Category Archives: NCAA Hockey

>Miami Victorious on Senior Night

Feb 13

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Band of Brothers – The 2011 Senior Class (Camper, LoVerde, Vaive, Cannone, Miele)

Photo: Rachel Lewis

Oxford, Ohio – One night after allowing a 3-1 lead to slip away in a 3-3 tie with #15 Western Michigan, the Miami RedHawks defeated WMU 3-1 on Senior Night at Steve Cady Arena.

Senior assistant captain Andy Miele, junior Matt Tomassoni and sophomore Curtis McKenzie had the goals for the RedHawks (17-9-6, 14-7-5-2 CCHA) and junior netminder Connor Knapp made 16 saves to earn his sixth win of the year.

The five-member senior class consisting of co-captains Carter Camper and Pat Cannone, Justin Vaive, Vincent Loverde and Miele have helped lift Miami’s program to heights unseen in their time on campus. This class has been part of the first two Frozen Fours in school history, has won 102 games — and counting, and could lead this year’s squad to the first Mason Cup championship in a few weeks in Detroit, and just perhaps, an elusive national title.

For the weekend, Miami dominated the Broncos. If not for a stretch of about 1:40 on Friday, they would have easily swept Western Michigan. On Saturday, Western at one point went 23:15 between shots on goal as Miami opened a 3-0 lead. The RedHawks outshot the Broncos 35-17 including 17-5 in the third period. It was clear these seniors were not going to lose another third period lead to the upstart Broncos.

But rather than sweeping, Miami earned four league points on the weekend as they tied, but dropped the shootout Friday night. Though they entered the weekend in first place in the CCHA, they left tied with Michigan for second, just one point behind Notre Dame. Both Michigan and Notre Dame picked up weekend sweeps of conference opponents and both have two games in hand over Miami. They will spend that “capital” next weekend as the RedHawks are off.

Though they left in second place, Miami gained points in a much more important way.

Entering the weekend tied for 16th place in the Pairwise Rankings that largely determine the NCAA Tournament field, Miami helped themselves with a win and a tie against Western Michigan. After last night’s games went final, Miami had moved all the way to a tie for 9th position jumping CCHA leader Notre Dame and weekend foe Western Michigan in the process. They are currently tied with Michigan (Miami leads series 2-0) and New Hampshire (series tied 1-1) and are actually ahead of 7th place Nebraska-Omaha in terms of their RPI.

While I haven’t been able to go through all of the math, here is roughly what I believe happened to enable Miami to so significantly move up in the Pairwise.

  • Miami tied and defeated Western Michigan turning that comparison in the RedHawks favor as they win the season series 2-1-1
  • Michigan swept Ohio State dropping the Buckeyes out of the Teams Under Consideration (TUC) category. Since the Buckeyes swept Miami earlier this year, that 0-2 mark was damaging the RedHawks’ record vs. TUC’s. Not that this is different than any other time, but we want Ohio State to continue to lose.
  • Since winning the Florida College Classic championship over Miami, St. Cloud State has been on fire entering the TUC race. Miami has a 1-1-1 record against SCSU and that win replaces the two Buckeye losses
  • Miami’s strength of schedule is rated 13th toughest in the nation. Of the teams ranked ahead of them in the Pairwise, only North Dakota, Denver, UMD and UNO (WCHA, anyone?) have higher rated schedules with some of the ECAC and Hockey East schedules being embarrassingly bad (e.g., Yale, Merrimack, Union, etc.)

With this weekend being a bye week for Miami, it will be interesting to see how their 9th place ranking in the Pairwise fares. I’ll try to provide context for the teams we should be “rooting for” as Miami prepares to finish the regular season February 25-26 at Lake Superior State. Earlier this season Miami defeated and tied the Lakers in Oxford by 6-2 and 2-2 scores.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the seniors for their devotion and performance on and off the ice. Having watched them largely in person over the past three years, it’s been bittersweet to have only attended two games this year due to relocating out west. Between dropping the national title game in ’09 to losing Brendan Burke and losing a tough one in last year’s national semifinals, this group has battled adversity. It would be quite the send-off if they could somehow muster a way back to the Frozen Four for the third consecutive year, and maybe, just maybe go out with a bang in St. Paul.

But, first things first.

Let’s sweep the Lakers in two weeks.

Posted in Andy Miele, Carter Camper, CCHA, College Hockey - Analysis, Connor Knapp, Justin Vaive, Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame, Pat Cannone, Vincent LoVerde, Western Michigan

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>Bowling Green Hires Bergeron

Apr 12

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>It was bound to happen sooner or later. Longtime Miami assistant coach Chris Bergeron has been hired by Bowling Green State University and will be officially introduced as the school’s seventh head coach this afternoon at 4 P.M. ET.

