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2022–23 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season

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2022–23 Omaha Mavericks
men's ice hockey season
Conference3rd NCHC
Home iceBaxter Arena
Rankings
USCHO#20
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall19–15–3
Conference13–9–2
Home11–8–2
Road8–7–1
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Gabinet
Assistant coachesDave Noël-Bernier
Paul Jerrard
Rob Couturier
Captain(s)Nolan Sullivan
Alternate captain(s)Matt Miller
Jack Randl
Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2021–22 2023–24 »

The 2022–23 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 26th season of play for the program and 10th 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 6th season.

Season

[edit]

As the Mavericks came into the season, the team was having to remake all three sections of the team. After losing both goaltenders from last year, coach Gabinet brought in freshman Šimon Latkoczy and transfer Jake Kucharski to man the pipes. The defense was a little more stable, however, the two regular the team lost still had to be replaced. On the offensive side, Omaha was without 4 of its top 5 scorers from '22 and, while they did bring in graduate transfer Jacob Pivonka, Omaha would likely need to see significant improvements from the returning players.

The great uncertainty with they roster left the Mavs outside of the polls at the start of the season, but that was the least of their worries. Omaha opened the season at home against Niagara, with most expecting a pair of easy wins for the Mavericks. Both goaltenders got off to a poor start in their debuts by allowing 4 goals each and allowing the team to get swept. With the Purple Eagles expected to be a low-ranked team by the end of the year, those two losses could act like an albatross with the team's national ranking. In the meantime, the team had some work to do on the defensive end and saw some improvements during the rest of their non-conference schedule. Omaha went 4–1–1 to finish out October and get themselves back above .500. Though the goaltending rotation initially favored the experienced Kucharski, Latkoczy quickly was getting used to the collegiate level.

As Omaha progressed into their NCHC slate, the team played well and had a credible record through 4 weeks, playing against a gauntlet of teams in the top 20. Right before the winter break, however, the Mavericks were swept by Colorado College and pushed back down to an exactly average mark.

When the team began the second half of its season, they were facing an uphill battle to make the NCAA tournament. While they weren't too far out of the race, sitting in the mid-20's in the PairWise, the NCHC was having a bad season with several of its usual contenders floundering. The reduced strength of schedule would make Omaha's task more difficult by requiring the team to play nearly perfect hockey in the second half. Unfortunately, the Mavericks' offense failed them against St. Lawrence and they began with a loss. With even less margin for error, Omaha's defense came into its own and led the team to a 5 game winning streak. After earning a split with Western Michigan, the Mavericks appeared in the polls for the first time on the year. Two weeks later, and no losses in 4 games, the Mavericks suddenly found themselves in the top 15 of the PairWise and in line for an at-large bid.[1]

In the midst of the team's stellar run, tragedy struck when assistant coach Paul Jerrard died on February 15.[2] Jerrard had been fighting cancer for a while but had not stopped coaching through his treatment.[3]

With Omaha clinging to their playoff hopes, the team entered the final two weeks of the regular season needing to go even or better. The Mavs accomplished that goal against St. Cloud State with alternating 6–2 finals. Although they dropped to 16, a solid performance against North Dakota could easily undo that damage. Unfortunately, the team was inconsistent in their final weekend and ended up losing both games by 1 goal.

As the playoffs began, Omaha was sitting just under the cut line, however, the Mavericks had finished 3rd in the NCHC. Their strong second half enabled the team to get a home site for the quarterfinals and a rematch with the Fighting Hawks. Latkoczy was given the job of stifling UND and performed perfectly in the first game, stopping 40 shots en route to a 2–1 victory.[4] Unfortunately, the team's offense was never able to get going in the series. Omaha scored just 5 goals in 3 games and lost the final two. In their season finale, the Mavs were only able to muster 14 shots and went 0–6 on the power play.

