Miami Faces Tough Test at #14 Ferris State
Fans around the CCHA had to be rejoicing when Pat Nagle finally exited the campus of Ferris State University after last season. Nagle, who finished in the top 5 in the nation last year in both goals against average (2.02) and save percentage (.923), capped his career in Big Rapids as one of the most dominating goaltenders in recent league history by earning first team All-CCHA and All-America honors.
Before fans could celebrate too much however, enter C.J. Motte, the nation’s top ranked college goaltending recruit who just happens to suit up between the same pipes as did Nagle at Ewigleben Ice Arena.
All Motte has done through his first two collegiate starts is go 2-0 with a microscopic 0.50 goals against average and ridiculous .977 save percentage. In addition, the “other” goaltender, senior Taylor Nelson, is no slouch. Nelson ranks third all-time at Ferris State in save percentage (.911) and goals-against average (2.55) in 39 career starts. He’s off to an equally impressive start as he sports a 1.01 GAA, .952 save percentage and is also a perfect 2-0.
In all, the Bulldogs have scored 15 goals in their first four games and allowed just three in sweeping ECAC opponents St. Lawrence and RPI.
Returning names of note familiar to Miami fans are junior super pest Travis Ouelette (5-0-5), who is also the team’s leading returning scorer (2010-11 numbers: 10-11-21), junior Kyle Bonis (5-1-6) and senior defensemen Chad Billins and Brett Wysopal.
Needless to say, Ferris State has been tough on Miami in recent years. The RedHawks have had a difficult time breaking longtime Bulldog head coach Bob Daniels trapping system that emphasizes defense first. However, with this year’s Miami squad being a little more offensively challenged than in past seasons, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. It’s no secret Miami is loaded with talent, especially speed up front, but how will the young forwards fare against a system designed to clog the neutral zone and slow the game down? Perhaps a more moderate pace could even help Miami and literally slow the game down a bit for them. Regardless, the RedHawks face a stiff challenge traveling for the second consecutive weekend to open league play against a top 15 opponent who always gets up for the red and white.
Overall, the RedHawks are 44-40-16 against the Bulldogs, including 20-20-9 in Big Rapids. Under head coach Rico Blasi, Miami is 16-9-6 against Ferris State. Last season Ferris beat Miami 3-2 on Friday while Miami salvaged a 1-1 tie on Saturday with the Bulldogs winning the ridiculous CCHA mandated shootout. Miami swept the Bulldogs in Big Rapids in 2009-10, however en route to a dominating conference regular season title.
Weekend Prediction – Let’s light the lantern at least once this weekend.
Friday – Ferris 2-1
Saturday – Miami 2-1
INCH Recruiting Rankings: Miami #1
Inside College Hockey has ranked Miami’s 2011 recruiting class #1 in its annual rankings.
The RedHawks feature four of the top 20 forwards (Biggs, Mullin, Coleman, Czarnik) in the nation, and while there are no defensemen or goaltenders listed for Miami, it’s certain this class would have been even higher if He Who Must Not Be Named Connor Murphy had honored his word and actually suited up on the blueline for the Red and White.
Next season, you can expect to see Pat Sieloff’s name listed at defense, and possibly, both Ryan McKay and Jay Williams at the goaltender position as Miami works to replace four-year starters Will Weber, Cameron Schilling, Chris Wideman, Cody Reichard and Connor Knapp.
In the meantime, let’s enjoy watching all the freshmen grow and mature as student-athletes and young men.
Smith, Miami take down Colgate 4-3
Light the Lantern!!!
After a long trip to Hamilton, NY early Thursday morning, the RedHawks have already made the trip worthwhile. Reilly Smith came off of his (now-apparent) 2 game suspension to start the year and put on a snipe show en route to a hat trick – the second of his career. Smith also had an assist on Austin Czarnik’s 2nd period goal, finished the night with 4 points, a +1 rating and scored on 3 of his 4 shots on the night.
A couple other notes to pass along from the evening:
–Austin Czarnik scored his first collegiate goal, assisted by Smith and Alden Hirschfeld. A big thank you goes out from the Redskin Warriors to the Michigan State Spartans for allowing Czarnik to de-committ from MSU and come to Miami this season.
–Miami continued its slow start on the shot chart tonight. Miami’s had 20 and 26 shots in two games against Bemidji State and just 15 shots tonight. Sure, that’s a great shot percentage on the evening, scoring on over 25% of the shots taken, but Rico Blasi’s offense is based on creating chances and hammering the opposing goalie with pucks. We will have to continue to monitor the shot count each night. Let’s not take the wrong impression, however, as the ‘Hawks came out on top in the one column that matters most.
