Omaha Hockey Returns Home To Battle St. Cloud State

Omaha hockey returns home this weekend to host St. Cloud State.

The Mavericks put together a pair of impressive efforts last weekend at No. 3 Denver, but ultimately dropped both games. Now they’ll look to earn their first NCHC win on home ice.

It’s a jam-packed weekend at Baxter Arena, too. Friday’s game includes Jake Guentzel’s jersey retirement, homecoming and recognition for the 2026 Omaha Athletics Hall of Fame class. It’s also parents weekend and there are giveaways both nights.

Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops.

Omaha (2-4-0, 0-2-0) vs. St. Cloud State (3-4-0, 1-1-0)

Game 1: Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. CDT
*Both games played at Baxter Arena

Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (10th season, 149-159-19)
Point Leader: Parker Berge, D, Sr. (2-5-7)
Between The Pipes: Will Lacelle, Fr. (1-4-0, .927 save percentage, 2.59 GAA)

St. Cloud State
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Nick Oliver (1st season, 3-4-0)
Point Leader: Gavyn Thoreson, F, Jr. (3-5-8)
Between The Pipes: Yan Shostak, Fr.  (2-3-0, .930 save percentage, 2.57 GAA)

All-time series: SCSU leads, 31-21-4
Last matchup: Jan. 10, 2026 — SCSU 2-1 win at Baxter Arena 

Last Time Out

Omaha went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Denver last weekend, but ultimately left the Mile High City with a pair of losses — 2-1 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday.

Omaha finished Friday night 5-for-5 on the penalty kill — including a first-period 5-on-3 — and Will Lacelle made another 37 saves. Omaha blocked 19 shots in front of him, too. Vincent Desjardins tied the game 11:59 into the third, but Denver’s Kristian Epperson netted the eventual game-winner with 6:07 left.

Omaha responded with what Mike Gabinet called his team’s best effort on the season on Saturday.

Luke Woodworth scored Omaha’s lone goal on the power play and the Mavs carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Yet DU scored twice in the second and twice in the third — once on the power play and an empty-netter. It’s the only power-play tally the Mavs have allowed this season, and Omaha’s penalty kill (20-for-21) ranks fifth in the country at 95.2%.

Despite the disappointing results, Gabinet’s club gave itself a chance to win against one of the nation’s top teams. They’ll look to build on it against SCSU.

“Those are always tough weekends because you do a lot of good things,” Gabinet said Wednesday afternoon. “Breaking down the video and talking to the coaches, they all had the same message. We took a step this weekend, and yet you come home with two losses, and ultimately, it’s about finding a way to get a win.”

Scouting the Huskies

St. Cloud State opened NCHC play with a split against Arizona State, and the Huskies have split their past three series.

SCSU fell to ASU last Friday, 3-2, despite holding a first-period lead and entering the third period tied. However, SCSU responded with a 2-1 win in the finale.

Hayden Paupanekis and William Ahlrik scored within the first 4:31 of Saturday’s contest and Yan Shostak made 42 saves, securing SCSU’s first conference victory. Shostak stopped 73 of the 77 shots he saw in the series and has made 173 of 186 possible saves this season.

“We’ve always had good series against St. Cloud; they’re a good team,” Gabinet said. “They’ve got some older guys and they’re a big, heavy team, so it’s going to be a fun matchup to compete and go try to win some hockey games.”

SCSU is led by first-year coach Nick Oliver. Oliver led the Fargo Force to 40 wins and an Anderson Cup during the 2022-23 season, earning him the USHL Coach of the Year title. The 35-year-old spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin and is a former SCSU captain.

The Huskies had to replace 17 players from last season, including their top three point producers and three of their top four goal scorers. Gavyn Thoreson finished third in goals (11) and fourth in points (20) last season, and he currently leads SCSU in both departments.

“They’re a hard-working team and if we don’t show up, we don’t work hard and play Omaha hockey, we could go bad,” said sophomore forward Maxime Pellerin. “So it’s really play to our identity and really install our pace of play.”

Maverick To Watch: Luke Woodworth, F, So.

Woodworth ranks second on Omaha’s roster with five points, and he’s earned them over the past four games. The sophomore scored Omaha’s lone goal on Saturday and he won 21 faceoffs in the Denver series. Woodworth is 62-59 on faceoffs this season, and those 62 wins lead Omaha.

Woodworth put up 21 points (4-17-21) last season, which ranked second on the roster. Gabinet said he’s ‘doing a lot of good things’ on and off the ice, and described the sophomore as a competitor.

“He really likes to compete, and he knows how you need to play to be successful,” Gabinet said. “I think it’s a little bit sometimes uncommon for younger players to understand some of the less-fun nuances of the game that you have to do when you’re playing certain opponents and certain types of games, and I think he gets that.

“He understands the puck management side of things and just the defensive effort needed, and what you need to do offensively to score at this level. And how hard it is to score and the areas you’ve got to get to.”

Opponent To Watch: Nolan Roed, F, So.

Roed has four points over his past three games (1-3-4), and the sophomore ranks second on SCSU with seven points. The White Bear Lake, Minn., product put up 18 points (5-13-18) last season and enjoyed a 60-point (27-33-60) 2024-25 campaign with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.

Roed has spent all seven games centering SCSU’s top line between Thoreson and Noah Urness. Roed has won 75 faceoffs, which is tied for sixth among NCHC forwards. He’s also a Colorado Avalanche draft pick (2025, 7th).

Number To Know: 35.9

St. Cloud State allows 35.9 shots per game, which is the nation’s fourth-highest mark. Opponents have out-shot the Huskies 251-205 through their first seven games, and they are allowing 2.9 goals per game. Omaha is averaging 30.8 shots each night. The Mavericks are also allowing 35.5 shots themselves, which is tied for the nation’s seventh-highest total.

How To Follow

Mike Vaillancourt and Terry Leahy will have the call for both games on The Varsity Network. Both games will also be available on NCHC.tv.

Stay tuned to Hurrdat Sports all season as Avarie Howard and Jordan McAlpine provide Omaha hockey coverage.