2023–24 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season

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2023–24 Omaha Mavericks
men's ice hockey season
NCAA Tournament, Regional Semifinal
Conference5th NCHC
Home iceBaxter Arena
Rankings
USCHO#12
USA Today#13
Record
Overall23–13–4
Conference13–8–3
Home11–5–3
Road11–6–1
Neutral1–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Gabinet
Assistant coachesDave Noël-Bernier
Peter Aubry
Bennett Hambrook
Captain(s)Nolan Sullivan
Alternate captain(s)Matt Miller
Jack Randl
Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

The 2023–24 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 27th season of play for the program and 11th in the NCHC. The Mavericks represented the University of Nebraska Omaha, played their home games at Baxter Arena and were coached by Mike Gabinet in his 7th season.

Season[edit]

Omaha added a good deal of experience in the offseason. While only losing a handful of players, the Mavericks brought in five transfers (three of them graduates) to bolster the lineup. Šimon Latkoczy was expected to act as the primary starter, however, Seth Eisele was added to give the team a second option in goal.

Omaha had a little trouble getting on track in the first half of the season and, while they performed well at times, several of their opponents weren't particularly good. The team's defense was performing well, however, the offense was a bit up-and-down. Omaha did not have a particular leader up front but rather scored by committee. The balanced attack allowed the team to a consistent threat no matter which line was on the ice, however, it also prevented the team from distancing themselves in many games. In the first half, seven of the team's nine wins were by 1 goal while all of their losses were by multiple scores. This peculiarity also had the secondary effect of lowering the Mavericks' ranking as the PairWise takes into account the margin of victory as one of its parameters.[1] As a result, despite being well above .500 by the winter break, Omaha was only in the mid-20s and needed to climb over 10 teams to have a shot at an at-large bid.

The game against Denver on November 18 was halted after the first period due to poor ice conditions. A patch of ice behind the Denver net didn't freeze properly and after attempting to address the problem for over an hour, the game was postponed until the following day. Because an entire period had already been played, the game resumed at the start of the second.[2]

Upon their return, the Mavericks ran through a gauntlet of ranked teams, playing five consecutive matches against very difficult competition. Latkoczy did not perform well in several of those games and the Mavericks lost four to drop towards the bottom of the conference standings. With the team's chances dwindling, Omaha entered the final week of January needing a spark. The first match with St. Cloud State proved to be a turning point in the team's season as the offense came to the rescue. Latkoczy had his third consecutive poor outing, allowing 6 goals, but UNO did not surrender and kept fighting. The offense banded together and refused to allow St. Cloud to pull away, answering goal for goal in the second period and then briefly took a lead in the third. Tanner Ludtke's power play goal in overtime won the match and began a streak of winning hockey for the Mavs. Omaha lost just once more until the end of the regular season which was in no small part to Latkoczy getting back on track and acting like a starting goaltender once more. The team's late surge got them into the top-20 and their sweep of #3 North Dakota in the finale put them into contention for the NCAA tournament.

As the playoffs began, Omaha sat in 11th place, which would have gotten them in the tournament if the season ended then. They received a bit of good fortune with their opponent in the first round, Colorado College. The Tigers were another team vying for a spot in the tournament and the quarterfinal series between the two could serve as a de facto elimination game. Whichever team won the series would be all but guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament and both played like it. Omaha got off to a good start and had a 3-goal lead just past the midway point of the game. However, the team got into penalty trouble in the second half and allowed CC to claw their way back. By the start of overtime, the Tigers were in total control of the game and Omaha could hardly get a shot on goal. Latkoczy played well to keep his team alive but 50 shot of the night from Colorado College found the back of the net and gave the home team a lead in the series.