“I’m very excited to be a part of putting Bowling Green back where it belongs in the hockey world,” Bergeron said. “My family and I are looking forward to becoming part of the Bowling Green community. What excites me the most, though, is seeing how hungry everyone is to make Bowling Green hockey successful again — from Dr. (Carol) Cartwright to (AD) Greg Christopher to everyone I talked to during the interview process.” (BG News Release)

Bergeron is the second former Miami assistant coach to be hired by a CCHA program this off-season, as Jeff Blashill was hired as the next Western Michigan head coach earlier this month. Congratulations and best of luck to Berg, his wife Janis and the rest of their family. His numerous contributions to the Miami Hockey program will be sorely missed.

To read the official BG release, click here.

Posted in Bowling Green, Chris Bergeron

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>Frozen Four Preview: RedHawks Take On Eagles & More

Apr 8

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>Game Preview Written By: “Swaindog”


The Miami RedHawks, last year’s national runners-up, ranked #1 for the majority of this season, the runaway winners of the CCHA regular season title, champions of the NCAA Midwest Regional and the NCAA Tournament’s top overall seed are back in the Frozen Four. Standing in their way in tomorrow night’s national semifinal, however, is a name all too familiar to Miami hockey fans, players and alumni: Boston.

Whether it’s followed by “University,” as it was in last year’s national championship game, or “College,” as it was in 2006, 2007 and 2008, it has meant the same thing – loss. In some cases as in 2008 and 2009, it meant heartbreaking loss.

As Miami’s program has continued to improve, the past six years have returned remarkable success. Consider two things: Miami has the best winning percentage in college hockey since 2005-06. Additionally, since 2007-08, Miami has spent more time atop the college hockey polls than any other school but they are just 1-4 against Boston College/University during those years with the one victory coming over BU at the now defunct Lefty McFadden Tournament in Dayton back in 2004. And, tomorrow’s opponent, Boston College, knocked the RedHawks out of the national tournament three consecutive years.

In 2006, Miami captured just its second ever CCHA regular season title and was ranked number one during the regular season for the first time in school history. However, they would fall in the CCHA Championship game dropping the RedHawks from a #1 to a #2 seed setting up the first of three consecutive meetings with the Eagles. This one coming in the first round. A broken stick and two empty net goals led BC to a 5-0 blanking of Miami. BC earned a trip to the Frozen Four, but lost in the national championship game to Wisconsin.

In 2007, Miami eeked out an at-large berth and #4 seed drawing New Hampshire in the first round. Led by junior captain Ryan Jones and classmate Nathan Davis, the RedHawks upset UNH earning the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Awaiting in the regional final? BC. Once again, the Eagles shut out the RedHawks breaking open a close game late and winning 4-0. With the victory over Miami, BC earned another trip to the Frozen Four, but fell in the national title game to Michigan State.

In 2008, Miami finished the regular season and CCHA Tournament 32-7-1 garnering a #1 seed in the national tournament. In the first round, Miami found themselves in a dogfight with all-world netminder Andrew Volkening and Air Force. After defeating the Falcons in overtime, they found themselves face to face with nemesis Boston College. Again. This time, Miami would take a 2-0 lead in the second period, but on the strength of three quick, consecutive goals, BC led 3-2 entering the final period. Senior captain Ryan Jones tied the game at three, but a fluke goal during overtime by current BC junior Joe Whitney sent the Eagles to their third consecutive Frozen Four. This time, they would not be denied winning the national title by defeating upstart Notre Dame in the final.

That said, seeing Boston College on the docket standing between Miami and a return trip to the national championship game isn’t all that surprising. The Eagles started slowly but have gone 17-4-1 over their last 22 games finishing 27-10-3 and are currently riding an 11 game unbeaten streak. But, BC has been incredibly lax defensively surrendering 14 goals over the past three games which will be a killer against a Miami team that is number one in the nation in team defense and ranked in the top 10 offensively. On the flip side, the Eagles can score. They rank second nationally in team offense and have potted 19 goals over those past three games winning each of them including a wild 9-7 win over Yale in the Northeast Region final.

