowed Michigan (22-7-3, 19-3-2) to rebound from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, and hold on to first place in the CCHA by one point over Ohio State.

"T.J. had a big heart this weekend, not that that surprises us," UM Coach Red Berenson said.

"He knows these teams are playing good defense against him, but he's literally the kind of guy who can beat you one-on-one. And he did."

Michigan's T.J. Hensick squeezes a shot past UNO goalie Chris Holt and defender Jason Krischuk to tie the game in the third period.

Michigan needed Hensick's heroics because UNO (15-12-3, 11-10-3) jumped to a 2-0 lead in the game's first 81/2 minutes.

Knapp scored on the power play, his first goal in 19 games back to Nov. 13. Center Alex Nikiforuk, who had a four-point weekend, then scored on an assist from Knapp.

Still, an uneasy feeling remained.

"When we jumped to that 2-0 lead," Knapp said, "we couldn't get that third goal to kind of stick a fork in them."

Not only was Michigan still in the game, but the Wolverines were angry, too.

Said Berenson: "Our team was embarrassed at the way they were playing. That first period was hard for guys on our bench to watch."

What happened in the second period was hard for UNO Coach Mike Kemp to watch.

Michigan converted two power-play goals. Defenseman Matt Hunwick scored unassisted on a sharp-angle backhander at 2:18, then Hensick took advantage of a slow line change to break in alone and score at 5:23.

"The game turned in the second period," Kemp said. "I didn't think either of the first two goals were good goals for us to give up.

"Up to that time, I was pleased with how we played. But that gave them a lot of enthusiasm. Any time you give Michigan goals, that will come back to haunt you."

Between those two Michigan goals, UNO's fourth line countered to maintain a two-goal lead.

Forward Micah Sanford stormed to the net and swung twice before center Bill Bagron broke his 24-game streak without a goal by tucking in the rebound for a 3-1 lead.

But Hensick's late scoring flurry, David Moss' game-winning goal and five sparkling saves from goaltender Al Montoya in the final 25 minutes stuck UNO with a second straight loss. Nikiforuk, despite seeing both games slip away in the final eight minutes, said good things can come from the weekend for the Mavericks, who are still in fourth place in the CCHA.

"We know we can play with them," he said. "We know we can beat them under different circumstances.

"I think everyone is scared to play Michigan, whereas we enjoy it. But the cards just weren't in our hands this weekend. Hopefully, we'll see them at the Joe."

That would be in the CCHA Super Six playoffs at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit starting March 17.

It was a great game to watch and it was very loud, the way a Mavs game should be![/b]

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:02 pm

Hopefully they'll finish strong. They're going to have that much more experience next year.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:25 pm

I went to the game last night as well, it was a good time. I was very excited as it was also my first time inside the Qwest Center. Its kinda funny, Ive lived here a little over a year and go to the OM and whatnot but when I was approaching the Qwest with all the people, it really struck me then how much Omaha is booming and it were as if I could feel an electric vibe from the city. One of the coolest things is when they start up the music and they have the high speed video of driving across I80 approching DT and then the Qwest and then cut to the hockey highlights. I was all stoked up. Needless to say, I found the Qwest very impressive and am even happier now that Omaha has such a nice place to lay claim to. Im sure Ill be going back for more.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:08 pm

Shoot... I always show up a couple of minutes into the first period... I've never seen that video!! (sounds a little like what they show at the Nebraska football games)

The Mav/Creighton games are indeed a blast. Once again, I couldn't help but notice hundreds of people walking down 10th Street from the Old Market. A trolley would be doing great business... on the other hand, these folks seem to be enjoying the walk as well!

mchine73 · Post by **mchine73** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:37 am

Since I go to Creighton, I've been to a lot of games at the Qwest. Only after being in this facility for a year, then going to the Civic for the Wayne State/UNO game last week do you really understand how bad the Civic is/was compared to the Qwest. While nothing will compare to the atmosphere of Civic when a "big game" was there. Specifically I remember the Michigan State series that UNO swept when MSU was ranked first in the nation. That was simply a magical night at the ole' barn

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 7:34 pm

I never have made it the early part of the game as well. Next time the Mavs are home, I am going to have to try to get there early to see that video. Sounds great!

