Start fast and hold on tight!


UNO beat the No. 3 and 4 Michigan Wolverines 4-2 Friday night at Yost Ice Arena.  The victory is the third-straight shocker for a team expected to struggle some this season.

The Mavs have developed a certain trend in their recent victories over ranked opponents: score early, and hold on tight.

While it may be a temptation to play conservatively after early leads, the Mavs' have maintained tempo.



Coach Blais and the UNO Mavs are
5-0, thanks in large part to their early
scoring bursts.


“We play the same way [when we get early leads]," said UNO head coach Dean Blais.  "It’s not that we get up four goals and sit back."

Last Friday night at Minnesota, the Mavs jumped out to a 4-0 lead and then had it slowly shrink away before the Gophers tied the game late in the third period. The Mavs eventually came away with a 5-4 victory.

The following night the Mavs jumped out to a 3-0 lead.  The Gophers fought back to make the score 3-2 before the Mavs scored an empty-netter to make it a 4-2 final.

“I think we need to work on our shutdown defense a little more," said senior defenseman Eric Olimb following the victory. "But when they got that first [goal] we talked on the bench and knew we had to give them nothing for the rest of the game.”

The early leads have put added pressure on the Mavs defense who has faced a fury of shots late in games.

Last night in Ann Arbor, Mich. the Mavs scored all four goals before the third period.  Then UNO held on with sophomore goaltender John Faulkner fending off 26 of 28 Wolverine shot attempts in the second and third periods. The Wolnerines scored back-to back goals in the third to make the score 4-2 with five minutes remaining but couldn't get anymore as Faulkner brought his season saves total to 150, good for second best in the nation behind junior Dan Morrison of Canisius.

It was the third straight Friday that the No. 1 offense in the nation has lead 4-0. 

"It's disappointing to be down 4-0 in a game," said Michigan junior forward Luke Glendening.  "I think we worked hard in the third period, but sometimes that's not enough. I thought we played hard, but four goals is a tough deficit to come back from."

Game two is set for 6:35 p.m. CT tonight at Yost Ice Arena.

Faulkner benefitting from goalie coach

UNO Sophomore goaltender John Faulkner has seen an improvement in his play this season thanks in large part to actually having a position-specific coach.

“It’s tough to know what you’re doing wrong when you’re just stopping pucks in practice," said Faulkner. 

The Mavs brought on goalie coach Corey Wogtech this season to help Faulkner and his fellow netminders improve.  Wogtech worked this summer with former Mav Dan Ellis, who now plays in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Cory is so beneficial," said Faulkner.  "He really has studied the art of goaltending in the past few years and he’s just so detail oriented. He knows all the small things and he sees everything that you need to work on. We work every day on just trying to work on the small things."

Faulkner is No. 17 in the nation in save percentage at .928 and has saved 116 shots on the season.  Wogtech and Faulkner have tried to focus on improving the little things in Faulkner's technique.

"We’re breaking down videos," said Faulkner. "It’s nice to visually see what’s happening and what’s going wrong.”

Mavs look to continue road success at Michigan

Yost Ice Arena. Ann Arbor, Mich.

By Nate Tenopir

Senior Staff Writer

As the new member of an esteemed organization it’s usually proper etiquette to make your entrance lightly and show appreciation to your hosts.

 UNO had no such designs last weekend when they went up to Minnesota, kicked in the doors of Mariucci arena and announced their presence.

After having won only 4 games on the road all of last season, the Mavs went into one of the most historically tough places to play in all of college hockey and took both games. Rather than fold under the pressure of a new conference against new opponents, UNO came out and did what they do best: skate.

From early on in the first game, the Mavericks were controlling the pace of play and had outshot the Gophers 8-3 by the first TV timeout. When the period had ended, UNO had a 20-6 shot advantage and a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard.

While the extra 15 feet of width at Mariucci Arena may have had some impact, the Mavs preparation in the off-season is more likely the reason they found the success they did. Coach Dean Blais’ system calls for guys who have speed, endurance, and can press the play up and down the ice.

