March 17, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

THE WEEKEND
No. 2 Miami returns to Joe Louis Arena for the second time in three years to compete in the final round of the CCHA Championship. The top-seeded RedHawks advanced to Detroit with a 2-1 series win over Ohio State in the quarterfinal round last weekend. Miami posted a 6-2 win over the Buckeyes on Friday, before falling 5-4 in overtime on Saturday. The clincher was a 2-1 decision that featured 22 saves by Connor Knapp and a pair of unlikely scorers in Cameron Schilling and Alden Hirschfeld.

Michigan, seeded seventh in the original bracket, was the only road winner in the quarterfinals, sweeping rival Michigan State at Munn Ice Arena. In the opening round, the Wolverines took two games from Lake Superior State.

No. 3 seed Ferris State and fourth-seeded Northern Michigan compete in the other semifinal game. The two winners meet for the championship Saturday at 7:35, while the third-place game begins at 3:35 that afternoon.

THE COACHES
Enrico Blasi (Miami '94) is in his 11th season behind the RedHawk bench, holding a 234-156-40 career record. He is a three-time CCHA Coach of the Year selection and was named National Coach of the Year in 2005-06.

Red Berenson is in his 26th collegiate season, all at his alma mater. The 1962 graduate holds a record of 696-327-69.

THE SERIES
Miami swept Michigan at Yost Arena in November by 3-1 and 5-1 scores, but the Wolverines still lead the all-time series by a 68-22-3 count. The teams have met four times in CCHA Tournament play -- including the 2008 championship game -- with Michigan winning all four.

POLL NUMBERS
Miami stands second in both polls this week, losing ground in the USCHO.com poll and dropping from the top spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. This marks just the fourth time in 21 weeks this season that Miami has not held at least one No. 1 ranking.

QUICK HITS

• Miami stands 24-34 all-time in CCHA Tournament play. The RedHawks are making their eighth appearance at Joe Louis Arena, where they hold a 4-8 record.
• Miami has been the regular-season champion two other times (1992-93 and 2005-06) but fell in the championship game both times. The RedHawks have never won the Mason Cup.
• Miami has defeated Michigan three straight times twice before, but never in the same season.
• The Michigan weekend in November was one of three this year that Cody Reichard played both games in goal. He stopped 47 of 49 shots by the Wolverines.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
Michigan leads the all-time series by a 68-22-3 count, but Miami has won four of the last six games, including a pair in Ann Arbor Nov. 6-7. The recent matchups have been almost even as Miami holds a 5-4-1 record over the last 10 games. The complete series history can be found on page 116 of the fan guide, but here are the last four years (13 meetings):

12/2/05	W,4-2	H
12/3/05	W, 4-3	H
10/19/06	L, 6-3	A
10/20/06	W, 4-1	A
2/8/08	L, 4-2	H
2/9/08	T (ot), 5-5	H
3/22/08	L, 2-1	N1
11/21/08	W, 2-0	H
11/22/08	W, 2-1	H
1/9/09	L, 5-1	A
1/10/09	L, 4-0	A
11/06/09	W, 3-1	A
11/07/09	W, 5-1	A
N1 - CCHA Championship (Detroit, Mich.)

BLASI vs. THE WOLVERINES
Enrico Blasi holds an 8-20-1 career record against Michigan, but a majority of the losses took place at the beginning of his tenure. Blasi started his career 0-10 against the Wolverines.

POSTSEASON vs. UM
Miami and Michigan have met four times in postseason with play, with a pair of games in Detroit and a series at Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have won all of the previous meetings, including one in the semifinal round. A history of Michigan-Miami matchups in the postseason: 3/13/92 1 vs. 5 Semifinal (Detroit) L, 2-6 3/8/96 2 vs. 7 Quarterfinal (Ann Arbor) L, 1-5 3/9/96 2 vs. 7 Quarterfinal (Ann Arbor) L, 0-3 3/22/08 1 vs. 2 Championship (Detroit) L, 1-2