GoWest · Post by **GoWest** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 7:50 pm

I went to Saturday's game as well. I'm real surprised the attendance wasn't higher. I can't believe how full it looks with 4,000 empty seats. There wasn’t a seat to be found in the lower bowl and in the upper deck it was mostly the nosebleed seats that were empty. The way these guys play I see better attendance ahead for this them.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 8:34 am

UNO Gateway wrote: The pros and cons of pro hockey in Omaha

So the American Hockey Association thinks it is a good idea to tap Omaha to be the newest member of the pro hockey world. A franchise of the Calgary Flames is slated to begin play next season at the old Civic Auditorium. This means that we will have a professional minor league hockey franchise playing in a smaller barn than the college hockey team, which plays just down the road. Then there is the team across the river, a junior team that has been around forever.

So who is out to benefit most from this hat trick of hockey clubs in town? Clearly this addition effects the Lancers far less than the Mavericks. The Lancers now have their own facilities, the Mid-America Center. The building was created specifically for them and they are the only primary resident. They are also backed by pro money. Future Hall of Famers Mario Lemeiux and Luc Robitaille both have financial interests in the Lancers, making their future pretty secure, given any outside influences.

The team that stands to lose, or perhaps gain most from the new AHL team is the Mavericks. UNO currently has a 10-year lease with the Metropolitan Entertainment Convention Authority, the group that runs the Qwest Center. Here's the wrinkle, MECA also controls the future AHL franchise's home, the Civic Auditorium. Hypothetically, say this new AHL team starts to draw a new following and even draws Omaha-metro area fans away from UNO. Say the AHL team starts averaging 8,000 per game in the Civic while UNO is averaging 7,500 in the Qwest. You don think that MECA would drop UNO back to the Civic in a heartbeat?

The average Lancer fan is expecting more physical action, fights, and somewhat anonymous players who they know probably won't be around for three or four years. They expect the ebb and flow of not knowing how good their team will be, because from one year to the next, half the roster is gone. That's exactly what the AHL would provide.

The average UNO fan is the average college athletics fan. They expect effort, loyalty, tradition and a sense of family, that their kids will be Mavericks for four years. They also expect a dedication to continuously moving the program forward from generation to generation. The AHL would provide a little of this too, with the possibility of seeing a former Maverick or Lancer at the next level.

Because of this, there's no way any one of any of the three planning committees would try to purposely plan the three teams to play on the same night. Plus, with UNO only playing weekends, this would be easy to avoid.

Bottom line is there is no one in Omaha who is going to hold season tickets to all three, and if the new team inherits the Omaha Knights name, all the sudden they immediately have a tradition that any old-school Omaha hockey fan will flock to. The Maverick program now has the challenge of keeping their current fans and finding new ones to compensate for the borderliners that just don't want to drive to Council Bluffs.

There is a way this could work, but it is UNO that has to do the most work to keep their fan base, and maybe ultimately their home. The Civic may not be the answer. After as much work as Don Leahy did to bring D-I hockey to Omaha, there's no way Omaha is letting them fold shop, but a new home could be in the crystal ball. Perhaps five years down the line a new 10,000-seat arena may be more feasible.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 9:58 am

They don't need a new place after they just got one built. I think the UNO fans need to stop whining about missing the Civic and embrace the Qwest Center. If I was driving a Rolls Royce I wouldn't want to go back to driving my Taurus. If UNO paid for all of the arena that would be fine. They could also make it so the Bball team can play there instead of the Sapp Field house. And if UNO ever does go all the way into D1 than a new arena on campus would be a good recuiting tool, but they still have to wait until their lease with the Qwest is up. I still would have liked the Flames to be in the Qwest though. maybe if they're popular enough eventually.

