After that, he led his Indiana squad to a USHL Clark Cup championship. When he did, he beat head coach Dean Blaise and the Fargo Force.

Blaise is in his third full-season with the Omaha Mavs (4-4-0, 3-1-0), as is Gwidt. It was a natural choice to make the Lakeland graduate a captain, but for Gwidt he’s taking it as his most challenging task to date.

The Mavericks are coming off a split of their first WCHA road series, winning 5-4 at Wisconsin before losing the second game, 6-3.

Last Friday, the Mavs fell into a 3-0 hole but chipped away with goals from  Gwidt in the first and Terry Broadhurst in the second.

Matt White tied the game early in the third only to see Wisconsin retake the lead less than two minutes later. Broadhurst scored again 1:44 later to make it 4-4 and then set up Alex Hudson for the game-winner with 20.8 seconds remaining.

Gwidt sat down after the game to answer some questions on his career so far, making the step to a captain this season and what it was like being back in his home state, playing hockey for the first time since leaving high school.

 

Etten – How important is being near the top of the WCHA come the end of the season to you guys, knowing it’s probably the best hockey conference in NCAA?

Gwidt – “Well. the WCHA is a very tough conference, game in and game out, so every night counts.

“If you take a night off it can really come back to hurt you in the end. So that starts with every week getting better and when season end comes you are playing your best hockey.”

 

Etten – When you sat down with coach Blaise after the end of last season, what did he ask of you specifically to bring back to the table this season?

Gwidt – “Coach Blais wanted me to take a big step in my leadership role, and that starts with the off-ice conditioning and paying attention to all the details that goes along with being a college athlete.

“We have a very young team – 19 freshman and sophomores – so the leadership falls a lot on our juniors and seniors. Also, getting stronger and faster is something he expects from every guy during the summer.”

 

Etten – What type of responsibility does the letter “A” put on your shoulders this season?

Gwidt – “Like I mentioned earlier, we have a young team. So wearing the “A” puts a lot of responsibility on the other captains and myself. Showing the young guys on how to handle themselves in game situations, and showing them what it takes to win at a high level –  at a program that expects to be successful.”

 

Etten – What do you think, looking back, is the part of your game that has really progressed since coming to Omaha three seasons ago?

Gwidt – “I think filling my role has really developed since I’ve been here. In high school I was always the guy to go and score a bunch of goals during the year.

“In college, my role has changed quite a bit – to being a defensive forward that brings a lot of energy to the team. Also killing penalties has been something I’ve been getting better at as well.”

 

Etten – Talk about scoring your first goal of the season Friday night and how cool it was to do it in Madison in front of so many friends and family?

Gwidt – “Well, that goal was a little fluky, but I’ll take it, (ha-ha). To get it in the building where I’ve watched the Badgers for many years, and in front of all my friends and family was real special as well.”

 

Etten – I’ve probably never seen anyone jump that high on skates before. Was the goal as much of a surprise as it was to everyone else because of how it happened? What was going through your head when you saw Peterson scrambling to get back to the net and you with the puck at that tough of an angle?

Gwidt – “Yeah, that was quite a surprise. We were on the powerplay and we had the faceoff in the nuetral zone. Our defensemen just rimmed the puck so I took off and was skating as fast as I could to the opposite corner to get the puck.

“I saw Peterson leave the net to stop the rim so I changed my direction quickly and all of a sudden the puck was in front of me with a wide open net. We needed a goal at the time so it would have been pretty bad if I missed that open net.”

 

Etten – How nice was it to meet with your family after game one, and then to have your girl friend Amanda [Gibson] there Saturday to watch you play against UW? Was it pretty cool being on the ice inside the Kohl Center against a team typically everyone in the state is usually rooting for? How did the Kohl Center compare to the Qwest Center in Omaha?

Gwidt – “It was really nice to spend time with my family after that first game. Omaha, being about 12 hours from Minocqua, means I don’t always see them a lot, especially during season. So to be able to visit with them was quite nice.

“I have to talk about everything because just my dad, my brother and I could talk hockey for hours.

“It was also very nice to play in front of Amanda as well. She is a big part of my hockey career as well. She is very busy with her career so she doesn’t get to watch me play that much either, so I know she enjoyed it as well.

“She also brought a bunch of her family down [from Boulder Junction] to watch, it’s always nice to see them too. Skating in the Kohl Center as the ‘other’ team actually had an amazing feeling.

“I know a few guys on UW, and I had been looking forward to that game ever since it was scheduled. The Kohl Center and the Qwest Center are similar buildings, but I would have to give the atmosphere point to UW.

“Hockey has been a tradition there and always will be. Hockey in Omaha gets bigger and bigger each year, and in the very near future will be one of, if not the best, places to play.”

 

Etten – What are the plans for the next two years specifically? Both with hockey and with your college education?

Gwidt – “Well I am currently working on a communications degree here at UNO, and that is a pretty broad field so I will see where it takes me. With hockey, every day is just another step to where I want to be, and that is in the NHL. So hard work will hopefully bring me to my ultimate goal.”