Hockey: Getting punch from power play

It wasn't something that jumped out at fans immediately to start the hockey season.

But 10 games into the schedule, it's clear that UNO's power play packs a serious punch.

Heading into a weekend series at Northern Michigan, the University of Nebraska at Omaha ranks second in the CCHA with a 21.2-percent success rate on the man advantage. The Mavs, who have converted on 11 of their first 52 power-play chances, also are 14th in that category in the NCAA. Only Michigan State (21.7 percent) is better in UNO's league.

“I think our power play has been really good,” UNO coach Dean Blais said. “We've gotten a lot of different kinds of power-play goals, too. That's really important. With all the video that's out there now, you have to be able to do a little bit of everything. What makes it effective is working it around, taking what the other team gives you and just taking a lot of shots.”

It was just two years ago when UNO's power play ranked at or near the top of the NCAA for an entire season. The Mavs were converting at a 25.1-percent clip at the end of the 2007-08 regular season, and their final rate of 23.9 shattered a program record by more than four percentage points.

That was the season when five of the most dangerous scorers in school history — Bryan Marshall, Mick Lawrence, Brandon Scero, Dan Charleston and Eddie Del Grosso — developed a dynamic chemistry on the power play, and those players logged most of the minutes when the Mavs skated a man up.

Del Grosso, now a senior, is the only remaining regular from that potent power-play lineup. The standout defenseman again is a key cog on this year's unit, and it's clear that his offensive gifts are well-suited to producing points on the power play.

Unlike 2007-08, what's remarkable about UNO's early team success on man advantages is that the Mavs haven't been relying on a regular cast of characters. As the new coach continues to learn what his players do well, Blais has regularly mixed and matched his power-play personnel.

Not only has his special-teams groupings changed from game to game, sometimes he's altered them from period to period.

In addition to Del Grosso — who ranks third in the CCHA with six power-play points — Nick Fanto, Rich Purslow and Joey Martin have been on the ice often during the Mavs' man advantages. But most players on UNO's roster have gotten a chance at some point to show what they can do.

Fanto has earned four of his points on the power play. John Kemp, Purslow and Martin each have three. Matt Ambroz, Purslow and Martin all have two power-play goals, which ties them for ninth in the CCHA. In all, 14 Mavericks have at least one power-play point.

“I just think we have really good chemistry on the entire team, so that really helps when we send different guys out there for the power play,” Del Grosso said. “And a lot of it just goes back to the way we've worked this year. Your work ethic on the power play is so big, and I think that's where a lot of our success comes from.”

UNO's ability to convert on the power play could be a big factor during this weekend's games at Northern Michigan. The Wildcats' penalty kill ranks 10th in the 12-team CCHA at 80 percent. These contests also mark the first time this season that the Mavs will skate on a larger, Olympic-sized rink.

As has been the norm for coach Walt Kyle's team in recent seasons, Northern is off to a slow start. Much of that has to do with the Wildcats' tough early schedule. Northern is 2-4-2 in its past eight games, which isn't so bad when you consider the competition: Bemidji State, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Former Omaha Lancers star Mark Olver leads the Wildcats and is the CCHA's second-leading scorer with 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists). In net for Northern, goalies Brian Stewart and Reid Ellingson have shared time.

Blais said this weekend he likely will rotate goaltenders Jeremie Dupont and John Faulkner.

UNO has lost its past four games at the Berry Events Center, but it could be critical that Blais' team finds a way to take some points out of this series. The Mavs, who will play what appears to be a much tougher schedule during the second half, are still looking for their first CCHA sweep under their new coach.

“We know this is going to be a tough series, but hopefully the bigger ice can help us when we are a man up,” Del Grosso said. “There's so much more time and space for you to do things, and you can widen out and really get the other team to chase.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

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