OhioStreetKid · Post by **OhioStreetKid** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 4:09 am

DTO

UNO and the state of Nebraska have put a lot of money into college hockey at UNO. One way they could make it a heck of a lot better is by building a 9-12,000 seat hockey-only arena. As far as hockey goes the Qwest Center sucks the sight lines blow, and the atmosphere is more sterile than most hospital operating rooms. For college hockey to be successful we need a favorable home ice advantage. We could get that advantage by placing an arena close to the on-campus student body.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 4:23 am

The Qwest Center was built specifically for hockey. I can't imagine that people who really liked the Mavs wouldn't go just because of the arena. When I went to a UNO game I was all the way up in the balcony and I could see fine. UNO probably would do better attendance wise with and on campus arena but they really don't have any reason to complain about the Qwest Center when so much of it was tailored to them.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:55 am

UNO vs Alaska-Fairbanks. Game will be broadcast at 7pm on NETV, in HD even!

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Feb 27, 2005 5:15 pm

Hasn't UNO clinched home ice for a post season opener?

Omaha World Herald wrote: Marshall, Mavs blast Nanooks to salvage split

Finally, something for the University of Nebraska at Omaha hockey team to celebrate after a game against Alaska-Fairbanks.

The Mavericks broke a three-game home losing streak and a three-game skid against their longtime nemesis Saturday night with a 7-2 victory before 8,008 fans at Qwest Center Omaha.

After a 1-1 first period, UNO emerged from a penalty-filled second period with a 3-2 lead, then scored four straight goals in the third.

Freshman forward Bryan Marshall's hat trick - just the fourth in UNO's eight-year history - and solid goaltending from Chris Holt allowed the Mavericks to move past Bowling Green into fourth place in the CCHA.

Holt said it was time to swing back at a UAF team that has boxed UNO's ears for years.

"It felt great," he said. "They seem to outwork us a lot, but tonight we'd had enough.

"This is crunch time, so we can't afford to be outworked. We decided that we were going to prove to them that they can't outwork us. And we did."

UNO Coach Mike Kemp said any kind of victory Saturday night would have been acceptable.

"There were some tense moments," he said. "But for us, it was important to get back to feeling good about ourselves.

"We've struggled at home for a while, and that was the frustrating thing. Our penalty killing was struggling during that stretch, but the guys did an unbelievable job tonight."

In the second period, UNO spent nearly eight minutes short-handed but emerged with a 3-2 lead.

Barely two minutes into the second, forward Bill Thomas stole the puck at the UAF blue line and scored short-handed on a breakaway. That put the Mavericks up 2-1.

UNO then got a power-play chance and converted. Marshall, after three teammates took hacks from close range, finally beat Nanooks goaltender Keith Bartusch with 14:01 left for a 3-1 lead.

That proved to be the game-winning goal, which is Marshall's fifth this season, tying him for the league lead.

Just 13 seconds later, Maverick forward Kaleb Betts drew a major penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check from behind, giving UAF a five-minute power play.

Early in that situation, UNO had two breakaways. But Bartusch robbed defenseman Joe Grimaldi and center Alex Nikiforuk.

When Grimaldi was called for delay of game for grabbing the puck and throwing it into the seats, UAF went on a 5-on-3 power play and needed only 20 seconds to score as forward Kyle Greentree pounded home a rebound to cut the gap to 3-2.

But later in the second period, Holt twice stopped breakaways to preserve the lead.

UNO (17-13-4 overall, 13-11-4 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association) holds fourth place in the CCHA by one point over Bowling Green. But the Mavericks are done with conference play, while Bowling Green still has two games left - a home-and-home series with league-leading Michigan this weekend.

GoWest · Post by **GoWest** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:01 pm

I believe they have clinched home ice. I think Michigan State helped them out with that on Friday night. But Saturday they made sure with the win. Hopefully they can pack in a large crowd at the Qwest for the playoffs. I would be disappointed if they couldn't draw a Michigan like crowd for the first home playoff series in three years.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:03 am

GoMavs wrote: Mavs Win In Final Seconds

Omaha, Neb--Joe Grimaldi scored with 6.7 seconds left to give the University of Nebraska-Omaha a 4-3 victory over Lake Superior State in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.