Boston College appears to be a small team, compared to Miami, with one line that encompasses nearly 40% of their scoring. The Eagles are led by the line of Cam Atkinson (27 goals), Brian Gibbons (16) and Joe Whitney (16). However, none of the three are taller than 5’8″ and Whitney is just 5’6″. What does that mean? It means Miami’s big, and mobile, defense should have a field day clearing pucks, punishing BC forwards and should dominate this game. You have to believe the CCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year and Columbus Blue Jackets’ draft pick, Will Weber (6’4″, 225) is licking his chops considering the size differential. Weber and his defense partner, Joe Hartman (6’4″, 200), comprise Miami’s top defensive pairing. And, with Vincent LoVerde likely still out of the lineup due to injury, you can expect this pair plus Cameron Schilling (6’2″, 185) and Steve Spinell (6’1″, 200) to see quite a bit of ice time versus the diminutive, but speedy, Eagles.

In net, Miami and BC have experienced netminders to choose from. BC’s John Muse backstopped the Eagles to the national title in 2008 as a freshman and of course, Miami’s Cody Reichard took the RedHawks to within a heartbeat of the title last year while Connor Knapp made 55 saves in the 3-2 double overtime Midwest Regional final victory over Michigan just under two weeks ago. Muse, however, has been shaky as of late.

While the Eagles are no fluke, their defense and goaltending have been abysmal, and you can’t count on scoring five goals in a game like this. Defense and goaltending win championships and Miami has a distinct advantage in both categories.

Like the Michigan game, Miami must defeat a team that’s become their nemesis. If they want to become a truly elite program, these are the teams, in these situations, that the RedHawks must knock off to exorcise their past failures. In a sense it’s a revenge game for Miami. Considering BC has beaten them three consecutive times in the tournament, you’d think Miami will be more than up for this game and playing with something to prove. They desperately want to beat a team with the word “Boston” on the front of their sweaters.

Tidbits:

– Miami broadcasting “legend,” Steve Baker (he’ll love that, trust me) has been hard at work in Detroit, covering the RedHawks’ first day in the Motor City. Check out the links for the Miami press conference and a recap of day one festivities.

– Western Michigan has hired former RedHawk assistant Jeff Blashill as their new head coach. Read the full release here and enjoy some quotes from Blash below:

“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to lead the Western Michigan Bronco Hockey team and build upon the foundation laid by so many Bronco Alums,” Blashill said. “I’d like to thank President Dunn, Kathy Beauregard, the athletic staff and those who were a part of this process, for the trust they’ve placed in me and for allowing me the opportunity and challenge of pursuing, with passion and integrity, championship level ice hockey at Western Michigan.”

– I received a nice e-mail from Kat over at Rival Films with a reminder about the Frozen Four documentary, currently in production:

The official Frozen Four documentary will be sponsored by Reebok and is being created with the full support of the NCAA. The crew has been shooting since Monday, and will continue through Sunday. The current plan has the documentary not only covering game footage, but the back story of one player per team.

The Rival Films Facebook page has pictures and behind the scenes info from the Frozen Four and their taping this week. In addition, the Facebook page has a trivia contest ongoing up until Saturday’s championship game, with Reebok prizes for winners.

The DVD is available for pre-order here at a significant discount from the retail price, including free shipping. DVDs will ship close to June 15th.

– For those that missed it, The Pipeline Show has a blog recap of the Frozen Four Coaches’ Edition, featuring Enrico Blasi. You can read about the episode, or listen to it by clicking this link.

– If you’re looking for a good read, check out this piece from “Let’s Play Hockey”. It’s a great look at just how many college-“honed” players are currently in the NHL today. Astounding, actually, when most players seem to come from the Canadian junior leagues. Good stuff and great pub for college hockey.

– College Hockey News has a nice feature about the RedHawks goaltending dilemma. There are some great quotes from Rico (comparing choosing a goaltender to selecting a Pope-priceless) and more!

– And whatever you do, please find time to watch the video of Pat Cannone at this link from ESPN. It shows just how long the players’ walk from the Ford Field ice to the dressing room is. It’s uphill and upstairs.

Go RedHawks!

Posted in Boston College, Jeff Blashill

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>RedHawks defeat Chargers; Advance to Regional Finals

Mar 27

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>Coming into the NCAA Tournament, the Miami University men’s hockey team had one thing on it’s mind- redemption. After nearly winning the 2009 Division 1 Championship last April, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion to Boston University, the RedHawks were looking to get back to the “Frozen Four” almost a year later. Having earned the number one overall seed, Miami drew a first round matchup with the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers and never looked back, advancing to the regional finals on Saturday with a 2-1 win in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

