The Teams
Omaha is coming off of a 7-2 exhibition victory over No. 3 Minnesota State last Saturday night. The Mavericks topped the Mavericks with a wire-to-wire victory in their first taste of competitive hockey for the 2022-23 season to retain the Pride of the Mavericks traveling award.
Niagara did not play last weekend and will get Omaha as their season debut opponent. The Purple Eagles went 11-22-3 last year and 10-13-3 in AHA conference play.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 75-86-11 record all-time at his alma mater. The 2004 graduate of Omaha served as an associate head coach during the 2016-17 season before being elevated to the head coach position in 2017-18.
Gabinet returned to Omaha after four seasons at NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the ACAC Championship. He was named the conference Coach of the Year and became the first rookie head coach in Canadian college hockey to guide his team to an undefeated record.
Gabinet, a standout defenseman for the Mavericks from 2000-04, is assisted by Associate Head Coach Dave Noel-Bernier (Omaha, 2001) and Paul Jerrard (Lake Superior State, 1987).
Jason Lammers is in his sixth season as head coach at Niagara. The 1998 graduate of Geneso is 58-93-18 at Niagara. He is assisted by Mark Phalon (Associate HC) and Nate Skidmore.
New Kids On The Block
The Mavericks welcome 12 newcomers to the roster this year. The list of newcomers is made up of 10 freshmen, senior goaltender transfer Jake Kucharski (AIC) and graduate student Jake Pivonka (Notre Dame). Position breakdown of the freshmen goes as follows ... Forwards: Ray Fust (Waterloo - USHL), Jacob Slipec (Surrey - BCHL), Cam Mitchell (Omaha - USHL), Michael Abgrall (Surrey - BCHL), Tyler Rollwagen (Fargo - USHL) ... Defensemen: Joaquim Lemay (Lincoln - USHL), Griffin Ludtke (Sioux City - USHL), Jacob Guevin (Muskegon - USHL) ... Goaltenders: Simon Latkoczy (Madison - USHL) and Raythan Robbins (Anchorage - NAHL).
This Is Your Captain Speaking
No stranger to wearing a leadership letter on his chest, Senior forward Nolan Sullivan will wear the "C" for the Mavericks this season. He will be joined be senior and junior forwards Jack Randl and Matt Miller as they make their captaincy debut wearing the alternate captain "A"
All-Time vs. Niagara
The Mavericks and Niagara have only met eight total times in UNO's history. Niagara currently leads the all-time series at 4-3-1. The most recent of matchups came in October of 2006 when Omaha downed the Purple Eagles 10-1. The Mavericks lead the all-time series 3-2-1 when the game is played in Omaha.
Media
Both games can be heard live on AM 1290. Casey Roehl will have the play-by-play, Terry Leahy provides analysis. Coverage begins 30 minutes before game time with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show.
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