Omaha to host NCHC hockey pod
Photo Courtesy Omaha Athletics
By Ana Bellinghausen, Editor-in-chief
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference selects Omaha to host the conference’s first phase of the season from Dec. 1 to Dec. 20.
In attempt to mitigate any COVID-19 outbreaks, all eight NCHC teams will stay in Omaha under health and safety protocols for the entire three-week event.
The NCHC chose Omaha over Fargo, North Dakota to host the hockey pod.
"Our staff, led by Mike Kemp, did an outstanding job putting together the bid for the pod, and we're looking forward to putting that plan in motion," said Trev Alberts, Vice Chancellor for Athletics. "We have a great partner in the University of Nebraska Medical Center who will help us take all of the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff.”
Each NCHC team plays 10 games, adding up to 40 games over the duration. TV broadcasts of the games can be found at NCHC.tv, while all Omaha games can be heard on MavRadio.fm.
"This was quite a group effort by the staff at Baxter Arena and the athletic department to prepare this bid," said Kemp, Senior Associate Athletic Director. "We haven't hosted many events in the last six months, and we're all looking forward to getting back to what we do best."
The full schedule can be found here. The Omaha Mavericks are just happy to have competition to look forward to, Gabinet said.
"Our players are excited to finally have a date on the calendar that they can circle," said Omaha head coach Mike Gabinet. "Like all NCHC teams, we've been working very hard to get ready for the start of the season without knowing when that start was. With a well thought out plan now in place, we're just excited to welcome the other seven teams to Omaha and get our season underway."
After the Dec. 20 conclusion of the hockey pod, the NCHC will go back to a somewhat normal schedule. The teams resume play the last weekend of December.
Each team will play 16 more games, eight at home and eight on the road, in this second phase of NCHC play. The regular season concludes between March 5-6.