In the first period, Miami came out running like a well-oiled machine, playing the physical, skilled, and defensively sound brand of hockey that kept them at the top of the major polls all season long. The scoring chances were numerous for the red & white, but good shot blocking and a few big saves from UAH goaltender Cameron Talbot kept the game tied in the opening minutes.
Unhappy with his team’s performance on the powerplay, Miami bench boss Enrico Blasi changed his strategy on the man advantage. Good coaching, combined with the Chargers’ inability to stay out of the penalty box ended the stalemate midway through the first period. Miami junior Carter Camper, who was”camped” behind the Alabama-Huntsville goal, made a perfect feed to the front of the net and found freshman Curtis McKenzie waiting at the top of the crease to bury the one-timer. The powerplay tally was McKenzie’s sixth goal of the season and first of the tournament. It was the only marker in the first period.
After the first twenty minutes, it was much of the same. Alabama-Huntsville continued the march to the penalty box, giving the RedHawks a few key chances to add to the lead. They did just that. Curtis McKenzie carried the puck into the offensive zone along the right half wall and threw it in front of the net. The pass found the stick blade of Miami defenseman Cameron Schilling, who awkwardly lifted the puck into the air and watched as it fluttered over goaltender Talbot to put his team up 2-0. Like the first goal, this was scored on the powerplay and was Schilling’s fourth of the season.
The same tempo seen in the first 40 minutes carried over into the third period. Miami held onto its two-goal lead for 19:22 of the final stanza. A late penalty on Miami’s Chris Wideman with 2:24 remaining put the Chargers on the powerplay. A lazer of a shot by UAH defenseman Brennan Barker found the twine over the right shoulder of Miami goaltender Cody Reichard and the lead was cut to one with just 38.3 seconds remaining in regulation, but it wasn’t enough, as Miami defeated Alabama-Huntsville 2-1 and outshot the visitors from the Yellowhammer State 38-17.
The RedHawks will face the University of Michigan Sunday night at 8pm, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four in Detroit, Michigan. Michigan defeated Bemidji State 5-1 on Saturday evening to advance. Miami was 2-1 against the Wolverines this season, with both wins coming at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor.

Posted in University of Alabama-Huntsville

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>Scouting the Chargers

Mar 25

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>Many of you diehard college hockey fans have no doubt heard about the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, but the majority of the publicity that UAH has gotten lately has been less than encouraging. Throughout the program’s existence, UAH has been a part of the soon to be defunct College Hockey America (CHA). For now, the Chargers are in essence “homeless,” without an official conference to play in next season and an independent schedule in front of them. With Nebraska-Omaha’s departure from the CCHA creating an open slot, UAH applied for membership, and received a “thanks but no thanks” reply from the league and commissioner Tom Anastos. Most certainly down, but not out, the Chargers are writing a new chapter in their program’s history, winning the final CHA Championship and making the NCAA Tournament as an Automatic Qualifier.

This won’t be the first time that the two schools have met. Miami swept the Chargers in the 2003-2004 season at Goggin Ice Arena and Miami holds a 5-1 all-time advantage against UAH. Here’s a look at the matchup, scheduled for 4pm ET on ESPNU:
Offense
Up front, UAH has forwards Cody Campbell and Andrew Coburn. Campbell, a sophomore and Coburn, a junior are both 22 point scorers. Campbell has 8-14-22 on the season and Coburn is an assist better than his teammate, notching 7-15-22. Separating these two players gives the Chargers the ability to roll more than one line, as Coburn usually centers a line with Kevin Morrison and Chris Fairbanks. Campbell plays on the right wing with Neil Ruffini in the middle and Sebastien Geoffrion on the left side. The RedHawks will need to keep an eye on these two lines, especially Ruffini’s.
Defense
The bread and butter within the Chargers game resides on the blueline and on special teams, particularly with the penalty kill, ranked 4th in the nation. On the blueline, there are a good mix of underclassmen and “veterans”; seniors with NCAA tournament experience.
Goaltending
Unlike the RedHawks, UAH has a definitive number one goaltender in Cameron Talbot. No platoons here. The junior has recorded the decision in every one of the Chargers games this season and has a record of 12-17-3 with a 2.62 GAA and a .924 save percentage (which ties him for 5th in the nation with our own Cody Reichard). Backup ‘tender Blake MacNicol has only seen action in two games and has no record.
Keys to Victory
For Miami to advance, staying out of the penalty box and running a physical game are both very important. The RedHawks definitely have the size advantage in this matchup, and will rely on that physicality to carry the tempo.
Prediction: UAH is a great story, but doesn’t have the depth that the RedHawks do. Many say this is a “trap game”; a 4-1 matchup, but I think the skill and experience win out. Miami advances, 4-2.

