Jan. 19, 2010

Alaska Release in PDF Format

THE WEEKEND
No. 2/2 Miami ventures to the Great White North this weekend for a key CCHA series with Alaska. The contests wrap up a four-game road swing and mark the final games outside of the state of Ohio for the RedHawks this season. Faceoff both nights is set for 7:05 local time (11:05 p.m. Eastern Time).

Miami seized control of the CCHA this past weekend with 4-0 and 5-4 wins at Ferris State. The teams had entered series tied atop the league standings with 34 points. Cody Reichard picked up wins in both games, registering his school-record tying fourth shutout on Friday, while Jarod Palmer tallied two goals, two assists and a +5 rating against the Bulldogs.

Alaska also spent the weekend in Michigan, earning a shootout win in two games with the Wolverines. After losing 6-0 on Friday, the Nanooks rebounded for a 3-3 tie on Saturday, taking the extra point 1-0 in the shootout.

THE COACHES
Enrico Blasi (Miami '94) is in his 11th season behind the RedHawk bench, holding a 225-155-38 career record. He is a three-time CCHA Coach of the Year selection and was named National Coach of the Year in 2005-06.

Dallas Ferguson is in his second year as head coach at Alaska, but fifth with the program. A former Nanook defenseman, Ferguson holds a 27-23-11 overall record and was named CCHA Coach of Year in 2008-09 after a fourth-place finish.

THE SERIES
Miami leads the all-time series with Alaska 31-13-4, including 14-7-2 in Fairbanks. The RedHawks and Nanooks split last year in Oxford after an MU sweep on the road in 2007-08.

POLL NUMBERS
Miami maintained its No. 2 ranking this week, although it closed the gap behind idle Denver. The RedHawks were No. 1 in both polls for the first 11 regular-season weeks and in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine preseason rankings before falling to No. 2 on Jan. 11. Miami also stands second in the INCH Power Ratings, up from No. 4 one week ago.

QUICK HITS

• Miami's sweep of Ferris State was its sixth of the season. A year ago, the RedHawks won Friday and Saturday games against seven opponents.
• Cody Reichard tied a school record for shutouts in a season on Friday with his fourth of the year. He leads the nation in goals-against average (1.54), save percentage (.932) and winning percentage (tied at .812).
• Miami has tallied four goals in a period six times this season, including Saturday night at Ferris State. Four of those occurences have been during the second stanza.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
Miami leads the all-time series with Alaska 31-13-4, including 14-7-2 in Fairbanks. The RedHawks and Nanooks split last year in Oxford after an MU sweep on the road in 2007-08.

The complete series history can be found on page 114-115 of the fan guide, but here are the last 10 meetings:

2-3-06	L, 3-4		H

2-4-06	W, 2-1		H

2-2-07	L, 1-2	(ot)	A

2-3-07	T, 3-3	(ot)	A

12-7-07	W, 3-1		H

12-8-07	L, 3-0		H

1-25-08	W, 2-0		A

1-26-08	W, 7-2		A

10-31-08	L, 2-1		H

11-1-08	W, 5-0		H

BLASI vs. THE NANOOKS
Enrico Blasi holds a 13-7-4 career record against Alaska, including 5-3-2 in Fairbanks. Most recently, the RedHawks have won three of the last four matchups -- and are 9-5-2 over the last 16 meetings.

100-POINT CLUB
Miami has had two players cross the 100-point plateau this season as Jarod Palmer and Carter Camper have both reached the mark.

Palmer became the 43rd member of the elite club on Oct. 24 when he scored to tie the game against Michigan State.

Camper dished out three assists at Ohio State on Dec. 11 to put his name on the list as Member No. 44.

