# 2020–21 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey season was the 24th season of play for the program and the 8th in the NCHC conference. The Mavericks represented the University of Nebraska Omaha and were coached by Mike Gabinet, in his 4th season.

## Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Omaha's players would lose a season of play. However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, The entire NCHC conference began the season playing in Omaha, Nebraska. Despite playing all of these game in their home building, the Mavericks didn't officially play a home game in December. All games were considered 'neutral site' matches but Omaha was still able to use the familiar surroundings to get off to a good start. It took the Mavs a few games to get used to the compressed schedule but, by the end of the third week of play, the team had shot up into the middle of the top-20 rankings. UNO would hover around that point for the remainder of the regular season and, despite losing 3 out of 4 to North Dakota at the end, Omaha was projected to make the NCAA Tournament under normal circumstances.
When their conference tournament began, Omaha was hoping it could at least improve its standing and get a better matchup in late March. However, the team was outplayed by Denver for most of the contest and lost the quarterfinal 4–5. As a result, Omaha was ranked 14th by the selection committee and placed opposite to Minnesota in the regional semifinals. The Mavericks never really were in the game, surrendering the first three goals before ending the first down 1–3. The Gophers scored an additional trio in the second and then skated to a rather easy 7–2 win over Omaha.
Jacob Zab sat out the season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Colby Enns | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Northern Michigan |
| Ryan Jones | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (Signed with Rochester Americans) |
| Zach Jordan | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Cleveland Monsters) |
| Tristan Keck | Forward | Canada | Graduation (Signed with Coventry Blaze) |
| Teemu Pulkkinen | Forward | Finland | Graduation (Signed with Mikkelin Jukurit) |
| Dean Stewart | Defenseman | Canada | Graduation (Signed with Wichita Thunder) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Kaden Bohlsen | Forward | United States | 19 | Willmar, MN |
| Brock Bremer | Forward | United States | 21 | Forest Lake, MN |
| Jimmy Glynn | Forward | United States | 20 | Lemont, IL |
| Jake Harrison | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | West Kelowna, BC |
| Nolan Krenzen | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Duluth, MN |
| Matt Miller | Forward | United States | 21 | Leo, IN |
| Jack Randl | Forward | United States | 20 | Carpentersville, IL |
| Jonny Tychonick | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | Calgary, AB; transfer from North Dakota; selected 48th overall in 2018 |

## Roster

As of March 1, 2021.