With the win, UNO took a 1-0 advantage in the best of three series.

The Mavericks escaped with the win after failing to hold on to a 3-0 lead. UNO jumped ahead by two when Bill Thomas and Dan Hacker scored 10 seconds apart towards the end of the first period. Brandon Scero then added a goal 4:49 into the second period.

But the Lakers would storm back, scoring two power-play goals in under two minutes of the second period, silencing the crowd of 5,815 at the Qwest Center Omaha.

The Lakers' Colin Nicholson evened the score at three just 25 seconds into the third period.

Both teams traded chances thoughout the third period before Grimaldi deflected a slap shot off a Laker defenseman and past goalie Jeff Jakaitis.

UNO outshot Lake Superior State 35-19 for the game.

The Mavericks improved to 18-15-4 on the year while Lake Superior State fell to 9-21-7.

The two teams meet again Saturday night for game two of the series. The game is slated for a 7:05 start at Qwest Center Omaha.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:45 pm

And I'll be attending game 2 tonight..

Go MAVS!..

,,Ciao..LiO....Peace

Post by **Brad** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:28 am

I just returned home from the Qwest center where the Mavs won in overtime 4-3 to sweep the lakers 2-0!

Great game to watch!

Good luck in Detroit

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:49 am

How many people were there? Bet it was a helluva racket when they won!

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:54 am

collegesports.com wrote: UAF, MSU, UM, UNO Advance to the Joe

OSU-FSU, NMU-WMU series stretch to three games

Four of the CCHA's six playoff matches needed an extra frame to determine the victor on Saturday night. Ferris State evened its series with a 1-0 overtime victory over Ohio State, Michigan State took a 5-4 overtime decision from Miami, Nebraska-Omaha edged out Lake Superior, 4-3, in overtime and senior defenseman Eric Werner fired in the game-winner in Michigan's 1-0 overtime win against Notre Dame. In other CCHA playoff action, Alaska Fairbanks finished off Bowling Green, 6-3, and Northern Michigan defeated Western Michigan, 4-2.

At Columbus, Ohio, Ferris State sophomore forward Zac Pearson turned on the red light 1:09 into overtime to lift the Bulldogs past Ohio State, 1-0. The overtime goal, Pearson's seventh of the season, pushes the series to three games. Senior goaltender Mike Brown made 36 saves in net for the Bulldogs; Ohio State junior goaltender Dave Caruso stopped 18.

At East Lansing, Mich., Michigan State junior forward Colton Fretter's overtime power-play goal, clinching the series with a 5-4 win over Miami, earned the Spartans a trip to the Joe. Fretter scored the game-tying and the game-clinching goals for the Spartans, who didn't hold a lead in the game until the final whistle. Also scoring for Michigan State were freshman forward Bryan Lerg, senior forward Jim Slater and sophomore forward Tom Goebel. Sophomore forward Geoff Smith chipped in three assists for the RedHawks.

At Omaha, Neb., Mavericks sophomore forward Scott Parse picked up his 19th goal of the season with the overtime shot that beat Lake Superior, 4-3. The Lakers took a quick 2-0 lead in the first period with junior forward Colin Nicholson and sophomore forward Jeffrey Rainville firing in shots 26 seconds apart. Nebraska-Omaha freshman forward Brandon Scero led the Mavericks' comeback with two power-play markers. Sophomore goaltender Jeff Jakaitis turned away 39 shots; sophomore goalie Chris Holt recorded 27 saves.

At Ann Arbor, Mich., senior defenseman Eric Werner scored 2:05 into overtime as Michigan knocked off Notre Dame, 1-0. Notre Dame senior goaltender Morgan Cey recorded 43 saves in the contest; junior goaltender Al Montoya stopped 18 shots. With the victory, No. 1-seed Michigan advances to the Super Six.

