The 2020–21 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 24th season of play for the program and the 8th in the NCHC conference. The Mavericks represented the University of Nebraska Omaha and were coached by Mike Gabinet, in his 4th season.
| 2020–21 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| NCAA Tournament, Regional semifinals | |
| Conference | 4th NCHC |
| Home ice | Baxter Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO.com | 13 |
| USA Today/ US Hockey Magazine | 14 |
| Record | |
| Overall | 14–11–1 |
| Conference | 14–9–1–4–0–1 |
| Home | 4–3–0 |
| Road | 4–3–0 |
| Neutral | 6–5–1 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Mike Gabinet |
| Assistant coaches | Dave Noël-Bernier Paul Jerrard |
| Captain(s) | Kevin Conley |
| Alternate captain(s) | Nathan Knoepke Nolan Sullivan Taylor Ward |
| Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey seasons « 2019–20 2021–22 » | |
Season
editAs a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Omaha's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]
Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, The entire NCHC conference began the season playing in Omaha, Nebraska.[3] Despite playing all of these game in their home building, the Mavericks didn't officially play a home game in December. All games were considered 'neutral site' matches but Omaha was still able to use the familiar surroundings to get off to a good start. It took the Mavs a few games to get used to the compressed schedule but, by the end of the third week of play, the team had shot up into the middle of the top-20 rankings. UNO would hover around that point for the remainder of the regular season and, despite losing 3 out of 4 to North Dakota at the end, Omaha was projected to make the NCAA Tournament under normal circumstances.[4]
When their conference tournament began, Omaha was hoping it could at least improve its standing and get a better matchup in late March. However, the team was outplayed by Denver for most of the contest and lost the quarterfinal 4–5. As a result, Omaha was ranked 14th by the selection committee and placed opposite to Minnesota in the regional semifinals. The Mavericks never really were in the game, surrendering the first three goals before ending the first down 1–3. The Gophers scored an additional trio in the second and then skated to a rather easy 7–2 win over Omaha.
Jacob Zab sat out the season.
Departures
edit| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colby Enns | Defenseman |  United States |
Transferred to Northern Michigan |
| Ryan Jones | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (Signed with Rochester Americans) |
| Zach Jordan | Forward | United States |
Graduation (Signed with Cleveland Monsters) |
| Tristan Keck | Forward |  Canada |
Graduation (Signed with Coventry Blaze) |
| Teemu Pulkkinen | Forward |  Finland |
Graduation (Signed with Mikkelin Jukurit) |
| Dean Stewart | Defenseman | Canada |
Graduation (Signed with Wichita Thunder) |
Recruiting
edit| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaden Bohlsen | Forward | United States |
19 | Willmar, MN |
| Brock Bremer | Forward | United States |
21 | Forest Lake, MN |
| Jimmy Glynn | Forward | United States |
20 | Lemont, IL |
| Jake Harrison | Defenseman | Canada |
21 | West Kelowna, BC |
| Nolan Krenzen | Defenseman | United States |
19 | Duluth, MN |
| Matt Miller | Forward | United States |
21 | Leo, IN |
| Jack Randl | Forward | United States |
20 | Carpentersville, IL |
| Jonny Tychonick | Defenseman | Canada |
20 | Calgary, AB; transfer from North Dakota; selected 48th overall in 2018 |
Roster
editAs of March 1, 2021.[5]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 
|
Jason Smallidge | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 1998-05-20 | Eagan, Minnesota | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
| 3 | 
|
Kirby Proctor | Sophomore | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 2001-04-20 | Okotoks, Alberta | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
| 4 | 
|
Brandon Scanlin | Sophomore | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 1999-06-02 | Hamilton, Ontario | Brooks (AJHL) | — |
| 5 |
|
John Schuldt | Junior | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 1997-02-10 | Minnetonka, Minnesota | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 7 |
|
Nate Knoepke (A) | Senior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1999-04-08 | Farmington, Minnesota | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 9 | 
|
Ryan Brushett | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1998-06-14 | Verdun, Quebec | Powell River (BCHL) | — |
| 10 | 
|
Kevin Conley (C) | Senior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 1997-02-17 | Wausau, Wisconsin | Sioux Falls (USHL) | — |
| 11 |
|
Nolan Sullivan (A) | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 1999-05-21 | Eden Prairie, Minnesota | Muskegon (USHL) | — |
| 12 |
|
Nolan Krenzen | Freshman | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2001-07-13 | Duluth, Minnesota | Omaha (USHL) | — |
| 13 | 
|
Chayse Primeau | Junior | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1997-09-15 | Margate City, New Jersey | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 16 | 
|
Martin Sundberg | Senior | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 1996-12-04 | Linköping, Sweden | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 17 | 
|
Taylor Ward (A) | Junior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 1998-03-31 | Kelowna, British Columbia | Penticton (BCHL) | — |
| 20 |
|
Jonny Tychonick | Junior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2000-03-03 | Calgary, Alberta | North Dakota (NCHC) | OTT, 48th overall 2018 |
| 21 | 
|
Noah Prokop | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 2000-01-15 | Littleton, Colorado | Green Bay (USHL) | — |
| 22 |
|
