omavs.com wrote:The Omaha Mavericks 2023-24 schedule has been announced. The 23-24 slate is highlighted by a Big 10 non-conference matchup at Baxter Arena with Ohio State, the Arizona State hosted Desert Hockey Classic and a rematch of last season's season debut matchup against the Niagara Purple Eagles.
Omaha and reigning CCHA Tournament Champion Minnesota State will battle for the Pride of the Maverick once again in an exhibition contest on October 7 to soft launch the year in Mankato, Minnesota. The Mavericks will officially open their upcoming campaign the same way they did last season, against the Niagara Purple Eagles in a home series at Baxter Arena.
Omaha will faceoff against their first regular season Big 10 opponent since they played Wisconsin back in November of 2019. The Mavericks will welcome Ohio State to Baxter Arena October 27-28. The last time Omaha and Ohio State met was in October of 2019 in a road series that saw both teams take a game off each other.
Going to three team scheduling pods. Many UNO fans constantly complain about North Dakota. They got their wish, UNO is in a pod with Miami and Western Michigan. I always looked forward to the North Dakota games. Big crowds and always guaranteed to see future NHL players on the ice.
"It will use a three-team pod setup, where UND will play Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State four times per season. The other pods are expected to be Western Michigan-Miami-Omaha and Arizona State-Colorado College-Denver."
That is a bit of a bummer. I guess the schedule gets a bit lighter, but Denver and North Dakota were always annual highlights on the schedule and I assume there may be some seasons neither come to town.
iamjacobm wrote: Wed Jul 05, 2023 6:13 pm
That is a bit of a bummer. I guess the schedule gets a bit lighter, but Denver and North Dakota were always annual highlights on the schedule and I assume there may be some seasons neither come to town.
That is dumb, Omaha gets the only teams not in their time zone let alone area. I don't like the pods. Let's have the NCHC get a 10th team to even it out, bring Air Force in or Mankato in, bring in some old rivalries. Omaha also has direct flights to the other western schools.
PobodysNerfect wrote: Thu Jul 06, 2023 1:18 pm
That is dumb, Omaha gets the only teams not in their time zone let alone area. I don't like the pods. Let's have the NCHC get a 10th team to even it out, bring Air Force in or Mankato in, bring in some old rivalries. Omaha also has direct flights to the other western schools.
Assuming no one leaves (there have been rumors), I think NCHC expands to 10 in the next few years. Several viable options.
Greg S wrote: Thu Jul 06, 2023 1:30 pm
Assuming no one leaves (there have been rumors), I think NCHC expands to 10 in the next few years. Several viable options.
4. Is the league open to expansion?
There are a number of college hockey programs still without conference affiliation.
In the West, they include Arizona State, Lindenwood (St. Louis), Alaska Anchorage and Alaska (Fairbanks).
Lindenwood would be interesting for NCHC, would have four larger cities (STL, OMA, DEN, PHX) in their market then. Unfortunately, I'd leave both Alaskas alone, they're struggling internally with all athletic programs and I hate to say it but it's a money vacuum and doesn't add any stature to the league. I know Lindenwood doesn't add history or stature or bang for your buck but the market is big and I think the school supported the club team. Add in a facility they play in which is the Blues training facility and it's attractive.
Omaha Mavericks Head Coach Mike Gabinet announced the signing of former Chicago Blackhawks / Rockford IceHogs Developmental Goaltending Coach /Assistant Coach Peter Aubry as Associate Coach today. Contributions to the team included running small-group skill sessions, scouting opponents offensive and defensive tendencies, and evaluating the IceHogs' scoring chance situations. Aubry also Developed Super Chances analytics for the organization to evaluate scoring chances.
The roster for the 2023-24 Omaha Mavericks is set. The 26-man roster is highlighted by 18 returning Mavericks from last year and eight newcomers. Omaha's roster is broken down by six Graduate Students, four Seniors, three Juniors, 10 Sophomores and three Freshmen.
The Maverick newcomers consist of five transfers and three Freshmen. Goaltender Seth Eisele (Lake Superior State), forwards Jesse Lansdell (Notre Dame) and Zach Urdahl (Wisconsin) along with blueliners Noah Ellis (Massachusetts) and Dom Vidoli (Ohio State). The Freshmen trio is made up of forwards Tanner Ludtke and Charlie Lurie along with netminder Will Craig. The incoming list of Mavericks features two NHL draft picks in Noah Ellis who was drafted by the Las Vegas Golden Knights (6th round, 184th overall) in 2020 and Tanner Ludtke (3rd round, 81st overall) in the 2023 draft. In total, Omaha boasts five NHL draft picks on this year's lineup with Jo Lemay (WSH), Ty Mueller (VAN) and Victor Mancini (NYR) being the others.