At Bowling Green, Ohio, Nanooks freshman forward Aaron Lee notched a pair of goals as No. 8 Alaska Fairbanks downed No. 5 Bowling Green, 6-3, to take the first-round playoff series. Lee, freshman forwards Ryan Muspratt and Kyle Greentree, sophomore forward Curtis Fraser and senior forward Jason Grinevitch were the marksmen for the Nanooks, who took a 2-0 first period lead. Sophomore forward James Unger, freshman forward Jonathan Matsumoto and freshman defenseman Mike Nesdill picked up goals for Bowling Green.

At Marquette, Mich., Northern Michigan scored four third-period goals to down Western Michigan, 4-2, and extend its series with the Broncos to a third game. Junior forward Andrew Contois put the Wildcats on the board with a shorthanded goal at 2:03 of the third stanza; junior forward Dirk Southern struck for Northern Michigan's game-winner. Junior defenseman Jamie Milam and senior forward Kevin Gardner also tallied goals for the Wildcats. Senior forward Pat Dwyer picked up a power-play goal and an assist for the Broncos.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:00 am

OWH wrote: Parse gives UNO hockey playoff sweep

Scott Parse's goal in overtime secured a spot in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's playoffs for Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, as the Mavericks beat Lake Superior 4-3 at Qwest Center Omaha.

Parse's goal came at 5:24 in overtime, ending a game that went back and forth between the two teams. UNO took the best of three series against the Lakers with the win and a victory Friday night.

The Mavericks will play Thursday in Detroit.

The Lakers scored twice in the first with goals by Colin Nicholson and Jeff Rainville. But Brandon Scero got a goal in for the Mavericks before the end of the first period, and his teammate Rob Chappel added another one in the second to tie it up 2-2.

Scero gave the Mavericks a 3-2 lead when he scored on a power play in the third.

But Jon Booras scored less than two minutes later for the Lakers to send the game into overtime.

UNO outshot Lake Superior 43-30.

The Mavericks go into the postseason with a 19-15-3 record while the Lakers finish their season at 9-22-7.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:20 am

almighty_tuna wrote:How many people were there? Bet it was a helluva racket when they won!

Attendance: 6780

Also: If #2 seed OSU loses to Ferris tomorrow
and if #3 seed Northern Michigan would happen to lose also
UNO would then be the #2 seed at the Joe and get a bye into the Semi's!

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 3:21 pm

These guys are showing some serious heart. Both of these games went down to the wire. Whatever the finish... the expectations for next year have got to be really high given their youth and all the experience they have coming back.

futrecndvlpr · Post by **futrecndvlpr** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:07 pm

What gets me is the attendence of the series... where is everyone? I suppose there were some people at wrestling, but 6 and 7 thousand, give me a break.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:27 pm

It is disappointing... although consider they are still averaging among the top 10 in collegiate hockey.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 8:43 pm

Bet it was a helluva racket when they won!

It was a loud game for only six or seven thousand. The bucket banggers above the band mad a lot of noise when they won. Usually they go bang bang bang go-mavs, after the game they were going bang bang bang de-troit.

futrecndvlpr · Post by **futrecndvlpr** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:01 am

I do agree that it is great that we are in the tops as far as attendance goes... but there were several games with 8,000+, 10,000+ for Michigan.

I assumed (wrongly) that we could get 10,000 for the playoffs.

I would be interested in what others feel about the marketing or lack there of for the hockey program and/or UNO Athletics in general. I realize we have to compete with all of the "Husker Freaks", but if no one noticed UNO is consistently in the top tier in DII in all of the sports it competes in (think wrestling, women's soccer, swimming/diving, men's basketball, football, ...).

And I would have to agree, those that did show up made the Qwest the loudest it has ever been for hockey, it was great.

futrecndvlpr out.....

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:53 am

Keep in mind that those "Husker Freaks" were probably the other 2000-3000 people that showed up for the Michigan game(s). Whether you like it or not, name recognition (ie, "marketing") goes a LONG way. Lake Superior just doesn't have the same cache as Michigan, regardless of sport. It's exacerbated when you're dealing with a college football crazed state.