Posted in University of Alabama-Huntsville

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>Friday Night Lights – March 5

Mar 6

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>Buckeyes win Game 1 over Notre Dame

Columbus, Ohio (March 6) – Led by senior forward Mathieu Picard’s two goals, eighth seeded Ohio State defeated nine seed Notre Dame 3-1 in front of 734 strong at the OSU Ice Arena. As is the case annually, the Buckeyes are forced to play a home playoff series at the old barn adjacent to St. John Arena rather than their usual plush home digs at the Schott due to the Ohio High School Wrestling Championships having Value City Arena to themselves. Frankly, I believe the Buckeyes should play all of their games at the old building because unlike Value City, there is actually a college hockey atmosphere there and a real home ice advantage for Ohio State. The two teams play again at 7pm this evening and the game is purportedly sold out meaning 1,500 strong will cram into the facility to see if the Buckeyes can sweep Notre Dame and move onto the second round.

With all of the upper seeded teams winning last night, it sets up the real chance that Ohio State and Miami could meet in Oxford in the second round of the playoffs for the right to advance to the CCHA Championship in Detroit in two weeks. Of course, this assumes that no lower seeded teams win the next two games to shake up the bracket.

Michigan, Alaska and UNO Post Game 1 Victories
In addition to the Buckeyes game one win, all the higher seeded teams notched victories in the first night of CCHA playoff action.

In Ann Arbor, Mich. seventh seeded Michigan behind seldom-used backup netminder Shawn Hunwick, defeated tenth seeded Lake Superior State 5-2. Hunwick was again subbing for injured junior Bryan Hogan and made 21 saves to get the win. Matt Rust, for whom the Blue Jackets traded Mathieu Roy, scored an unassisted goal just 37 seconds into the third period which turned out to be the game-winner. The Wolverines go for the sweep tonight at Yost Ice Arena at 7:35pm.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, the fifth seeded Nanooks blanked twelve seed Western Michigan 4-0 behind 16 saves from Scott Greenham. Should the Broncos be unable to find a way to win tonight, it will be the last game behind the bench for outgoing head coach Jim Culhane. The Nanooks will attempt to sweep the Broncos at 11:05pm EST tonight from Fairbanks.

Lastly, in Omaha, Neb., sixth seeded Nebraska-Omaha used four second period goals to chase Bowling Green starter Andrew Hammond from the net en route to a 6-1 whipping of the Falcons. Senior Jeremie Dupont made 25 saves for the Mavericks as Dean Blais’ troops continue to play well down the stretch. UNO goes for the sweep tonight at 8:05pm EST from Qwest Center.

#2 Miami Moves back to #1 in Pairwise Rankings
Denver, Colo. – With #15 Colorado College’s 2-1 victory over #1 Denver, Miami flipped a comparison with the Pioneers moving the RedHawks back into the top position in the Pairwise rankings that largely determine the NCAA tournament field. This means Miami would be the #1 overall seed in the tournament if the season ended today. Colorado College and Denver will play again tonight in Colorado Springs. Should the Tigers sweep the Pioneers, it will likely propel Miami back to the top of the national polls as well. Sometimes it pays to have a week off.

Posted in CCHA, College Hockey - Analysis, Miami RedHawks, Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame, Ohio State Buckeyes

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>Game #32 – Miami v. Bowling Green

Feb 14

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Miami crushes Bowling Green 10-2

Bowling Green, Ohio (Feb. 13) – Two Saturday nights in a row, the Miami RedHawks have participated in a game that featured over 100 combined penalty minutes. And, two Saturday nights in a row, Miami put up 10 goals on an overmatched opponent.

In an ugly game in all senses of the word, the Miami RedHawks completely overwhelmed the smaller, slower and much more poorly attired Bowling Green Falcons 10-2. In doing so, Miami notched yet another series sweep as nine RedHawks had multiple point games including two-goal nights for freshman Reilly Smith and senior Brandon Smith, plus four helpers for junior Andy Miele. Miele’s assist on sophomore defenseman Chris Wideman’s shorthanded goal in the second period was the second of two spin-o-rama’s on the play with senior Jarod Palmer also showing off the nifty feet and hands. Palmer carried the puck into the BG zone to the right of goaltender Nick Eno, spun and left the puck for Miele who spun drawing two defenders to him. Miele dropped the puck to Wideman who walked down the slot and fired a wrister past Eno. At that point, it was 6-1 Miami late in the second period.

While the action had been chippy but controlled to that point, things would get out of hand following Wideman’s goal.

