The Mavericks have won three of their last four and will look to keep that momentum going, as Omaha heads to St. Cloud State for a pair of games this weekend.
Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops in St. Cloud, Minn.
Omaha (5-7-0, 3-3-0) at No. 9 St. Cloud State (9-4-0, 3-1-0)
Game 1: Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m.
*Both games played at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center*
Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Mike Gabinet (8th season, 122-121-18)
Leading scorer: Sam Stange, Gr., F (6-4-10)
Between the pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Jr. (5-6-0, .938 save percentage, 2.05 GAA)
Power Play: 8/45 (17.8%)
Penalty Kill: 31/35 (88.6%)
St. Cloud State
Conference: NCHC
Head coach: Brett Larson (7th season, 132-80-21)
Leading scorer: Austin Burnevik, Fr., F (7-5-12)
Between the pipes: Isak Posch, So. (9-4-0, .938 save percentage, 1.68 GAA)
Power Play: 5/36 (13.9%)
Penalty Kill: 34/38 (89.5%)
All-time series: SCSU leads, 29-17-4
Last matchup: Jan. 17, 2024 – 1-1 tie at SCSU *Omaha wins shootout*
Last time out
The Mavericks were off last weekend but had to feel good heading into Thanksgiving.
After scoring two or fewer goals in seven of their first 10 games, Mike Gabinet’s club erupted for 11 goals in a sweep of Miami. Omaha skated to a 3-0 win in Game 1, earning its first home win of the season, and scored a season-high eight goals in the finale, en route to an 8-1 win.
Sam Stange stayed hot with another five points (2-3-5), Myles Hilman scored his first two NCAA goals, Jacob Guevin had three assists and Simon Latkoczy made 41 of a possible 42 saves on the weekend. Omaha also scored three power-play goals in Game 2 and had a pair of short-handed tallies in the series – both of which came from Cam Mitchell.
With just two series left in the first half, the Mavs are refreshed and want to carry their momentum into the break.
“I thought the guys were really intense today and practiced at a high tempo with good enthusiasm, good focus,” Gabinet said Wednesday afternoon. “Just looking to continue to build here and get ready for a good St. Cloud team.”
St. Cloud State was also idle last week and split a series at No. 7 Colorado College last time out. The Huskies opened the series with a 3-2 win but suffered a one-goal loss of their own in Game 2, 1-0 in overtime.
SCSU fired 27 shots at CC’s Kaidan Mbereko in the finale but was unable to solve the reigning NCHC Goaltender of the Year. The Huskies swept their previous series against Miami to open conference play and are 5-2-0 at home this season.
Opponent Watch
St. Cloud State has been one of the nation’s top defensive teams as the Huskies have allowed just 24 goals and an average of 1.8 per game – which is tied for 11th and seventh nationally.
SCSU’s penalty kill (34-for-38) has also been one of the NCAA’s best at 89.5%, but the Huskies have allowed two of those four goals over their past three games. SCSU’s power play has struggled itself and converted just five times this season – four of them coming between two games.
However, the record speaks for itself and there’s a talented team awaiting the Mavs.
“They play with a lot of speed and pace,” Gabinet said. “They’re built for that Olympic-sized rink and obviously they’re ninth in the country for a reason.”
Brett Larson’s club has combined its strong defensive play and Isak Posch’s goaltending with contributions from all over the lineup, along with a good freshmen class.
Austin Burnevik has been one of the NCHC’s top rookies and the Anaheim pick leads or is tied for the team lead in goals (7), points (12), plus/minus (+7) and shots (42), among others.
As for Posch, the sophomore boasts a .938 save percentage and 1.68 GAA. The Swedish goaltender also has two shutouts this season.
Playing on the big ice
It’s always going to be a storyline when teams head to St. Cloud, as ‘The Herb’ features an Olympic-sized sheet.
Gabinet said the Mavs have implemented some different concepts in practice this week and will head up Thursday to practice. Along with Friday’s morning skate.
“It’s a big ice rink so hopefully we can get pucks behind their net and kind of keep pucks around the outside,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully get ’em to collapse a little bit and kind of attack through there. They’ve been playing very well as of late, especially defensively. So, I think we just gotta chip away and get a lot of traffic in front of their goalie and I think we’ll be pretty good.”
Omaha has had some recent success in St. Cloud too. The Mavs earned four points in last year’s trip and are 3-1-1 over their last five games in the building. But it’s far from an easy place or opponent to play.
“I really like the way (Brett Larson) runs the program up there. I think he does an excellent job and they’re always competitive and strong, so we’ll definitely have to have our A-game prepared for Friday and Saturday night,” Gabinet said.
Final Verdict
Number to know: 88.6 – Omaha’s penalty kill ranks 10th in the country at 88.6% and its four short-handed goals are tied for the nation’s second most.
Player to Watch: Nolan Krenzen, Gr., D – Krenzen scored his first career goal in St. Cloud on Nov. 13, 2021, and two of his four career goals are against the Huskies. The captain has three assists through 12 games this season.
Series prediction: Split