While one weekend doesn’t answer all the questions about switching to the ultra-successful WCHA, it does give you a sense of what the Mavs should be able to do all season long. Though they’ll often be facing teams with more highly touted talent and experience throughout the roster, their skating ability should keep them in most contests.

It’s something they’ll have to rely on again this weekend as they take their 4-0 record to Michigan and Yost Ice Arena. Although the wins at then No. 13 Minnesota were cause for some celebration, those feelings will have to be put aside quickly as the Mavs are sure to face a tougher test against the third and fourth ranked Wolverines.

Michigan (2-0-2), who won the CCHA tournament last year, was the coaches’ preseason pick to win the conference this season. Unlike the Gophers, the Wolverines feature several star playmakers that can turn a game at a moment’s notice.

The three that led the team are senior forwards Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso and Matt Rust. All three scored over 40 points last season and played in all of Michigan’s 45 games. In addition, the Wolverines welcome back 12 forwards, five defensemen and their top five point producers. Between the pipes Michigan will also have returning seniors in Shawn Hunwick and Bryan Hogan.

Hunwick took over for an injured Hogan late last year and posted a 7-1 mark earning him the right to split time at the position. So far this year he has appeared in three contests posting a .922 save percentage and 2.53 goals against mark while Hogan has seen action in one game adding an .889 save percentage and 2.00 GAA.

One interesting factor to be on the lookout for is the penalty situation. So far this season, the Mavs have had three games in which a player was guilty of a major penalty and ejected from the game. Twice on those major penalties another Mav was sent to the box putting the team in five-on-three situations. However, the team was able to kill off both five-on-three penalties and hold an 88 percent penalty kill mark so far this year.

The Mavs have also shown the ability to improve on this factor from game to game. In the first weekend of the year, the power play chances given up dropped from five on Friday against Clarkson to three on Saturday against RIT. Though UNO gave up seven chances in the Friday game at Minnesota, they bounced back to allow on two on Saturday. 

UNO is enjoying high marks on their power play chances as well. The Mavericks have scored a power play goal in each game besides last Saturday’s contest with Minnesota and hold a 32 percent mark for the season.

Translating all of that into success at Michigan this weekend will be a tough task. In the 15 games in Ann Arbor, UNO has won only one all time. Granted, most of those UNO teams didn’t go into Michigan as highly ranked or regarded as they are right now. But not all of them were facing a top five team with as much promise as the Wolverines have this season.

Prediction: 1-0-1 on the weekend

Friday: Michigan scores early in the third to take a two goal lead and cruises to victory, 4-2.

Saturday: UNO gets a game-tying goal with under 10 minutes to go and holds on for a point, 3-3.

Blais encouraged by Mavs' veteran leadership




From left to right: Senior Joey Martin (14), Sophomore Bryce Aneloski (24),
 Senior Rich Purslow (9), Junior Alex Hudson (26), and Senior Matt Ambroz (27).

 

The Mavs stand at 4-0 and 10^th in the polls and much of that credit goes to the veterans on the team. UNO head coach Dean Blais said his staff questioned that same leadership entering the season.

“We questioned our leadership and character at the start of the year,” said Blais.  “‘Do we have guys filling those Captain roles?’...you can say as much as you want, but as a coach if you don’t have that leadership in the locker room, you don’t have a lot - we’ve had it.”

The Mavs were able to come into a difficult Mariucci Arena and sweep a talented Minnesota Gophers team featuring 17 NHL draft picks.  The Mavs won 5-4 on Friday night and 4-2 on Saturday night, earning their first series sweep away from home in the Dean Blais era.

 “I thought we learned how to win on the road last year in the second half,” said Blais.  “We went into No. 1 Miami and beat them. We beat Notre Dame, but we didn’t have enough character leadership and experience [last year] and we do now.”

One of those veterans highlighted by Blais was junior forward Alex Hudson.  Hudson led the Mavericks with two goals in Friday night’s victory - the second coming with 96 seconds remaining in the game. The Gophers had erased a four goal deficit via the stick of senior forward Jay Barriball with 3:14 remaining, at which point Hudson showed his leadership abilities.