When a BG player ran Miami sophomore goaltender Connor Knapp at full speed with 37 seconds remaining in the second period, both teams, including Knapp, would meet behind the Miami net. The ensuing melee saw helmets, sticks, gloves and sweaters litter the ice as two Falcons and Miami’s Alden Hirschfeld (from nearby Sylvania, Ohio) were shown the gate. As the officials sorted it out, they ultimately awarded Miami a bizarre 7 minute powerplay that would carry into the final period. The total tally for the incident was a whopping 67 penalty minutes and freshman defender Joe Hartman would notch a powerplay goal early in the third to keep Miami rolling.

As if things weren’t bizarre enough, at 8:57 of the third period, following another minor dust-up, head coach Enrico Blasi was shown the gate. Blasi took his time walking along the boards toward the BG student section and band waving to the crowd as he exited. And, with one final parting shot, turned and executed a flawless bow to referees Brian Hall and Dean Sanborn. The Romanian judge awarded him a 9.0. To say the scene was surreal might not describe it enough. As an aside, I do think it was a bit classless of Rico, however, he’s sending a message to the league and to his team that he has their back no matter what. As a player, I couldn’t ask for more from my head coach.

A kneeing major assessed to BG’s Robert Shea at 11:09 was the “perfect” ending to an ugly display by the Falcons in all facets of their game. They are now 4-22-4 on the season.

Next week, the RedHawks play host to Dean Blais and Nebraska-Omaha at Steve Cady Arena. The Mavericks are fresh off a sweep of Michigan and have ascended all the way to fourth in the CCHA with an overall record of 16-12-6.

Notes

  • Miami prevailed 3-2 on Friday
  • With the victory, Miami improves to 22-4-6 overall and 19-1-4-2 CCHA.
  • The RedHawks have an astounding 20 point lead over both Ferris State and Michigan State who are tied for second in the conference. That’s like leading the standings by roughly seven games.
  • Miami now has a season’s best seven game winning streak and is unbeaten in 22 consecutive CCHA contests.
  • Miami has put up 25 goals over the past two weekends while allowing just eight.

Posted in Bowling Green, CCHA, College Hockey - Analysis, Miami RedHawks

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>Game #26 – Miami v. Alaska

Jan 24

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Knapp earns third shutout of the season as Miami blanks Alaska 5-0


Fairbanks, Alaska (Jan. 23) – #2 Miami earned five points on their longest road trip of the year defeating the Alaska Nanooks 5-0 in Fairbanks, Alaska last night. Sophomore Connor Knapp stopped all 19 shots in registering his third shutout of the season. It was Knapp’s first game action since a 2-1 loss to Robert Morris on January 10 where he made just 13 saves. His goals-against average is now a sparkling 1.95 with a 91.8 save percentage as he improved his record to 4-2-3 on the year.

This weekend saw the reunion of last year’s top line of juniors Carter Camper and Tommy Wingels and sophomore Alden Hirschfeld that was so good throughout the NCAA tournament. And, they didn’t disappoint managing five points between them for the weekend. It was also nice to see Hirschfeld pick up his game as he seemed much more involved and active than I can remember seeing over the past several weeks. In addition, Trent Vogelhuber seems to have picked up some of that energy as he was also much more visible, working much harder than I have seem him. It’s good to have those two sophomores helping contribute to take some of the scoring pressure off senior Jarod Palmer and the juniors (e.g., Camper, Pat Cannone, Andy Miele, Wingels, etc.).

The RedHawks jumped to an early 1-0 lead at 6:42 of the opening period when freshman Reilly Smith redirected a Tommy Wingels shot past Nanook goaltender Scott Greenham. The goal was scored 6×5 during a delayed penalty as Miami was able to control the puck in the offensive zone and find a quality chance. Miami would tally just six minutes later when sophomore Matt Tomassoni found the net off a chance on the right side. Tomassoni took a pass from senior Brandon Smith and wristed a high, hard shot that appeared to hit Greenham’s right shoulder and bounce up and over the sophomore. The RedHawks would complete their highest scoring first period of the season when Palmer scored off a feed from Andy Miele that chased Greenham from the net at 14:50 of the first period.

Steve Thompson would enter the game and keep the Nanooks in it, but Miami would finish off the evening on third-period goals from Wingels and Brandon Smith to secure a five-point weekend and an enjoyable flight back to Ohio for the Red and White.

Head coach Enrico Blasi succinctly summarized his thoughts on the 5-0 victory.