Departures

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Cause
Joseph Abate Forward  United States Signed professional contract (Providence Bruins)
Kevin Conley Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Reading Royals)
Jake Harrison Defenseman  Canada Left program (retired)
Nate Knoepke Defenseman  United States Graduation (signed with Rochester Americans)
Brannon McManus Forward  Canada Graduation (signed with Abbotsford Canucks)
Chayse Primeau Forward  United States Graduate transfer to Notre Dame
Austin Roden Goaltender  Canada Transferred to Providence
Isaiah Saville Goaltender  United States Signed professional contract (Vegas Golden Knights)
Brandon Scanlin Defenseman  Canada Signed professional contract (New York Rangers)
Jason Smallidge Defenseman  United States Graduation (retired)
Martin Sundberg Forward  Sweden Graduation (retired)
Taylor Ward Forward  Canada Graduation (signed with Los Angeles Kings)

Recruiting

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Michael Abgrall Forward  Canada 18 Richmond, BC
Ray Fust Forward  Switzerland 19 Bellinzona, SUI
Jacob Guévin Defenseman  United States 19 Drummondville, QC
Jake Kucharski Goaltender  United States 23 Erie, PA; Selected 197th overall in 2018; transfer from American International
Šimon Latkoczy Goaltender  Slovakia 20 Trenčín, SVK
Joaquim Lemay Defenseman  Canada 20 St-Pierre-les-Becquets, QC; selected 119th overall in 2021
Griffin Ludtke Defenseman  United States 19 Elko, MN
Cam Mitchell Forward  United States 21 Stony Plain, AB
Jacob Pivonka Forward  United States 20 Olathe, KS; graduate transfer from Notre Dame
Tyler Rollwagen Forward  United States 21 Bloomington, MN
Jacob Slipec Forward  Canada 20 White Rock, BC

Current roster

[edit]

As of December 24, 2022.[5]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Pennsylvania Jake Kucharski Senior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 1999-09-25 Erie, Pennsylvania American International (AHA) CAR, 197th overall 2018
2 Quebec Joaquim Lemay Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2002-07-28 Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets, Quebec Lincoln (USHL) WSH, 119th overall 2021
3 Alberta Kirby Proctor Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 2001-04-20 Okotoks, Alberta Des Moines (USHL)
7 Minnesota Griffin Ludtke Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 171 lb (78 kg) 2003-02-01 Elko, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL)
8 Switzerland Ray Fust Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-10-23 Bellinzona, Switzerland Waterloo (USHL)
10 Quebec Jacob Guévin Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 2003-01-17 Drummondville, Quebec Muksegon (USHL)
11 Minnesota Nolan Sullivan (C) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1999-05-21 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Muskegon (USHL)
12 Minnesota Nolan Krenzen Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-07-13 Duluth, Minnesota Omaha (USHL)
13 British Columbia Jacob Slipec Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-12-05 White Rock, British Columbia Surrey (BCHL)
16 Alberta Cam Mitchell Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 1740 lb (789 kg) 2001-03-09 Stony Plain, Alberta Omaha (USHL)
17 Minnesota Cameron Berg Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-01-29 White Bear Lake, Minnesota Muskegon (USHL) NYI, 125th overall 2021
18 British Columbia Michael Abgrall Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-10-25 Richmond, British Columbia Surrey (BCHL)
19 Alberta Ty Mueller Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2003-02-26 Cochrane, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL)
20 Alberta Jonny Tychonick Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2000-03-03 Calgary, Alberta North Dakota (NCHC) OTT, 48th overall 2018
21 Minnesota Tyler Rollwagen Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2001-03-20 Bloomington, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
22 Illinois Jimmy Glynn Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 2000-02-24 Lemont, Illinois Dubuque (USHL)
23 Michigan Victor Mancini Sophomore D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2002-05-26 Saginaw, Michigan Green Bay (USHL) NYR, 159th overall 2022
26 Minnesota Brock Bremer Junior F 5' 5" (1.65 m) 140 lb (64 kg) 1999-08-26 Forest Lake, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL)
27 Indiana Matt Miller (A) Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1999-09-04 Leo, Indiana Lincoln (USHL)
28 Illinois Jack Randl (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-05-07 Carpentersville, Illinois Omaha (USHL)
29 Minnesota Kaden Bohlsen Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2001-01-10 Willmar, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
30 Slovakia Šimon Latkoczy Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-06-01 Trenčín, Slovakia Madison (USHL)
35 Ohio Jacob Zab Senior G 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-04-12 Mentor, Ohio Pittsburgh (USPHL)
40 North Carolina Tyler Weiss Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 146 lb (66 kg) 2000-01-03 Raleigh, North Carolina NTDP (USHL) COL, 109th overall 2018
44 Illinois Jake Pivonka Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-28 Naperville, Illinois Notre Dame (Big Ten) NYI, 103rd overall 2018
48 Michigan Davis Pennington Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-27 Saline, Michigan Muskegon (USHL)