Other “inside the box score” notes:
–Miami was 2 for 4 on the power play (Smith’s first and Czarnik’s goals), and 7 for 9 on the Penalty Kill.
–22 penalty minutes for the RedHawks – sounds about right for the physicality of the Miami attack.
–Cody Reichard got the win in net for the RedHawks, making 20 out of 23 saves on the night. Expect to see Connor Knapp in net Saturday night as is the usual from Coach Blasi.
Miami’s recap can be found here.
More stories to come.
Let’s break out the BROOMS tomorrow!
2011-12 Season Preview: Notre Dame
It seems like a “here we go again” type of season for Notre Dame in 2011-12, but with a few big events thrown in at the same time. The Fighting Irish look primed for a repeat of last year’s 2nd place CCHA regular season finish and NCAA Frozen Four trip with 5 Seniors coming back and 9 of their top 12 scorers also back. Let’s take a deeper look at the Irish.
First of all, this is what BIG TIME scheduling is all about. The Irish started with an exhibition, but just returned from a trip to visit the defending National Champions Minnesota-Duluth, where they lost the opener and came back from 2 goals down to win the second game of the series. Up next, they open CCHA play against Ohio State, but later host RPI, Boston College (11/18), Northeastern (12/2-3), Boston University (12/31), and also make a 1-game trip to play Minnesota (1/7/12). This is all BEFORE any CCHA matchups, in which they play Western Michigan (2 Home/Home series), host Michigan for 2, take the 3,500 mile journey to Alaska (who wants to drive it with me??) AND will have a late-season trip to Oxford to look forward to as well. Maybe Ohio State will learn something from this kind of scheduling? (yeah right)
In addition to this schedule, possibly one of the marquee events of the entire NCAA Hockey Season will be the opening of the Compton Family Ice Center. Saturday’s game against Ohio State will be the last hockey contest the Irish will play in the Joyce Center since moving in back in 1969. The Students are on Fall Break at Notre Dame this weekend, so tickets are available if you’re really itching to sit in an old, crusty cavern of a hockey “arena” and experience the last game that will be played there.
On the other side of this weekend is the opening of the Goggin on steroids “Comp”. “CIA”? “The compton”? Gonna need a nickname for the new palace in South Bend. ND opens the Compton Family Ice Arena with a game against RPI on the 21st – a one game series, likely due to the ND vs USC football game on Saturday night in South Bend. (I’m working the angles to get tickets for the opener, but our paychecks are limited here at Redskin Warriors.)
Taking a look at the on-ice product, the Irish return 9 of the top 12 scorers from last year (although those 3 departures are in the top 6 overall). Head Coach Jeff Jackson is in his 7th year in South Bend, and holds a 141-79-27 record for the Irish (324-132-52 overal with 2 National Championships for Lake Superior State), and Jackson will rely on 20-game winner Mike Johnson in net. Although Johnson came through with 20 wins last year, Johnson posted less than stellar 2.62 goals against average and a .904 save percentage on the season – numbers he will have to improve on this year if the Irish want to make it back to the Frozen Four.
Returning on the ice for the Irish are 2010-11 CCHA Rookie of the Year T.J. Tynan – a preseason All-CCHA unanimous pick along with Miami’s Reilly Smith. Tynan is joined by fellow 2010-11 1st team all CCHA selection Anders Lee (Alternate Captain) in ND’s stellar Sophomore Class. Seniors Sean Lorenz (Captain – D) and Billy Mayday (Alternate Captain – F) also return to lead this team into what would be the second consecutive and 3rd overall Frozen Four for the Irish under Jeff Jackson.
Predicted Finish
Anything less than 3rd place is a hugely disappointing season for the Irish. Look for the Irish to show up in Tampa for the Frozen Four if their goaltending keeps improving as well.
Floor: 3rd
Ceiling: 1st
D Joyaux Commits to Miami
Helping offset the loss of prized recruit He Who Must Not Be Named Connor Murphy, Chicago Steel defenseman and Bloomingdale, Ill. native, Chris Joyaux, has verbally committed to play his college hockey for the RedHawks.
Joyaux, a ’92 birthdate, will provide size (6’1″, 195), experience and leadership to a blueline that will see four-year starters Will Weber, Chris Wideman and Cameron Schilling depart Oxford prior to next season. And, along with highly regarded Pat Sieloff and Matthew Caito, Joyaux’s presence on campus will help bolster a very young back end that will once again feature two freshmen goaltenders in Jay Williams and Ryan McKay.
Welcome aboard Chris!
