The Mavericks have won four of their last six and will try to keep that momentum going this weekend, as Omaha finishes the first half against Lindenwood. It’s the fourth consecutive season the Mavs have welcomed a new foe to Baxter Arena.
The third-year program, which had a successful run as a club team, calls the St. Louis metro home as Lindenwood is located in St. Charles, Mo. Friday will mark the first-ever matchup between the two schools and Omaha will be Lindenwood’s third NCHC opponent of the season as well.
Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops.
Omaha (6-8-0, 4-4-0) vs. Lindenwood (3-12-1, 0-0-0)
Game 1: Friday, Dec. 13, 7:07 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Dec. 14, 7:07 p.m.
*Both games played at Baxter Arena*
Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Mike Gabinet (8th season, 123-122-18)
Leading scorer: Sam Stange, Gr., F (7-4-11)
Between the pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Jr. (6-7-0, .930 save percentage, 2.33 GAA)
Power Play: 8/50 (16%)
Penalty Kill: 33/40 (82.5%)
Lindenwood
Conference: None
Head coach: Bill Muckalt (1st season, 3-12-1)
Leading scorer: David Gagnon, Sr., F (7-5-12)
Between the pipes: Owen Bartoszkiewicz, So. (3-11-0, .914 save percentage, 2.81 GAA)
Power Play: 5/52 (9.6%)
Penalty Kill: 44/58 (75.9%)
All-time series: 0-0-0
Last matchup: N/A
Last Time Out
Omaha’s latest win came last Friday night at No. 9 St. Cloud State, as the Mavs skated to a 4-3 overtime win. Jimmy Glynn gave Omaha an early 1-0 lead and despite facing a 3-2 deficit to open the third period, Zach Urdahl scored 22 seconds into the final frame and Sam Stange ultimately delivered the win in overtime. Simon Latkoczy also made 31 saves at the other end, earning his sixth win of the season.
The momentum spilled over into Game 2, as Cam Mitchell scored 41 seconds into the contest, giving the Mavs an early road lead. However, SCSU responded with four second-period goals and one more in the third, handing the Mavs a 5-2 loss.
While Mike Gabinet’s club would’ve preferred to come home with six points, they’ll take the split – especially against a top-10 foe – and hope to continue building this weekend.
“Nice to get a big win on Friday night and split on the road against a very good St. Cloud team,” Gabinet said. “We just keep building. I really liked four periods out of the six this weekend and some really good hockey, even Saturday our first period was maybe one of our most-complete periods I’ve seen us play and we played really well. So you’re seeing that growth, you’re seeing us continue to build and stack upon good things.”
Opponent Watch
It’d be easy to overlook this weekend with a three-win team coming to town and the holiday break right around the corner. However, the Lions are battle-tested, they’re coming off a bye and will want to finish the first half on a high note themselves.
The Lions have dropped three straight and are 2-9-1 on the road this season. They were swept at top-ranked Michigan State last time out, 4-0 and 2-0, yet the Spartans had to earn everything – something that’s been a theme against this Lindenwood club.
Lindenwood’s resume features wins at Wisconsin and Miami, and a one-goal loss against Ohio State.
“They’re a good hockey team and have played an extremely hard schedule so far,” Gabinet said. “They’re battle-tested for sure. So just another solid week of practice preparing for a good opponent coming into town.”
“They’ve played a lot of good teams and played close games with good teams, so just make sure we’re ready for them,” Urdahl added. “They’re gonna play hard and they’re gonna play fast, so we’ve gotta make sure we match that.”
Bill Muckalt’s roster features 10 freshmen and five sophomores, including goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz. Bartoszkiewicz spent one season at Minnesota and should be a familiar name to USHL fans.
Lindenwood’s roster also includes junior defenseman Coltan Wilkie, who has played in two games this season. Wilkie’s father, David, is the former head coach and GM of the Omaha Lancers.
Signs Of Growth
Freshman defenseman Marcus Broberg received plenty of credit from Mike Gabinet on Wednesday for his growth throughout the first half. “He’s an up-and-coming young defenseman and doing well,” Gabinet said. Photo by Jaelle Johnson.
It’s been an interesting first half as Omaha followed up its Ice Breaker championship with a six-game losing streak, including four straight home losses.
For a group that features 14 newcomers and has been hit hard by injuries, a number of factors played a part in that stretch. Yet the Mavs felt they were better than their record indicated.
However, they’ve started to click over the past month and enter the break with some momentum. They’d like to add two more wins this weekend first.
“We’ll get a break on Sunday, but until then, it’s time to work and time to get better,” Gabinet said. “I think everybody’s intelligent in that room and we know there’s no easy games and we know how hard (Lindenwood) plays. So we’ve just got to continue to grow and work on our process as well.
“There’s things we’ve got to get better at and continue to build on, and I think we’ve got some good momentum here. But we also have to continue to take personal responsibility and get better.”
Final Verdict
Number to know: 60 – Lindenwood will be the 60th different opponent Omaha has faced throughout its program history.
Player to Watch: Zach Urdahl, Sr. F – Urdahl missed three games with an upper-body injury but made an immediate impact in his return, scoring twice and adding an assist in Friday’s win in St. Cloud. Urdahl has 10 points (7-3-10) through 11 games.
Series prediction: Omaha sweep