Standings

[edit]
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#6 Denver 24 19 5 0 2 1 0 56 94 53 40 30 10 0 150 86
#11 Western Michigan 24 15 8 1 2 0 0 44 86 60 39 23 15 1 148 102
#20 Omaha 24 13 9 2 2 2 1 42 71 64 37 19 15 3 109 97
#5 St. Cloud State * 24 12 9 3 2 1 3 41 85 68 41 25 13 3 133 95
Minnesota Duluth 24 10 14 0 1 4 0 33 65 81 37 16 20 1 95 114
#17 North Dakota 24 10 10 4 3 0 2 33 75 70 39 18 15 6 127 110
Colorado College 24 6 15 3 0 2 2 25 37 60 38 13 22 3 79 99
Miami 24 3 18 3 0 2 0 14 39 96 36 8 24 4 73 137
Championship: March 18, 2023
† 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
Exhibition
October 1 6:07 PM #3 Minnesota State* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska (Exhibition)   Kucharski W 7–2  4,597
Regular Season
October 7 7:07 PM Niagara* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Kucharski L 3–4  5,748 0–1–0
October 8 7:07 PM Niagara* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy L 3–4  5,567 0–2–0
October 14 6:07 PM at Lake Superior State* Taffy Abel ArenaSault Ste. Marie, Michigan FloHockey Kucharski W 3–1  1,654 1–2–0
October 15 5:07 PM at Lake Superior State* Taffy Abel ArenaSault Ste. Marie, Michigan FloHockey Kucharski T 4–4 OT 1,444 1–2–1
October 21 7:07 PM Alaska* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Kucharski L 2–3 OT 6,414 1–3–1
October 23 2:07 PM Alaska* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–2 OT 4,697 2–3–1
October 28 6:45 PM at Long Island* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+ Kucharski W 2–1  738 3–3–1
October 29 6:07 PM at Long Island* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+ Latkoczy W 7–1  300 4–3–1
November 4 7:07 PM #10 North Dakota Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska Midco Kucharski L 1–4  6,543 4–4–1 (0–1–0)
November 5 7:07 PM #10 North Dakota Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska Midco Kucharski T 3–3 SOW 6,314 4–4–2 (0–1–1)
November 11 7:00 PM at #20 Minnesota Duluth AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota MY9 Kucharski W 3–2  5,941 5–4–2 (1–1–1)
November 12 6:00 PM at #20 Minnesota Duluth AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota MY9 Kucharski L 2–3 OT 6,103 5–5–2 (1–2–1)
November 25 8:00 PM at #1 Denver Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado   Kucharski W 3–0  5,689 6–5–2 (2–2–1)
November 26 7:00 PM at #1 Denver Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado   Kucharski L 3–6  5,269 6–6–2 (2–3–1)
December 2 7:07 PM #14 Western Michigan Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Kucharski W 7–6  6,623 7–6–2 (3–3–1)
December 3 7:07 PM #14 Western Michigan Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–1  6,766 8–6–2 (4–3–1)
December 9 8:30 PM at Colorado College Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado ATTRM Kucharski L 4–6  3,409 8–7–2 (4–4–1)
December 10 7:00 PM at Colorado College Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Latkoczy L 0–1  3,416 8–8–2 (4–5–1)
December 30 7:07 PM St. Lawrence* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Kucharski L 1–2  7,347 8–9–2
December 31 8:07 PM St. Lawrence* Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 5–2  5,817 9–9–2
January 13 7:07 PM Minnesota Duluth Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska CBSSN Kucharski W 3–2  6,398 10–9–2 (5–5–1)
January 14 7:07 PM Minnesota Duluth Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 6–1  6,451 11–9–2 (6–5–1)
January 20 7:07 PM Miami Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Kucharski W 4–1  6,134 12–9–2 (7–5–1)
January 21 7:07 PM Miami Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 2–0  6,650 13–9–2 (8–5–1)
January 27 6:00 PM at #9 Western Michigan Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Kucharski L 1–6  3,872 13–10–2 (8–6–1)
January 28 5:00 PM at #9 Western Michigan Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Latkoczy W 2–0  3,924 14–10–2 (9–6–1)
February 10 7:07 PM Colorado College #16 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 3–2  7,942 15–10–2 (10–6–1)
February 11 7:07 PM Colorado College #16 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy T 2–2 SOL 7,755 15–10–3 (10–6–2)
February 17 6:05 PM at Miami #15 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio   Latkoczy W 3–1  2,025 16–10–3 (11–6–2)
February 18 4:05 PM at Miami #15 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio   Kucharski W 3–2  2,573 17–10–3 (12–6–2)
February 24 7:07 PM #6 St. Cloud State #14 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy L 2–6  7,027 17–11–3 (12–7–2)
February 25 7:07 PM #6 St. Cloud State #14 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Latkoczy W 6–2  7,802 18–11–3 (13–7–2)
March 3 7:07 PM at North Dakota #14 Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota Midco Latkoczy L 4–5 OT 11,728 18–12–3 (13–8–2)
March 4 6:07 PM at North Dakota #14 Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota Midco Kucharski L 1–2  11,731 18–13–3 (13–9–2)
NCHC Tournament
March 10 6:07 PM North Dakota* #17 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska (Quarterfinal Game 1) Midco Latkoczy W 2–1  6,510 19–13–3
March 11 6:07 PM North Dakota* #17 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska (Quarterfinal Game 2) Midco Latkoczy L 1–3  7,348 19–14–3
March 12 5:07 PM North Dakota* #17 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska (Quarterfinal Game 3) Midco Latkoczy L 2–5  5,571 19–15–3
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[6]

