{"id":27659,"date":"2005-10-07T20:29:07","date_gmt":"2005-10-08T01:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2005\/10\/07\/200506-nebraskaomaha-season-preview\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:56:19","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:56:19","slug":"200506-nebraskaomaha-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2005\/10\/07\/200506-nebraskaomaha-season-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2005-06 Nebraska-Omaha Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
History isn’t really about the past, settling old scores. It’s about defining the present and who we are.<\/i> — Ken Burns<\/p>\n
Three summers ago, the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks were rocked by a number of departures. Both players and coaches left unexpectedly, some just before the beginning of the new season.<\/p>\n
Last year, after spending the 2003-04 season looking up from last place, the Mavericks finished fourth and returned to Detroit for the CCHA Super Six, just deserts for a young team that had to learn under pressure the season before.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to the summer of 2005, and UNO and head coach Mike Kemp deserve nothing more than the chance to build on that remarkable season, unfettered by any sudden, unexpected redesigns.<\/p>\n
“Like so many other teams,” says Kemp, “the question mark for our team will be in goal where Chris Holt left us in late August to pursue a career with the New York Rangers.”<\/p>\n
Ouch.<\/p>\n
One major difference between 2003 and 2005 is the experience and maturity the Mavericks bring to the locker room and the ice. This year’s squad is a mix of underclassmen and time-tested juniors and seniors; those juniors are the ones that Kemp often said had to grow up in a hurry two years ago.<\/p>\n
“I think the keys to our team’s success will rest with our forwards,” says Kemp. The Mavericks return some of the most talented and creative veterans in the league, players who can skate and pull offense out of nothingness.<\/p>\n
“We have tremendous depth at the forward position, led by first team all-conference returnee Scott Parse, who will be a junior this year with our program, and last season’s rookie of the year and national freshman scoring leader, Bill Thomas.”<\/p>\n
Two other junior forwards who come immediately to mind are Kaleb Betts and Alex Nikiforuk, while other experienced forwards include seniors Mike Lefley and Micah Sanford, as well as sophomore Brandon Scero. <\/p>\n