NCAA Frozen Four: Nebraska-Omaha not done making history

BOSTON -- If you’re reading this anytime before Thursday’s first national semifinal between Providence and Nebraska-Omaha, there are two buses of UNO students en route to Boston for the Frozen Four.

That’s right, the students, along with the band, cheerleaders and mascot are making the nearly 24-hour journey to TD Garden to experience history: UNO’s first ever appearance in the Frozen Four.

Two weeks ago, the Mavericks made the first bits of history during this memorable run when they won their first ever games in the NCAA tournament, knocking out Harvard and RIT to book their trip to Boston.

This weekend is about gunning for a national championship, but also introducing the program to those who may not be aware of UNO.

“[T]his program is up and coming, and for the people that don't know about UNO hockey, we're hoping that weekends like this will help get the word out,” said senior defenseman Brian O’Rourke. “Coach [Dean Blais] mentioned it earlier, winning is the best way to do that.  I think if we could pick one thing for people to know about this team, it's a hardworking bunch of guys, and I think that comes from the top, from the coaching staff.  They really instill that in the players, and I think they will for years to come.”

For three of the four Frozen Four participants, history is a big part of their identity. Boston University first dropped the puck in 1918, and in 1926 and 1929, respectively, hockey became varsity sports at Providence College and North Dakota.

UNO’s hockey program turns 18 this year, and it’s come a long way since it was a Division I independent school.

After qualifying for the NCAA tournament once in their first 13 seasons, UNO made waves by hiring Blais as head coach in 2009. While Blais had led North Dakota to a pair of national titles during his time in Grand Forks, he had his toughest task ahead of him.

But Blais admits, he isn’t one to harken back to his days with North Dakota to try and find ways to improve his UNO squad.

“We don't talk about North Dakota all that much,” he said. “We have at some point, and it's usually this is how you win and here's what we do kind of thing. But we've tried to just have our own identity, and they've paved the way.”

Under Blais, the Mavericks have reached the NCAA tournament twice and won 20, 19, and 21 games in three of the past four years. It’s a turnaround that’s built up the hockey support in Omaha and led to a bright future for the program.

“Obviously we're stepping in a brand new arena (the 7,500 seat UNO Community Center) next year that wouldn't have happened without these guys,” Blais said. “Without winning, you can advertise, promote, do whatever you want in the community, and not much happens. But when you start winning, we've gotten unbelievable media attention this last month, and not necessarily getting here, but everything that led up to this. It's kind of like we've arrived."

The Mavericks are led by senior netminder Ryan Massa and his NCAA-best .939 save-percentage, sophomore forward Austin Ortega’s 20 goals and a defense that’s allowed only 2.26 goals per game. They’ll face a Providence team with standout netminder Jon Gillies in net. It’s a tall task for a UNO squad averaging 2.74 goals per game this season, lowest among the four remaining teams.

But Blais knows that and that’s why UNO will have to rely on forcing rebounds, creating screens in front and whatever kind of ugly goals they can get against Gillies.

This weekend is a big moment for UNO hockey and while many teams with a large number of Frozen Four first-timers end up getting star-struck by the entire experience, Blais and his team are confident they have two more wins left in their season.

“We’ve got to appear out there as just happy to be there,” Blaise said at the team’s send-off earlier this week. “But, behind the scenes, I think you all know what we’re going there for. It’s not to eat clam chowder and lobster. It’s to put a ring on our finger.”

- - - - - - -

Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY: