No. 17 Mavericks Face LSSU To Open Season
Oct 1, 2021 | Hockey
This Week
The No. 17 Omaha hockey team opens its 2021-22 season by playing host to Lake Superior State for the first time in five years. Saturday's game at Baxter Arena starts at 7:07 p.m. Sunday's contest is at 4:07 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha enters its 25th season of hockey on the heels of an NCAA tournament berth last March. The Mavericks finished the 2020-21 season with a 14-11-1 record, placed fourth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and advanced to the West Regional, where they fell to Minnesota in Loveland, Colo.
Lake Superior State also qualified to the NCAA tournament last season by winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship for the first time. The Lakers, who went 19-7-3, advanced to the East Regional, where they lost to eventual champion UMass in their first tourney appearance since 1996.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 54-69-11 record all-time at his alma mater. The 2004 graduate of Omaha served as an associate head coach during the 2016-17 season before being elevated to the head coach position in 2017-18.
Gabinet returned to Omaha after four seasons at NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the ACAC Championship. He was named the conference Coach of the Year and became the first rookie head coach in Canadian college hockey to guide his team to an undefeated record.
Gabinet, a standout defenseman for the Mavericks from 2000-04, is assisted by Dave Noel-Bernier (Omaha, 2001) and Paul Jerrard (Lake Superior State, 1987).
Damon Whitten is in his eighth season as head coach at Lake Superior State. The 2001 Michigan State graduate is 99-133-27 with the Lakers. He is assisted by Mike York (MSU, 2017) and Zack Cisek (MSU, 2015).
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone. Casey Roehl will have the play-by-play while Terry Leahy provides analysis. Coverage begins with the FNBO Pre-Game Show.
Live video is available on NCHC.tv while audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks continue their 10-game season-opening homestand next weekend when Maine comes to Baxter Arena for games on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8-9. Both games are slated to begin at 7:07 p.m.
Briefly
• Returning seniors Chayse Primeau and Tyler Weiss led the Mavericks with 23 points last season.
• Weiss also paced the team with 16 assists.
• Senior Taylor Ward led the Mavericks with 13 goals.
• Graduate Kevin Conley recorded a team-high four power-play goals and tied with junior Kirby Proctor for the team lead with three game-winning goals.
• Remarkably, of Proctor's four career goals, all are game-winners.
• Junior Joey Abate led the nation with 63 penalty minutes last season.
• Weiss led the Mavericks with a +9 plus/minus rating.
• The Mavericks had seven players who appeared in all 26 games last season: Jason Smallidge, Kirby Proctor, Nolan Sullivan, Chayse Primeau, Taylor Ward, Matt Miller and Tyler Weiss. Miller was the only freshman.
• The Mavericks were 4-0-1 in overtime last season and are unbeaten in their last 11 OT games (5-0-6).
• Eleven of Omaha's 14 wins last season came when scoring the first goal of the game. The Mavericks lost just once when scoring first (11-1-0).
• The Mavericks were 8-2-0 in one-goal games last season.
• Omaha gave up five shorthanded goals last season, tying them with Maine and Providence for third in the country. Two of those shorthanded goals were scored into an empty net.
Series History: Omaha vs. Lake Superior State
The Mavericks and Lakers previously squared off as members of the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association during Omaha's time in the league from 1999-2010. During that span, the teams met 28 times with UNO holding a 14-9-5 advantage in the series.
The teams have played only one series since Omaha left the CCHA in 2010. The Mavericks swept LSSU 4-1 and 5-3 at Baxter Arena on Dec. 30-31, 2016.
The No. 17 Omaha hockey team opens its 2021-22 season by playing host to Lake Superior State for the first time in five years. Saturday's game at Baxter Arena starts at 7:07 p.m. Sunday's contest is at 4:07 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha enters its 25th season of hockey on the heels of an NCAA tournament berth last March. The Mavericks finished the 2020-21 season with a 14-11-1 record, placed fourth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and advanced to the West Regional, where they fell to Minnesota in Loveland, Colo.
Lake Superior State also qualified to the NCAA tournament last season by winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship for the first time. The Lakers, who went 19-7-3, advanced to the East Regional, where they lost to eventual champion UMass in their first tourney appearance since 1996.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Mavericks, posting a 54-69-11 record all-time at his alma mater. The 2004 graduate of Omaha served as an associate head coach during the 2016-17 season before being elevated to the head coach position in 2017-18.
Gabinet returned to Omaha after four seasons at NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the ACAC Championship. He was named the conference Coach of the Year and became the first rookie head coach in Canadian college hockey to guide his team to an undefeated record.
Gabinet, a standout defenseman for the Mavericks from 2000-04, is assisted by Dave Noel-Bernier (Omaha, 2001) and Paul Jerrard (Lake Superior State, 1987).
Damon Whitten is in his eighth season as head coach at Lake Superior State. The 2001 Michigan State graduate is 99-133-27 with the Lakers. He is assisted by Mike York (MSU, 2017) and Zack Cisek (MSU, 2015).
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone. Casey Roehl will have the play-by-play while Terry Leahy provides analysis. Coverage begins with the FNBO Pre-Game Show.
Live video is available on NCHC.tv while audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks continue their 10-game season-opening homestand next weekend when Maine comes to Baxter Arena for games on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8-9. Both games are slated to begin at 7:07 p.m.
Briefly
• Returning seniors Chayse Primeau and Tyler Weiss led the Mavericks with 23 points last season.
• Weiss also paced the team with 16 assists.
• Senior Taylor Ward led the Mavericks with 13 goals.
• Graduate Kevin Conley recorded a team-high four power-play goals and tied with junior Kirby Proctor for the team lead with three game-winning goals.
• Remarkably, of Proctor's four career goals, all are game-winners.
• Junior Joey Abate led the nation with 63 penalty minutes last season.
• Weiss led the Mavericks with a +9 plus/minus rating.
• The Mavericks had seven players who appeared in all 26 games last season: Jason Smallidge, Kirby Proctor, Nolan Sullivan, Chayse Primeau, Taylor Ward, Matt Miller and Tyler Weiss. Miller was the only freshman.
• The Mavericks were 4-0-1 in overtime last season and are unbeaten in their last 11 OT games (5-0-6).
• Eleven of Omaha's 14 wins last season came when scoring the first goal of the game. The Mavericks lost just once when scoring first (11-1-0).
• The Mavericks were 8-2-0 in one-goal games last season.
• Omaha gave up five shorthanded goals last season, tying them with Maine and Providence for third in the country. Two of those shorthanded goals were scored into an empty net.
Series History: Omaha vs. Lake Superior State
The Mavericks and Lakers previously squared off as members of the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association during Omaha's time in the league from 1999-2010. During that span, the teams met 28 times with UNO holding a 14-9-5 advantage in the series.
The teams have played only one series since Omaha left the CCHA in 2010. The Mavericks swept LSSU 4-1 and 5-3 at Baxter Arena on Dec. 30-31, 2016.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Hockey
F
/ Hockey
F
/ Hockey
F
/ Hockey
D
/ Hockey
D
/ Hockey
F
/ Hockey
F
/ Hockey
F
/ HockeyTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