 “[Hudson] said ‘hey we’re still going to win this thing, we’re going to find a way’,” said Blais. “You got to give Hudson, [Terry] Broadhurst, [Matt] Ambroz credit for going out and doing the job. We didn’t have to say anything…that’s when you look at character and leadership and the older guys are the ones that did it.  It wasn’t the freshmen that said it.  It was the older guys that believe in each other.”

Hudson downplayed his role in motivating the bench, instead pointing to his coach's role.

“Dean said, 'get out there and get it going,' and I said, 'alright',” said Hudson.  “The confidence he put in us - I just wanted to go out there and if I got a chance I was going to bury it.”

In addition to Hudson’s play, the Mavs have benefited from the play of senior forward Matt Ambroz, who scored twice over the weekend.

“Matt’s one of the Captains and he’s been doing it since I met him last year,” said Blais.  “Matt has really stepped his game up.”

The Mavs will need every ounce of leadership this coming weekend as they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. for a series against the Michigan Wolverines.  The former CCHA foe enters the weekend series ranked 4^th in the nation, while the Mavs come to Yost Arena as the No. 10 team in the nation.

“We’ve got to go back to work because we’re going to Michigan and I haven’t won there before in my career,” said senior defenseman Eric Olimb.  “We’ve got to get focused again.”

Second Period Photos

UNO's Matt Ambroz scores his fifth goal of the season.

Ambroz...same shot

UNO outshot the Gophers 25-12 in the second period.

The Mavs and Gophers seem to be starting some bad-blood early.

First Period Photos...

Mavs vs. Gophers...hockey time in Minnesota

UNO's Matt White scored on the rebound from this Joey Martin shot off the crossbar. 

UNO's Zahn Raubenheimer scored to put the Mavs up 2-0.

Mavericks Survive Late Charge from Tigers

When starting quarterback John Daniels went down with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter, the 17-14 UNO lead looked anything but safe. Yet in a year when there have been few times where the Mavs have gotten any breaks, a few bounces finally went their way.

Looking for a receiver down the sideline, Teigland was hit while throwing the ball. The pass got to its target, but after two or three tips, Fort Hayes came up with the ball and Teigland stayed on the turf.

As he was assisted to the training table, the UNO defense was able to come up with a three and out. ON the ensuing possession, Jon Daniels took over under center and preceded to mishandle a shotgun snap, put his team in a hole and trot off the field after UNO had a three and out of their own.

On the punt, Korey Allison, the Ft. Hayes return man, mishandled the catch and the ball went bounding into the end zone. Mav defender Bryan Shephard raced Allison to the ball and was able to recover near the back of the end zone just before sliding out to get the touchdown.

From there the Mavs were able to find enough other bounces and enough other offense to beat Ft. Hayes St. 41-29. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, a 9 yard Tiger touchdown pass made the score 31-29.

Facing a 2 point deficit the Tigers decided to go for two. Quarterback Mike Garrison's pass to the right corner of the end zone was broken up and the Mavs escaped still leading. With 7:42 still remaining, the outcome was still up in the air.

Camren Torneden took the Ft. Hayes kickoff 92 yards to the Tiger 8 and the Mavs produced 3 points from a field goal. The defense came with a three and out and the special teams got to their fifth kick of the year, blocking the punt and setting up the offense at the Ft. Hayes 38.

From there UNO rode Levi Terrel and Daniels found Aaron Konicek for a six yard touchdown pass to make the final 41-29 UNO.

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Live coverage

25 minutes till the puck drops, until then let's stay with the Herb Brooks theme...

The Herb Brooks shrine.  I couldn't resist.

Mavs shock the Gophers for their first WCHA victory



     The Mavs beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5-4 Friday night in front of

    9,601 fans at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. (Photo by Elliot Huss/UNO Gateway)


Patrick Cooley

Sports Editor

Game Stats

Minneapolis – What was supposed to be UNO’s rude awakening to WCHA hockey turned out to be one of the biggest wins in program history.

The Mavs took full advantage of a slow start by the No. 13 Minnesota Golden Gophers, and were able to fend off a furious rally in the second and third periods on their way to claiming a 5-4 victory Friday night in front of 9,601 fans at Mariucci Arena.  The victory is the first for the Mavs in their new conference - the WCHA.

