WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross men's ice hockey team flew out west this week to take on the Coachella Valley Cactus Cup in Palm Springs, Calif. The four-team tournament features Omaha, no. 10/10 UMass Lowell, and Michigan Tech. Holy Cross will face Omaha in their opening game on Friday, Jan. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Depending on the result, the Crusaders will meet either Lowell or Michigan Tech in either the consolation or championship game on Saturday, Jan. 4.

THE CRUSADERS (8-9-1, 7-4-1 AHA):

• Holy Cross is set to face Omaha in the first round of the inaugural Cactus Cup, held at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif.
• Holy Cross opened their second half schedule with a trip to East Meadow, N.Y. for a one-game matchup with Long Island University on Tuesday, Dec. 31, falling to the Sharks, 3-1.
• Junior Devin Phillips opened the scoring in the game with a goal just over three minutes into the contest, assisted by sophomores Ty and Brody Gagno.
• Senior netminder Thomas Gale stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced in the loss.
• Of netminders with 15+ games played in Atlantic Hockey, Gale's .922 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average rank first and second, respectively, in the league.
• Prior to the break, senior Liam McLinskey earned Atlantic Hockey Forward of the Month honors for November, thanks to his NCAA-leading seven game goal-streak, which began on Nov. 7 against AIC.
• McLinskey found his stride in November, recording at least one goal in all but two of the team's nine games in the month. McLinskey finished the month with eleven points on eight goals and three assists and carries an NCAA-leading seven-game scoring streak into December. On the season, McLinskey's 10 goals are tied for the AHA lead and tied for third nationally. In addition, his 16 points are tied for third in Atlantic Hockey and tied for 21st in the nation. With his goal on Saturday against Sacred Heart, McLinskey became the nation's leading active goal scorer with 50 career tallies.
• Holy Cross' kill percentage of 90.4% is the best mark in Atlantic Hockey and ranks fifth in the nation, posting a 66-for-73 success rate.
• On the other side, the Crusaders have converted on 16.1% of their power play opportunities, which ranks 45th nationally.

SCOUTING OMAHA (7-9-1, 4-4-0 NCHC):

• Omaha enters the contest with a 7-9-0 record, while holding a perfect 2-0-0 record in neutral site contests.
• The Mavericks opened their season at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., defeating then-no. 14 and no. 5 Minnesota in overtime to win the tournament.
• Omaha went 2-2 in December, splitting series' with no. 9 St. Cloud and Lindenwood.
• Graduate student Sam Stange leads the Mavericks with 11 points and is tied with senior Zach Urdahl for the team lead in goals with seven.
   

ALL TIME SERIES:

• Against Omaha: The two teams have met just one time, with the matchup coming on the second day of the 2005 Rensselaer/Bank of America Holiday Hockey Tournament in Troy, N.Y. The Mavericks won the game 6-1.
• Against UMass Lowell: The Crusaders are 7-22-1 all-time against UMass Lowell, with their last win coming on Dec. 9, 2023, at the Hart Center. The two teams last met this season on Nov. 1, 2024 at the Hart Center, with then-no. 20/19 Lowell storming back from a three goal deficit to win 5-4 in overtime. Junior Timothy Heinke and senior Matt Shatsky recorded multi-point efforts in the matchup.
• Against Michigan Tech: If the Crusaders meet Michigan Tech on Saturday, it will mark the first all-time meeting between the two programs.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross men's ice hockey team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossMHockey | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossmhockey | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Men's Ice Hockey | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross