Series Preview: Omaha Hockey Continues NCHC Play at No. 17 Miami

Omaha hockey is coming off a five-point weekend against St. Cloud State and heads to Oxford, Ohio, to battle No. 17 Miami.

The Mavericks earned their first conference win of the season last Saturday and they’ll try to carry that momentum into southwest Ohio. This is Omaha’s second NCHC road trip of the season, as Omaha opened NCHC play at Denver.

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

Omaha (3-4-1, 1-2-1) at No. 17 Miami (7-3-0, 2-2-0)

Game 1: Friday, Nov. 13, 6:05 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, Nov. 14, 5:05 p.m. CDT
Both games played at Goggin Ice Center

Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (10th season, 150-159-20)
Point Leader: Parker Berge, D, Sr. (2-6-8)
Between The Pipes: Will Lacelle, Fr. (2-4-1, .927 save percentage, 2.53 GAA)

Miami
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Anthony Noreen (3rd season, 28-47-5)
Point Leader: Matouš Kucharcík, F, Fr. (2-8-10)
Between The Pipes: Matteo Drobac, Jr. (6-3-0, .918 save percentage, 1.79 GAA)

All-time series: 32-32-7
Last matchup: Feb. 28, 2026 — Miami 4-2 win at Baxter Arena 

Last Time Out

The Mavericks skated to a 2-2 tie on Friday against St. Cloud State and earned an extra point via a six-round shootout. Omaha completed the series with a 5-3 win.

Gavin Hodnett, Ryan McCleary and Sean Tschigerl each had two goals, Luke Woodworth and Trevor Wong had three assists, and Maxime Pellerin scored a late power-play goal to secure Saturday’s win.

Will Lacelle made 42 saves on Friday and another 23 on Saturday to earn his second NCAA win. The Mavs also blocked 23 shots in front of him and earned five key NCHC points.

“I think coming off last weekend, it was really good,” said sophomore forward Marcus Nguyen. “It was our first full home weekend of the season, so it was nice playing in front of our fans. We were coming off the Denver weekend and that kind of left a bad taste in our mouths, so I was really happy with how we approached the week and getting five out of six points is always good.”

Now Mike Gabinet’s club will try to follow it up with another successful weekend, and they can’t let the foot off the gas.

“I think some of the great individuals, the great teams, they have that competitiveness, sustainability, where they just have to be competitive all the time,” Gabinet said. “Not when it’s easy, not when it’s good, not when it’s bad, and if you can stack those days together, that’s what we’re really working hard to do.

“That’s for the players, that’s for staff. You can’t get relaxed when you have success, and you can’t panic when you face adversity.”

Scouting The RedHawks

Miami went from a 3-28-3 record in 2024-25 to 18-16-2 last season, and the RedHawks have continued trending upwards in Anthony Noreen’s third season.

Miami is coming off its first winning season since 2014-15 and has won seven of its first 10 games. The RedHawks earned a 3-2 win at No. 6 Minnesota Duluth last Friday and dropped the series finale, 2-1. However, Miami came in at No. 17 in this week’s USCHO Poll — its highest USCHO ranking since Dec. 10, 2018.

Miami averages 2.9 goals per game and allows 1.9, and four different RedHawks have nine or more points. Those 1.9 goals allowed are tied for the nation’s seventh-lowest mark, and goaltender Matteo Drobac owns a .918 save percentage and 1.79 GAA .

Miami is 4-1-0 at home this season.

“They’ve had some early success in the season, which I think always leads to confidence when you’re getting wins and stacking some wins together,” Gabinet said. “Pretty heavy team. They play physical and it’s always a little tight-checking in that rink — So we’ve got to be ready to play a heavy, hard game and they’re gonna be on you quick and be physical.”

Hodnett Named NCHC Rookie of the Week

Gavin Hodnett was named the NCHC Rookie of the Week on Tuesday. The freshman scored his first two NCAA goals against St. Cloud State and finished the series a plus-3.

“I thought this weekend you could see what we see in him,” Gabinet said. “Just his ability to make plays, his ability to think the game, his ability to be highly competitive in tight areas. In the NCHC if you don’t want to compete, it’s tough.”

Maverick To Watch: Ryan McCleary, D, Sr.

McCleary scored his first two goals of the season last weekend. He showed his patience and fired home a shot from the top of the slot on Friday, and added a beautiful goal on Saturday.

McCleary has three points (2-1-3), seven blocked shots and is a plus-2 this season.

“I’ve seen some of those things in practice, and I think that’s a sign of confidence when you see guys start to translate the stuff they’re doing in practice into a game in a pressure environment,” Gabinet said.

Ryan McCleary scored his first two goals of the season against St. Cloud State.

McCleary's second goal gave @OmahaHKY an early 2-0 lead on Saturday and the senior defenseman helped the Mavs earn five points in the series. Omaha continues NCHC play this weekend at Miami. pic.twitter.com/M6IAIvjzT4

— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) November 11, 2026

Opponent To Watch: Ilia Morozov, F, So.

Morozov has a team-leading five goals and the Buffalo first-round pick (2026, 20th overall) is a threat in the offensive zone. He’s also won 120 faceoffs, which ranks third nationally.

Three of Morozov’s five goals have come on the man advantage — an area Omaha will want to improve. All five of SCSU’s goals came on the power play last weekend.

Number To Know: 3

Miami has allowed three or more goals just twice this season — both losses — and is 7-1-0 when holding opponents under three. Omaha is 0-4-1 when scoring three goals or less. The Mavs have scored seven, four and five in their three wins.

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.