Scoring statistics

[edit]
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Jack Randl LW 37 18 16 34 22
Tyler Weiss C/LW 37 6 21 27 26
Jonny Tychonick D 35 8 18 26 24
Matt Miller RW 34 13 12 25 32
Ty Mueller F 34 12 13 25 4
Cameron Berg C 37 10 14 24 38
Jake Pivonka C 37 10 8 18 16
Jacob Guévin D 36 4 14 18 6
Davis Pennington D 36 1 15 16 10
Nolan Sullivan F 35 6 9 15 31
Joaquim Lemay D 32 2 10 12 23
Jacob Slipec F 28 5 4 9 8
Jimmy Glynn F 30 4 5 9 18
Ray Fust LW/RW 24 3 6 9 4
Nolan Krenzen D 34 1 8 9 4
Kirby Proctor D 37 1 7 8 30
Victor Mancini D 32 0 8 8 10
Brock Bremer LW 22 2 5 7 30
Tyler Rollwagen F 33 1 3 4 14
Kaden Bohlsen C 26 2 1 3 26
Cam Mitchell LW 14 0 1 1 0
Jacob Zab G 1 0 0 0 0
Griffin Ludtke D 14 0 0 0 0
Michael Abgrall C 15 0 0 0 16
Šimon Latkoczy G 20 0 0 0 0
Jake Kucharski G 20 0 0 0 0
Total 109 198 307 392

[7]

Goaltending statistics

[edit]
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Jacob Zab 1 1:32 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 0.00
Šimon Latkoczy 20 1110:42 11 6 1 43 490 2 .919 2.32
Jake Kucharski 20 1123:14 8 9 2 51 481 1 .904 2.72
Empty Net - 15:57 - - - 3 - - - -
Total 38 2251:25 19 15 3 97 972 3 .909 2.59

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 27 (Final)
USCHO.com NR - NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR NR NR NR 19 16 15 14 14 17 18 20 - 20
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 16 16 15 15 14 18 19 NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[8]

Awards and honors

[edit]
Player Award Ref
Joaquim Lemay NCHC Rookie Team [9]
Jacob Guévin

Players drafted into the NHL

[edit]
Round Pick Player NHL team
3 81 Tanner Ludtke Arizona Coyotes
4 105 Ty Mueller Vancouver Canucks

† incoming freshman [10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Men's Division I PairWise Rankings". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "Paul Jerrard, former NHL assistant, dies of cancer at 57". ESPN. February 16, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Remembering Paul Jerrard: The stories, memories and impact of the 'classiest man in hockey'". The Rink Live. March 5, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2023". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "2022–23 Hockey Roster". Omaha Athletics. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  6. ^ "2022-23 Hockey Schedule". Omaha Mavericks. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  7. ^ "Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha 2022-2023 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  9. ^ "NCHC Reveals 2022-23 All-Conference Teams". NCHC. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2023 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.