An abbreviated listing of the 100-point club (full list is on page 127 of the fan guide):

	Player	Games	Points 	Year 

1.	Steve Morris	145	202	1979-83

2.	Rick Kuraly	145	179	1979-83

3.	Kevyn Adams	151	172	1992-96

4.	Bill Bok	136 	169	1978-82

5.	Vern Sketchley	131	158	1978-82

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27.	Tim Leahy	124	118	1994-98

28.	Bobby Marshall	155	115	1990-94

	Marty Guerin	156	115	2003-07

30.	Jarod Palmer	149	114	2006-

	Andy Cozzi	133	114	1981-85

	Andy Greene	159	114	2002-06

33.	Pete Shipman	73	112	1978-80

	Rob Vanderydt	141	112	1987-91

35.	John Malloy	75	111	1978-80

	Brian Savage	106	109	1990-93

37.	Craig Fisher	76	108	1988-90

38.	Carter Camper	97	106	2007-

	Randy Robitaille	75	106	1995-97

	Greg Dornbach	110	106	1984-87

CLOSE CALLS
Of Miami's 22 games this season, 14 have either ended in a tie or had a one-goal differential. Seven games have gone to overtime.

Miami stands 6-3-5 this year in games decided by a single goal or less, including 1-1-5 in overtime games . A year ago, the RedHawks were 0-2-5 in games that were tied after regulation and 6-7-0 in one-goal games.

REICHARD RETURN
Sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard makes his return to Fairbanks this season. The Celina, Ohio, native was the NAHL's Most Valuable Player when he played for the Icedogs in 2007-08. He posted a record of 33-15-2 with seven shutouts and a 2.05 goals-against average, while earning first-team all-league honors.

SHUTOUT STANDARDS
Cody Reichard registered his fourth shutout on Friday, tying the school single-season record in the category. Former RedHawk David Burleigh also blanked four opponents during the 2002-03 season.

With six shutouts as a team, Miami has already surpassed the previous school record of four.

GOAL SWAP
Cody Reichard played both games in goal against Ferris State, ending a streak of six straight weekends where he split time with sophomore Connor Knapp.
Miami has used a Friday-Saturday rotation in goal for nine of the 12 weekends this season, starting Reichard on Friday and Knapp on Saturday (or Sunday). The other two series where Reichard played both games were Northern Michigan -- Knapp was sick -- and Michigan.

Both players have been outstanding in net with Reichard leading the nation in goals-against average (1.56), save percentage (.932) and winning percentage (tied at .812/12-2-2). Knapp holds a 2.17 GAA and a .910 save percentage.

SHOOTING GALLERY
Miami outshot its opponents in 22 of the 24 contests this season, posting a 14-4-4 record in such outings. The season high for shots in a game is 43 on Nov. 21 at Western Michigan, while the RedHawks also reached 40 on three other occasions (including Jan. 8 at Robert Morris).

The RedHawks reached double figures for shots in five of the six periods against Ferris State and has now done so in 44 of the 72 stanzas this year. The high is 23 in the second period of the Saturday night game at Western Michigan.

LATE STARTS
Miami has scored only 12 of its 74 goals (16.2 percent) in the opening period of play. The other 61 goals are split nearly even -- 33 in the second and 28 in the third (one in overtime).

The by-period scoring line for the 13 games outside of Oxford shows a much bigger imbalance: 10-28-12-0.

COMING BACK, I
Miami has fallen behind 1-0 in 13 of the 24 games this year, but that hasn't been a worry for the RedHawks. They have a 6-4-3 record in such contests.

During the 2008-09 campaign, the RedHawks were just 2-12-3 when the opponent scored first.

COMING BACK, II
Miami has faced a two-goal deficit six times this season, rallying to tie the game in five of those. The lone expection wa s a 3-1 loss at Robert Morris on Jan. 8.

The record in the five occurences is 1-2-2. Miami rallied for the win Dec. 12 vs. Ohio State and earned ties with New Hampshire and North Dakota. The two losses came against Michigan State (in overtime) and Bemidji State.

PENALTY KILLERS
Miami held Ferris State to one of 10 on the power play during the weekend, including no goals on two five-minute major penalties.

The RedHawks have killed off 81 of its last 91 penalties and rank fourth in the CCHA with an 88.1 percent success rate (119 of 135).

Miami has had four lengthy penalty-kill streaks this season -- 19 (at the start of the year), 17, 21 and 24.