“It was a good effort by all of our guys tonight,” Head Coach Enrico Blasi said. “Connor played well (in) net and we came in with a determined effort. It was nice to get the win.” muredhawks.com

Notes

  • Knapp’s shutout was the third of the season and his fifth in just 33 career games. He has already surpassed last year’s two shutouts which was his first season at Miami.
  • Wingels’ goal was his team-leading 13th of the season. He is just two goals off his career high of 15 that came during his freshman campaign in Oxford.
  • Miami’s fourth line of Brandon Smith, Justin Vaive and Matt Tomassoni includes a fifth-year senior (Smith), the 6’6″ son of an NHL legend (Vaive) and a defenseman (Tomassoni). The line combined for 2-2-4 on the evening.
  • Miami (16-4-6, 13-1-4-2 1st CCHA) has opened a seven point lead over second place Michigan State with two games in-hand. The RedHawks ran their league unbeaten streak to 16 games.
  • Miami is once again atop the Pairwise and KRACH rankings and are positioning themselves for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament should their good play continue.
  • One of the key components of the Pairwise Rankings that effectively determine the 16-team NCAA Tournament, is record against Teams Under Consideration (TUC’s). The top 25 teams in the Pairwise are ranked and defined as “under consideration.” Miami has played 26 games this season with 18 of them coming against TUC’s. They are 12-2-4 in those games having played the 7th most difficult schedule in the nation and have achieved the 2nd best winning percentage in the country. However, only Miami’s series with Lake Superior State is against another TUC for the remainder of the regular season meaning it will help Miami’s Pairwise if the top teams they have already played, and beaten, such as Ferris State, Michigan, Notre Dame, New Hampshire and St. Cloud State continue to win.
  • Miami returns home for the next two weekends starting with a two-game series against the CCHA’s last place team, Western Michigan January 29-30 followed by what is shaping up to be a big series against fourth place Lake Superior State. The Lakers are having a surprisingly nice season and are in line for a first round bye in the CCHA playoffs.
  • After two weeks on the road, Miami will not leave the state of Ohio until at least the CCHA championship weekend in Detroit in late March.
  • Ohio State’s victory over Michigan State coupled with Miami’s win in Fairbanks enabled the RedHawks to open a seven-point spread over the second place Spartans in the CCHA. It’s roughly a 2 1/2 game lead since CCHA league wins are worth 3 points each.

Other Games of Interest
#8 Ferris State 3, Michigan 2 – Ferris earns the split in the second half of the home-and-home from Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

#3 Wisconsin 4, #1 Denver 3 – The Badgers take 3 of 4 points from the Pioneers in Madison opening the door for #2 Miami to return to the top of the polls this week.

#14 Bemidji State 5, #4 Minnesota-Duluth 4 – The Beavers of the CHA sweep the first place team in the WCHA. The sweep effectively silences the noise-makers from that western conference whom as we know, can do no wrong…for a few minutes at least.

Posted in Alaska Nanooks, Bemidji State, College Hockey - Analysis, Miami RedHawks, Ohio State Buckeyes, University of Denver, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Wisconsin Badgers

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>Game #25 – Miami v. Alaska

Jan 23

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RedHawks and Nanooks battle to 1-1 tie in frigid Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska (Jan. 22) – In what was a bit of a sloppy game, #2 Miami overcame a one-goal first period deficit to secure a 1-1 tie with the Alaska Nanooks on Friday night in Fairbanks, Alaska. The RedHawks would earn an extra point in the CCHA standings by winning the shootout 1-0 as sophomore Cody Reichard stopped all three Alaska shooters and senior Jared Palmer’s slick backhand beat Nanook netminder Scott Greenham on Miami’s first attempt.

After roughly 20 hours of travel for the RedHawks, Alaska would find the net first with just 28 seconds remaining in the first period as defenseman Aaron Gens scored a powerplay goal. Gens received a blind, backhanded pass from Dion Knelsen through the slot to convert a diving redirection that just slipped under Reichard’s glove as he moved from his right to his left in an attempt to make the save. Miami managed just four shots on goal in the first period as they struggled to regain their legs.

Miami would tie the score just 2:52 into the second period also via the powerplay as junior Pat Cannone scored his seventh goal of the season assisted by classmates Carter Camper and Tommy Wingels.


From a puck possession and territorial standpoint, Miami dominated the second and third periods but was unable to register many quality scoring chances, and when they did, Greenham was there for Alaska. On the night, Miami sent just 24 shots on net while holding the Nanooks to only 21. It was a typical defensive effort for two teams ranked in the top 20 nationally in team defense.

Tonight, Miami returns to the Carlson Center to face the Nanooks for the final time in the regular season and will benefit from Andy Miele’s return to the lineup after a one-game absence. Faceoff is 11pm EST from Fairbanks.