NO MORE TIES
With the close of the regular-season, there is just one more chance for a tie game this year -- the CCHA third-place game. The RedHawks have seen plenty of draws in 2009-10, though, as the 0-0 game at Ohio State on Feb. 27 was Miami's seventh of the season, topping the previous school record of six in 1994-95. Saturday's overtime contest was the 10th of the season, breaking the old school mark of nine in 1991-92 and 2004-05. 100-POINT CLUB: Miami has had two players cross the 100-point threshold 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
--------------------------------------------------------------------
11.	Mike Kompon	153	138	2000-04
12.	Jarod Palmer	164	136	2006-
13.	Nathan Davis	138	132	2004-08
14.	Boyd Sutton	146	130	1985-89
15.	Dave Wheeldon	126	128	1980-84
16.	John Ciotti	105	126	1982-85
	Dave McClintock	138	126	1978-83
18.	Ken House	151	124	1988-92
	Jason Deskins	147	124	1997-02
20.	Enrico Blasi	151	123	1990-94
	Bill Easdale	137	123	1982-86
	Greg Lukas	114	123	1980-84
	Jeff Sisto	144	123	1985-89
24.	Carter Camper	112	121	2007-
25.	Chris Bergeron	143	120	1989-93
	Derek Edwardson	135	120	2000-04
	Greg Hogeboom	156	120	2000-04
	Matt Christie	150	120	2003-07
29.	Tim Leahy	124	118	1994-98
30.	Bobby Marshall	155	115	1990-94
	Marty Guerin	156	115	2003-07
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41.	Pat Leahy	135	101	1997-01
	Mitch Ganzak	153	101	2004-08
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	Tommy Wingels	122	98	2007-
	Pat Cannone	122	93	2007-

CONFERENCE WINS
When the regular-season finale finished in a tie on Feb. 27, Miami fell one game short of equalling the school record for conference wins in a season. The RedHawks posted a 21-2-5 record in league play, shy of the 22 they registered during the 1992-93 and 2007-08 campaigns. A listing of the best CCHA seasons in Miami school history: 1. 2007-08 22-5-1 (28 games) 1992-93 22-3-5 (30 games) 3. 2009-10 21-2-5 (28 games) 2005-06 20-6-2 (28 games) 5. 1996-97 19-7-1 (28 games) 6. 2001-02 17-10-1 (28 games) 2003-04 17-8-3 (28 games) 2008-09 17-7-4 (28 games)

ANOTHER TWENTY
With the 10-4 victory over Lake Superior State on Feb. 6, Miami posted its fifth straight 20-win season. The RedHawks have now eclipsed the plateau 13 times in their 32-year history. This marks the eighth time in Enrico Blasi's 11 seasons that his team has posted at least 20 wins.

SIX SPOT
Miami scored a season-high six goals in the second period of the Feb. 26 game vs. Ohio State. With another four goals in the second period of the playoff opener, the RedHawks have now tallied four goals in a period on 13 occasions, including twice against both Lake Superior State and Bowling Green. The second stanza has seen the most occurrences of four-plus goals, as it has happened eight times. The RedHawks have also tallied four goals in the third on four occasions.

SHUTOUT STANDARDS
Miami registered its ninth shutout of the season on Feb. 27 against Ohio State, more than doubling the previous school record of four in 2002-03. Cody Reichard has been in net for five of the contests, setting a new school standard with a 2-0 decision against Lake Superior State on Feb. 5. He passed David Burleigh, who had four in 2002-03. Connor Knapp has the other four shutouts this season, including three during CCHA play.

GOAL SWAP
Miami used its typical Friday-Saturday goal rotation -- starting Cody Reichard the first night and Connor Knapp the second -- in 15 of the 18 regular-season weekend series. Reichard started both games at Northern Michigan, at Michigan and at Ferris State. In the first playoff series, Reichard played Friday and Saturday, while Knapp was in net Sunday. Both players have been outstanding in net with Reichard leading the nation in goals-against average (1.64) and standing in the top three in save percentage (third at .930) and winning percentage (second/.812/18-3-3). In conference play only, Reichard and Knapp are 1-2, respectively, in the league in GAA (1.23/1.60) and save percentage (.950/.937).

POWER-PLAY UNIT
Miami's power-play unit has struggled during the 2010 portion of the schedule, converting just 14.9 percent (17 of 114) since the new year. That includes a four-of-31 total over the last seven games. Still, the RedHawks rank seventh in the CCHA at 18.4 percent (38 of 207).

