Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Mavericks Travel to Alaska for Weekend Series
Nov 18, 2021 | Hockey
This Week
No. 9/10 Omaha makes a return trip to Alaska this weekend after facing the Nanooks at Baxter Arena last month. The teams play at 10:07 p.m. (CT) Friday and Saturday at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The Teams
Omaha, in its 25th season of Division I hockey, is off to one of the best starts in program history by posting nine wins in its first 12 games. The Mavericks split with then-No. 1 St. Cloud State on the road last weekend, topping the Huskies 3-2 in overtime in Saturday's series finale after dropping the opener 5-1 on Friday.
Alaska will be playing its first games in the month of November this weekend. When they last took to the ice, the Nanooks lost of pair of overtime games in a road series with nationally-ranked Cornell on Oct. 29-30. They have lost six straight, but all of their games have come to teams who have been rated at some point.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Maverick and has posted a 63-72-11 record at his alma mater. The 2004 Omaha graduate 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 the North Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference 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).
Erik Largen is in his third season, due to the pandemic, but fourth year as Alaska's head coach. He's gone 29-43-8 at his alma mater. Largen, a Fairbanks native, played goaltender for the Nanooks.
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 Pregame Show.
Live video is available on NCHC.tv while audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Series History: Omaha vs. Alaska
The Mavericks and Nanooks played each other regularly when both were in the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association, but they haven't seen each other as much since Omaha left that league.
Alaska leads the all-time series 23-19-11, but the Mavericks won both games in their first series this year. Matt Miller scored in overtime to give Omaha a 3-2 win the series opener on Oct. 15. Taylor Ward and Chayse Primeau recorded two goals each as the Mavericks took the finale 5-1 the following night.
The last time Omaha was in Fairbanks, in October of 2016, it became the first team from the Lower 48 to win the Brice Alaska Goal Rush. The Mavericks beat Alaska-Anchorage then Alaska to claim the title in the two-day event at the Carlson Center.
No. 9/10 Omaha makes a return trip to Alaska this weekend after facing the Nanooks at Baxter Arena last month. The teams play at 10:07 p.m. (CT) Friday and Saturday at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The Teams
Omaha, in its 25th season of Division I hockey, is off to one of the best starts in program history by posting nine wins in its first 12 games. The Mavericks split with then-No. 1 St. Cloud State on the road last weekend, topping the Huskies 3-2 in overtime in Saturday's series finale after dropping the opener 5-1 on Friday.
Alaska will be playing its first games in the month of November this weekend. When they last took to the ice, the Nanooks lost of pair of overtime games in a road series with nationally-ranked Cornell on Oct. 29-30. They have lost six straight, but all of their games have come to teams who have been rated at some point.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Maverick and has posted a 63-72-11 record at his alma mater. The 2004 Omaha graduate 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 the North Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta, the last as its head coach. That season, he led the Ooks to a 36-0-0 record and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference 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).
Erik Largen is in his third season, due to the pandemic, but fourth year as Alaska's head coach. He's gone 29-43-8 at his alma mater. Largen, a Fairbanks native, played goaltender for the Nanooks.
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 Pregame Show.
Live video is available on NCHC.tv while audio and stat links are available at OMavs.com.
Series History: Omaha vs. Alaska
The Mavericks and Nanooks played each other regularly when both were in the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association, but they haven't seen each other as much since Omaha left that league.
Alaska leads the all-time series 23-19-11, but the Mavericks won both games in their first series this year. Matt Miller scored in overtime to give Omaha a 3-2 win the series opener on Oct. 15. Taylor Ward and Chayse Primeau recorded two goals each as the Mavericks took the finale 5-1 the following night.
The last time Omaha was in Fairbanks, in October of 2016, it became the first team from the Lower 48 to win the Brice Alaska Goal Rush. The Mavericks beat Alaska-Anchorage then Alaska to claim the title in the two-day event at the Carlson Center.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