POWER-PLAY UNIT
Miami's power-play unit has had some hard times in 2010, converting just three of 25 attempts the last four games. The RedHawks were one of 12 against Robert Morris and just two of 23 at Ferris State.

The recent drop comes following an incredible run of seven goals on their previous 14 man-advantage attempts against Ohio State.

For the season, the RedHawks rank seventh in the CCHA at 18.6 percent (24 of 129).

FOUR SPOT
With four goals in the second stanza on Saturday, Miami has now registered that scoring total in six periods this season. It has happened in the second period three other times -- twice at New Hampshire and at Northern Michigan (Oct. 30), while also coming in both third periods vs. Ohio State.

IN THE CLUTCH
Tommy Wingels was credited with Saturday's game-winning goal, his fifth of the season. That ties him with two others for tops in the nation. On Friday, Jarod Palmer tallied his fourth game-winner and is now tied for fourth in the country.

THE CAPTAIN
With six goals in the last six games -- four at Ohio State Dec. 11 and two at Ferris State on Saturday -- junior Tommy Wingels has vaulted into the team scoring lead. He has 12 goals and 24 points -- both team highs.

Wingels had a seven-game point streak snapped last Friday, but responded with three the next night, adding an assist to his pair of goals. He has now tallied points in 15 of the 24 this season.

SHORTHANDED SUCCESS
Miami has registered four shorthanded goals this season, with Joe Hartman leading the way. The freshman from St. Cloud, Minn., is tied for second in the nation in the category and is the only freshman in the top 18.

Tommy Wingels and Andy Miele have the RedHawks' other two shorthanded goals, both coming Nov. 20 at Western Michigan. That marked the first time Miami had two shorties in a game since Dec. 15, 2007 at Rensselaer.

...AND FAILURE
Miami has allowed two shorthanded goals this season, the last against Robert Morris on Jan. 8. North Dakota scored the other 4-on-5 goal against the RedHawks on Nov. 28.

MIE-LEADER
Junior Andy Miele stands tied for second in assists and fourth in points this season. He has registered eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points.

However, he has been held without a point in three of the last four games after being credited with at least one in 14 of the first 20 contests.

Miele has matched his career high of two goals twice this season -- at Western Michigan (Nov. 20) and vs. Ohio State (Dec, 12) . He has also tallied three game-winning goals.

MISSING MIELE
Junior Andy Miele will sit out Friday's game at Alaska after recieving a game-disqualification penalty at Ferris State on Saturday night. During a scuffle after an apparent goal, Miele was whistled two minutes for roughing after the whistle and five minutes for kicking.

Miele joined the RedHawks 24 games into his freshman campaign -- at the semester break -- but has played in 83 straight games since.

CENTURY CLUB
Junior Justin Vaive became the fourth this season to reach 100 career games when has suited up for the Ferris State game on Friday. He joined classmates Tommy Wingels, Pat Cannone and Vincent LoVerde in the club as the newest entrants.

Seniors Jarod Palmer (149) and Gary Steffes (132) have also reached triple-digit appearances.

Carter Camper has played in 97 career games and should reach the century mark against Western Michigan on Jan. 29.

PENALTY STOP
Sophomore Cody Reichard has stopped two penalty shots this season, first against Michigan State on Oct. 23 and then against Michigan on Nov. 6. Miami was also on the defensive end of two penalty shots last year with Connor Knapp making both stops.

COUNTDOWN TO 100
The 2009-10 senior class is one of the most successful in school history and still has a good chunk of the season left to play. The foursome of Jarod Palmer, Gary Steffes, Dane Hetland and Brandon Smith have experienced 95 wins during their careers, moving into sole possession of third place at Western Michigan.

The top 10 senior classes in Miami history:

1.	2008-09	106

2.	1997-08	98

3.	2009-10	95

4.	2006-07	88

5.	2005-06	88

6.	1994-95	84

7.	1981-82	77

8.	2003-04	76

	1995-96	76

	1996-97	76

GRAB THE BROOM
Ferris State became Miami's sixth victim of a weekend sweep on Saturday. The RedHawks also won a pair of games against St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Last year, Miami swept seven teams during the regular season.

