The Omaha Mavericks get their first crack at the top-ranked and defending NCAA national champion, Denver Pioneers this weekend in their second straight road series.
The Teams
The Mavericks are sitting at 5-5-2 after their first two conference series. Omaha and Denver were both idle last weekend as the rest of the NCHC played.
Denver enters the weekend as the No. 1 team in the nation with a 5-1-0 NCHC record and an overall record of 9-3-0.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks and Pioneers met four times last season. Denver took the season series 3-1 over Omaha. The Mavericks lone win over the Pioneers last season came at Baxter Arena in a 5-1 triumph.
All-Time vs. Denver
The Mavericks and Pioneers are set to meet for the 54th and 55th times this weekend. Denver leads the all-time series 36-12-5. When the game is played in Denver, the Pioneers have a 21-3-2 record over Omaha.Omaha's last win in Denver came on February 6, 2021, when Omaha defeated Denver 5-4 in OT.
Jack Attack
Senior forward Jack Randl (11 goals) currently only trails this weekend's opponent, Carter Mazur (12 goals) for the national lead in goals. Randl has recorded a goal in 7 of the Mavericks 12 games. Last weekend's series against UMD is the first series this season he did not light the lamp. He is the first player in program history to score 8 goals in the first 6 games of a season. The previous record of 7 was held by Austin Ortega (15-16) and Brandon Scero (06-07). 5 of Randl's 12 games have been multi-point games.
Jack Attack II
Randl is the 19th player in Omaha Hockey history to score a goal in four consecutive games. It's the 27th time it has happened in program history. Randl is the third player in school history to score a goal in the first four games of the season. The only other players to score goals in the first four games of the season are Stanley Cup winner Jake Guentzel (2014-15) and Matt Ambroz (2010-11).
Mighty Mueller
Sophomore forward Ty Mueller has recorded points in 10 of the Mavericks 12 games this season. He is currently riding a 6-game point streak. The longest streak for the Mavericks this season.
Among The Conference Leaders
Jake Pivonka sits 6th in the NCHC with 112 faceoff wins (.554%) out of 202 draws. Omaha ranks 2nd in the NCHC in faceoff winning percentage at .530 percent.
Challenge Accepted
The Mavericks will play their third consecutive nationally ranked opponent this weekend. Omaha has come away with NCHC points in three of the four games against nationally ranked opponents (UND and UMD).
There's a First Time For Everything
In the Saturday night game against Minnesota Duluth, blueliner Griffin Ludtke made his collegiate debut. The 2022 Clark Cup Champion registered a shot on net and was a +1 on the evening.
Nearing Milestones
Graduate Tyler Weiss sits just 1 point shy from 100 career points. In 134 games with Omaha, Weiss has tallied 24 goals and 75 assists. Weiss is looking to become the 5th active NCAA DI player with 100+ career points.
Road Warriors
The Mavericks are 4-1-1 on the road this season. They are currently outscoring their opponents 21-12 including 10-1 in the 3rd period alone. Omaha's 10 3rd period goals is the third best mark in the NCHC trailing only Western Michigan (14) and Denver (11).
Media
Both games can be heard live on AM 1290. Casey Roehl will have the play-by-play; Terry Leahy provides analysis. Coverage begins 30 minutes before game time with the First National Bank Pre-Game Show. You can also stream the game on NCHC.tv.
Up Next
The Mavericks return home next weekend for their first look at the Western Michigan Broncos. The Broncos are currently ranked 15th in the country.
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