Longtime WCHA assistant coach Mike Guentzel is joining the Nebraska-Omaha staff. Guentzel will be an assistant for the Mavericks as they join the WCHA this season, the Omaha World-Herald reported. He was an assistant at Minnesota for 14 years, then spent one year as an assistant at Colorado College. Last year, he was the head … Read more
The NCAA men’s and women’s ice hockey rules committee gets this chance only once every two years, so there’s a little more emphasis to get it right. In the next month, leading up to and through the committee’s meeting June 8-11 in Indianapolis, the dialogue about potential rules changes will lead to debate and then … Read more
Nebraska-Omaha and coach Dean Blais have agreed to a two-year contract extension that takes his contract through to 2014-15 season. Mavericks athletic director Trev Alberts had his contract extended to the same span. “We are thrilled by the progress the team made under Dean’s leadership in his first season as head coach,” Alberts said in … Read more
Miami and Northern Michigan each have two players on the all-CCHA teams released Wednesday. Wildcats forward Mark Olver got more votes than any other player, and he’s joined on the first team by teammate Erik Gustafsson, a defenseman. Olver scored 17 goals and 35 points in 27 league games. Forward Jarod Palmer and goaltender Cody … Read more
Alaska forward Andy Taranto was the only unanimous selection to the CCHA All-Rookie Team. Taranto was selected as the league’s rookie of the month twice and put up 12 goals and 31 points in CCHA play. He’s joined on the rookie team by Nebraska-Omaha forward Terry Broadhurst, Michigan forward Chris Brown, Michigan State defenseman Torey … Read more
Columnist Dave Starman sees a little bit of coaching legend Herb Brooks in the way Nebraska-Omaha coach Dean Blais dominates the locker room.
The Details Who: No. 5 Boston College (10-3-2), No. 2 Denver (11-5-2), Nebraska-Omaha (9-7-4), St. Lawrence (8-7-2) When: Friday, Jan. 1 and Saturday, Jan. 2 Where: Magness Arena, Denver Tickets: Click here (new window) Friday’s games: Boston College vs. St. Lawrence, 4:30 p.m. Mountain; Denver vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s games: Nebraska-Omaha vs. St. Lawrence, … Read more
Nebraska-Omaha has joined the top 10 of the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men’s Poll at No. 10, and fellow undefeated team Bemidji State is knocking at the door. Related link: The full rankings Miami retained the top spot in the poll after a pair of one-goal victories at Northern Michigan. UNO, fresh from a … Read more
For years, college hockey fans have been hoping that Dean Blais would return to the game we love, to the game we know he loves, and we CCHA fans are the lucky ones to welcome him back. “My best time of the day is spending that half-hour on the ice in practice,” Blais said at … Read more
The CCHA’s coaches and media both picked Michigan to win the league championship this season, but both polls had Notre Dame and Miami nipping at the Wolverines’ heels. Michigan got five of the 12 first-place votes in the coaches poll. Second-place Notre Dame had four, third-place Miami had two and fifth-place Northern Michigan got one. … Read more
The CCHA is changing its standings point structure to allot the same number of points for each conference game. That means regulation and overtime victories will be worth three points. If a game goes to a shootout after the NCAA-mandated five-minute overtime, the winning team will get two points in the standings and the losing … Read more
As anticipated, the WCHA voted Friday to admit Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha beginning with the 2010-11 season, making the conference a 12-team league. The expansion is the league’s first since Minnesota State joined in 1999-2000. The vote, which puts the Bemidji State program back on solid ground only months after it became the first No. … Read more
Mike Hastings is moving from his position as assistant coach at Minnesota to the associate head coach position at Nebraska-Omaha. Hastings will join new Mavericks coach Dean Blais and Nick Fohr, who as an assistant coach for former UNO coach Mike Kemp, in the new staff. “Mike Hastings has a proven track record of developing … Read more
Dean Blais is back in college hockey. Will his next move be back to the WCHA? That much is uncertain, but what’s known is that Blais is the new coach at Nebraska-Omaha, a move that was announced at a news conference Friday in Omaha, Neb. Blais, a two-time national champion in 10 seasons at North … Read more
One of the burning issues with the Nebraska-Omaha program this offseason has become a little clearer. Mike Kemp has stepped down as the Mavericks’ coach to join new athletic director Trev Alberts’ inner circle of administrators. Kemp, the only coach in the program’s 12-year history, will be an associate athletic director at the school, and … Read more
The 2007-08 Nebraska-Omaha season was one of just this close, just this far. UNO finished eighth in the league, two games under .500 in both CCHA and overall play. One-goal regular-season losses to Michigan and Notre Dame, two teams that went on to the Frozen Four. A two-goal loss to the defending national champion Michigan … Read more
What is the measure of a good program? The Mavericks have two answers to that question. 1. You produce coaches that other people want. Nebraska-Omaha said goodbye to assistant Doc DelCastillo, who is the new head coach for Alaska. Also, UNO welcomes back Nick Fohr, whom the Mavericks had already sent out into the world … Read more
Alabama-Huntsville announced Saturday the five finalists to replace retiring head coach Doug Ross. In alphabetical order with their current school affiliations, they are Tom Carroll (New England College), Tim Christian (Lake Superior), Danton Cole (Bowling Green), Doc DelCastillo (Nebraska-Omaha) and Lance West (Alabama-Huntsville). Ross, who announced his retirement plans in January, led the Chargers to … Read more
Last year’s Mavericks were a study in dichotomy. How could a team so talented up front be so, um, shaky in front of its own net? “Our concern is with the back end of our team,” said Mike Kemp, entering his 10th season as UNO’s first and only head coach. KEMP “Last year, we did … Read more
Nebraska-Omaha has had just one head coach in its Division I history, and it looks like things will stay that way for a while after Mike Kemp signed a four-year contract extension. UNO athletic director David Herbster made the announcement Friday; Kemp’s new deal runs through 2010. “I am happy to announce that Coach Kemp … Read more