OPPONENT SWEEP
Robert Morris posted the first sweep against the RedHawks this year, handing Miami its first back-to-back losses since the 2009 CCHA Tournament against Northern Michigan.

They also mark the first time the RedHawks have been swept in a weekend series by a non-conference opponent since Oct. 29-30, 2004 at St. Lawrence University.

A year ago, only Michigan swept the RedHawks during the regular season.

FRESHMEN FEVER
Three of Miami's freshman class members have made a tremendous impact this season. Curtis McKenzie stands fifth on the team with 17 points (4g-13a), while Reilly Smith and Joe Hartman have eight and seven points, respectively. Hartman has worked his way into the No. 1 defensive pairing, while also tallying a pair of shorthanded goals.

HEADING "HOME"
Following Saturday's contest -- and the longest trip of the year -- Miami's travel schedule gets a lot lighter.

The RedHawks finish the regular season with seven of their last 10 games at home. The three exceptions won't even take them out of state as Miami is slated to visit Bowling Green on Feb. 12-13 and Ohio State on Feb. 27.

TOP TEAMS
Miami's ice hockey team has the best winning percentage among all 58 Division I teams since 2005-06. Over the last four-plus seasons, the RedHawks have compiled a record of 121-48-19 (.694), ahead of Michigan, which has a record of 122-57-11 (.671) since 2005-06.

ALL IN
A total of 12 players on the Miami roster have appeared in all 24 games this season. The number includes three freshmen -- Curtis McKenzie, Joe Hartman and Reilly Smith.

Reserve goaltender Ben Saksa is the only player on the active roster yet to see action for the RedHawks.

SHOOTOUT NUMBERS
Three of Miami's CCHA games this season have ended in a tie and gone to a shootout to determine who gets third point in the conference standings.

Both games of the first Ferris State series and the Saturday night contest against Western Michigan were still deadlocked after overtime and went to the extra session.

Miami is 3-4 all-time in shootouts, including 1-2 this season.

EMPTY NETTER
Jarod Palmer converted Miami's first empty-net goal of the season on Dec. 12 when he scored with 27 seconds remaining against Ohio State.

The RedHawks previously registered an empty-net goal in the national semifinal win over Bemidji State. Justin Mercier was the recipient of that effort.

TWO OTs IN A ROW
Miami's back-to-back overtimes against Ferris State Nov. 13-14 were the first since the end of the 2007-08 season. The RedHawks defeated Air Force in the first round of the NCAA Regionals 3-2, before falling to Boston College 4-3 the next night.

CCHA AWARD WINNERS
Miami players have won three CCHA awards this season, including a pair on Nov. 9. Jarod Palmer and Cody Reichard were honored as Player of the Week and Goaltender of the Week, respectively, after the sweep at Michigan.

Sophomore Matt Tomassoni was the first RedHawk to gain a CCHA weekly award this year when he was named Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19.

AND A NATIONAL AWARD
Cody Reichard was named National Player of the Week by Inside College Hockey on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

He was the first RedHawk honored with a national award this season.

QUICK STRIKES
Miami's two goals on in the second St. Cloud State game came just 20 seconds apart at 5:22 and 5:42 of the third period. The school record for fastest pair of goals is 11 seconds.

200 AND COUNTING
Miami University is celebrating its Bicentennial this year as the school was founded in 1809. The year-long celebration started on charter day - Feb. 16, 2009 - but the 2009-10 hockey season will be featured.

During the Notre Dame weekend, approximately 45 former players returned to campus to celebrate the history of the hockey program.

To commemorate the bicentennial, the team wore a special fourth jersey for both nights. The jerseys were then auctioned off to fans on MURedHawks.com.

THIS AND THAT NUMBERS
Miami improved to 12-0-0 when leading after two periods this season... The RedHawks are now 9-2-1 on Fridays, 6-1-4 on Saturdays, 9-0-3 on the road and 12-0-0 when leading after two periods.