Jordan Klehr | Graduate | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 1997-03-18 | Lino Lakes, Minnesota | Shattuck-St. Mary's (Midget AAA) | — |
| 23 |
|
Travis Kothenbeutel | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 1997-01-10 | Sauk Rapids, Minnesota | Austin (NAHL) | — |
| 24 | 
|
Jimmy Glynn | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | 2000-02-24 | Lemont, Illinois | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 26 |
|
Brock Bremer | Freshman | F | 5' 5" (1.65 m) | 140 lb (64 kg) | 1999-08-26 | Forest Lake, Minnesota | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 27 | 
|
Matt Miller | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 1999-09-04 | Leo, Indiana | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 28 |
|
Jack Randl | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2000-05-07 | Carpentersville, Illinois | Omaha (USHL) | — |
| 29 |
|
Kaden Bohlsen | Freshman | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2001-01-10 | Willmar, Minnesota | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 31 | 
|
Isaiah Saville | Sophomore | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 2000-09-21 | Anchorage, Alaska | Tri-City (USHL) | VGK, 135th overall 2019 |
| 35 | 
|
Jacob Zab | Sophomore | G | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1998-04-12 | Mentor, Ohio | Pittsburgh (USPHL) | — |
| 36 |
|
Austin Roden | Sophomore | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 1998-04-30 | Victoria, British Columbia | Merritt (BCHL) | — |
| 40 | 
|
Tyler Weiss | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 146 lb (66 kg) | 2000-01-03 | Raleigh, North Carolina | USNTDP (USHL) | COL, 109th overall 2018 |
| 44 |
|
Jake Harrison | Freshman | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 1999-04-13 | Kelowna, British Columbia | West Kelowna (BCHL) | — |
| 45 |
|
Joey Abate | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 1998-09-26 | Bloomingdale, Illinois | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
| 47 |
|
Alex Roy | Sophomore | D | 6' 7" (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 1998-09-21 | Beaumont, Quebec | Jamestown (NAHL) | — |
| 48 |
|
Josh Boyer | Sophomore | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1999-10-07 | Wasilla, Alaska | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
Standings
edit| Conference record | Overall record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | PT% | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #5 North Dakota †* | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 54 | .750 | 94 | 47 | 29 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 114 | 57 | |
| #2 St. Cloud State | 24 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 45 | .625 | 78 | 64 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 101 | 84 | |
| #3 Minnesota Duluth | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43 | .597 | 72 | 54 | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 84 | 66 | |
| #13 Omaha | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 40 | .556 | 79 | 69 | 26 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 85 | 81 | |
| Denver | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 31 | .470 | 61 | 60 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 67 | 66 | |
| Western Michigan | 24 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | .458 | 73 | 84 | 25 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 77 | 89 | |
| Colorado College | 22 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | .273 | 35 | 77 | 23 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 36 | 79 | |
| Miami | 24 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | .250 | 46 | 83 | 25 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 48 | 89 | |
| Championship: March 16, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll | ||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
edit| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| December 1 | 3:35 PM | vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | L 3–5 | 0 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) | ||||
| December 3 | 7:35 PM | vs. #17 Western Michigan | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 10–2 | 0 | 1–1–0 (1–1–0) | ||||
| December 5 | 4:05 PM | vs. Miami | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 2–1 OT | 0 | 2–1–0 (2–1–0) | ||||
| December 6 | 8:05 PM | vs. St. Cloud State | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | L 3–5 | 0 | 2–2–0 (2–2–0) | ||||
| December 9 | 7:35 PM | vs. Colorado College | #18 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | AT&T RM | Saville | W 6–1 | 0 | 3–2–0 (3–2–0) | ||
| December 12 | 8:05 PM | vs. Miami | #18 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | L 0–1 | 0 | 3–3–0 (3–3–0) | |||
| December 13 | 8:05 PM | vs. #13 St. Cloud State | #18 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Roden | W 2–0 | 0 | 4–3–0 (4–3–0) | |||
| December 16 | 3:35 PM | vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth | #17 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | T 2–2 SOW | 0 | 4–3–1 (4–3–1) | |||
| December 18 | 3:35 PM | vs. Western Michigan | #17 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 6–5 | 0 | 5–3–1 (5–3–1) | |||
| December 21 | 12:05 PM | vs. Colorado College | #17 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 3–0 | 0 | 6–3–1 (6–3–1) | |||
| January 18 | 8:07 PM | at Colorado College | #11 | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Saville | W 3–2 | 0 | 7–3–1 (7–3–1) | |||
| January 19 | 8:07 PM | at Colorado College | #11 | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Roden | W 3–2 OT | 0 | 8–3–1 (8–3–1) | |||
| January 23 | 6:07 PM | vs. #19 Denver | #11 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | L 1–4 | 1,322 | 8–4–1 (8–4–1) | |||
