The Mavericks hit the road for the third time this season and return to nonconference play as Omaha hockey heads to Yale.
It’s the first time the programs have met since the 2008-09 season, and this weekend will include their sixth and seventh meetings. Omaha leads the all-time series, 3-1-1.
However, the current Omaha club has dropped five of its past six games — including a pair of home losses to No. 8 Western Michigan last weekend.
Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops in New Haven, Connecticut.
RV Omaha (5-7-0, 3-5-0) at Yale (3-4-0, 3-3-0)
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, 5 p.m. CDT
*Both games played at Ingalls Rink
Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (9th season, 140-138-19)
Leading Scorer: Maxime Pellerin, So., F (5-4-9)
Between The Pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Sr. (3-6-0, .888 save percentage, 4.02 GAA)
Yale
Conference: ECAC
Head Coach: Joe Howe (1st season, 3-4-0)
Leading Scorer: Ronan O’Donnell, So., F (5-3-8)
Between The Pipes: Noah Pak, So. (2-2-0, .920 save percentage, 2.55 GAA)
All-time series: Omaha leads, 3-1-1
Last matchup: Dec. 29, 2008 — Omaha 8-3 win in New Haven.
Last Time Out
Western Michigan swept the Mavericks last weekend at Baxter Arena, 7-2 and 4-2.
Brett Hyland scored 2:25 into Friday’s game, giving Omaha an early lead, which the Mavs carried into the first intermission. However, WMU scored five goals in the second and tacked on another pair in the third. Omaha allowed three power-play goals in the loss and the Broncos out-shot the Mavs 43-23.
Omaha turned to freshman Dawson Cowan in Game 2, who stopped 28 of the 31 shots fired his way. The Mavs turned a 3-0 deficit into a 3-2 game, as Cameron Mitchell scored just nine seconds into the third, and Omaha continued to push throughout the final frame. Yet WMU’s Iiro Hakkarainen found the empty net with 25 seconds left, securing the sweep.
“I thought we battled hard,” Mike Gabinet said after Saturday’s loss. “If we play like that, I think we’ve got a chance to be successful. Just sucks with the start. They got two right off the bat and we’re chasing it, but you could tell on the bench the guys weren’t giving up. They were digging in and trying to do everything we could to tie that hockey game.”
Omaha has now lost five of its past six games and has been out-scored 27-11 in the stretch, and 23 of those 27 goals have been scored in the second (13) or third (10) period.
Gabinet’s club will look to get back on track this weekend at Yale. The Mavs are 3-1-0 in road games this season.
“As much as no one wants to go through (adversity) and it keeps you up at night and it’s no fun, that’s where you grow,” Gabinet said. “That’s where you have to dig in and control your response to adversity and take personal responsibility to get better.”
Opponent Watch
Yale earned a 3-1 win over Brown last Saturday, which snapped a three-game losing skid. The Bulldogs are 3-4-0 this season, but they’re 3-0-0 on home ice.
CMike Gabinet shakes hands with an NCHC official before a college hockey game Friday, October 10, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Dawson Anderson.
Yale is led by interim head coach Joe Howe, who has been with the program since 2021 as an assistant. Howe was named interim head coach in August, following Keith Allain’s retirement.
The Bulldogs are led offensively by sophomore Ronan O’Donnell (5-3-8) and senior David Chen (3-2-5), and they’ve seen sophomore Noah Pak and junior Jack Stark share time in the crease. Stark made 40 saves in the win over Brown, which earned his first win of the season.
Yale allows 3.3 goals per game and has lit the lamp just 17 times through seven games. Their 2.4 goals per game are tied for 49th out of 63 Division I teams.
Special teams have also been a struggle at times, as Yale is 4-for-29 on the man advantage and has allowed five power-play goals, along with two short-handed tallies. Yale’s power play (13.8%) ranks 56th nationally.
Yale will be Omaha’s third nonconference opponent of the season. Omaha previously split against both Minnesota State and UMass at home. The Mavs will head to Augustana (Dec. 19-20) and Cornell (Jan. 2-3) to wrap up their nonconference slate.
Final Verdict
Number to know: 3.8 — Omaha is allowing 3.8 goals per game, which is tied for the nation’s eighth-highest mark. Omaha is also allowing 35.7 shots per game, the nation’s fourth-highest mark.
Player to Watch: Myles Hilman, So., F — Hilman scored in Friday’s loss to WMU and has four points (3-1-4) through 12 games this season, three of which (2-1-3) have come over the past three games. Hilman also owns an even plus-minus on the season.
Series prediction: Split.