The second game saw a similar pattern with CC peppering the Omaha goal with shots. This time, however, it was the Maverick power play that proved to be the difference. Two goals on the man-advantage led Omaha to the win and set up a showdown in game three. Colorado College got a lead in the first but Latkoczy shut the door afterwards and allowed Brock Bremer to become the hero with his game-winner in the third period.[3] The series win didn't chance Omaha's place in the standings but did cement them as a tournament team. No matter what happened in the final week of the season, the Mavericks were guaranteed a spot in the tournament but the could improve their chances if they played well in Saint Paul.

The semifinal game turned into the Zach Urdahl show and the junior scored his first career hat-trick to lead Omaha to a win over North Dakota.[4] The following night, Omaha got an early lead over Denver but the nation's top offense proved too much for the Mavericks to handle and Pioneers scored the next four goals to win the title.[5]

Omaha had little time to lick their wounds as they were headed for a showdown against Minnesota in the NCAA tournament. Both team started slow and combined for only 13 shots on goal in the first period. After a sleepy 20 minutes, the two teams then went fully on the attack and nearly tripled the shot total in the middle frame. Omaha got on the board first with a Joaquim Lemay power play goal. The Mavs were nearly able to carry the lead into the third but the withering barrage finally dented the twice behind Latkoczy near the end of the period. UNO redoubled its efforts and got their lead back in less than five minutes thanks to Ty Mueller. However, Minnesota would not stay down and the Gophers scored twice more to take the lead and the game.[6]

Departures[edit]

Player Position Nationality Cause
Cameron Berg Forward  United States Transferred to North Dakota
Kaden Bohlsen Forward  United States Transferred to Minnesota State
Jake Kucharski Goaltender  United States Graduation (signed with Chicago Wolves)
Davis Pennington Defenseman  United States Transferred to Quinnipiac
Jake Pivonka Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Bridgeport Islanders)
Jonny Tychonick Defenseman  Canada Graduation (signed with Newfoundland Growlers)
Tyler Weiss Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Toronto Marlies)
Jacob Zab Goaltender  United States Graduation (retired)

Recruiting[edit]

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Will Craig Goaltender  Canada 21 Ennismore, ON
Seth Eisele Goaltender  United States 24 Lake Elmo, MN; graduate transfer from Lake Superior State
Noah Ellis Defenseman  United States 21 Urbandale, IA; transfer from Massachusetts; selected 184th overall in 2020
Jesse Lansdell Forward  Canada 25 Surrey, BC; graduate transfer from Notre Dame
Tanner Ludtke Forward  United States 18 Elko, MN; selected 81st overall in 2023
Charlie Lurie Forward  United States 20 Minnetonka, MN
Zach Urdahl Forward  United States 21 Eau Claire, WI; transfer from Wisconsin
Dom Vidoli Defenseman  United States 24 Strongsville, OH; graduate transfer from Ohio State

Roster[edit]