Notes

  • With the shootout win, Miami extended its CCHA unbeaten streak to 15 games
  • Freshmen Steve Mason and Devin Mantha benefited by Miele’s absence as both cracked the lineup and played well
  • Freshman Curtis McKenzie was stopped on a breakaway opportunity in the third period by Greenham who made several big saves to keep his team in it
  • Miami is now 15-4-6 overall, 12-1-4-2 CCHA. They are four points ahead of second place Michigan State with two games at hand on the Spartans who defeated Ohio State 5-2 picking up a point on the RedHawks in the CCHA standings.

Other Games of Interest

  • #1 Denver at #3 Wisconsin – In the marquee matchup of the weekend, #1 Denver and #3 Wisconsin skated to a 3-3 tie in Madison. The Pioneers led 2-0 early in the third only to surrender three consecutive Badger goals to trail 3-2 late. Anthony Maini would tally with just 1:56 remaining to send the game to overtime where it ended 3-3.
  • #8 Ferris State at Michigan – After dropping a pair of games last weekend vs. #2 Miami, Ferris State headed to Ann Arbor for the first of a home-and-home. However, the suddenly surging Wolverines sent the Bulldogs back to Big Rapids with their second shutout loss in the past three games as Michigan won 2-0. The teams will complete the series tonight in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris State is suddenly eight points behind Miami after entering last weekend’s series tied with the RedHawks for first place in the CCHA.
  • #9 Cornell 1, #5 North Dakota 0 – The Big Red mustered just 15 shots but came away with the victory at Lynah Ice Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. This was a big win for Cornell who is continually dismissed by writers and fans of the WCHA for being unworthy of their top 10 ranking.
  • #12 St. Cloud State 4, Minnesota 3 – The Huskies get the win to continue their ascent up the Pairwise and WCHA standings.
  • #14 Bemidji State 4, #4 Minnesota-Duluth 1 – The Beavers got back on track defeating the Bulldogs in their final meeting in Bemidji’s John Glas Fieldhouse before joining the WCHA as a full-time member in the new $44 million Bemidji Regional Events Center next year. The Beavers are fourth in the current Pairwise rankings which would earn them a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament if the season ended today.

Posted in Alaska Nanooks, College Hockey - Analysis, Miami RedHawks

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>Miami v. Alaska – January 22-23, 2010

Jan 22

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Tommy Wingels and the #2 RedHawks travel to Alaska to take on the Nanooks

It’s going to be a quick preview this week as I’ve been cavorting in Fabulous Las Vegas for the past several days. Thankfully, I’m still on Pacific time as the #2 Miami RedHawks take on the Alaska Nanooks at 11PM EST from frigid Fairbanks where it’s minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s going to be a late weekend of hockey.

Last week the RedHawks (15-4-5, 12-1-3-1 1st CCHA) rebounded from a pair of losses to Robert Morris by sweeping then #6 Ferris State in Big Rapids, Mich. where the Bulldogs were 11-0 this season. After Friday’s 4-0 whitewash, Miami opened up a 5-2 lead early in the third period and held off a late Ferris State rally winning 5-4. However, in doing so, the RedHawks will be without fourth-leading scorer, junior Andy Miele (8-13-21, +11), who was assessed a game disqualification penalty for kicking during a scrum in front of the Ferris net on Saturday. The penalty carries an automatic one game suspension meaning Miele will make the trip to the Land of the Midnight Sun for just one game. Miele has played in 83 consecutive matches for the Red and White.

Alaska (10-7-5, 7-7-4-4 5th CCHA) enters the series coming off a two-point weekend against the Michigan Wolverines where they were blanked 6-0 on Friday, but managed a shootout win on Saturday at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. Upfront, the Nanooks are led by freshman Andy Taranto (9-15-24) and senior Dion Knelsen (11-9-20) and backstopped by sophomore Scott Greenham (10-7-5, 2.43, .911). Last season, the Nanooks surprised many by finishing in fourth place during the regular season earning a first-round playoff bye. They then dispatched the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round earning a trip to Joe Louis Arena where they were defeated by Notre Dame and Northern Michigan. Second year coach Dallas Ferguson has instilled a defense-first approach and the two teams split a series in Oxford last year.

Notes

  • Miami leads the all-time series 31-13-4 including 14-7-2 in Fairbanks
  • Miami leads 5-4-1 over the past 10 meetings
  • The series wraps up a four game road swing for the RedHawks
  • Saturday’s game will be the last game outside the state of Ohio for the RedHawks until, likely, the CCHA Championship semifinal in Detroit, should they advance that far
  • Alaska is 4-0 in shootouts this season

Tomorrow, we’ll have recaps of Miami/Alaska and an overview of other action including #1 Denver and #3 Wisconsin from Madison.

Posted in Alaska Nanooks, College Hockey - Analysis, Miami RedHawks

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