“Whether you’re in the CCHA or WCHA it really doesn’t matter,” said Gophers head coach Don Lucia.  “I mean [UNO] has some good players and they took advantage of some mistakes we made tonight and forced some mistakes too, and that’s what good teams do.”

It took UNO just over nine minutes to score their first WCHA goal, and they didn’t stop there.

The Mavs used a three-goal first period to jump out to a 3-0 lead against a talented Minnesota team featuring 17 NHL draft picks.

Senior forward Rich Purslow scored a power play goal on assists from fellow seniors Joey Martin and Eric Olimb to get the Mavs on the board at the 9:22 mark in the first period. Junior center Alex Hudson followed suit scoring at the 10:46 mark and freshman forward Matt White added his third goal as a Maverick less than three minutes later. 

The second period saw the Mavs add to their lead on senior forward Matt Ambroz’s fourth goal of the season.  The New Prague, Minn. native put the Mavs up 4-0, silencing the Gopher faithful.

“[After the fourth goal] we were kind of looking around like ‘alright this is a good team’,” said UNO’s Alex Hudson.  “We were doing good and tried to stay with it, but that second period they came out hard and their skill came to the fore front.”

Following Ambroz’s goal, the Gophers showed why they are such a good team.

UNO committed six penalties in the second period and the Gophers took full advantage.  After UNO’s freshman defender Michael Young received a five minute major penalty for contact to the head, the Mavs got called for too many men on the ice following a line change.  The two penalties gave the gophers a five-on-three power play.

“The five minute major was the story of the game,” said UNO head coach Dean Blais. “It gave them momentum, and tired us out.  We did a good job killing it, but obviously they have too much talent to give them that much for that long.”

The Mavericks did their best to fend off the Gophers who outshot UNO 21-4 in the second period, but they couldn’t keep Minnesota out of the net.

Gopher freshman forward Nate Condon took full advantage of the five-on-three to score his first goal as a Gopher with 10 seconds remaining on the power play, cutting the lead to 4-1. Then, junior forward Jake Hansen beat UNO’s sophomore goaltender John Faulkner with 26 seconds remaining in the period to put the Gophers within two at 4-2.  The Mavs spent a total of 23 minutes in the penalty box in the second, while the Gophers stayed out of the box - a frustrating statistic for Blais.

“I thought the referee’s whistle was going to wear out there,” said Blais.  “But no, they were good calls. I’ve been warned already.  My baptism into the league has been ‘keep your mouth shut Blais’.”

Things got worse for the Mavs when Minnesota’s senior forward Mike Hoeffel brought the Gophers within a goal scoring off an assist from teammate Jacob Cepis 2 minutes and 43 seconds into the final period. The teams went back and forth for the next fourteen minutes of play, until senior captain Jay Barriball tied the game on his fifth goal of the season with just over 3 minutes left in the game. The goal sent Mariucci Arena into a state of pandemonium, giving the Mavs an early season gut-check.

While the tying goal by Barriball seemed to end any hope of victory for the Mavs, UNO remained poised under the veteran leadership of junior Alex Hudson. 

“We didn’t have to say anything,” said Blais. “[Hudson] said ‘we’re gonna find a way’…that’s when you look at character and leadership and the older guys are the ones that did it.”

The Corona, Calif. native capitalized on an overly aggressive Minnesota defense and a lazy Gopher pass to the middle, netting his second goal of the game with 1:36 remaining.

“[Coach Blais] said get out there and get it going and I said alright,” said Hudson. “I just wanted to go out there and if I got a chance I was going to bury it.”

Hudson’s third goal of the season gave the Mavs a 5-4 victory, but it was the 34 saves from UNO sophomore goaltender John Faulkner that stood out most in Hudson’s mind.

“He was amazing on those five-on-three’s in the second period,” said Hudson. “He’s a very mentally tough person and I’m very happy for him.”

Hudson finished with two goals and teammates Rich Purslow and Joey Martin combined for five assists for the Mavs.

