OMAHA, Neb. — Coming into Saturday’s game, the Omaha Mavericks had not won a game since Feb. 14 against Western Michigan. In a game that determined home ice for the NCHC playoffs, it felt like much more than that for the Mavericks.
After playing to a 2-2 tie deep into the third period, Austin Ortega scored the game-winning goal, his 11th of the season, to win the game for the Mavericks.
The goal makes Ortega the all-time leader in single season game-winners in NCAA hockey.
“Everyone on the bench when it was 2-2 started thinking ‘Austin,'” Omaha coach Dean Blais said. “They didn’t say it, but it’s like a goaltender if he’s got a shutout you don’t say it but you start thinking.”
Ortega flew down the left wing and went top corner on Tyler Marble, who entered the game having saved 109 of his last 113 shots. It was a goal that Colorado College coach Mike Haviland said was scored by a special player.
“Certainly a great shot from a great player and at that time in the game you don’t want to have him have the puck on his stick,” Haviland said. “But a little bit mix up with us at neutral ice and it ends up with the puck in the back of the net.”
Unlike Friday, the Tigers struck first when Aaron Harstad scored from just past the blue line on a slow roller that got past goaltender Kirk Thompson.
Senior Ryan Massa was expected to play, but suffered a minor injury in the pregame warmups that sidelined him for the contest. It was nothing new for Thompson, as most of his starts have come unexpectedly this season.
“It just goes to show you, you never know; you’ve always got to be ready,” Thompson said. “A bunch of my starts this year haven’t had a lot of notice so I don’t know, maybe it’s a good thing. You just go about it a regular day and then get thrown in there and you’ve got 10 minutes to buckle down and think about what you need to do.”
Justin Parizek tied the game for Omaha for the first time in the night when he scored his third goal of the series and 13th of the season off of a rebounded shot by Tyler Vesel at 12:45 in the second period.
Jake Guentzel gave Omaha the lead later in the second when he buried a David Pope rebound, but Matt Hansen scored at 7:06 in the third period to tie it at two. It was a moment that surely frightened Mavericks fans, players, and coaches alike.
“I was just starting to think before Austin scored that, ‘What are we going to do for the shootout?'” Blais said. “Not that you give up for overtime, we needed [that] obviously for PairWise and everything the win.”
Ortega’s goal not only broke a record, but a winless funk that had Omaha appearing to repeat a familiar history of late-season blowups.
“This game was huge for us,” Ortega said. “In terms of home ice and setting us up for playoffs in position there.”
When he scored his record goal, Ortega’s first thought took him back to St. Cloud State, where his would’ve-been game-winner was wiped away and the Mavericks lost the first of what became an ugly road sweep.
“I instantly thought about that St. Cloud game, when pretty much the same thing happened and they scored those two in the last couple minutes,” Ortega said. “But I had faith in our team and Kirk obviously, so I knew we were going to pull one out there.”
Colorado College leaves Omaha with two points and some confidence to face a North Dakota team that they played to a one-goal game on both nights the last time they were inside Ralpha Engelstad Arena.
“Well, we’ve played well up there, we played extremely well last year, and then this year we’re two one-goal games up there, so we’ve played well against them so I don’t mind the matchup,” Haviland said. “I’m excited about it though; anything can happen in playoff hockey and I’ve been on both sides and it’s exciting. I like that our goalie’s playing well, and we’re playing pretty good defensively too.”
While the Tigers venture to Grand Forks, N.D., Omaha gets the opportunity for revenge against St. Cloud State on its own ice in what will be the last few games for the Mavericks before moving to their new arena.
“We’ve got the revenge [factor] on them so I think that’s a little extra motivation we’ve got going toward them,” Guentzel said. “And I think it’s going to help us to get ready for next week.”
Omaha is 2-2 against the Huskies this year. Both teams won both of their games at home.
