Gateway

Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Sports

Mike Kemp [Click to enlarge]

The good news for UNO hockey head coach Mike Kemp after this weekend is that things probably can't get any worse.

With Kemp wondering what kind of team he had heading into this weekend, one of inexperience was the resounding answer after its first road series of the season against the Redhawks of Miami, Ohio.

Coming into the weekend the Mavericks were 1-0-0, winning their first official game of the season against Alabama-Huntsville in the championship of the Mutual of Omaha Stampede. Comparatively, Miami was 4-0-0, having swept Vermont and conference rivals Ohio State in the previous two weekends.

The same Maverick team that gelled so well in their dominating win over Alabama-Huntsville was given a taste of their own medicine on Friday.

A tight first period where Miami dominated the time of possession would put the Mavs down 1-0 after Justin Mercier scored short-handed on a Maverick defensive breakdown.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, defensive breakdowns resulting in goals would be a common theme for the night.

UNO applied more pressure in the second period, out-shooting the Redhawks 18-8, but were outscored in the period three goals to two. The Mavs faced a two-goal deficit going into the third.

A shot from senior Brandon Scero halfway through the third that would've cut the Miami lead to one sailed just wide. The missed opportunity came back to bite the Mavs five, seven and eight minutes later when goals from Carter Camper, Charley Fetzer and Brian Kaufman put the game away in a 7-2 final.

The Mavs didn't have much time to lick their wounds before Saturday's game got away from them as well.

UNO Sophomore Dan Swanson opened the scoring about five minutes into the game, but the team was soon put back on its heels. Brandon Scero was called for holding at 6:56, and less than a minute later freshman Nick Von Bokern was called for a five minute hitting from behind penalty before having a 10-minute game misconduct tacked on by referee Brian Aaron. Aaron then ejected Von Bokern from the game.

Short-handed, the Mavs managed to prevent any major damage from being done despite sophomore Jeric Agosta being tossed from the game at 15:36 for the same double-whammy that sealed Von Bokern's fate. Scero and Miami's Alexandre Lacombe served coinciding 10-minute misconduct penalties in the opening frame as well.

Continued...

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