| January 24 | 6:00 PM | vs. #19 Denver | #11 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 5–2 | 611 | 9–4–1 (9–4–1) | |||
| January 29 | 6:00 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | CBSSN | Saville | L 2–6 | 1,429 | 9–5–1 (9–5–1) | ||
| January 30 | 6:07 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 5–4 | 1,771 | 10–5–1 (10–5–1) | |||
| February 5 | 8:07 PM | at Denver | #9 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Saville | L 1–3 | 0 | 10–6–1 (10–6–1) | |||
| February 6 | 7:07 PM | at Denver | #9 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | CBSSN | Saville | W 5–4 OT | 0 | 11–6–1 (11–6–1) | ||
| February 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. Colorado College | #10 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 7–1 | 1,248 | 12–6–1 (12–6–1) | |||
| February 13 | 6:07 PM | vs. Colorado College | #10 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | W 3–2 | 1,524 | 13–6–1 (13–6–1) | |||
| February 19 | 7:37 PM | at #2 North Dakota | #9 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Saville | L 1–4 | 2,420 | 13–7–1 (13–7–1) | |||
| February 20 | 6:07 PM | at #2 North Dakota | #9 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Saville | L 1–7 | 2,514 | 13–8–1 (13–8–1) | |||
| February 26 | 7:07 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #11 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Saville | L 2–4 | 1,979 | 13–9–1 (13–9–1) | |||
| March 5 | 7:37 PM | at #1 North Dakota | #12 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Saville | W 3–2 OT | 2,723 | 14–9–1 (14–9–1) | |||
| NCHC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 13 | 2:30 PM | vs. Denver* | #11 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Saville | L 4–5 | 1,864 | 14–10–1 | |||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 27 | 8:00 PM | vs. #2 Minnesota* | #12 | Budweiser Events Center • Loveland, Colorado (NCAA West Regional semifinal) | ESPNU | Saville | L 2–7 | 125 | 14–11–1 | ||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Scoring statistics
edit| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chayse Primeau | LW/RW | 26 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 4 |
| Tyler Weiss | C/LW | 26 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 36 |
| Taylor Ward | F | 26 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 20 |
| Kevin Conley | F | 25 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 39 |
| Brandon Scanlin | D | 24 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 14 |
| Matt Miller | RW | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 2 |
| Brock Bremer | LW | 25 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 10 |
| Jack Randl | LW | 24 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 |
| Jason Smallidge | D | 26 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
| Martin Sundberg | RW | 24 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 37 |
| Nolan Sullivan | F | 26 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 29 |
| Kirby Proctor | D | 26 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Joey Abate | LW | 22 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 63 |
| Jonny Tychonick | D | 23 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 |
| Jimmy Glynn | F | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Ryan Brushett | C | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Nate Knoepke | D | 25 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Nolan Krenzen | D | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| Jake Harrison | D | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Isaiah Saville | G | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| John Schuldt | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Klehr | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travis Kothenbeutel | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Bohlsen | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Austin Roden | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Boyer | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Alex Roy | D | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Noah Prokop | C | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 16 |
| Total | 85 | 145 | 230 | 396 |
Goaltending statistics
edit| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Roden | 5 | 212 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 106 | 1 | .914 | 2.83 |
| Isaiah Saville | 24 | 1348 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 68 | 661 | 1 | .907 | 3.03 |
| Empty Net | - | 12 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 26 | 1573 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 81 | 767 | 2 | .904 | 3.09 |
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 (Final) | ||||
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | 18 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | - | 13 | |||
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | |||
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[8]
Awards and honors
edit| Player | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Chayse Primeau | NCHC Second Team | [9] |
| Isaiah Saville | NCHC Third Team | [9] |
| Brandon Scanlin |
Players drafted into the NHL
edit| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 119 | Joaquim Lemay† | Washington Capitals |
| 4 | 125 | Cameron Berg† | New York Islanders |
† incoming freshman [10]
References
edit- ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "NCHC Will Begin Season in Omaha Bubble". Neutral Zone. October 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look". USCHO. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "2020–21 Hockey Roster". Omaha Athletics. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ "Omaha Mavericks (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "North Dakota Paces 2020-21 NCHC All-Conference Teams". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.