As of August 2, 2023.[7]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Ontario Will Craig Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 229 lb (104 kg) 2002-05-16 Ennismore, Ontario New Mexico (NAHL)
2 Quebec Joaquim Lemay Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2002-07-28 Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets, Quebec Lincoln (USHL) WSH, 119th overall 2021
3 Alberta Kirby Proctor Graduate D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 2001-04-20 Okotoks, Alberta Des Moines (USHL)
6 Wisconsin Zach Urdahl Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2001-10-13 Eau Claire, Wisconsin Wisconsin (Big Ten)
7 Minnesota Griffin Ludtke Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-02-01 Elko, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL)
8 Switzerland Ray Fust Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2002-10-23 Bellinzona, Switzerland Waterloo (USHL)
9 North Carolina Dom Vidoli Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1999-06-23 Wake Forest, North Carolina Ohio State (Big Ten)
10 Quebec Jacob Guévin Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-01-17 Drummondville, Quebec Muksegon (USHL)
11 Minnesota Nolan Sullivan (C) Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-05-21 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Muskegon (USHL)
12 Minnesota Nolan Krenzen Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2001-07-13 Duluth, Minnesota Omaha (USHL)
13 British Columbia Jacob Slipec Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2001-12-05 White Rock, British Columbia Surrey (BCHL)
14 British Columbia Jesse Lansdell Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1998-08-05 Surrey, British Columbia Notre Dame (Big Ten)
15 Iowa Noah Ellis Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-02-01 Urbandale, Iowa UMass (HEA) VGK, 184th overall 2020
16 Alberta Cam Mitchell Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2001-03-09 Stony Plain, Alberta Omaha (USHL)
18 British Columbia Michael Abgrall Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2003-10-25 Richmond, British Columbia Surrey (BCHL)
19 Alberta Ty Mueller Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2003-02-26 Cochrane, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL) VAN, 105th overall 2023
21 Minnesota Tyler Rollwagen Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2001-03-20 Bloomington, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
22 Illinois Jimmy Glynn Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-02-24 Lemont, Illinois Dubuque (USHL)
23 Michigan Victor Mancini Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2002-05-26 Saginaw, Michigan Green Bay (USHL) NYR, 159th overall 2022
24 Minnesota Charlie Lurie Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2003-03-11 Minnetonka, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL)
26 Minnesota Brock Bremer Senior F 5' 6" (1.68 m) 151 lb (68 kg) 1999-08-26 Forest Lake, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL)
27 Indiana Matt Miller (A) Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-09-04 Leo, Indiana Lincoln (USHL)
28 Illinois Jack Randl (A) Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 2000-05-07 Carpentersville, Illinois Omaha (USHL)
30 Slovakia Šimon Latkoczy Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 2002-06-01 Trenčín, Slovakia Madison (USHL)
32 Minnesota Seth Eisele Graduate G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1998-10-30 Stillwater, Minnesota Lake Superior State (CCHA)
71 Minnesota Tanner Ludtke Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2004-11-27 Elko, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL) ARI, 81st overall 2023

Standings[edit]

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#5 North Dakota 24 15 8 1 1 4 0 49 87 67 40 26 12 2 151 105
#3 Denver * 24 15 7 2 3 0 1 45 110 80 42 30 9 3 198 119
#18 St. Cloud State 24 11 9 4 1 3 2 41 77 74 38 17 16 5 121 114
#15 Colorado College 24 14 8 2 5 2 0 41 66 56 37 21 13 3 111 93
#11 Omaha 24 13 8 3 5 0 3 40 68 74 40 23 13 4 117 112
#14 Western Michigan 24 11 13 0 1 5 0 35 78 64 38 21 16 1 136 97
Minnesota Duluth 24 8 14 2 3 3 2 28 65 80 37 12 20 5 103 125
Miami 24 1 21 2 0 2 0 7 44 100 36 7 26 3 78 135
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Updated: April 1, 2024

