Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
No. 14 Omaha Closes First Half at No. 4 WMU
Dec 9, 2021 | Hockey
This Week
No. 14 Omaha wraps up its first half with a National Collegiate Hockey Conference series at No. 4 Western Michigan. The teams meet at 6:05 p.m. (CT) at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday and Saturday.
The Teams
Omaha has had a strong start to its 25th season. Its 12 wins are only two shy of the school record for first-half victories and its win total from each of the past two years. The Mavericks split with Colorado College at Baxter Arena last weekend, dropping the series finale 4-0 after winning the opener by a 4-3 margin.
Western Michigan may be the hottest team in the nation right now. The Broncos have won six games in a row and are currently rated No. 1 in the Pairwise rankings. Paced by the nation's leading goal scorer, Papillion native Ethen Frank, Western Michigan enters the weekend three points out of first in the NCHC.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Maverick and has posted a 66-73-11 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).
Pat Ferschweiler is in his first season as the Western Michigan head coach after spending two seasons as an associate head coach under Andy Murray. In between two stints at WMU, he was an NHL assistant for Detroit.
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone. Casey Roehl will handle the play-by-play duties 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. Western Michigan
The Mavericks and Broncos first met on the ice in 1999 and have faced each other regularly over the past 22 years. Both were charter members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, where they've battled annually in league play since 2013.
Omaha holds a 30-21-6 advantage all-time against Western Michigan and won both meetings last year during the NCHC pod at Baxter Arena. Prior to that the teams had split four consecutive series dating back to the 2018-19 season, with Western Michigan winning the series opener every time and the Mavericks taking the finale on each occasion.
The Mavericks are 16-8-2 all-time against the Broncos in Omaha, but they are only 12-13-4 in games played in Kalamazoo, Mich. This will be the only series between the two teams this season.
No. 14 Omaha wraps up its first half with a National Collegiate Hockey Conference series at No. 4 Western Michigan. The teams meet at 6:05 p.m. (CT) at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday and Saturday.
The Teams
Omaha has had a strong start to its 25th season. Its 12 wins are only two shy of the school record for first-half victories and its win total from each of the past two years. The Mavericks split with Colorado College at Baxter Arena last weekend, dropping the series finale 4-0 after winning the opener by a 4-3 margin.
Western Michigan may be the hottest team in the nation right now. The Broncos have won six games in a row and are currently rated No. 1 in the Pairwise rankings. Paced by the nation's leading goal scorer, Papillion native Ethen Frank, Western Michigan enters the weekend three points out of first in the NCHC.
The Coaches
Mike Gabinet is in his fifth season as head coach of the Maverick and has posted a 66-73-11 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).
Pat Ferschweiler is in his first season as the Western Michigan head coach after spending two seasons as an associate head coach under Andy Murray. In between two stints at WMU, he was an NHL assistant for Detroit.
Media
Both games can be heard live on 1180 The Zone. Casey Roehl will handle the play-by-play duties 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. Western Michigan
The Mavericks and Broncos first met on the ice in 1999 and have faced each other regularly over the past 22 years. Both were charter members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, where they've battled annually in league play since 2013.
Omaha holds a 30-21-6 advantage all-time against Western Michigan and won both meetings last year during the NCHC pod at Baxter Arena. Prior to that the teams had split four consecutive series dating back to the 2018-19 season, with Western Michigan winning the series opener every time and the Mavericks taking the finale on each occasion.
The Mavericks are 16-8-2 all-time against the Broncos in Omaha, but they are only 12-13-4 in games played in Kalamazoo, Mich. This will be the only series between the two teams this season.
Tuesday, September 01
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