>After relinquishing a two-goal lead and settling for a tie on Friday night, Miami decisively took care of the UNO Mavericks on Saturday night, 6-1 and going 1-0-1 on the weekend trip to Omaha.

It was much of the same, really. Just like Friday night, penalties were the rule, rather than the exception in a game that gave the RedHawks twelve power play opportunities. Of those twelve, four of Miami’s six goals were scored, two of which were netted by Carter Camper, who now leads the team with 16 goals and is tied for second in the nation with 9 power play goals.

Other goal scorers on the night were Pat Cannone (10,11) who also added an assist for a three point night, Will Weber (2) and Brandon Smith (2).

Other notes/observations:

– Miami got to UNO goaltender Jerad Kaufmann early, scoring three in the first period. Kaufmann was yanked in favor of Jeremie Dupont after only playing 14:03 of the opening frame.

– The Miami penalty kill was very good this weekend, killing off 17 of 18 UNO power play chances and the powerplay…also solid, with the ‘Hawks converting on 5/20 opportuinites with the man-advantage.

– Personally, I thought Connor Knapp was ok. I don’t recall seeing anything stellar from him on either night and I’m not totally sold on either goaltender as a number one just yet. I do like the decision by Rico to play Knapp both nights though, as Reichard has struggled as of late.

– Nice to see Chris Wideman back in the lineup on Saturday night. Of all the freshman on this team, he has impressed me the most. I think his puck-moving abilities are outstanding. Can’t wait to see what his game looks like in three more years. On the other hand, I think sitting Ray Eichenlaub was a good decision. He looked very tenative at times on Friday night and made some poor decisions with the puck.

– Will the college hockey powers that be allow Miami to play all games next season on Saturday-Sunday? It seems as if any Miami team needs Friday night to “warm up” before taking care of business for real on Saturday nights.

– I wouldn’t want to upset Jarod Palmer. I can tell he wants to mix it up so bad.

– Big weekend of play, next weekend in the CCHA. A few series’ to note here, as Michigan and Notre Dame play a home and home series, Ohio State travels to Alaska, and the RedHawks play host to Bowling Green. These are important for a few reasons. One, Miami needs to sweep BG to keep pace and hold that second spot in the league standings. Anything less and Miami begins to lose some ground. Two, I think this is Notre Dame’s weekend to run away with the CCHA regular season title. I think they’ll split with the Wolverines this weekend, but with LSSU, UNO, OSU, and MSU left on their schedule, I think this is the last true test of the season for Jeff Jackson’s Irish. I also think Alaska will sweep Ohio State, in Fairbanks and Nebraska-Omaha will take care of their weekend series, against Ferris State.

Here now, my projected CCHA standings (top 6) after next weekend’s play:

Notre Dame, 34 (Split with U of M)
Miami, 32 (Sweep of BG)
Alaska, 30 (Sweep of OSU)
Michigan, 26
Nebraska-Omaha, 26 (Sweep of FSU)
Ohio State, 24

– USCHO has a nice writeup on the RedHawks, written by Dave Starman. In the column, Starman discusses Miami’s recruiting struggles within the CCHA and also touches on the lack of media coverage in the Cincinnati metro area. Check it out:

Miami University has a great campus, a phenomenal building for hockey, and a constantly improving hockey program.

Too bad it’s in the middle of nowhere and not well covered by the local media, because if the newspapers in Cincinnati and/or Dayton gave them even decent coverage, the RedHawks would be a much bigger deal than they are now.

– How true is that?! Back later in the week with more. Go RedHawks!

>A penalty filled affair saw the RedHawks give up a two-goal lead in the third period and settle for a tie with the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Friday night.

The Miami scoring was started in the first period, as Jerod Palmer scored his fifth goal of the season, giving the RedHawks a 1-0 lead midway though the opening frame. But the story of this game, wouldn’t be the scoring prowess of either team…it would be the penalties.

The Mavericks found themselves in the box early on, taking six penalties in the first period, only to trade places with the RedHawks in the second, a period that saw Miami take seven penalties. Tempers ran high most of the night, with several post-whistle scrums around and even in the net at one point. At the 18:46 mark of the second period, three players from each team were penalized for after the whistle extra-curriculars, with UNO’s Eddie Del Grosso getting the worst, a two and a two. Both teams’ penalty kill units were strong, with Miami killing all ten UNO power plays. UNO was 7/8 on the PK.

One could argue that the ‘Hawks were outplayed in the third period, as they were outshot 15-10. The Mavericks has several scoring chances that they weren’t able to bury, but the two that they were able to pot, killed the RedHawks. After an Andy Miele goal at 9:46 of the third period to stretch the lead to two, UNO senior Tomas Klempa put the Mavs on the board nearly three minutes later and bringing his team within one. But desperation set in for Nebraska-Omaha, as goaltender Jeremie Dupont was pulled for the extra attacker…and it paid off. Sophomore Eric Olimb netted his third goal of the season, after taking a nice feed from John Kemp, and tied the game with just 1:17 remaining in regulation.