Schedule and results[edit]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
October 7 6:00 pm at Minnesota State* Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota (Exhibition)   Latkoczy W 1–0  4,145
Regular Season
October 13 7:07 pm Niagara* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 8–1  6,393 1–0–0
October 14 7:07 pm Niagara* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Eisele W 2–1  6,240 2–0–0
October 27 7:07 pm #16 Ohio State* #20 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy T 2–2 OT 6,402 2–0–1
October 28 7:07 pm #16 Ohio State* #20 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Eisele L 0–4  6,254 2–1–1
November 3 7:07 pm #11 Western Michigan Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy L 2–5  5,393 2–2–1 (0–1–0)
November 4 7:07 pm #11 Western Michigan Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–2 OT 6,225 3–2–1 (1–1–0)
November 10 7:07 pm Long Island* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–2  7,802 4–2–1
November 11 7:07 pm Long Island* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Eisele W 5–4 OT 7,802 5–2–1
November 17 8:00 pm at #3 Denver Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado   Latkoczy L 4–8  5,940 5–3–1 (1–2–0)
November 18 / 19 7:00 pm / 3:00 pm at #3 Denver Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado   Latkoczy W 4–3  5,813 6–3–1 (2–2–0)
November 24 7:07 pm Augustana* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 2–1  7,285 7–3–1
November 25 6:07 pm at Augustana* Denny Sanford Premier CenterSioux Falls, South Dakota FloHockey, Midco Eisele W 5–2  3,265 8–3–1
December 1 7:07 pm at Minnesota Duluth #20 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota   Latkoczy L 2–4  5,889 8–4–1 (2–3–0)
December 2 5:07 pm at Minnesota Duluth #20 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota   Latkoczy W 1–0  6,538 9–4–1 (3–3–0)
December 8 7:07 pm #15 St. Cloud State Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy L 1–4  6,286 9–5–1 (3–4–0)
December 9 7:07 pm #15 St. Cloud State Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy T 2–2 SOW 7,370 9–5–2 (3–4–1)
Desert Hockey Classic
January 5 4:30 pm vs. Massachusetts Lowell* Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona (Desert Hockey Semifinal)   Latkoczy W 4–3 OT 4,764 10–5–2
January 6 8:00 pm at #12 Arizona State* Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona (Desert Hockey Championship)   Latkoczy L 1–2 OT 4,912 10–6–2
January 12 7:07 pm at #4 North Dakota Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota Midco Latkoczy W 5–4 OT 11,394 11–6–2 (4–4–1)
January 13 6:07 pm at #4 North Dakota Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota Midco Latkoczy L 1–3  11,622 11–7–2 (4–5–1)
January 19 7:07 pm #5 Denver #19 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy L 3–6  7,391 11–8–2 (4–6–1)
January 20 7:07 pm #5 Denver #19 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy L 2–6  6,898 11–9–2 (4–7–1)
January 26 7:30 pm at #15 St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota Fox 9+ Latkoczy W 7–6 OT 3,562 12–9–2 (5–7–1)
January 27 6:00 pm at #15 St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota Fox 9+ Eisele T 1–1 SOW 12–9–3 (5–7–2)
February 2 7:07 pm Minnesota Duluth #20 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska CBSSN Latkoczy W 5–1  7,075 13–9–3 (6–7–2)
February 3 7:07 pm Minnesota Duluth #20 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 4–3  7,802 14–9–3 (7–7–2)
February 9 6:00 pm at #14 Western Michigan #19 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Latkoczy L 1–6  3,311 14–10–3 (7–8–2)
February 10 6:00 pm at #14 Western Michigan #19 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Latkoczy W 3–2 OT 3,614 15–10–3 (8–8–2)
February 23 7:07 pm #10 Colorado College #19 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–0  7,802 16–10–3 (9–8–2)
February 24 7:07 pm #10 Colorado College #19 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy T 1–1 SOW 7,802 16–10–4 (9–8–3)
March 1 6:05 pm at Miami #18 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio   Latkoczy W 4–3  2,747 17–10–4 (10–8–3)
March 2 6:05 pm at Miami #18 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio   Latkoczy W 2–1  2,907 18–10–4 (11–8–3)
March 8 7:07 pm #3 North Dakota #16 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–2  7,802 19–10–4 (12–8–3)
March 9 7:07 pm #3 North Dakota #16 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 4–1  7,802 20–10–4 (13–8–3)
NCHC Tournament
March 15 8:07 pm at #10 Colorado College* #12 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 1)   Latkoczy L 3–4 OT 3,410 20–11–4
March 16 7:07 pm at #10 Colorado College* #12 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 2)   Latkoczy W 3–1  3,425 21–11–4
March 17 7:07 pm at #10 Colorado College* #12 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 3)   Latkoczy W 2–1  3,416 22–11–4
March 22 4:07 pm vs. #4 North Dakota* #11 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (Semifinal) CBSSN Latkoczy W 6–3  8,977 23–11–4
March 23 6:30 pm vs. #3 Denver* #11 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (Championship) CBSSN Latkoczy L 1–4  6,929 23–12–4
NCAA Tournament
March 28 7:30 pm vs. #7 Minnesota* #11 Denny Sanford PREMIER CenterSioux Falls, South Dakota (West Regional Semifinal) ESPNU Latkoczy L 2–3  5,691 23–13–4
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[8]

