#8 North Dakota (5-3-0 overall) travels down I-29 this weekend to face Omaha (4-2-0). This series will mark UND’s first conference road test and the league home opener for the Mavericks.
UND has been up-and-down to start the season, with a home-and-home sweep of St. Thomas (6-2, 5-2), a home split with unranked Minnesota (5-2, 1-5), a road split at Clarkson (2-5, 1-0), and a four-point home weekend against #7 Minnesota Duluth (3-4 OT, 5-1).
Omaha has won three straight games, including a pair of NCHC victories at #20 Colorado College last weekend. The Mavericks completed the road sweep at altitude by final scores of 3-2 and 5-4 despite being outshot 91-50 in the series.
UND is nine years removed from its eighth national championship but has made the national tournament in just four of the past eight seasons. That track record – and some early playoff exits – led to a coaching change, and Dane Jackson is now leading the charge.
In the NCHC preseason poll, UND was picked to finish in third place (behind Western Michigan and Denver), while the Mavericks were tabbed to end up in seventh (ahead of only St. Cloud State and Miami). With the addition of St. Thomas to the NCHC (and a new schedule format) beginning in 2026-2027, the Fighting Hawks and Mavericks will no longer be guaranteed four regular-season games each year.
Omaha head coach Mike Gabinet is now in his ninth season behind the bench, and he has only led the Mavericks to two NCAA tournament appearances – once in the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season and once two years ago. Both of those playoff bids came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who dispatched Omaha 7-2 in the 2021 West Regional semifinal (Loveland, Colorado) and edged the Mavericks 3-2 in the 2024 Midwest Regional semifinal (Sioux Falls, South Dakota).
The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past ten seasons. The nine teams in the league have gone 571-292-86 (.647) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent fifteen teams to the Frozen Four (UND and Omaha in 2015, UND and Denver in 2016, Denver and Duluth in 2017, Duluth in 2018, Denver and Duluth in 2019, Duluth and St. Cloud State in 2021, Denver in 2022 and 2024, and Denver and Western Michigan in 2025 over that nine-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022, 2024), Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019), and Western Michigan (2025) have won seven of the last nine national titles.
So far this season, the NCHC has won nearly seventy percent of its non-conference games (39-17-1) and has four teams (#4 Western Michigan, #7 Minnesota Duluth, #8 North Dakota, and #9 Denver) positioned in the top ten in the latest rankings, with the other five teams in the conference all receiving votes. With similar success in the second half of the season, the league could easily send four or even five teams to this year’s NCAA tournament in March.
North Dakota has four non-conference games remaining on the schedule:
November 28-29: at/vs. Bemidji State (CCHA)
January 2-3: vs. Mercyhurst (Atlantic Hockey)
The Fighting Hawks will also play a second exhibition game – against the U.S. Under-18 Team – on November 21st. UND opened the season with a 7-0 exhibition victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons.
Last season, the Fighting Hawks and Mavericks ended the regular season by splitting a pair of games at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The following weekend – with the season on the line for both teams – UND swept a pair of games at Omaha by identical 3-2 scores. North Dakota’s season would end six days later at the hands of eventual national champion Western Michigan at the last-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota, a 4-2 defeat that would cost former head coach Brad Berry his job.
On the final weekend of the 2022-2023 regular season, North Dakota swept Omaha (5-4 OT, 2-1). The Fighting Hawks dropped Game One of the playoff series in Omaha by a final score of 2-1 before winning two straight (3-1, 5-2) and advancing to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota.
On January 12th and 13th, 2024, UND took four of six league points in a home series against Omaha, falling 5-4 in overtime on Friday night before rebounding for a 3-1 regulation win in Saturday’s rematch. The disappointing thing about the series opener is that North Dakota led 3-1 after the first period. The Mavericks won the middle frame decisively, however, outscoring the homestanding Hawks 3-1. Both teams scored twice with the man advantage. Omaha scored just 34 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime session to grab the extra league point.
Saturday’s finale was a bit more of a defensive struggle, with Omaha tying the game at one goal apiece just 49 seconds into the third period. UND’s Dylan James scored the game-winner three minutes later, and former Maverick Cameron Berg iced the game with an empty-net goal in the final thirty seconds. North Dakota outshot Omaha 30-23 on Saturday night and 69-47 on the weekend.
Turning our attention to this weekend…
A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Mike Gabinet’s squad has eleven players who meet that threshold: sophomore forward Maxime Pellerin (5-3-8), freshman forward Luke Woodworth (3-4-7), freshman forward Marcus Nguyen (3-3-6), sophomore forward Sean Tschigerl (2-3-5), sophomore forward Brett Hyland (1-2-3), sophomore forward Trevor Wong (0-3-3), senior forward Tyler Rollwagen (3-0-3), freshman forward Jeremy Loranger (0-3-3), sophomore forward Chase LaPinta (0-1-1 in two games), senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke (0-7-7), and junior defenseman Aidan de la Gorgendiere (2-4-6).