## Standings

2020–21 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | PT% | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #5 North Dakota †* | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 54 | .750 | 94 | 47 | 29 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 114 | 57 |
| #2 St. Cloud State | 24 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 45 | .625 | 78 | 64 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 101 | 84 |
| #3 Minnesota Duluth | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43 | .597 | 72 | 54 | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 84 | 66 |
| #13 Omaha | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 40 | .556 | 79 | 69 | 26 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 85 | 81 |
| Denver | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 31 | .470 | 61 | 60 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 67 | 66 |
| Western Michigan | 24 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | .458 | 73 | 84 | 25 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 77 | 89 |
| Colorado College | 22 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | .273 | 35 | 77 | 23 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 36 | 79 |
| Miami | 24 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | .250 | 46 | 83 | 25 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 48 | 89 |
| Championship: March 16, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| December 1 | 3:35 PM | vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth | | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | L 3–5 | 0 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| December 3 | 7:35 PM | vs. #17 Western Michigan | | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 10–2 | 0 | 1–1–0 (1–1–0) |
| December 5 | 4:05 PM | vs. Miami | | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 2–1–0 (2–1–0) |
| December 6 | 8:05 PM | vs. St. Cloud State | | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | L 3–5 | 0 | 2–2–0 (2–2–0) |
| December 9 | 7:35 PM | vs. Colorado College | #18 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | AT&T RM | Saville | W 6–1 | 0 | 3–2–0 (3–2–0) |
| December 12 | 8:05 PM | vs. Miami | #18 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | L 0–1 | 0 | 3–3–0 (3–3–0) |
| December 13 | 8:05 PM | vs. #13 St. Cloud State | #18 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Roden | W 2–0 | 0 | 4–3–0 (4–3–0) |
| December 16 | 3:35 PM | vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth | #17 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 4–3–1 (4–3–1) |
| December 18 | 3:35 PM | vs. Western Michigan | #17 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 6–5 | 0 | 5–3–1 (5–3–1) |
| December 21 | 12:05 PM | vs. Colorado College | #17 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 3–0 | 0 | 6–3–1 (6–3–1) |
| January 18 | 8:07 PM | at Colorado College | #11 | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Saville | W 3–2 | 0 | 7–3–1 (7–3–1) |
| January 19 | 8:07 PM | at Colorado College | #11 | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Roden | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 8–3–1 (8–3–1) |
| January 23 | 6:07 PM | vs. #19 Denver | #11 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | L 1–4 | 1,322 | 8–4–1 (8–4–1) |
| January 24 | 6:00 PM | vs. #19 Denver | #11 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 5–2 | 611 | 9–4–1 (9–4–1) |
| January 29 | 6:00 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | CBSSN | Saville | L 2–6 | 1,429 | 9–5–1 (9–5–1) |
| January 30 | 6:07 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 5–4 | 1,771 | 10–5–1 (10–5–1) |
| February 5 | 8:07 PM | at Denver | #9 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Saville | L 1–3 | 0 | 10–6–1 (10–6–1) |
| February 6 | 7:07 PM | at Denver | #9 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | CBSSN | Saville | W 5–4 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 11–6–1 (11–6–1) |
| February 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. Colorado College | #10 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 7–1 | 1,248 | 12–6–1 (12–6–1) |
| February 13 | 6:07 PM | vs. Colorado College | #10 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | W 3–2 | 1,524 | 13–6–1 (13–6–1) |
| February 19 | 7:37 PM | at #2 North Dakota | #9 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Saville | L 1–4 | 2,420 | 13–7–1 (13–7–1) |
| February 20 | 6:07 PM | at #2 North Dakota | #9 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Saville | L 1–7 | 2,514 | 13–8–1 (13–8–1) |
| February 26 | 7:07 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #11 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Saville | L 2–4 | 1,979 | 13–9–1 (13–9–1) |
| March 5 | 7:37 PM | at #1 North Dakota | #12 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Saville | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,723 | 14–9–1 (14–9–1) |
| NCHC Tournament ||||||||||
| March 13 | 2:30 PM | vs. Denver* | #11 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Saville | L 4–5 | 1,864 | 14–10–1 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 27 | 8:00 PM | vs. #2 Minnesota* | #12 | Budweiser Events Center • Loveland, Colorado (NCAA West Regional semifinal) | ESPNU | Saville | L 2–7 | 125 | 14–11–1 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Chayse Primeau | LW/RW | 26 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 4 |
| Tyler Weiss | C/LW | 26 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 36 |
| Taylor Ward | F | 26 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 20 |
| Kevin Conley | F | 25 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 39 |
| Brandon Scanlin | D | 24 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 14 |
| Matt Miller | RW | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 2 |
| Brock Bremer | LW | 25 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 10 |
| Jack Randl | LW | 24 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 |
| Jason Smallidge | D | 26 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
| Martin Sundberg | RW | 24 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 37 |
| Nolan Sullivan | F | 26 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 29 |
| Kirby Proctor | D | 26 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Joey Abate | LW | 22 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 63 |
| Jonny Tychonick | D | 23 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 |
| Jimmy Glynn | F | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Ryan Brushett | C | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Nate Knoepke | D | 25 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Nolan Krenzen | D | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| Jake Harrison | D | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Isaiah Saville | G | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| John Schuldt | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Klehr | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travis Kothenbeutel | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Bohlsen | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Austin Roden | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Boyer | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Alex Roy | D | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Noah Prokop | C | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 16 |
| Total | | | 85 | 145 | 230 | 396 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Austin Roden | 5 | 212 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 106 | 1 | .914 | 2.83 |
| Isaiah Saville | 24 | 1348 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 68 | 661 | 1 | .907 | 3.03 |
| Empty Net | - | 12 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 26 | 1573 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 81 | 767 | 2 | .904 | 3.09 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | 18 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | - | 13 |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Chayse Primeau | NCHC Second Team |
| Isaiah Saville | NCHC Third Team |
| Brandon Scanlin | NCHC Third Team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2021 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 4 | 119 | Joaquim Lemay$^†$ | Washington Capitals |
| 4 | 125 | Cameron Berg$^†$ | New York Islanders |
† incoming freshman