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Published Sunday March 19, 2006 UNO rides out a waiting game BY CHAD PURCELL
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

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There's no question that the UNO hockey team still burns about having to sit at home this weekend while the CCHA's final four took place in Detroit.

But maybe, if everything works out for the Mavs like they hope that it will, losing last weekend at Northern Michigan might not be such a bad thing after all.

As announced by College Hockey News' Adam Wodon late Friday night, the University of Nebraska at Omaha now appears in solid position to earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament. No matter what happened in conference tournament play on Saturday, Wodon said, the mathematical formula used by the selection committee always comes up with the Mavs making the NCAAs.

UNO will learn for sure whether it's in the tournament at 10 a.m. today, when the 16-team field is unveiled on ESPN2.

Assuming that the Mavs do have more hockey to play, UNO certainly looked like a team that needed a break.

The 20-14-6 Mavs missed their chance to lock up a first-round bye in the CCHA playoffs during the last series of the regular season at Western Michigan. During a weekend in which UNO needed two points for the bye, the Mavs managed to get only one against the Broncos.

And so the Mavericks had to beat Bowling Green State in the opening round of the playoffs before traveling to Northern Michigan, where UNO got swept by a Wildcats team that did get to take the first round off.

"Hopefully we do make it, and this week will be a big help for us to get rested and heal up some injuries," junior winger Scott Parse said. "If we make it, we want to use this to our advantage."

Senior captain Mike Lefley, in particular, was in rough shape at Northern Michigan.

The 6-foot-3 forward is skating with tears in both medial collateral knee ligaments. Lefley didn't play at all in the series opener against the Wildcats, then he gutted it out in game two.

Lefley said he felt good after skating on Friday.

"We were a pretty banged-up club, and with all the bumps and bruises we had, getting this weekend off could be huge," Lefley said. "If we do end up getting into the NCAAs, this could be the best thing for us."

• ICE CHIPS: For the first time in three months, Parse isn't the NCAA's leading point producer. Minnesota's Ryan Potulny, who played for the USHL's Lincoln Stars, had four goals and an assist in the Gophers' 8-7 overtime loss to St. Cloud State Friday. Potulny now has 63 points, while Parse ranks second in the nation with 61. . . . With a win on Friday night in the CCHA semifinals, Michigan State improved to 2-0-3 this year against rival Michigan.

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