North Dakota will also have eleven players in the lineup this weekend who have met that threshold: senior forward Ben Strinden (2-7-9), freshman forward Will Zellers (3-3-6), senior forward Ellis Rickwood (1-5-6), sophomore forward Mac Swanson (3-3-6), freshman forward Cole Reschny (1-4-5), senior forward Dylan James (3-2-5), freshman forward Ollie Josephson (2-3-5), sophomore forward Cade Littler (1-2-3), junior defenseman Abram Wiebe (2-4-6), freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff (4-1-5), and junior defenseman Jake Livanavage (1-3-4).
Ben Strinden was awarded the NCHC Forward of the Week after scoring the game-tying goal with 71 seconds remaining last Friday night and notching four assists in Saturday’s 5-1 victory.
Ollie Josephson was awarded the NCHC Rookie of the Week after tallying a goal and an assist each night in last weekend’s home series against Duluth.
UND freshman forward Josh Zakreski (1-2-3 in six games played) was having a promising start to his rookie campaign, but he suffered a lower body injury last week in practice, had surgery, and is expected to be out long-term.
One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. Through eight games, the Fighting Hawks have won 53.3% of faceoffs, good for 13th in the country. Through their six games, the Mavericks are 52nd in the nation (46.6%).
UND freshman phenom Cole Reschny has won 64 of his 105 draws (61.0%), while portal transfer Ellis Rickwood (who played the past three years at Clarkson) has won 62.6 percent (92 of 147). For the Mavericks, no one has been all that effective, with freshman Luke Woodworth (39 of 80, 48.8%), sophomore Sean Tschigerl (37 of 78, 47.4%), and senior Tyler Rollwagen (32 of 64, 50.0%) sharing the load.
Not only will North Dakota start with the puck more often than not in this series, they will also hold on to it. In the early part of the 2025-2025 campaign, the Fighting Hawks have far outpaced the Mavericks in two key puck possession statistics:
North Dakota: 11th in both Corsi (56.7%) and Fenwick (56.1%)
Omaha: 58th in Corsi (42.8%) and 54th in Fenwick (43.1%)
Corsi measures the share of shot attempts for each team at even strength, while Fenwick measures the share of unblocked shot attempts for each team at even strength.
To this point in the season, the Green and White have had the better of the specialty teams play. North Dakota is a combined +2, with eight power play goals scored (8 for 34, 23.5%, 21st) and six power play goals allowed (26 of 32, 81.3%, 26th). UND has scored and allowed two shorthanded goals through the first eight games of the season.
Mike Gabinet’s squad is at a net zero, with six power play goals scored (6 for 22, 27.3%, 13th in the country) and seven power play goals allowed (18 of 25, 72.0%, 51st). Omaha has also scored one shorthanded goal while not allowing one to opponents.
Through eight games, the Green and White have blocked 101 shots (12.6 per game), led by Bennett Zmolek with 18. Omaha has blocked 65 shots in its six games (10.8/game), with Marc Ljoie (9), Jacob Guevin (8), and Marcus Broberg (8) leading the charge.
North Dakota’s defensive corps has provided plenty of production from the back end, already notching nine goals and adding fourteen assists in 57 combined games (0.40 points per game).
Not to be outdone, Omaha’s blueliners have scored five goals and fifteen assists in 39 combined games (0.51 points/game), led by senior Griffin Ludtke (0-7-7) and junior Aidan de la Gorgendiere (2-4-6). No other Maverick blueliner has more than two points this season.
For the Fighting Hawks, it’s been two juniors – Jake Livanavage (1-3-4) and Abram Wiebe (2-4-6) – and a freshman (Keaton Verhoeff, with four goals and an assist).
Verhoeff is widely expected to go in the top three of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, while Livanavage (4-24-28) and Wiebe (4-20-24) were two of UND’s top four point-getters a season ago.
Sophomore defenseman EJ Emery – a first round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – notched the first two goals of his collegiate career three weeks ago in a 5-2 win against Minnesota.
Not only have North Dakota’s defensemen been producing offensively, first-year head coach Dane Jackson has also put together an impressive mix of defenders he can trust in any situation.
After this weekend, UND will host the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils (3-5-0) at Ralph Engelstad Arena on November 14th and 15th.
