Box Score OMAHA, Neb. – Austin Ortega set an NCAA record for game-winning goals on Saturday, helping the No. 7/8 Omaha hockey team lock up third place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with a 4-2 win over Colorado College.

The Mavericks will host St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCHC Playoffs beginning on Friday, March 13.  They finished the regular season with a record of 18-10-6 overall and 12-8-4-3 in the NCHC.  The third-place finish matches the best in program history.  Omaha had been picked to finish sixth in the preseason media poll.

The Mavericks were leading 2-1 in the third period when the Tigers tied the game.  Matt Hansen fired home a pass from Hunter Fejes at 7:06.  It was his second goal of the season and the weekend.

But with just 1:55 remaining in regulation, Ortega made history with his 11th game winner of the year.  He walked in down the left wing and wired a shot over the glove hand of goalie Tyler Marble, hitting the top corner for his team-best 18th goal of the season.  He broke the record that was held by seven others and last equaled in 2002.

Jake Guentzel added an empty net goal, his second goal of the game, with 13 seconds remaining to ice it.

Kirk Thompson, who was a surprise starter for the Mavericks after Ryan Massa, who had been scheduled to start, was injured during warm ups, made 24 saves to improve to 5-3-0 on the season.  It was his first start since Jan. 16.  

Marble stopped 31 for Colorado College which finished eighth in the NCHC with a record of 2-19-3-1.  The Tigers are 6-24-3 overall and will face Penrose Cup Champion North Dakota next week.

Colorado College broke the scoreless tie at 1:28 of the second period.  Aaron Harstad's shot from the left point hit a skate and ricocheted past Thompson.

The Mavericks swarmed the CC net later in the period and the pressure finally paid off at 12:45.  Tyler Vesel's shot from the high slot hit Marble and bounced at the feet of Justin Parizek.  Parizek quickly fired it home, his third goal of the weekend and career best 12th of the season.

UNO took the lead less than three minutes later.  David Pope battled for the rebound of a shot by Ortega in the low slot.  His shot bounced to Guentzel who fired home the puck past a sprawling Marble at 15:30.

Notes:
The Mavericks were 2-2-0 against St. Cloud State during the regular season, winning two games in Omaha in December and dropping a pair in St. Cloud, Minn. just two weeks ago.

Omaha and St. Cloud State have met one other time in post-season play.  The Huskies swept the Mavericks, 2-0, in a best-of-three series in St. Cloud in 2012 when both teams played in the WCHA.

Pope and Joel Messner each finished with two assists in the game.  

Thompson earned an assist on Guentzel's empty net goal, the first assist earned by a UNO goaltender since John Faulkner had four during the 2010-11 season.