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The puzzle pieces of conference alignment all appear to fit together now for UNO.

The Mavericks believe that the future of their hockey program is secure — and positioned for even bigger and better things — come 2013-14, when they'll join the upstart National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

The rest of UNO's teams now begin their transition to Division I. The Mavs will be a full-functioning Summit League member in 2012-13, and they'll have full-time Division I status by 2015-16.

The obvious and important next step for University of Nebraska at Omaha sports, Athletic Director Trev Alberts said, is to fill in the blanks regarding facilities.

"That's really what has to be next for us," Alberts said. "We've worked through that strategic vision of the athletic department in general, and now for us to be competitive in all of our sports, we need to take a hard look at the existing facilities we already have, and also existing community assets that we can use on an interim basis.

"And ultimately, to be a dynamic public institution in Omaha, Nebraska, we have got to create and implement a vision for facilities on our campus."

Alberts and Mavs coach Dean Blais were in Colorado Springs, Colo., Wednesday to announce the creation of UNO's future hockey conference, which will include North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Minnesota Duluth and Miami (Ohio) — and possibly Notre Dame before the end of the summer.

As UNO moves up to Division I in its other sports, the plan is for men's basketball to begin playing its home games at the Civic Auditorium, while women's hoops and volleyball will remain at Sapp Fieldhouse.

Since Alberts was hired at UNO in April 2009, the school has intensified its push to build an on-campus hockey arena and practice facility.

Alberts said there still is no set time frame moving forward on the arena project, and he admitted that the dynamics of the school's pursuit of a new hockey home have changed during the past five months.

In March, UNO announced that it would drop football and wrestling and move all of its sports to Division I, a decision that sent shock waves throughout the community. When asked whether that controversy has slowed the momentum behind a new hockey arena, Alberts said, "I suppose there's some merit to that statement."

But even beyond the shake-up, the A.D. said, the new reality for UNO is that the school also has to think about how an on-campus facility could best serve the needs of Mavs basketball and volleyball at the Division I level.

"Obviously, I think you really have to understand who you are and what your vision is for your facilities," Alberts said. "There are variables for us to think about now that didn't exist a year ago."

The good news for UNO hockey is that the Mavs already play in an arena that doesn't lack for "wow" factor.

And other officials involved in the new conference said the atmosphere at Qwest Center Omaha definitely was a factor in making the Mavs an attractive member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

"Once I really got a chance to tour around Omaha with Trev and really see the Qwest Center, the campus and the city — boy, it's impressive," said North Dakota Athletic Director Brian Faison. "Things clearly are really happening in Omaha, and UNO is a big part of that in many different ways."

UNO hockey ranked fourth in the NCAA last year with an average home attendance of about 8,000.

During his two seasons in Omaha, Blais already has guided the Mavs to 41 victories, an NCAA tournament berth, the highest league finish in school history and a 29-9-3 record at home.

Plus, the five biggest home crowds in UNO hockey history all have been recorded since February 2010. That includes a turnout of 11,181 for a Nov. 19 game against North Dakota, 11,504 for a Feb. 26 game versus Denver and a school-record 15,137 for a Feb. 11 game against Wisconsin.

While an on-campus arena remains a key part of UNO's plans, Alberts said, it's tough to predict how much demand might grow for Mavs hockey during the upcoming years.

And with the move to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in two seasons now official, the A.D. anticipates UNO can elevate its profile even further.

"When you are a founding member of a new conference like this — certainly the other five institutions have made a commitment to winning at the highest levels," Alberts said. "We're going to make a similar commitment and work very hard to have the kind of facilities that Coach Blais and our students need to be successful."

Contact the writer:

402-444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

twitter.com/CPurcellOWH

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