#14 Huskers Gear Up for Playoff Push

After a successful first half of the season, the University of Nebraska Men’s Hockey Club is picking up right where they left off in 2023 as they begin their playoff push. The Huskers opened with games at the University of Miami (OH) ACHA Showcase in Oxford, which took place January 20th-22nd. The nationally ranked #14 Huskers won two games and dropped one, in what turned out to be a great challenge for a young squad looking for experience as they head towards the post-season.

In the first game, Nebraska jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against an impressive Central Michigan team before eventually dropping the affair 4-2 Friday afternoon in Oxford. Scoring for the Big Red against CMU was Evan Detina and Kane Beerenstrauch, while Alex Kopf stopped 44 of 48 shots faced in the loss.

Saturday night the Huskers found themselves in a battle with Indiana University-Pennsylvania. Nebraska exploded for three first period goals, coming from Nolan Bethel, Sean Rodgers, and Beerenstrauch – before picking up another in the third from Detina to seal the 4-0 victory. Once again, goaltender Alex Kopf was tremendous in net – stopping all 24 IUP shots he faced earning his 4th shutout of the season, which ranks him second nationally.

In the finale on Sunday, Nebraska found themselves up against another relatively unknown opponent in the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Again, the Huskers found the back of the net early in the first, and this time the theme continued as they went on to put 10 goals up in what turned out to be a great team win before getting back on the road to Lincoln. Goals on Sunday came from Beerenstrauch with 4, Bethel with 3, and individual goals from Andrew Hiller, Grant Webster, and Caden Davis. Kopf stopped 38 of 43 shots faced – earning his 11th win of the year.

Up next for Nebraska are a pair of games on the road with Nebraska-Omaha, before wrapping up the regular season with a home rematch with Creighton at the Breslow for another pair. Play-offs are right around the corner and Nebraska is always in contention. First up will be an opportunity to capture a MACHA Conference Championship for the 3rd time in program history, before hopefully making an appearance at the ACHA National Championships in March.