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It was early in the second period of a scoreless game Saturday, in what was another make-or-break late-season matchup for UNO.

Sophomore right winger Matt White skated in one-on-two against Michigan Tech's defensemen.

"He beat the (first) defenseman, and he was going too fast for the other defenseman to slide over," UNO coach Dean Blais said. "He had about 3 or 4 inches to shoot at, and he found a way to get the puck in."

About 20 minutes later, White did virtually the same thing, producing the first two goals of what turned into a huge 4-0 win.

"He's got a great shot," Blais said. "It's one thing to come down and beat the defenseman, but the ability to snipe and put the puck away. . I've seen a lot of players come down the ice and make good plays and not finish them off. He's a good finisher.

"The two goals he scored Saturday . there was really nothing there."

By getting three points out of the weekend, UNO put itself on a little more steady footing heading into its difficult final three series, which begin Friday and Saturday at No. 15 Colorado College.

And while White was named the most valuable player of Michigan Tech's annual Winter Carnival weekend series, Blais said he'd be in line for another award, if it existed, for the Mavericks. He's been their MCP — most consistent producer.

The sophomore from Whittier, Calif., has 15 goals and team highs of 21 assists and 36 points.

White and his usual linemate, junior Terry Broadhurst (16 goals, 18 assists) both have the chance to crack UNO's single-season top 10 in both points (with 40 or more) and goals (17 or more).

White's résumé for offensive production is well-established, both before he came to Omaha and after. He played three seasons with the Omaha Lancers, including his All-United States Hockey League season of 2009-10 when he had 35 goals and 47 assists to finish second in the league with 82 points. He was named the national juniors player of the year.

As a freshman last season with UNO, White had 14 goals and 11 assists.

One of the assistant captains on a young Mav team, the 22-year-old White's leadership style is a combination of being vocal and his play on the ice.

"I've always wanted to be a player the team could rely on," White said. "And that doesn't have anything to do with points — it's about defense and being responsible. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but on the ice, that's what I try to bring to the team — steadiness and responsibility in all three zones.

"The offense is great to have, but you've got to concentrate on the whole ice sheet."

Besides being a key member of UNO's power play, White also thrives on the penalty-kill — he's contributed three short-handed goals, one of nine players nationally to record as many.

White's roots are actually as a defenseman, which he played until he was 16 or 17. And his roots also include playing roller hockey.

He didn't start skating on ice until he was 12. Shortly thereafter, he tried out for a team.

"A friend of mine told me to come along," White said. "I had no intention of making the team. I think it was my third time skating on ice. They brought me back and said I'd made the team, and I was definitely shocked. . I couldn't stop."

When he says he couldn't stop, he's not necessarily talking about his passion for the sport. White means that literally.

"I just made the big roller turn," White said. "It took me about six months to learn how to stop."

There's plenty of passion for the game, though. There has to be considering what it took to get to the rink for practices in California.

"Ice is limited, and we only had the sheet for an hour," White said. "So you've got to be there on time because that's all you had. We traveled to the Midwest and the East Coast to play a lot of teams, so it's pretty expensive.

"And dealing with the traffic outside of the rink — you had to leave early. Driving down to L.A. was a difficult process. Depending on traffic, it could take 3 to 4 hours, but when there's no traffic it's probably a 25-minute drive."

White joked that he'd always bring his homework along, but didn't spend enough time doing it. He went to prep school in Massachusetts to get him prepared for college, both academically and athletically.

He joined the Lancers and had committed to New Hampshire, but that fell through when he was ruled academically ineligible, in part because of a misunderstanding about how his prep-school grades would transfer.

He wound up becoming Blais' first official UNO recruit.

"He's a very humble guy," Blais said. "He doesn't talk a lot about himself. He'd just as soon talk about his teammates. And he's done a great job in school. He's got himself at a 3.0 now."

Blais said White, one of the team's best-conditioned athletes, has big things ahead of him.

"He's put himself into first- or second-team All-WCHA and All-American status," Blais said. "He might have 25 (goals) next year, and he might be a Hobey Baker candidate and get 30 as a senior, you never know.

"He's not 6-feet, and maybe he won't play in the NHL. But you never know, the way the game has changed."

Contact the writer:

402-444-1027, rob.white@owh.com

twitter.com/RWhiteOWH

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