OMAHA, Neb. – It had been 111 days since Omaha’s last home conference loss – Nov. 9, 2024 to Western Michigan. The Mavericks were a perfect 8-0-0 in NCHC action and 9-1-0 on home ice overall since.
However, their seven-game home win streak came to an end Friday night, as the Mavs were handed a 4-1 loss by No. 12 Arizona State.
“These are teams you have to beat,” head coach Mike Gabinet said after the game. “They’re obviously a highly-talented team and you have to play a certain way to be successful, and you can’t do it for certain parts of the game. You’ve got to find ways to do it consistently throughout the whole game.”
Gabinet’s club fired 33 shots at the ASU cage and had a number of chances throughout the night, but the Mavs have now dropped three straight. Omaha is 2-4-1 over its past seven and has allowed 32 goals in the stretch.
Friday’s loss, coupled with Denver’s win over St. Cloud State, dropped the Mavs to fourth in the NCHC standings. Omaha holds a one-point lead over North Dakota for the final home ice position, and Omaha travels to North Dakota next weekend.
“We’ve been in important games since the second half,” Gabinet said. “You play elite teams in this conference, so you’ve just got to find ways to continue to improve. I liked our game for maybe 30-35 minutes tonight, didn’t like it for the other 25 minutes, and they made us pay in those 25 minutes. So you’ve got to keep growing.”
Omaha allowed the final three goals in Friday’s loss and saw ASU freshman Cullen Potter light the lamp twice. Potter, a potential first-round pick in next summer’s NHL Draft, has back-to-back two-goal games and was named the game’s No. 1 star.
Potter broke the ice 5:46 into the contest as he wired home a power-play goal from the far faceoff circle. Omaha’s Garrett Pinoniemi was handed a tripping minor 3:47 into the game and Potter converted in the final seconds of the man advantage.
Omaha answered with a power-play goal of its own late in the period, courtesy of graduate forward Brock Bremer. Jacob Guevin fed Griffin Ludtke for a one-time blast and Bremer swatted home the loose puck in the crease. The goal was Bremer’s fourth of the season and came with 5:41 left on the clock.
Omaha Maverick Brock Bremer looks to attack the puck during a hockey match at Baxter Arena on Saturday, February 2, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Collin Stilen.
However, that was it for the Mavs. Omaha went 1-for-4 on the power play and also allowed a pair of short-handed breakaways.
“They’re a (penalty kill) that’s gonna jump, and those 50-50 pucks you’ve got to make sure you win them or get out of the zone. They got a couple steps on us there,” Gabinet said of the power-play issues.
Friday’s game remained tied after 20 minutes and for much of the second period, until ASU forward Ryan Kirwan scored with 2:45 left. Omaha had controlled much of the period up until that point too.
Artem Shlaine fired a shot at Simon Latkoczy from the slot and the rebound remained loose in the Omaha crease. Multiple players swatted at the puck until Kirwan ultimately pushed his 21st goal across the line.
Omaha challenged the play for goalie interference but after a nearly two-minute-long review, the call stood.
Latkoczy had a lengthy conversation with referee Nick Biondich at center ice after the period as well, yet Kirwan’s tally stood as the eventual game-winner.
“(The ref) said the puck was loose,” Gabinet said. “Again, I think he hit Simon’s pad and he gets the rebound in there, and obviously they’ve got more camera angles than I do – But I thought it was worth a challenge to try to protect our goalie a little bit and try to take that goal off the board.”
Potter made it a 3-1 game 1:10 into the third, using his speed and sending a shot over Latkoczy’s glove. Shlaine then stretched the lead to three at the 8:19 mark, sending many of the home fans to the exits early.
ASU forward Cruz Lucius collied with Latkoczy in between the goals, although he was forced into the junior goaltender by a Chase LaPinta hit. Latkoczy remained down on the ice and had to be tended to by athletic trainer Josh Englebretson, but he finished the game.
ASU out-shot Omaha 13-7 in the third and 39-33 on the night, and the Sun Devils clinched home ice with the win. Omaha will look to respond on Saturday and continue its pursuit of the same.
“Too bad we couldn’t get something going in the second period when we had all that momentum,” Gabinet said. “Didn’t like our first 10 minutes and I didn’t like our third period.”
Omaha (16-14-1, 12-8-1) and Arizona State (19-12-2, 14-8-1) will finish their series on Saturday, which will also be Omaha’s Senior Night. Game 2 is set for another 7:07 p.m. faceoff at Baxter Arena.
Final line
Omaha 1-0-0 – 1
Arizona State 1-1-2 – 4
First Period
Cullen Potter (Anthony Dowd, Cruz Lucius), 5:46, PP
Brock Bremer (Griffin Ludtke, Jacob Guevin), 14:19, PP
Second Period
Ryan Kirwan (Artem Shlaine, Joel Kjellberg), 17:15
Third Period
Cullen Potter (Bennett Schimek, Noah Beck), 1:10
Artem Shlaine (Joel Kjellberg, Dylan Jackson), 8:19
SOG
Omaha 10-16-7 – 33
Arizona State 11-15-13 – 39
Power Play
Omaha – 1/4
Arizona State – 1/1
Saves
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha: 10-14-11 – 35
Gibson Homer, Arizona State: 9-16-7 – 32
Attendance
7,898