The two teams are back on the ice again tonight at 7:10 p.m.

“I’m sure they’re going to come [out] hard and in that game,” said Hudson.  “They definitely know what we’re about and we know what they’re about now, so it should be a battle.”

Welcome to the WCHA

5 - 4


When the schedule came out and you saw the first WCHA series being up in Minnesota against the Gophers, what were you thinking? At most we were probably hoping to be competitive, have a good showing, prove to the rest of the conference that we belonged.

As last week passed some belief started to creep in. Maybe we have something here, maybe we can do more than just be competitive, maybe we can steal one in Minneapolis. Despite blowing a 4-0 lead, the Mavs pretty much came into Maricucci kicked the Gophers in the face and announced to the WCHA , here we are, you're arena isn't that loud.

First Period

UNO comes out blazing, out-shooting the Gophers by the time the first tv timeout rolls around. Just 38 seconds in the Mavs get a power play and get off 6 shots. No luck.
Searfoss takes a tripping penalty and the Mavs are on the PK, as they've shown us so far this year, they're up to the task, penalty killed.
UNO gets a pp minutes later and capitalize right away, Purslow from Martin and Olimb.

1-0

Just over a minute later, Mavs are back on the PP. Like the last one, UNO capitalizes right away. Hudson, playing out of his mind to start the season gets the goal with helpers from Purslow and Marin.

2-0

The Mavs are outplaying, out-shooting and out-skating the Gophers in their own house, dream scenario.

Three minutes later - surprise! Even strength goal from Matt White. (Assists Martin and Purslow) You're thinking to yourself this is too good to be true, right? It eventually sort of turned out that way but for the moment, anyone in attendance had to be shocked.

3-0

The first ends with a three goal lead, a 20-6 shot advantage and no sign of the Mavs slowing down. Perhaps it was the size of the ice, that extra 15 feet of width sure seemed to help out the fast skating Mavs. Whatever it was, UNO came in, no intimidation and just burned the building down.

Second Period

In what would become a disturbing trend, Minnesota gets a power play, one of the next 7 to come. Purslow is sent off for interference, penalty killed. Minutes later Broadhurst finds Ambroz in a 2 on 1, GOAL.

4-0

Then here comes the parade to the penalty box, Ensign, too many men on the ice, Young, Raubenheimer. For the third game in a row a freshman commits a major penalty and gets tossed. For the second game in the row, UNO suffers another penalty during and puts themselves down 5 on 3. For the second week in a row they kill it but Minnesota scores shortly later. Before the period is over, the Gophers score with 25 seconds remaining, a killer goal that would come back to haunt them later.

4-2

Third Period

The third starts much the same way that the second went, Mavs shorthanded. Just under three minutes into the period the Gophers score and it's time to hold on to your butts.

4-3

Not much going on for the Mavs the rest of the period. The game gets to under five minutes and you start to wonder, are the Mavs actually gonna do it, are they gonna beat Minnesota in their own house in their first WCHA game? the Gophers bring you back to reality quickly and hopes and dreams are fading. Jay Barriball finds the back of the net and just like that, thoughts of winning turn into hoping just to get a point out of the game.

4-4

As the clock ticks and you're hoping for zeros, overtime and to escape with at least a point, the Mavs show their resiliency. Alex Hudson, probably the team MVP so far, gets the goal from Olimb and Ambroz.

5-4

Minnesota pulls the goalie, Mavs can't find the empty netter but fight it off. Mariucci Arena, 10,000 fans, 5-4 Mavs, thanks for coming everyone. A tussle breaks out at the end of the game but nothing major.

Mavs go on the road to Minneapolis in their first WCHA game ever and don't just earn points, they get a win.
Not to brag but your humble corespondent picked the Mavs to win on Friday, missing it by one goal. Is the same thing possible tomorrow. Who knows? The Mavs came out firing and had control early. With one game under their belt in Mariucci it's unlikely that they can feel any intimidation for the second game. But if they put themselves in a hole early and that crowd awakens, it's hard to say.

