Omaha hockey is back from a bye and will get a second crack at No. 4 North Dakota, as the Mavericks head up I-29 this weekend. The fighting Hawks swept Omaha at Baxter Arena last month.
Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops in Grand Forks, N.D.
Omaha (6-8-0, 3-5-0) at No. 4 North Dakota (12-4-0, 6-2-0)
Game 1: Friday, Dec. 12, 7:07 p.m. CDT
Game 2: Saturday, Dec. 13, 6:07 p.m. CDT
*Both games played at Ralph Engelstad Arena
Omaha
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (9th season, 141-139-19)
Top Scorer: Luke Woodworth, Fr., F (3-7-10)
Between The Pipes: Simon Latkoczy, Sr. (4-7-0, .894 save percentage, 3.57 GAA)
North Dakota
Conference: NCHC
Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season, 12-4-0)
Top Scorer: Will Zellers, Fr., F (10-5-15)
Between The Pipes: Jan Spunar, Fr. (8-0-0, .929 save percentage, 1.75 GAA)
All-time series: UND leads, 41-23-2
Last matchup: Nov. 8, 2025 – UND 4-1 win in Omaha, Neb.
Last Time Out
Omaha enjoyed a bye last weekend, capping a stretch of six consecutive weekend series.
Mike Gabinet’s club visited Yale the week prior (Nov. 28-29) and earned a split in New Haven, Conn. Yale was Omaha’s first unranked opponent of the year.
Omaha out-shot the Bulldogs 31-17 in Game 1 and put together a strong effort, but ultimately fell 2-1. The Mavs responded on Saturday and received goals from Cameron Briere, Sean Tschigerl and Marcus Broberg, along with 28 Simon Latkoczy saves in a 3-1 victory.
Now the Mavericks will look to get back in the NCHC win column. Omaha has dropped four straight and five of its past six conference games. However, the Mavericks are 4-2-0 on the road this season, and all three NCHC wins have come away from Baxter Arena.
“I think our guys are learning and getting better, and I’m really impressed with this group just how much they care, how much they’re continuing to get better, and you’ve got to give them a little bit of a chance to get their feet under them and get their confidence going,” Gabinet said. “So again, we just keep reminding these guys they’re doing a lot of really good things and they’ve got to just stick with it.”
Opponent Watch
North Dakota sits second in the NCHC standings and carries a four-game win streak into the series, as UND has won eight of its past nine.
The Fighting Hawks swept St. Cloud State last weekend, 4-3 and 4-2, and have out-scored their opponents 38-19 over their past nine., including 7-2 and 4-1 wins in Omaha. UND is averaging 3.8 goals per game this season, which ranks fifth nationally, and allowing 2.4, which is tied for 13th.
“They’re a good team, just like every team in our league,” said freshman forward Luke Woodworth. “I thought we played them pretty well, especially Saturday night. I thought that was one of our best efforts of the year, so (we want) to translate that. We’ve looked at quite a few videos over the last couple days and we’ll definitely be ready for them. We’re excited for it.”
Luke Woodworth celebrates his goal against the UMass Minutemen at Baxter Arena on October 24th, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Collin Stilen.
Senior Ben Strinden is up to 17 points (9-8-17) and freshman Will Zellers has 11 points (8-3-11) over his past 10 games, and Zellers leads UND with 10 goals. Freshman Jan Spunar remains unbeaten (8-0-0) in net too, as he’s stopped 182 of the 196 shots he’s seen this season.
UND will be without star freshmen Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff this weekend, who are attending Canada’s World Junior Championship camp. Reschny leads UND with 18 points (2-16-18) and had five points (1-4-5) in Omaha, while Verhoeff is one of the top 2026 NHL Draft prospects. Reschny was Calgary’s first-round pick last June.
UND has won five of the past six overall matchups and is 20-11-1 all-time against Omaha in Grand Forks.
“Like Luke said, I thought we played a really good game against them on the Saturday, so we have a blueprint on how we need to play to be successful against these guys,” Gabinet said. “They’re coming off their (fourth) win in a row and they’ve obviously been really hot lately too, so good chance to get up there in a tough environment and find a way to get a win on Friday night.”
Final Verdict
Number to know: 71.7 — Omaha’s penalty kill (71.7%) ranks 60 out of 63 NCAA teams, while UND’s power play (30%) is the nation’s fourth best. UND scored four power-play goals in its Nov. 7 win over Omaha and has converted on five of its past 10 chances.
Player to Watch: Marc Lajoie, So., D — Lajoie scored in both games against UND last month and has six points on the season. Lajoie’s four goals rank second on Omaha’s roster, three of which have come on the power play.
Series prediction: UND sweep.
