Series Preview: Omaha Hockey Looks To Stay Hot Against No. 8 North Dakota

Omaha hockey opened NCHC play with a sweep at Colorado College last weekend and will look to stay hot against No. 8 North Dakota.

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

Omaha (4-2-0, 2-0-0) vs. No. 8 North Dakota (5-3-0, 1-1-0)

Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, 7 p.m. CDT
*Both games played at Baxter Arena

Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (9th season, 139-133-19)
Top Scorer: Maxime Pellerin, So., F (5-3-8)
Between The Pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Sr. (3-2-0, .925 save percentage, 2.82 GAA)

North Dakota
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season, 5-3-0)
Top Scorer: Ben Strinden, Sr., F (2-7-9)
Between The Pipes: Gibson Homer, Gr. (3-3-0, .870 save percentage, 3.03 GAA)

All-time series: UND leads, 39-23-2
Last matchup: March 15, 2025 – UND 3-2 win in Omaha, Neb.

Last Time Out

The Mavericks opened NCHC play with a pair of wins in Colorado Springs, defeating 15th-ranked Colorado College, 3-2 and 5-4.

Simon Latkoczy stole the show in the opener with 49 saves, which earned him NCHC Goaltender of the Week honors. Omaha was out-shot 51-20 in Friday’s game, but Latkoczy and the Mavs stood tall, surviving CC’s late push. Tyler Rollwagen scored a pair of power-play goals in the win and Marcus Nguyen’s empty-netter ended up being the game-winner.

Omaha added another one-goal win on Saturday to complete the sweep. Luke Woodworth (two), Maxime Pellerin, Sean Tschigerl and Jacob Guevin scored the Omaha goals and Dawson Cowan made 36 saves in his NCAA debut. Guevin’s game-winner also came by the empty-net variety, as the Tigers made it 5-4 with 1:27 left. Yet the Mavs hung on to extend their win streak to three.

“Finding ways to win is a really crucial thing to being successful in this league, and I think you could really see our guys dig in at certain points to allow ourselves to get the victories there,” Mike Gabinet said Wednesday afternoon. “So again, really good resilience by the group. It was back-and-forth and some pretty tense moments on both Friday and Saturday night, and to come away on top was a special weekend.”

Now Omaha returns home for its first home conference series against North Dakota. It’s Omaha’s fourth consecutive ranked opponent too, as UND came in at No. 8 in this week’s USCHO Poll. Omaha received 93 votes and finished just outside the top 20. 

Opponent Watch

North Dakota earned four of six points against Minnesota Duluth last weekend to open NCHC play. The Fighting Hawks suffered a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday before responding with a 5-1 win in the finale.

Ben Strinden had five points (1-4-5) in the series, freshman Ollie Josephson had four (2-2-4) and freshman goaltender Jan Spunar made 19 saves on Saturday, improving to 2-0-0. Freshman Keaton Verhoeff also scored his team-leading fourth goal in Saturday’s win. The 17-year-old defenseman is one of the top prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft.

After a 3-0-0 start, the Fighting Hawks have dropped three of their past five — including a 5-1 loss to now-unranked Minnesota and a 5-2 loss at Clarkson. However, UND’s roster once again features plenty of talent — including 12 NHL picks — and it’s always a battle between these two.

“They’re a good hockey team,” Gabinet said. “Obviously we know their personnel and we know their style of play, and they play hard. They’re gonna battle every game, they’ve out-shot their opponents most games, very tenacious on pucks and again, a lot of what we’ve seen out of those guys in recent years.”

North Dakota ended Omaha’s season last March with a pair of playoff wins at Baxter Arena, but both rosters have changed significantly since. UND is also playing under a new head coach this season in Dane Jackson, although the North Dakota alumnus has been with the program since 2006. Jackson started as an assistant before being elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2015-16 season.

Omaha and UND are currently first and second in the NCHC standings and while championships aren’t won in November, points are always at a premium.

“It’s a big weekend,” said senior forward Tyler Rollwagen. “So I think for us, it’s doing what we can do to follow our game plan and go out there Friday night and try to get three big points.”

Final Verdict

Number to know: 4 — Omaha is averaging four goals per game, which is the nation’s seventh-highest mark. The Mavericks have lit the lamp 24 times through their first six games. UND has allowed four or more goals in three of its first eight contests.

Player to Watch: Luke Woodworth, Fr., F — Woodworth is coming off a two-goal game and ranks second on Omaha’s roster with seven points (3-4-7). He also had two assists in Friday’s win over CC. The Nova Scotia native has points in five of his first six NCAA games and has been one of Omaha’s most consistent forwards.

Series prediction: Split