One thing to be mindful of, penalties. Some of it tonight seemed a little suspect but regardless, the Mavs seem to want to make things difficult for themselves. Three games in a row now they've had to kill off a 5 minute major and twice in a row a 5 on 3. While the percentage is still high due to last weekend, relying on the PK is never a good strategy, especially away from home against a team and a crowd looking for some revenge for the night before.

Second Period Photos

Hockey @ Minnesota after 2 Periods

After 5 consecutive penalties on the Mavs, one a 5 minute major, then a follow up to put UNO down 5 men to 3, the Gopers have made it a game. One goal on the power play and a killer one give up just before the end of the period. 4-2 Mavs after 2.

Hockey @ Minnesota 2nd Period

Halfway through the period the Mavs lead 4-0 after Broadhurst finds Ambroz in a 2 on 1 to give the Mavs a suprising, perhaps stunning, commanding lead.

First Period Photos...

Alex Hudson celebrates with teammates after he scores at 10:46
in the first period to put the Mavs up 2-0.

Hockey @ Minnesota

What a start for the Mavs, up 3-0 with 6 minutes left in the first period. Getting chances and taking advantage of them. Goals from Purslow, Hudson and White.

Pregame Photos

The 1972-73 Gophers.  Dean Blais is front row, third from the right
 and rookie head coach Herb Brooks is front row on the far right.

Mavs Alex Hudson during warm-ups.

Does it get better than this?

Head coach Dean Blais doing an interview about an
 hour before the game.

Home Sweet Home

As the Mavericks prepare for tonight's showdown against the No. 13 Minnesota Gophers, there is no shortage of storylines. 

Let's start with the coaches. 

Head coach Dean Blais and his star-studded supporting cast of Mike Hastings and Mike Guentzel are all making homecomings of some sort this weekend. 

Blais is a 1973 graduate of the "U of M", where he had some measure of success under the legendary Herb Brooks.  Guentzel, a 1987 graduate, was an assistant at Minnesota from 1994-2008 where he coached two national championship teams.  Hastings, a St. Cloud State graduate, was an assistant for one season on head coach Don Lucia's Gopher staff prior to joing UNO in 2009. 

All three coaches learned their hockey by lacing it up on the frozen lakes of Minnesota (Blais is from International Falls, Guentzel is from Grand Rapids, and Hastings is from Crookston), while Blais and Guentzel got the chance to play on the big stage.

"The oppurtunity to play for the main university in your home state was a special oppurtunity," said Guentzel.

While Blais and Guentzel have both been back to Maruicci Arena as opposing coaches since their departures, the feeling for UNO will be anything but familiar, as the Mavs prepare for the grind of the WCHA.

"People play fast and hard," said Guentzel.  "There is more offense. [Teams] take chances and pressure the puck."

The UNO players also know the challenege ahead of them.

"Going into a new league we wanna make a good first impression," said goaltender John Faulkner. "Just the fact that you know you can beat anyone on any given night, that's as good as it gets."

We'll see if that confidence holds up tonight.  

Volleyball Friday

The Maverick volleyball team plays #7 Central Missouri later tonight in a Dig Pink promotional night in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. The team will be selling pink t-shirts and pink volleyballs.

There will also be a silent auction for the pink jerseys the team will be wearing during the match. You have to hope that the cause at hand will inspire the Mavs towards victory. Though they were close the last time out against # 10 Truman (losing 3-2), they've had a rough go of it ever since conference play started.

UNO has been swept in two of the last three matches and only have a 2-7 conference record. Not all of that is due to performance however. Junior middle blocker Lizzy Mach was lost for the season due to an ACL tear and Emily Myers has been slowed with injury as well.

There have been times that the Mavs have had to play with their lineup consisting of three or more freshman. This is not to make excuses but the Mavs can't seem to get a break.

By no means is their record any indication of how good of a team they are. Yet, if they don't start finding their winning ways soon, a NCAA tournament spot might not be in the cards.

Minnesota Preview

When Trev Alberts and UNO petitioned the WCHA for acceptance into the conference a year and a half ago, there were many goals in mind. The ability to recruit in areas closer to Nebraska and saving athletic department funds on travel were certainly some of them.