2011-12 Season Preview: Ferris State
The Ferris State Bulldogs were a team of veterans in 2010-11. Much of that leadership is gone for the new season, and the ‘Dogs will hope for a fast recovery.
Last year, Ferris State won the first game in the CCHA Quarterfinal Round to arch-rival Western Michigan, but lost games 2 and 3 in Kalamazoo and did not make the NCAA tournament. Gone are Senior Goaltender Pat Nagle – netminder for 37 of FSU’s 41 games, and 3 of the top 4 scorers from a year ago in Zach Redmond, Mike Fillinger and Mike Embach. However, Travis Ouellette does return as the Bulldog’s top scorer, and will
Head Coach Bob Daniels (Michigan State class of 1982) will be celebrating his 20th year in Big Rapids. Daniels holds a 308-350-74 record in his 19 years, is 215-262-62 in CCHA play, and has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament just once.
Ferris State hosted the University Toronto in their season-opening exhibition and gave the Varsity Blues, well… the varsity blues, and whooped them 5-0. This past weekend, they traveled to St. Lawrence University where they beat the Saints 5-1 on Friday night and 4-2 on Saturday. In addition, Kyle Bonis was tabbed as the first week’s CCHA Offensive player of the week, with a 3-1–4 line on the weekend.
Picked to finish T-7th by the CCHA Media and 9th by the Coaches, this year’s Bulldogs team will make the long journey to Fairbanks, Alaska for a series against the Nanooks. Because of that, they get the “bonus games” and will have 4 out of conference series this year. They’ve already swept St. Lawrence, will host RPI and Colgate in Big Rapids, and will travel to the Catamount Cup where they will take on RIT and host Vermont on their holiday tournament trip.
Ferris State will join Northern Michigan, Alaska, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State in the reformed WCHA in a couple years, but for this year, will be fighting for a first round bye in the CCHA tournament with 7 freshmen on the roster.
Season Prediction:
If you’re planning on a trip to Big Rapids this year, make sure to stop in to Schuberg’s Bar and Grill – the home of the Pabst-Mosa (yes, you read that right) and the Schuburger (Green olives on your burger? Yes, please!). You can thank me later.
Cieling: 6th
Floor: 10th
Additional Coverage:
In Ferris State’s “Countdown to Faceoff” video series: Forwards, Defense, Goalies and Freshmen are featured.
Miami 5th in Latest USCHO Poll
After this weekend’s split with Bemidji State, Miami finds itself 5th in this week’s USCHO.com poll. Considering the number of freshmen on this team, and what we lost from last year, this feels like a much better spot for the RedHawks than the lofty preseason #1 or #2 that was bestowed in most polls.
This weekend, Miami travels to Hamilton, N.Y. to take on #21 Colgate, the freshly minted champions of the Mutual of Omaha Stampede who defeated Robert Morris and host Nebraska-Omaha over the weekend at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha.
Redskin Warriors will have a preview of the series available later in the week.
From the Archives
In order to understand where you’re at, you need to understand where you came from. In this instance, Roger Voisinet, a three-year Miami captain from 1968-1970 (well before the program reached varsity status, mind you) has provided some great photos and documents from “The Brotherhood’s” infancy. Check out a sample of these rare photos; really neat stuff for those who have followed the program for any length of time.
We hope to have an interview with Roger in the near future to hear his thoughts on his playing days and how he feels about the program’s success over the last decade. Enjoy, and thanks, Roger!
RedHawks Receive Rings and a Declaration
If you hadn’t seen, here are a few pictures of the freshly minted bling for the RedHawks for you. Last year’s CCHA Tournament Championship victory keeps paying dividends for the boys in red. The first two are of Brian Paulazzo’s ring, and the third is Pat Cannone’s, and each posted the pictures on their twitter feeds.
In addition, State Representative Tim Derickson is currently serving his second term with the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 53rd House District, which includes Oxford where he resides, and Representative Derickson earned a bachelor’s degree in administration and management from Miami. Representative Derickson’s office and the Ohio House of Representatives had some noble words about the CCHA Champions:
Honoring the Miami University hockey team as the 2011 CCHA Tournament Champion.
WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 129th General Assembly of Ohio are pleased to extend special recognition to the Miami University hockey team on winning the 2011 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament Championship
Click this link for the full Declaration. Thanks to ADYonka for the link!
2011-12 Season Preview: Miami RedHawks Forwards
Over the next few days, we’ll preview the 2011-12 Miami RedHawks for you. We start with the Forwards today. Enjoy!
