The Mavericks return to Baxter Arena this weekend for their final regular-season home series as No. 12 Arizona State comes to town.
The two teams are currently second and third in the NCHC standings and will complete their season series, as the teams split a pair of games last fall in Tempe. Omaha took Game 1, 4-2, while the Sun Devils salvaged the split with a 3-2 win.
This will be ASU’s fifth trip to Baxter Arena since being elevated to the Division I level in 2015-16, but its first as a conference foe. Saturday will also be Omaha’s Senior Night.
Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops.
Omaha (16-13-1, 12-7-1) vs. Arizona State (18-12-2, 13-8-1)
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 28, 7:07 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, March 1, 7:07 p.m. CDT
*Both games played at Baxter Arena
Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Mike Gabinet (8th season, 134-127-18)
Leading scorer: Sam Stange, Gr., F (12-15-27)
Between the pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Jr. (13-12-1, .926 save percentage, 2.64 GAA)
Power Play: 23/105 (21.9%)
Penalty Kill: 61/77 (79.2%)
Pairwise Ranking: 28th
Arizona State
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Greg Powers (10th season, 145-161-25)
Leading scorer: Ryan Kirwan, F, Sr. (20-11-31)
Between the pipes: Luke Pavicich, Sr. (12-8-0, .912 save percentage, 2.48 GAA)
Power Play: 27/98 (27.6%)
Penalty Kill: 79/95 (83.2%)
Pairwise Ranking: 16th
All-time series: Omaha leads, 6-4-1
Last matchup: Nov. 16, 2024 – ASU 3-2 win in Tempe, Ariz.
Last Time Out
The Mavs were off last weekend after a disappointing series at Western Michigan. Omaha earned a point in Game 1, as the Mavs scored two third-period power-play goals to force overtime. Yet WMU defenseman Joona Vaisanen scored 1:04 into the extra frame, giving the Broncos a 5-4 win. Jimmy Glynn had three points (2-1-3) in the loss.
However, Saturday’s game went off the rails quick, as the Broncos finished the sweep with a 6-1 win. WMU led 2-0 after 20 minutes, tacked on three second-period tallies and another in the third.
Omaha was out-shot 43-17 in the loss, went 0-for-2 on the power play and more importantly lost Harrison Israels to a lower-body injury at the end of the first period. The graduate center will miss this weekend’s series and Tanner Ludtke remains sidelined as well.
The losses might’ve dampened some of the momentum gained by Omaha’s 8-1-1 stretch, but Mike Gabinet’s club is eager to respond against ASU.
“I think we’ve been kind of doing it all season long, finding little ways to keep improving from weekend to weekend,” Gabinet said. “So, if you can keep doing that even down the stretch here, good things are going to happen.”
“We’ve kind of just been building and building, and we’re obviously entering one of the most important stretches here,” added graduate forward Sam Stange. “We’re just going to be looking to kind of fall back on what we’ve been working towards this whole year.”
Omaha Maverick Sam Stange in the starting lineup during a hockey match at Baxter Arena on Saturday, February 2, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Collin Stilen.
Omaha is also playing for home ice over its final four games, as the NCHC’s top four teams host playoff series. The Mavs have 38 points – six behind ASU, one ahead of North Dakota and two ahead of Denver.
The Mavs were swept by Western Michigan to open conference play but they’re a perfect 8-0-0 in NCHC action at Baxter Arena since. Omaha is 9-5-0 at home and has just one loss – Dec. 13 – since its 0-4-0 home start.
Opponent Watch
The Sun Devils have been one of the nation’s most consistent teams since mid-November and they sit second in the NCHC standings for a reason. Arizona State trails first-place Western Michigan (47) by just three points – although WMU has played two fewer games – and became the first NCHC team to hand WMU a regulation loss last Friday.
Arizona State earned four points in the series and is 14-5-1 over its past 20 games, including a 12-5-1 mark in the NCHC. Only one of those losses came in regulation too. Ty Jackson and Cullen Potter each had two-goal games against the Broncos while Luke Pavicich made 76 saves, and ASU’s off-season additions continue making an impact.
Greg Powers’ club had a brief hiccup earlier this month in Duluth, skating to an overtime loss and tie (shootout win), but ASU brings a talented lineup – which features four of the NCHC’s top 10 goal scorers – to Omaha.
“If you look at their roster, they’ve arguably got one of the most talented rosters in the conference, and I think the people in the hockey world know that,” Gabinet said. “You know what you’re gonna face when you play a team like that. They’ve got lots of ability to make plays and lots of talent there.”
Senior Send-Off
Omaha has just one true senior on its roster in forward Zach Urdahl, but several players will be recognized for their contributions to the program Saturday night.
Three five-year Mavericks will play their final regular-season game at Baxter Arena: Brock Bremer, Jimmy Glynn and Nolan Krenzen. Four graduate transfers will be honored as well in Aiden Gallacher, Harrison Israels, Brady Risk and Stange.
“They’re all high-character individuals, all guys that have done nothing but work hard and are fully committed to improving and helping the team win,” Gabinet said. “So, it’s going to be sad to have those guys move on, but we’re excited for what they’ve brought to the program and excited to get to watch them play down the stretch here.”
Final Verdict
Number to know: 118 – Arizona State’s 118 goals rank third in the NCAA. The Sun Devils are averaging 3.7 goals per game and have scored an NCHC-best 85 times in conference play.
Player to Watch: Sam Stange – Stange scored Omaha’s lone goal in the Saturday loss in Kalamazoo, which snapped a four-game goal drought. Stange has 10 points (2-8-10) over his last six games at Baxter Arena and scored in both games against Arizona State earlier this season.
Series prediction: Omaha sweep
