Dean Blais' feelings on the matter have more to do with personal anguish than the purity of hockey.
But in case you were wondering, UNO's new coach said he's no fan of the shootout as a means for breaking tie games. And yes, Blais joked, that opinion has everything to do with the fact that his 32-23-5 Fargo Force finished 0 for 5 in United States Hockey League shootouts last season.
“They're great if you win them. But last year in Fargo, we didn't win one,” Blais said. “We had enough snipers, but I guess they just weren't as good as everyone else's.”
With the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Blais will get one season to reverse his shootout curse.
But during the Mavs' last go-round in the CCHA, many fans will be celebrating the fact that a traditional victory now will be worth more than a shootout win.
The CCHA — which last season became the first college league to adopt the shootout as an overtime tiebreaker — confirmed Monday that it will award three points for a win in regulation or OT. A shootout victory still will be rewarded with two points, while a shootout loss again earns one point.
Last season, a traditional win and a shootout victory each collected two points in the conference standings.
“We feel that this is a fairer system,” CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos said. “Now all teams will have access to the same number of points throughout the regular season, and every game is worth three points (total) whether it is decided in regulation, overtime or a shootout.
“We also feel this will give teams an added incentive to win a game (before it gets to a shootout).”
Just as last season, all CCHA shootouts will still be recorded as ties for NCAA purposes.
The league shootouts affect only the conference standings; they have no bearing on RPI.
In 2010-2011, UNO will begin play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which does not use shootouts to break overtime ties.
UNO led the CCHA in shootouts last season with seven and went 3-4 in the tiebreakers.
According to numbers crunched by USCHO.com, ninth-place Ferris State would have overtaken UNO for eighth if the new point system had been in place in 2008-09. That slight change would have had the Mavs opening the CCHA playoffs on the road.
Mavs forward John Kemp, now a sophomore, tied for the league lead in 2008-09 with three shootout goals. Fellow UNO sophomore Alex Hudson also had three, but one of them came during an unofficial shootout in a nonconference game against Minnesota State-Mankato.
Blais, Leahy debut new show
New coach, new time, new venue, same radio announcer.
Just as he has done for the past decade, UNO color commentator Terry Leahy will be behind the microphone tonight to host the Mavs' weekly coaches radio show.
“Slapshot: The UNO Maverick Hockey Show,” will debut tonight at 6. The hour-long segment, now featuring Blais with Leahy, airs on KOZN, 1620 AM.
Fans again are encouraged to attend, but this year the show will be held at Union Pizzeria and Sports Bar at 1420 Cuming St.
With so many changes during the offseason, Leahy frequently has been asked whether he will keep doing color during UNO's games. Leahy said his role will remain the same in 2009-10, and he'll work every game, home and away.
It was announced this summer that David Ahlers, UNO's sports information director, will take over play-by-play duties for Mavs hockey.
Ahlers, the radio voice of the American Hockey League's former Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights franchise, replaces Greg Harrington, the only play-by-play broadcaster in UNO's 12-year history.
The school's decision to replace Harrington, who lives in St. Paul, Minn., was based primarily on the opportunity to trim expenses. Ahlers and Leahy will call their first game Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Qwest Center Omaha, where the Mavs will play an exhibition against the University of Lethbridge. This season, UNO's games will air on KVNO, 90.7 FM.
“There's certainly a lot of sadness for me about the situation with Greg, but I'm very much looking forward to working with Dave Ahlers,” Leahy said. “It's really an exciting time for the program, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.”
Contact the writer:
444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com
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