Ray Koch
CONTRIBUTOR
After upsetting Western Michigan in the first game of a best-of-three series in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs, the Broncos stormed back and won the next two games to take the series against the University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks, ending their season.
The Mavericks’ Ortega-Vesel combination had one last goal combination for Omaha. In the first period, Austin Ortega slipped a pass to Tyler Vesel, who slapped it in the open net at 6:31 in the first period.
Tied 1-1 in OT, Michael Rebry of Western Michigan scored 34 seconds into the sudden death period, squandering hopes of UNO reaching it’s first ever NCHC quarterfinal. The goal was scored when Rebry shot a backhander between the legs of Mavs goalie Evan Weninger.
The Mavericks finished the season with a record of 17-17-5. Ian Brady, Austin Ortega, and Justin Parizek, all seniors, played their last game as a member of the UNO hockey team. Ortega finished his career fourth all-time in scoring at UNO with 129 points and second in goals, with 70. Brady finished his career third all-time for a defenseman with 77 points.