-Big E

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:21 am

I also attended the game Saturday night and for just under 7000, it was a very enthusiatic crowd..

Great game right down to the wire..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

murfj · Post by **murfj** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:29 pm

I was at the game, it was my first time attending a UNO game. I am a huge hockey fan and go to a lot of USHL junior hockey games, and so I thought this game would be a big step up. It was an exciting game, but there was really no enthusiasm in the crowd compared to the jr. hockey games I go to- the people only got pumped up when a goal was scored, and of course it did get loud at the end when the final goal was scored. But otherwise it was very flat and I'd have to say I was very disappointed with the small crowd, the lack of noise and enthusiasm. Where is the loud chanting, the constant roar one would expect throughout most of the game?
I just hope they can do well in the post season and build a very intense following in the years to come, so the Qwest Center can be rocking at all of their home games.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 4:13 pm

This may be a stupid question, but are there beer sales during the UNO games at the Qwest Center? How about Creighton? I'm not sure of the NCAA rules for off-campus events like that.

I know a lot of the "enthusiasm" I've seen at Stars and Lancers games could be attributed to more than just hockey.

-Big E

murfj · Post by **murfj** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 6:56 pm

I'm not sure about the Creighton games, but they do sell beer at Qwest Center for the UNO hockey games.
Hmm... maybe there's just a LOT more drinking going on at the Stars and Lancers games?

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 4:13 am

Omaha World Herald wrote: Kemp, Thomas earn CCHA honors

DETROIT - University of Nebraska at Omaha Coach Mike Kemp was named coach of the year and freshman Bill Thomas the top rookie by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association on Wednesday.

The awards came one day before UNO was to play Michigan State in the first round of the CCHA Championships on Thursday.

Kemp has a 124-155-31 career record for UNO. He is leading the team to its third trip to the championships in the team's six years with the league.

Thomas, a forward, is the first Maverick to win the rookie of the year honor. He paced the nation's freshmen with 45 points and was named to the All-CCHA Second Team and the All-CCHA Rookie squad.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 5:29 am

GoMavs.com wrote: Michigan State Ends Mav Season, 5-0
Early Power Play Goals Lift Spartans

DETROIT, MICH. – Jim Slater and Drew Miller each handed out three assists and five different players scored goals for Michigan State as the Spartans eliminated the Mavericks from the CCHA Super Six with a 5-0 decision Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The loss ends Nebraska-Omaha’s season at 19-16-4, while the 20-15-4 Spartans will advance to Friday’s CCHA semifinal game against Ohio State at 7 p.m. CST. Alaska-Fairbanks, which defeated Northern Michigan 6-3 in Thursday’s other quarterfinal game, will meet Michigan in the other semifinal game at 3:30 p.m. CST. Both games will be televised in Omaha on Cox Channel 47.

Junior wing Colton Fretter gave the Spartans the lead when he converted a pass from the corner by Drew Miller to beat UNO goaltender Chris Holt from the slot just 16 seconds into their first power play of the game at 3:28. Maverick sophomore Micah Sanford was called for hooking 3:12 into the contest and MSU won the ensuing face off, allowing Miller and Slater to set up Fretter, who scored his 20th of the season.

Seven minutes later Jim McKenzie converted a rebound of Slater’s shot on MSU’s second power play opportunity for his 11th goal of the year. Miller also earned an assist on the goal, which came at 10:31.

The Spartans added second period even-strength goals by Tom Goebel and Dan Vukovic while showering Holt with 17 shots on goal. Goebel scored his fifth of the season on a wrap-around at 6:17 after passes from Slater and Corey Potter in a four-on-four situation. Vukovic, a freshman defenseman, scored his first career goal on passes from Miller and Goebel with both teams at full strength.

Freshman center Chris Mueller added an empty net goal as the Mavericks pulled Holt in favor of an extra skater at the 18:42 mark.

