The Mavericks will put a bow on the regular season and continue their pursuit of home ice this weekend in Grand Forks.
It’s the first meeting of the year between Omaha and North Dakota, who have met 52 times as NCHC foes – including six playoff matchups. That number could potentially increase in the coming weeks too.
UND leads the all-time series, 36-22-2. However, Omaha has won three straight and earned points in six of its past seven trips up I-29.
Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops.
Omaha (17-14-1, 13-8-1) at No. 18 North Dakota (18-13-2, 13-8-1)
Game 1: Friday, March 7, 6:36 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, March 8, 6:07 p.m. CDT
*Both games played at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Friday’s game televised on CBS Sports Network.
Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Mike Gabinet (8th season, 135-128-18)
Leading scorer: Sam Stange, Gr., F (13-15-28)
Between the pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Jr. (13-13-1, .925 save percentage, 2.69 GAA)
Power Play: 24/114 (21.1%)
Penalty Kill: 63/82 (76.8%)
Pairwise Ranking: 27th
North Dakota
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Brad Berry (10th season, 224-117-35)
Leading scorer: Sacha Boisvert, Fr., F (14-11-25)
Between the pipes: TJ Semptimphelter, Gr. (15-9-2, .907 save percentage, 2.66 GAA)
Power Play: 25/99 (25.3%)
Penalty Kill: 88/115 (76.5%)
Pairwise Ranking: 18th
All-time series: North Dakota leads, 36-22-2
Last matchup: March 22, 2024 – Omaha 6-3 win in St. Paul, Minn (NCHC Frozen Faceoff)
Last Time Out
Omaha closed out the home portion of its regular season with a 4-2 win over No. 12 Arizona State. The Mavs trailed 2-1 heading into the third period but received goals from Jimmy Glynn, Griffin Ludtke and Brady Risk (ENG), en route to the Senior Night victory.
Freshman goaltender Kevin Reidler received his fifth career start and made 40 saves, earning his fourth NCAA win. It was just the third time this season that the Mavs won a game they trailed after 40 minutes. Omaha dropped the series opener, 4-1.
Friday’s loss snapped a seven-game home win streak and an eight-game home win streak in NCHC play. Omaha finished the regular season with a 10-6-0 record at Baxter Arena but won 10 of its final 12 games in the building.
Now they’ll try to finish the regular season strong and secure home ice for the first round of the playoffs.
“We’ve played some pretty tough games over the course of the year and know it’s gonna be no different there, and it’s a good environment there. So I just think (there’s a lot of) excitement,” head coach Mike Gabinet said Wednesday afternoon. “I think when you look at these things with enthusiasm and an opportunistic mindset, I think good things can happen.”
Griffin Ludtke scored the game-winning goal Saturday night against ASU. “I think he’s a gamer,” Gabinet said of the junior defenseman. “He likes to play in those situations where there’s pressure and he’s not afraid of it. He does the work Monday through Thursday to earn the right to be confident on Friday and Saturday, and the moment doesn’t get too big for him.” Photo by Logan Hock
Saturday’s win over ASU vaulted Omaha back up to third in the NCHC standings with 41 points – two ahead of North Dakota and Denver.
The Mavs need just two points to clinch a top-four finish and host their second-ever playoff series at Baxter Arena – North Dakota (March 10-12, 2023) being the other.
The NCHC Quarterfinals take place next weekend – March 14-16 – and are a best-of-three series.
Opponent Watch
North Dakota entered December with a 7-7-1 record and has been inconsistent for much of the season. Although the Fighting Hawks have been decimated by injuries all year and illness of late.
However, UND is coming off a big win in Kalamazoo, as Jake Livanavage scored 3:19 into overtime last Saturday. The Fighting Hawks scored eight times in the series and received 60 saves from T.J. Semptimphelter, who was named the NCHC’s February Goalie of the Month.
Semptimphelter is 15-9-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.66 GAA, while Livanavage leads UND with 26 points. Sacha Boisvert has been one of the NCHC’s top rookies and has a team-leading 14 goals, but Dylan James (13) and former Maverick Cameron Berg (11) are right behind.
UND is 9-6-1 on home ice this season, including three straight home conference wins, and 6-3-1 over its last 10 overall. The Fighting Hawks have out-scored their opponents 106-95, including a 75-65 mark in NCHC play, and their power play (25.3%) ranks 10th in the country.
“They’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays and score goals, and have high talent,” Gabinet said. “I think it’s really important that you’re making sure they have to earn what they get against you.”
Reinforcements On The Way?
Omaha’s lineup had a noticeable omission last weekend in graduate center Harrison Israels, especially in the faceoff circle. Israels has been Omaha’s top two-way center this season and has 14 points (5-9-14) since Jan. 1, but he sustained a lower-body injury in Kalamazoo on Feb. 15.
While nothing is set in stone, Israels is trending in the right direction and could potentially return in Grand Forks.
Tanner Ludtke took warmups last Friday against ASU and is getting closer to a return from his upper-body injury. “Being injured is no fun, let alone having what we thought could or would be a season-ending injury. But he’s made a strong case to potentially play here down the stretch and I’ve just seen him grow up as a young man,” Griffin Ludtke said of his younger brother. Photo by John S. Peterson.
He might not be the only one either, as sophomore forward Tanner Ludtke also continues progressing. Ludtke – a third-round pick (Utah, 2023) – last played on Oct. 25 before undergoing surgery for an upper-body injury. He racked up a team-leading 28 points last season and was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team.
“We’ll see,” Gabinet said. “Both of those guys are trying their best to come back as quickly and safely as possible. It’ll probably be more of a game-time decision to see where those guys end up.”
Gabinet added that the staff will continue to monitor Simon Latkoczy this week but was non-committal on his status. Latkoczy took a ‘big hit’ during the third period of Friday’s loss to ASU and did not play on Saturday.
If he’s unable to go, Omaha would once again turn to Reidler, who was excellent in Saturday’s win. Gabinet said the freshman has “earned the opportunity to play” when called upon and praised his growth throughout the season.
UND will be without freshman defenseman E.J Emery in the series but is expected to get Jayden Perron and Dane Montgomery back. Perron has 17 points (9-8-17) through 26 games.
Final Verdict
Number to know: 2 – Omaha needs two points to secure home ice. Omaha currently holds a two-point lead over Denver and North Dakota. The Mavs also own more regulation NCHC wins (12) than both DU (11) and UND (10), which is the first tiebreaker.
Player to Watch: Jacob Guevin, Jr., D – Guevin had a pair of assists against ASU and was a plus-3 in Saturday’s win. He also scored the game-tying goal at Western Michigan and has four points (2-2-4) over his past five games. Guevin has four career points (2-2-4) against UND.
Series prediction: Split