Miami had the advantage in the overtime period, outshooting the Mavericks, 2-1, but after five minutes, both teams were still deadlocked at two a piece.

But there would be more “free hockey” on this night. Things were finally settled in the sixth round of the shootout when UNO sophomore Rich Purslow buried the deciding tally past Connor Knapp, who found himself in goal on a Friday night for once, replacing the struggling Cody Reichard.

Miami scratches for the night were Michael Findorff, Dane Hetland, Chris Wideman, Alex Lacombe and Bill Loupee.

Both teams will take the ice once more, tonight, at 8:05pm ET. The game will be televised on CBS College Sports and will be broadcast in the Hamilton/Oxford area on 1450 WMOH-AM.

>Friday Night: 8:05pm ET
TV: CBS College Sports (DirecTV channel 613)
Radio: None
Online: MURedhawks.com

Saturday Night: 8:05pm ET
TV: CBS College Sports (DirecTV channel 613)
Radio: 1450 WMOH-AM
Online: MURedhawks.com

From the game notes:

The Mavericks enter the weekend with 22 points and are tied with Ohio State for fourth-place in the CCHA standings. Overall Nebraska-Omaha holds a record of 13-8-4 and 8-6-4-2 in conference play. The Crimson and Black are fourth in goals allowed in conference play (37) trailing only the RedHawks (36), Alaska (31) and league leader Notre Dame (30). The Mavericks are coming off a loss and a tie/shootout loss against Alaska in Fairbanks. Nebraska-Omaha dropped the first match up 2-0 and earned a 1-1 tie in game two with Alaska winning the shootout 1-0. The matchup between the RedHawks and the Mavericks is the only series this weekend with two teams in the top four in the league. The Crimson and Black have been dominate in the Quest Center this season boasting a record of 8-2-2 entering the weekend.

Miami holds an all-time record of 15-6-2 against Nebraska-Omaha and a 6-4-0 mark over the Mavericks in Omaha. Miami has controlled the series of late winning the last nine consecutive games. The Red and White have not lost to Nebraska-Omaha in Omaha since Oct. 18, 2002.

– The University of Nebraska-Omaha recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary and Miami University will commemorate its 200th birthday on Feb. 17.

– Both the RedHawks and the Mavericks enter the weekend with one win in their last six games.

– Justin Mercier is only five points away from becoming the 42nd member of Miami’s100-point club. Mercier has 46 career goals and 39 assists. In six career games against UNO, Mercier has six points (3-3-6) and a +8 mark.

– In Mercier’s career, Miami holds a record of 56-9-5 when the Erie, Pa. native records a point and a 38-3-1 mark when Mercier scores a goal.

– Carter Camper leads the CCHA in points with 30 (14-16-30) his point total ranks him tied for sixth nationally.

– Pat Cannone leads the RedHawks in game tying goals with four. No other RedHawk has more than one.

– Connor Knapp ranks 12th in the nation in goals-against average. Knapp has one shutout this season and has posted 20 saves in seven of 12 starts.

– Ray Eichenlaub posted a +3 rating and three blocks in Miami’s 6-1 win over Michigan State on Jan.17. The RedHawks hold a record of 9-0-1 this season when Eichenlaub has a positive +/- ranking and a 35-1-3 mark all-time.

– Gary Steffes picked up his seventh and eighth goals of the season on Jan. 17 against Michigan State. In his first 78 games with the Red and White, Steffes scored 11 goals in his last 24 he has found the net eight times.

– Camper, Steffes, Mercier and Tommy Wingels all have at least four second period goals this season. Camper leads the team in second frame scores with five.

In other news…

– Paula C. Weston predicts a Miami/UNO split this weekend:

Miami at UNO This is a serious test for each, as the RedHawks want to create a win streak and the Mavericks are eager to prove they’re top-tier material. Miami is tied for second in the CCHA with 25 points; UNO is tied for fourth with 22. The Mavs are looking to break a nine-game losing streak against the ‘Hawks, the last UNO victory in this series coming Jan. 21, 2005. UNO hasn’t beaten Miami in Omaha since 2002. Miami 4-2, UNO 3-2

– Recently, the Blue Line Club has announced the dates and numbers for the 2009 Jersey Auction. This year, those interested have the ability to place their bids online! Click here for more information. Nameplates will be available after the season. Here are the numbers and dates they’ll be available for auction:

1/31 vs Bowling Green: 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 27, 28

2/21 vs. Northern Michigan: 2, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, 31, 32

2/27 vs. Ohio State: 9, 14, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 30

>Note: The faceoff times are bit different this weekend to accommodate both games being broadcast on CBS College Sports. The Friday night drop is at 8:05pm, while Saturday’s game will begin at 5:05pm.