The main goal though, was in creating and sustaining big time hockey. While the CCHA certainly has its own traditional powers, the WCHA cannot be matched in its level of success.

The conference simply produces more champions, more NHL-ready players and more packed stadiums than any other. Any serious commitment to big time hockey would be half-hearted without the move to the WCHA and a new arena the Mavs can call their own; new arena project pending.

However, going on the road to Mariucci Arena for your first WCHA conference matchup ever, probably wasn’t what the Mavs had in mind. So be it. Welcome to big time hockey boys.

Dean Blais and the #17 Maverick hockey team are on the road this weekend against the #13 Golden Gophers of Minnesota. That’s right, that Minnesota. The Herb Brooks, five-time national champion 10,000 seat sold out arena every game Minnesota.

Though the Mavs and the Gophers have only played one time before, sold out Mariucci Arena will have plenty to cheer for and against regardless of how little history the two schools have together.

Blais played for the Gophers from 1969-73 then took over as the head coach at arch rival North Dakota in 1994. In 10 seasons with the Fighting Sioux, Blais amassed a .581 winning percentage against Minnesota in 43 games.

Assistant head coach Mike Hastings served one year as an assistant for Minnesota for one season in 2008-2009. Mike Guentzel, the other Maverick assistant coach, also played for the Gophers from 1981-1985 and served as an assistant coach from 1994-2008.

Needless to say, there’s enough experience behind the bench who understand what to expect this weekend. How that experience translates into preparation and execution remains to be seen.

Make no mistake about it though, if UNO can get over the history, the aura, the Minnesota name, and the packed house, they will have a chance this weekend. The Gophers certainly deserve their #13 ranking, but they’re not unbeatable, even in Minneapolis.

The Mavs were picked to finish eighth and ninth in the WCHA preseason poll. After coming off a 12-14-2 record in the conference last year, Minnesota was selected to finish fifth and sixth in 2010-2011.

If that’s any indication, the two teams aren’t all that far apart. The Gophers are also coming off of their first losing season (18-19-2) since 1997-1998.

Take into account the fact that Minnesota lacks a true superstar and that the top returning point producer had only 24 points last year and there’s plenty to be hopeful about. There is however, also enough to be worried about.

Despite the fact that the Gophers lack a true star that is a constant scoring threat, they’re a very talented, experienced team that can hurt you in many ways. Seven of the top 10 point producers return along with senior captain Jay Barriball who missed mostly the whole season last year.

Barriball, who had 4 goals and a hat trick last weekend, provides his teammates with an interesting perspective. After just five games last season, Barriball was lost for the year with a knee injury.

With his future in question, the NCAA granted Barriball a medical redshirt to return for another crack at a senior season. With four goals in two games, he’s certainly taking advantage of his opportunities.

Joining Barriball and the rest of the Gophers on the ice is senior goalie Alex Kangas who is third in program history in saves and third in games played by a goaltender. Kangas is coming off of a 16-15-1 season with a 2.60 goals against average and .911 save percentage.

Skating in front of Kangas is a defense that lost maybe its best player, Nick Leddy. Leddy who left for a professional career, provided the Gophers with 11 points and led the squad with a +/- 11 rating. When Leddy scored a point, Minnesota was 7-1.

But this is Minnesota; the cupboard is hardly ever bare. The Gophers return Cade Fairchild who led all defenseman in scoring and Aaron Ness who was second. Getting to Kangas to get a shot a net will be no small challenge against these two who have been paired together mostly since the beginning of last year.

The Gophers also feature a power play that went 4 of 9 last season for a 44% mark and a penalty kill that turned away all but two of the opponent’s 11 chances (82%). They’ll be facing a Maverick attack that killed off 100% of the power play chances against them in last week’s Stampede and scored on 31% of their own chances (4 for 13).

It’s hard to argue with 100% penalty kill but how and why some of those opportunities were given is the concern. On both nights a freshman was called for checking from behind, suffered a five minute major penalty and was tossed from the game.

Against RIT the five minutes of penalty kill seemed a much longer when another freshman went to the box for a cross check and the Mavs were left in a five on three for a full two minutes. Hockey coaches like to say that penalties aren’t a problem when you can kill them off.