Here is a quick peek at how North Dakota and Omaha stack up in various categories:
Goals per game: Omaha 4.00 (7th of 63 teams); UND 3.50 (17th)
Goals allowed per game: Omaha 3.17 (41st); UND 2.63 (21st)
Shooting percentage: Omaha 14.7% (3rd); UND 12.5% (12th)
Save percentage: Omaha .916 (19th); UND .881 (51st)
Shots on goal/game: Omaha 27.2 (46th); UND 28.0 (38th)
Shots on goal allowed/game: Omaha 37.8 (59th); UND 22.1 (4th)
Power play efficiency: Omaha 27.3% (13th); UND 23.5% (21st)
Penalty kill efficiency: Omaha 72.0% (51st); UND 81.3% (26th)
Faceoff win percentage: Omaha 46.6% (52nd); UND 53.3% (13th)
Corsi: Omaha 42.8% (58th); UND 56.7% (11th)
Fenwick: Omaha 43.1% (54th); UND 56.1% (11th)
Omaha Team Profile
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (9th season at UNO, 139-133-19, .510)
National Rankings: #NR/NR
This Season: 4-2-0 overall, 2-0-0-0 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 18-17-1 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 13-8-2-1 NCHC (4th)
Team Offense: 4.00 goals scored/game – 7th of 63 teams
Team Defense: 3.17 goals allowed/game – 41st of 63 teams
Power Play: 27.3% (6 of 22)– 13th of 63 teams
Penalty Kill: 72.0% (18 of 25)– 51st of 63 teams
Key Players: Sophomore F Maxime Pellerin (5-3-8), Freshman F Luke Woodworth (3-4-7), Freshman F Marcus Nguyen (3-3-6), Sophomore F Sean Tschigerl (2-3-5), Senior F Tyler Rollwagen (3-0-3), Senior D Griffin Ludtke (0-7-7), Junior D Aidan de la Gorgendiere (2-4-6), Senior G Simon Latkoczy (3-2-0, 2.82 GAA, .925 SV%)
North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season at North Dakota, 5-3-0, .625)
National Rankings: #8/#8
This Season: 5-3-0 overall, 1-0-0-1 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 21-15-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 11-8-4-1 NCHC (5th)
2025-26 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.50 goals scored/game – 17th of 63 teams
Team Defense: 2.63 goals allowed/game – 21st of 63 teams
Power Play: 23.5% (8 of 34) – 21st of 63 teams
Penalty Kill: 81.3% (26 of 32) – 26th of 63 teams
Key Players: Senior F Dylan James (3-2-5), Senior F Ellis Rickwood (1-5-6), Sophomore F Mac Swanson (3-3-6), Senior F Ben Strinden (2-7-9), Freshman F Ollie Josephson (2-3-5), Freshman F Cole Reschny (1-4-5), Freshman F Will Zellers (3-3-6), Junior D Jake Livanavage (1-3-4), Junior D Abram Wiebe (2-4-6), Freshman D Keaton Verhoeff (4-1-5), Freshman G Jan Spunar (2-0-0, 0.50 GAA, .973 SV%, 1 SO)
By The Numbers
Last Meeting: March 15th, 2025 (Omaha, Nebraska). For the second night in a row, the visiting Hawks narrowly edged their hosts by a final score of 3-2. On this night, it was a furious third-period comeback after Omaha had built a 2-0 lead. North Dakota defenseman Jayden Jubenvill netted the game-winner with just 96 seconds remaining in the hockey game to propel the Green and White to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. UND scored its three goals on just five shots in the final frame.
Most Memorable Meeting: The game that UND fans will long remember is the outdoor game played at TD Ameritrade Park (Omaha, Nebraska) on February 9th, 2013. One day after winning a tight 2-1 contest indoors, North Dakota throttled UNO 5-2 on a sunny, melty afternoon. Mavericks netminder John Faulkner was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in just ten minutes of game action. In my opinion, this hockey weekend solidified the notion that for UND hockey, it’s always a home game.
Last Ten: Each side has won five of the last ten contests, with North Dakota winning three of the four games played last season. Omaha has outscored North Dakota 33-30 over the past ten games.
All-Time: UND leads the all-time series 39-23-2 (.625), including a record of 20-11-1 (.641) in Omaha. The teams first met on November 19, 2010.
Game News and Notes
Eleven seasons ago, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four but neither team made the championship game. UND fell to Boston University 5-3, while the Mavericks were upended 4-1 by eventual national champion Providence. In team history, the Mavericks have made the national tournament five times (2006, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2024), with a Frozen Four appearance under head coach Dean Blais in 2015. North Dakota’s Brad Berry is 28-17-1 (.620) in his head coaching career against Omaha. In 30 of the past 37 contests in this series, the winning team is the one which scores the first goal. This season, North Dakota is 3-1-0 (.750) when scoring first; Omaha, 2-1-0 (.667). UND’s Dylan James has six goals and nine points in his sixteen career games against the Mavericks.
The Prediction
Despite Omaha’s sweep at Colorado College last weekend, the underlying metrics seem to favor North Dakota. UND’s third-period comeback against Duluth last Friday night – coupled with a workmanlike 5-1 victory in the rematch – has Dane Jackson’s squad trending in the right direction. The Fighting Hawks are deeper on the blueline and more talented up front, and that bodes well for the Green and White. Expect one close contest in this one, but I’ve got North Dakota emerging from the weekend with two league wins. UND 3-2, 5-3.
Broadcast Information
Both games this weekend will be available online at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the Fighting Hawks Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Central Time each night.
Social Media
Keep up with the action live during all UND hockey games by following @UNDmhockey and @UNDInsider on Twitter. Fans can also read the action via Brad Schlossman’s live chat on the Grand Forks Herald website.
As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.