NCAA Tournament[edit]

Regional semifinals[edit]

March 28, 2024
7:30 pm
(2) Minnesota3–2
(0–0, 1–1, 2–1)
(3) OmahaDenny Sanford Premier Center
Attendance: 5,691
Game reference
Mathieu CaronGoaliesTommy ScarfoneReferees:
Jeremy Tufts
Terrence Murphy
Linesmen:
Steven Murray
Jeff McCorkle
0–121:51 – PPJoaquim Lemay (5) (Guévin, Bremer)
(Kurth) Jimmy Clark (5) – 38:011–1
1–244:28 – Ty Mueller (4) (Randl, Lemay)
(Brodzinski) Jaxon Nelson (17) – 49:152–2
(Brodzinski) Jaxon Nelson (18) – GW – 55:473–2
9 minPenalties4 min
39Shots36

Scoring statistics[edit]

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Tanner Ludtke C 40 11 17 28 28
Griffin Ludtke D 40 4 23 27 27
Jack Randl LW 39 13 13 26 10
Ty Mueller F 40 11 15 26 33
Zach Urdahl LW 34 13 12 25 4
Brock Bremer LW 40 8 12 20 46
Matt Miller RW 37 7 13 20 19
Joaquim Lemay D 37 5 13 18 18
Nolan Sullivan F 40 7 9 16 40
Kirby Proctor D 40 7 8 15 8
Jimmy Glynn F 39 9 6 15 14
Jesse Lansdell F 39 3 12 15 74
Jacob Guévin D 40 3 10 13 20
Nolan Krenzen D 40 2 8 10 4
Victor Mancini D 40 4 6 10 8
Ray Fust LW/RW 37 4 5 9 12
Tyler Rollwagen F 38 3 5 8 30
Jacob Slipec F 30 2 2 4 6
Noah Ellis D 21 0 3 3 6
Michael Abgrall C 12 0 3 3 10
Dominic Vidoli D 19 1 1 2 6
Cam Mitchell LW 13 0 1 1 4
Charlie Lurie F 4 0 1 1 2
Šimon Latkoczy G 34 0 0 0 0
Seth Eisele G 8 0 0 0 0
Total 117 198 315 433

[9]

Goaltending statistics[edit]

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Seth Eisele 9 405:29 4 1 1 16 181 0 .919 2.37
Šimon Latkoczy 34 2030:01 19 12 3 91 953 2 .913 2.69
Empty Net - 14:45 - - - 5 - - - -
Total 38 2450:15 23 13 4 112 1134 2 .910 2.74

Rankings[edit]

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR 20 NR NR NR NR 20 NR NR NR NR 19 NR 20 19 18 19 18 16 12 11 11 12
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 19 NR 19 19 18 19 18 17 13 11 12 12 13

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 or 25.[10]
Note: USA Today did not release a poll in week 12.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Men's Division I PairWise Rankings". Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ^ "Slush Halts Denver-Omaha Hockey Tilt". Lets Go DU. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "Colorado College vs Omaha - NCAA College Hockey - Highlights - March 17, 2024". YouTube. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "UND Hockey - Highlights vs. Omaha (NCHC Semifinal) - 3.22.24". YouTube. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "3-23-24 Omaha vs Denver Highlights - Frozen Faceoff Championship". YouTube. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Minnesota vs Omaha - NCAA College Hockey - Highlights - March 28, 2024". YouTube. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "2022–23 Hockey Roster". Omaha Athletics. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  8. ^ "2023-24 Hockey Schedule". Omaha Mavericks. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  10. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.