Michigan State goaltender Dominic Vicari turned aside 31 Maverick shots in handing UNO its first shutout loss of the season. UNO's Holt made 37 saves.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 5:50 am

OWH wrote: Mavs fall in CCHA quarterfinals

DETROIT (AP) - Michigan State got off to a quick start and never looked back and Dominic Vicari stopped all of the shots.

That was the formula for Michigan State's 5-0 win over the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Thursday night in a quarterfinal game of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Super Six Championship at Joe Louis Arena.

Michigan State (20-15-4) will play Ohio State on Friday night in one semifinal game. That will follow Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks in the other semifinal.

Alaska-Fairbanks beat Northern Michigan 6-3 in the first game on Thursday.

Nebraska-Omaha is 19-16-4.

Tommy Goebel had a goal and an assist for the Spartans _ who won their sixth-straight game _ while Colton Fretter (power play), Jim McKenzie (power play), Daniel Vukovich and Chris Mueller scored the other goals. Jim Slater and Drew Miller each had three assists.

Michigan State scored two power-play goals in the first period for a 2-0 lead.

Fretter got the game's first goal at 3:28 on a one-time slap shot from the inside edge of the left circle.

"Got that early goal, the power-play goal," said Spartans coach Rick Comley. "I thought that put the young team back on their heels."

The Mavericks had only one senior and three juniors in their lineup. The rest were freshmen and sophomores.

McKenzie then put in a rebound with 9:29 left in the opening period.

"I just think they came out with more energy at the beginning of the game," said Nebraska-Omaha freshman right wing Bill Thomas.

The Spartans stretched their lead to 4-0 with two goals in the second period.

Goebel made it 3-0 with a wraparound effort at 6:17 and Vukovic added another goal with a slap shot from the point with 8:48 left in the period, the first goal of his college career.

Vicari made 33 saves for his fifth shutout of the season.

"We play as good as Dom plays," said Slater. "And he played very good tonight and we followed him. He made the big saves."

Mueller added an empty-net goal with 1:18 left.

Michigan State didn't play up to expectations this year and will have to win the tournament championship to reach the NCAA Tournament.

"We knew coming in that it probably would take three wins (the quarterfinal, semifinal and final) to do it," Comley said.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 5:13 pm

Season ticket hike irks some Mavs fans

The upgraded seating plan comes at a time when the UNO hockey program already is struggling to maintain its fan base. Herbster said season-ticket sales have dropped from 6,300 to "fewer than 3,000" since the team moved from the cozy Civic Auditorium (8,314 capacity) to the spacious Qwest Center (14,700 capacity).

Thats not a good sign for the Mavs. Along with the current ticket hike, I wouldn't be supprised if they would get less than 2,000 by next year, whith the Knights comming to town and all. Sounds like the Mavs are turning into the Royals. Too small for the large venue (that will in a few years be even larger). They really should consider trading arenas with the Knights, or maybe even build their own somewhere on campus.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 5:33 pm

Of course the Mavs were coming off of perhaps their worst season a year ago. Having shown so much improvement this last season and with all the young talent, I'd expect those season ticket sales to improve.

That said... I'd like to see the Knights playing in the Qwest Center and the Mavs back in the Civic. The Knights are no 'Beef' or 'Racers'... this is the last step to the NHL... and this franchise needs to play in a venue reflective of that.

People have said "You can't take away the Qwest Center after showing it to UNO recruits"... "You can't drive them by the Qwest Center on the way to showing them the Civic"... etc, etc... but the fact is... even the Civic is a considerably better venue than most collegiate hockey players play in. Many forget that we poured a considerable amount of money into it's renovation just a few years ago. It is not a bad facility at all.

HskrFanMike · Post by **HskrFanMike** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 12:29 am

Considering that the AHL average is not even 6,000 fans per game, the Civic is perfect for the Knights.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:45 am

Considering the collegiate average is even lower than that... it was perfect for the Mavericks. Omaha has always drawn larger than average crowds to support it's respective hockey teams... I'm sure the Knights will be no different.