St. Cloud State is the top-ranked team in Division I with just four losses this season.

The Huskies are unbeaten at home, going 15-0-1 and have won seven straight games overall.

Now Miami must go into the Herb Brooks Center and beat the top-ranked team in Division I two out of three just to advance to the NCHC semifinals if the RedHawks hope to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

BoB takes a look at Miami’s opening-round series in the NCHC Tournament:

WHO: Miami RedHawks (11-21-4) at No. 1 St. Cloud State Huskies (27-4-3).

WHEN: Friday – 8:07 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday (if necessary) – 7:07 p.m.

WHERE: Herb Brooks Center (5,159), St. Cloud, Minn.

ALL-TIME SERIES: St. Cloud State leads, 18-17-4.

ST. CLOUD STATE RADIO: All games – KZRV-FM (96.7) and KVSC-FM (88.1), St. Cloud. Minn.

MIAMI RADIO: WBKV-AM (1490), Richmond, Ind.

TV: Friday and Saturday – FSN North (DirecTV Ch. 668).

NOTES: It’s the second straight season these teams have met in the first round of the conference tournament in this building, and Miami took St. Cloud State to overtime of Game 3 in 2017-18.

The RedHawks, as an eight seed, also beat the Huskies in this round in 2013-14, with Justin Greenberg scoring the clinching goal in the final seconds of the third period.

So Miami has some positive playoff history vs. SCSU heading into this weekend, but the Huskies have been dominant this season – especially at home – and the RedHawks have won just two games since mid-November.

St. Cloud State has outscored its opponents, 137-73 this season, and six Huskies skaters have recorded at least 30 points.

SCSU flipped the all-time series this season, taking a half-game lead after going 2-0-2 vs. the RedHawks in 2018-19.

Patrick Newell leads the team in goals (19) and points (41), notching 22 assists, and a team-high plus-28 rating and six game winners.

Robbie Jackson leads the team in shots with 104, and he has scored 15 times and picked up helpers on 19 others for 34 points.

Blake Lizotte also has 34 points on 13 goals and 21 assists, and first-round pick Ryan Poehling is 7-23-30.

That’s the forward leaders. Two SCSU defensemen have at least 30 points: Jimmy Schult and Jack Ahcan.

Schult has been all-world this season, as the third-year captain has racked up nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points.

Ahcan has four goals, a team-best 26 assists and a plus-27 rating.

In net, David Hrenak has been the starter most of the season, going 20-3-2 with a 2.18 goals-against average but just a .907 save percentage.

But Jeff Smith has played in two of the Huskies’ last three games and has a 2.01 GAA and .923 save percentage.

Miami enters this series having lost five in a row, and the RedHawks were outscored, 26-11 in that stretch.

The RedHawks have lost in this round three straight seasons.