By Jordan McAlpine · Omaha’s ACHA Program Enjoys Successful Start With Important Second Half Ahead As Nick Harrahill’s club returns for the second semester, there’s a cle…
Omaha’s ACHA Program Enjoys Successful Start With Important Second Half Ahead As Nick Harrahill’s club returns for the second semester, there’s a clear set of goals heading into the final stretch – finish atop the conference, make a run at nationals and compete for a championship.
Omaha (18-3-2) currently sits second in the MACHA’s Silver West Division — just two points behind Dordt — and 16th in the latest ACHA M3 Rankings. Omaha had been ranked 10th.
Its 2025-26 resume already includes sweeps at Notre Dame and Florida Gulf Coast, a win over Missouri State, and a BIG Classic title. The Mavericks closed out 2025 with a dominant sweep of Nebraska as well, and they’ve out-scored their opponents 137-48 through 23 games.
It’s quite the start for the rapidly-rising program. However, the hope is that the rise is far from done.
“I think since I got here, the overall skill level of our team has grown so much, and we have a team full of really good young men,” Harrahill said. “At the end of the day, we have to find a good balance and understand we’re an ACHA program. But we’re also a program that wants to continue to grow and be the best we can be, and we want to win a championship.
“It’s been a really good year so far, but the biggest thing I’ve stressed to our guys is to understand where we are and the opportunity we have in front of us, and we believe we can get there.”
Harrahill is halfway through his third season at the helm. Omaha went 15-12-3 in 2023-24 and 15-13-2 last winter, and returned 11 players this fall.
They’ve supplemented those 11 returners with plenty of talented freshmen and transfers too.
“We really like where we’re at right now and feel like there’s been a lot of momentum made,” Harrahill said. “It used to be a roster full of just local kids, and we still take pride in having local kids on our team, but we’ve really expanded our reach and want to have the best talent possible. Through watching a lot of hockey and going to showcases, I think we’ve introduced our program to a lot of new people and have gotten more guys to campus, and then our players have done a great job selling our program to recruits.
"Those guys are making an immediate impact for us when they get here and we’ve got a really competitive group.”
Whether you ask Harrahill or the players on his roster, there’s been a few common contributors to this year’s success: depth, work ethic, practice habits, culture, a close-knit group – the list goes on.
All of them have continued to grow in recent years, along with confidence and a sense of belief.
“We started this program from scratch basically,” said senior captain Troy Hunsicker. “At the beginning we weren’t able to play games and didn’t have enough kids or didn’t have a conference, and then once we started playing we weren’t very good.
“I feel like now though we have a lot of talent and we’re ranked near the top of the country, and we’re beating teams that a couple years ago I would’ve had a hard time seeing us playing, let alone beating. There’s just so much excitement about where we are and what this program can be.”
“I think we’ve had a ton of growth in the time I’ve been here,” added junior defenseman Camden Forys, who is one of Omaha’s assistant captains. “We’ve got a lot of good guys in our locker room and it’s been pretty easy holding each other accountable, and I think that starts with how we practice. I think it’s a little easier when you’re winning a lot of games too. But the biggest thing is our depth. I feel like we’re a team that everybody contributes and we’re all really comfortable around each other.”
The Mavericks started this season with a team retreat at Table Rock Lake and went straight to work from there. They won eight of their first nine games and saw a number of players take advantage of early-season opportunities, and it’s only continued.
For a roster that includes players from seven different states, one from Alberta – Austin Tessier – and 18 newcomers, the group meshed together quickly, and the on-ice product has shown it.
“Coach Harrahill did a really good job recruiting us and telling us about the opportunity here, and UNO is a really good school too,” said freshman forward Blake Glaser, who is tied atop the Division III level with 56 points (28-28-56). “I honestly wasn’t really planning on playing hockey in college, but I’m really happy I did and we’ve got such a great group here. So I’m just hoping we can keep building this program and it can stay a good program in the future, and we can keep getting people here.”
Make no mistake, one of the easiest ways to attract talent and attention is by winning – something the Mavericks have done this winter.
“I feel like before (Harrahill) got here we were just playing for fun and we barely had enough kids to have a team, and most people weren’t taking it very seriously,” Hunsicker said. “And we’re still having fun, but once you start winning, you want it even more. I think when you see how much (Harrahill) cares, it makes you care…