Returning stars (with Twitter handle, NHL Rights)
- Reilly Smith (@muckbro18, DAL) led the team in goals last year with 28, to go along with 26 assists. If it weren’t for 2 super-seniors, this guy is your MVP of the 2010-11 RedHawks. Reilly was a unanimous pick to the preseason First-Team All CCHA (9/27) after an outstanding sophomore campaign in which he led the CCHA in +/- rating at +27. He finished the year with several honors including First team all-CCHA, CCHA all-Tournament Team, College Hockey News Second-Team All-America and INCH Third-Team All-America. We are all hoping that Reilly’s scoring wasn’t inflated by Andy Miele’s presence last year and that he will carry over last year’s success into this year.
- Senior Co-Captain Alden Hirschfeld’s (@aldenhirschfeld, undrafted) 12 goals-14 assists — 26 total points line last year didn’t show much of the story. The kid scores big goals. Alden scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against Michigan in the Midwest Regional Final in 2010, and 1 each in NCAA tournament games against Denver (round of 16) and Bemidji State (Frozen Four) in 2009. Point totals have been 6, 14 and 26 in his first three years in Oxford. He netted two goals in Miami’s exhibition win over Windsor on Sunday.
- Trent Vogelhuber (@tvogelhuber, CBJ) and Curtis McKenzie (@muckbro16, DAL) will be counted on to mentor the 6 incoming Freshmen forwards.
2011-12 Rookies (Twitter handle, NHL Rights)
These guys are easily Miami’s best recruiting class ever. Scoring. Size. Speed. Scoring. Two-way ability. Toughness. Filthy hands. Did I mention scoring ability?
- Tyler Biggs (@Tyler_Biggs, TOR) Listed at 6’3″, 210 pounds, Tyler should make a great replacement for Justin Vaive and provide a much higher scoring punch. In the words of our friend, Miami Women’s Club Hockey Head Coach Scott Hicks: “He’s not as big as weber. He just provides a completely different dynamic than vaive. He is more of a playmaker with a scoring touch than just a goal scorer.” High praise for this youngster.
- Cody Murphy (n/a, undrafted) – Played for the Tri-City Storm last year, where he served as assistant captain, and recorded 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists in 60 games.
- Jimmy Mullin (n/a, TB) – registered 3 shots in the exhibition. In his one season in the USHL, Jimmy played for the Fargo Force, scoring 60 points on 23 goals and 37 assists in 52 games as he was named first team All-USHL.
- Blake Coleman (@BColes25, NJD)- 13 shots on goal in the exhibition (6 in the first, 7 in the third). Blake will get on the scoring sheet, and should do so often. Blake played 59 games for the Indiana Ice last season, and had an incredible 92 points on 34 goals and 58 assists in being named the USHL’s Player of the Year.
- Austin Czarnik (n/a, undrafted) Considered a steal for the RedHawks, as he was originally committed to Michigan State, de-committed and came to Oxford. Let’s hope he stays a few years. His speed and determination will be gamechangers for Miami as we battle east coast squads and move into the NCHC over the coming years.
- Alex Wideman (@awides10, undrafted) Under-sized, but according to some, has possibly the most upside of all the incoming forwards. His speed and savvy will be an asset as he could have the best overall career of any of this freshman class.
Key Losses
- Pat Cannone. Third leading scorer at 14-23–37 in 2010-11, and someone who scored 30 or more points EACH of his 4 years in Oxford totaling 133 career points. Sure the next two guys are hard to swallow, but this one is equally as hard.
- Some other guy named Carter Camper. 19-38–57 in 2010-11, 4o+ points per season (41, 42, 43, 57). Captain. ‘Nuff said.
- Oh yeah… I think I forgot someone… Hobey Baker Award Winner Andy Miele… 24 Goals, 47 Assists. 71 total points last season and 170 career points as a ‘Hawk. Gone. Poof.
Total scoring lost: 5 seniors (Cannone, Camper, Miele, Justin Vaive 9-7–16, and defenseman Vincent LoVerde 2-7–9), 70-122–192. 48% of goals scored last year. A total of 523 total points out of 4 guys over 4 seasons. Makes you think back to the amazing times we’ve enjoyed in the Goggin since 2007.
Predictions
Well, let’s not get too excited, but I don’t think the RedHawks will lose much production on offense. These guys are more than capable of picking up the slack where the 4 departing seniors left things after last year. The Media and Coaches seem to think the same, picking Miami #2 in the CCHA preseason polls and #1/2 in the National Polls, and you can’t do that unless you’re expected to reload.
The gun’s loaded and cocked. Let’s see how things shake down on Friday night!!! 3 days left until Regular Season HOCKEY!!!
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