From the game notes:

Michigan State comes into the weekend with a record of 6-13-3 on the season and a 3-9-2-2 in the CCHA standings. The Spartans’ 10 points rank 11th in the conference. Matt Schepke leads the Spartans in points with 13 and in goals with 10. Tim Crowder leads the team in assists with nine. Michigan State has split its last four matchups, finishing second to Michigan (5-1) in Great Lakes Invitational after defeating North Dakota in the opening round (2-1). The Spartans opened 2009 with a split against Alaska in East Lansing and did not play a week ago. Michigan State started the season 4-2-1 but then the Green and White went on an 11-game winless streak.

Miami holds an all-time record of 24-65-5 against Michigan State and a mark of 10-27-3 against the Spartans in Oxford. However, in the past few match-ups, things have switched in favor the RedHawks. Miami has won the last four meetings and five of the last six. Michigan State’s last win over the RedHawks came on Jan. 6, 2007 in Oxford (4-1).

Other Notes of Interest:

– Knapp and Reichard only allowed one goal apiece against Michigan State the first time around

– Brandon Smith recorded his first career goal earlier this season against Michigan State. Smith pushed a rebound from the wing back to the center of the ice that hit Michigan State goalie Jeff Lerg and went in the net. The goal proved to be the game-winner.

– Justin Mercier missed his first game since the NCAA tournament in 2007, last week against Michigan. Mercier had played in 63 consecutive games.

– Miami swept Michigan State earlier this season in Munn Ice Arena. The RedHawks were led by Mercier and Andy Miele who both had three-point weekends. Miele posted a goal and two assists and Mercier recorded two goals and one assist.

– Head Coach Enrico Blasi will go for his 200th-career victory this weekend against Michigan State. Blasi is the all-time wins leader at Miami and has the best winning percentage in school history.

Elsewhere…

– Paula C. Weston over at USCHO predicts a RedHawk sweep:

Here’s the series to watch. The Spartans are coming off a bye week after beating North Dakota in their first game of the GLI (Dec. 27) and splitting with Alaska at home two weeks ago. The RedHawks have begun calendar year 2009 with four straight losses. The teams met in November of this season in East Lansing, with Miami winning both games and the RedHawks swept a pair in Munn in a year before that. The Spartans split the last time they played in Oxford (Jan. 5-6, 2007). Miami 3-2, 2-1

Go REDHAWKS!

>Can we start the New Year over? Goodness…two weekends of hockey yield consecutive sweeps for the RedHawks, after a 4-0 Sunday afternoon loss at Michigan. Carter Camper and Justin Mercier both sat out of today’s lineup with reported injuries. Mercier was said to have a leg injury and Camper’s condition is not known. No matter the ailment, this is not good for a Miami team currently lacking offensive firepower. In 2009, Miami has been outscored 16-5 in four games, as Coach Enrico Blasi still looks to pick up career win number 200. 

>Structural damage to Yost Ice Arena…that’s the reason why the University of Michigan has postponed tonight’s game vs. Miami, until Sunday at 4pm. Reports are saying that the converted field house suffered damage during a recent winter storm. The first game of the weekend series will now be played on Saturday night.

Tickets for tonight’s contest will be honored on Sunday.

In other news…

– INCH has a short read on the RedHawks “shooting blanks” at the Ohio Hockey Classic, last weekend. You can check that out by clicking here.

– USCHO columnist and self-proclaimed college hockey guru Paula C. Weston is predicting a U of M sweep this weekend:

Hmmm…I wonder how long it takes to walk from Columbus to Oxford, Ohio? That’s the thought that crossed my mind after Miami dropped a pair of games it absolutely should have won last weekend in the last-ever Ohio Hockey Classic, losing 4-2 to Clarkson and 3-2 to Army. Army. Yes, Army. (No offense to the gents from West Point, but – really – Army.) The RedHawks will be determined when they play the Wolverines, who captured their second consecutive Great Lakes Invitational Tournament title two weeks ago. Michigan head coach Red Berenson is 60-18-3 all-time against Miami (18-6-1 against RedHawk head coach Enrico Blasi), but the ‘Hawks swept the Wolverines in Oxford Nov. 21-22, outscoring the Wolverines 4-1 in those games. UM 3-2, 4-2

– By the way, Weston also mentions that fans have experienced their last Ohio Hockey Classic. The tournament will fold because of the expense and lack of sponsorship. With Miami’s recent OHC performance…this blogger says “good riddance.”