>This weekend gives the No. 7 RedHawks their first true test of the season…a 2 game series against the No. 17 ranked Vermont Catamounts.

From the Game Notes:

“CHECKING” THE CATAMONTS
Last season the RedHawks went two-for-two against Vermont when at Steve Cady Arena. Miami combined to outscore the Catamounts 6-2 on the weekend. The wins last season by the RedHawks were the first in school history against Vermont and the Green and Gold still lead the all time series 6-2-0. Current Miami head coach Enrico Blasi holds an all-time record of 2-2 against the Catamounts.

RECAPPING THE WEEKEND
The RedHawks went 1-0-1 (1-0-1-0) in their first weekend of action as they made history by being a part of the CCHA’s first regular-season shootout. Miami earned a tie against Ohio State in Columbus but had an offensive explosion against the Buckeyes in Steve Cady Arena. Miami scored seven goals in the final two periods of action. It was the biggest two-period total for the RedHawks since they scored seven in the first two periods against Western Michigan Feb. 23, 2008.

With the tie and the win, Miami extends its unbeaten streak against Ohio State to nine games. Miami has only lost to the Buckeyes once in the last 13 games between the CCHA rivals.

Pat Cannone registered six points in the second game against Ohio State. It was the first time since Nathan Davis amassed five points against Northern Michigan Nov. 3, 2006, that a RedHawk had scored five or more points in a game. It is the most points by a RedHawk in a game since John O’Connor registered six points against Ohio State Nov. 21, 1986.

WIDEMAN NAMED CCHA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
After posting four assists in his first weekend in the Red and White, freshman defensemen Chris Wideman was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week.

Wideman, a native of St. Louis, Mo., dished out two assists in his first career game. The first came on the RedHawks’ first goal of the season when Carter Camper

After the first weekend of play, Wideman is tied with teammate Jarod Palmer in overall power play-points in the CCHA. Wideman also leads all conference defenseman in scoring and all league rookies in scoring. The honor is the second-consecutive CCHA Rookie Award for Miami as Andy Miele won the final honor of the 2007-08 season after posting one goal and three assist against Ohio State.

I assume that Rico will once again play Cody Reichard on Friday night and Connor Knapp on Saturday night. From my standpoint, Knapp looked to have had the better performance in last weekend’s series against the Buckeyes. It will be interesting to see if the powerplay, led by thus-far freshman defenseman Chris Wideman, can continue it’s impressive performance.

Both games are slated for a 7:05pm start time. Over on the official athletic website, a blog is being kept about the RedHawks trip to Burlington. You can check it out here.