Though that’s partly true, putting yourself in those situations this weekend could prove to be disastrous. On the road in unfamiliar territory, it’s best not to play shorthanded and give the home fans something to get loud about.

The Mavs though, will be ready for the challenge. Minnesota might be an ominous, intimidating place to play hockey at but it’s not as if anybody on the roster hasn’t been in a similar situation.

Many of the juniors and seniors have played at Yost Arena at the University of Michigan. Yost, where the Mavs will travel to next weekend, is every bit as intimidating and overwhelming of a venue.

Thus it’s not as if some of the Mavs haven’t been there before, they just haven’t had any success. All time in Ann Arbor UNO is only 1-14, and that win came in 2004.

Lately though, the Gophers haven’t quite been themselves at home. Last season Minnesota finished 10-8-1 at Mariucci but started 1-6 before the calendar flipped over to 2010.

That’s not to say that the trend will continue, but if there’s a right time to go to Minnesota for your first time, this is it. Since the beginning of last year, the UNO has shown that they can skate with anybody, and usually wear them down in the third period.

Most of the team adapted to Blais’ system well and often had more points last year then their previous years combined. If the Mavs stay out of the box, they can compete five on five.

Traveling to Minneapolis and Mariucci to start your history with the WCHA is quite the hill to climb. Though the Mavs have been to similar places before, they showed last year that they were not a road-ready team until halfway through the season.

If they can trust in their ability to skate and keep the Gophers off the board early, they should be able to settle any nerves and just play hockey.

On the road you hope to split the two contests. It’s hard to say how many people expect this but I get the sense that the Mavs do.

Regardless of what they say or what they think, we’ll get a chance to see how much growing they’ve done from last year right away.

Prediction Mavs earn 2 points and a split

· UNO comes out and ready to play and nets a surprising 4-3 win Friday night

· The Mavs stay competitive Saturday but the Gophers bounce back, sealing it with an empty netter and a 4-2 win Saturday night

A UNO fan's guide to the Twin Cities....

With the first WCHA road trip approaching this weekend, it seems a "Guide to the Cities" is in line.  While the places like Mall of America are known to many, these three sites are local favorites. Take it from a guy who spent his college years up north in St. Paul; I know a thing or two about the Great North.

Here goes...

1.  Get yourself a Juicy Lucy at Shamrocks! (Twin Cities)



Be careful.  That cheese is comin' out hot!



The Twin Cities is home to the famous Juicy Lucy Burger. It is a mouth-watering burger with molten hot liquid cheese on the inside.  Two hamburger patties are grilled together after a thick slice of cheese is placed in the middle and the result is a burger like you've never had.  I suggest Shamrock's Bar & Grill as the place to go for the Jucy Lucy. It is a nice bar & grill in downtown St. Paul with plenty of televisions. Order the 'Nookie Supreme' with sweet potato fries and thank me later!  



2.  Experience Dinkey Town (Minneapolis)

Dinkey Town is in the heart of the Univeristy of Minnesota campus.  It is a frequented downtown-type area where students and adults alike spend countless evenings.  A number of restaurants, bars and stores highlight this Minneapolis landmark.  It is within walking distance of Mariucci Arena and a must-see. I recommend Annie's Parlor on 14th Ave. for all your malt and shake needs!

3.  Summitt Avenue (St. Paul)   

4.5 miles of the best-preserved boulevard of Victorian mansions in the country make this unlike any other place.  The famous avenue is home to The Governor's Residence (where you are reminded that this state elected Jesse "The Body" Ventura as governor), the former home of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and one of the most impressive Cathedrals you will ever see in the Cathedral of St. Paul. One end leads to the Mississippi River Boulevard, while the other leads to downtown St. Paul.  Numerous restaurants and cafes line the blocks, and yours truly's alma mater sits on the west end. St. Clair Ave. lies a few blocks south of Summit Ave. and features the home of Joe Mauer, Paul Moliter, Chris Weinke, Matt Birk, and Steve Walsh to name a few. (Look for Joe Mauer getting his haircut across the street at the Barbershop)