A season after being picked to place 7th in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Preseason Poll, the Mavericks have been tabbed 6th in this year's Preseason Media Poll. Tying their best-ever finish in the NCHC last season with a 3rd place finish and a record of 13-9-2 in conference play, Omaha will look to replicate what they accomplished last season and prove the preseason poll wrong for the second year in a row. With their 3rd place finish in 2022-23, the Mavericks secured home ice advantage for NCHC Playoffs for the first time in Baxter Arena history.
The University of Minnesota will host the 2024 Men's Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, it was jointly announced today by the University of Minnesota, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Sports Nevada USA, the Hockey Commissioners Association, and College Hockey Inc.
Air Force Academy, Massachusetts and Omaha will also compete in the event, scheduled for Oct. 11-12, 2024.
Mavericks All Access is back with a live show with the Omaha hockey team. Ana Bellinghausen spoke with head coach Mike Gabinet on expectations for this year and how this group has connected well this preseason. Sophomore goaltender Simon Latkoczy and sophomore forward Jacob Slipec also join to hear about how last season's finish serves as motivation and what they're looking forward to. The pair also dive into their own personal journeys coming from outside the U.S. Stay for the end to hear some teammate call-outs and Nebraska trivia!
Welcome to the new era. A new Omaha Hockey home jersey has been released! The white sweater features a prominent bull logo. Cheer on the Omaha Mavericks this season at Baxter Arena. Get tickets omavs.com/tix. Follow the Mavericks on the road with NCHC.tv. Subscribe today and choose Omaha as your favorite team!
It took 57:20 for the game's first goal in tonight's Omaha versus Minnesota State exhibition contest. The game winning goal came off the stick of Senior forward Matt Miller after a solid offensive zone forecheck to maintain possession. Miller took control of the puck and sent a backhand shot on net that trickled through five-hole to help secure Omaha's victory over Minnesota State.
Omaha will make their regular season debut next week as they host the Niagara Purple Eagles from Baxter Arena. Puck drop slated for 7:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday night.
Mavs Vs Mavs, Things You Missed, Omaha In Vegas, Niagara Preview
On this episode of the #mavpuckcast, Jason and Jon analyze the UNO Hockey team's exhibition at MSU Mankato. They look at some of the game-day amenities Mankato features in their arena during the hockey season. Jason and Jon also discuss Omaha's recently announced participation in the 2024 Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas. The episode concludes with predictions for Omaha's season-opening series against the Niagara Purple Eagles at Baxter Arena.
Omaha Hockey Head Coach Mike Gabinet Looks Ahead to Week 1 Against Niagra.
Omaha Head Coach Mike Gabinet reflects on the exhibition against Minnesota State, what he can reflect on and looking ahead to the first game of the year against Niagra. Omaha looks to get revenge this weekend after Niagra swept the Mavericks in their first weekend last seaon.
Two years ago, NIL threatened to change the competitive fabric of college sports. It’s intended to allow student-athletes to receive some compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness. But the big question was always, would the big sports schools just pull in bigger dollars, leaving behind the smaller programs in a whole new way? The question remains unanswered, but for now, some groups are getting creative with their recipes for support. So don’t count out schools like the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where they’re brewing up some competition on the NIL front. The three co-founders behind the Bull Market collective connecting student-athletes to charities and businesses have rolled out the barrel, so to speak with the release of their own Mavericks-labeled beer, Bull Market lager.
Buckeyed, UNO Giving Day, Vintage Mav Night, Bronco Predictions
On this episode of the #mavpuckcast, Jason and Jon analyze the Omaha Hockey team’s tough series against the Ohio State Buckeyes. They discuss some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena” — including this year’s Parent’s Night. Jon gives you all the details on UNO Giving Day 2023 — the annual 24-hour Wear Black Give Back fundraising campaign. They look at the upcoming Omaha Hockey Homecoming events — including “Vintage Night” on Nov. 3. They look at UNO’s upcoming road trip to Augustana, and talk about the MavPuck group ticket allotment for the game. They wrap up the episode with their predictions for the Mavericks’ upcoming hockey series against the Western Michigan Broncos at Baxter Arena.
If you are a long term UNO hockey fan. Lawlor's (and I believe Rally House and UNO Bookstore) are bringing back retro UNO merchandise and jerseys. I am really pumped to get one of the early jerseys. They have the original white with the Bull on them, and my favorite, the red Nebraska Omaha jerseys coming.