PENALTY KILLERS
Conversely, Miami held Ohio State with just three power-play goals on 22 opportunities over the last five games. That followed a two-of-10 weekend by Nebraska-Omaha seven days earlier. The RedHawks rank second in the CCHA with an 87.percent success rate (185 of 212). Miami has had four lengthy penalty-kill streaks this season -- 19 (at the start of the year), 17, 21 and 24.

CLOSE CALLS
Of Miami's 39 games this season, 20 have either ended in a tie or had a one-goal differential. Ten games have gone to overtime. Miami stands 9-4-7 this year in games decided by a single goal or less, including 1-2-7 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.

QUICK STARTS OF LATE
Miami has scored multiple goals in the first period five times in the last 14 games, including a season-high four vs. Lake Superior State on Feb. 6. In contrast, the RedHawks tallied just 12 goals in the 25 previous first periods this season. Still, Miami has scored only 29 of its 137 goals (19.7 percent) in the opening period of play. The other 108 goals have been more evenly split -- 61 in the second and 46 in the third (one in overtime).

IN THE CLUTCH
Tommy Wingels and Jarod Palmer have each recorded a team-high five game-winning goals, tied for sixth in the country. They are three behind the national leader. Andy Miele is just one shy of the team lead at four and is tied for 18th in the country.

SHOOTING GALLERY
Miami outshot Ohio State in all three games of their quarterfinal series, holding a commanding 112-72 lead in the category. Miami has now held an edge in shots in 32 of the 39 contests this year, with two others being even. The record for those games is 22-5-5, leaving a 4-1-2 mark when opponents are equal or better. The RedHawks registered at least 10 shots in six of the nine periods vs. OSU and have now done so in 74 of the 117 overall stanzas this year. The high is 23 in the second period of the Saturday game at Western Michigan.

CCHA WINNERS
Miami will be well represented at the annual CCHA Awards Banquet on Thursday night. Five RedHawks were members of the all-conference teams, while three players are listed as finalist for specialty awards. Senior Jarod Palmer and sophomore Cody Reichard were named to the first team, while Andy Miele and Tommy Wingels earned second-team accolades. Carter Camper was an honorable mention pick and Miami's scholar-athlete nominee. Reichard is a finalist for Player of the Year, while Wingels is a candidate for Best Defensive Forward. Will Weber is among the top three Defensive Defensemen. Finally, freshman Joe Hartman was a member of the all-rookie team announced last week.

WEEKLY AWARDS
During the regular-season, a total of five Miami players were honored as Players of the Week, including two-time selection Jarod Palmer. He and Chris Wideman were named Player of the Week and Defenseman of the Week, respectively, on Feb. 15. Palmer and Cody Reichard were honored as Player of the Week and Goaltender of the Week, respectively, after the sweep at Michigan, while 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.

PALMER PUCKS
Senior Jarod Palmer leads Miami in points with 44 after totaling 26 points in the last 17 games. He has also been held scoreless only four times during that span, although three of those have come in the last six contests. Palmer is the team leader in goals with 17, while tying for honors in assists (25). This season, he has five game-winning goals and is a two-time recipient of CCHA Player of the Week honors. He has also moved into the top 12 on Miami's career scoring chart.

MIE-LEADER
With 12 assists in the last 10 games, junior Andy Miele is tied with Jarod Palmer for the team lead in that statistical category. He has 27 to go along with 15 goals, ranking second on the team with 42 points. Miele has now registered 22 points (8g, 14a) over the last 16 games. He finished fourth in the CCHA scoring race with 32 points in conference play. Miele has matched his career high of two goals three times this season -- vs. Lake Superior State (Feb. 6), vs. Ohio State (Dec. 12) and at Western Michigan (Nov. 20). He has also tallied four game-winning goals.

THE CAPTAIN
Team captain Tommy Wingels ranks second on the team with 16 goals this season, while also ranking third in overall scoring (41 points). Wingels has recorded at least one point in 20 of the last 24 games, including seven straight at one point. He has also tallied points in 27 of the 37 outings this season. In December, Wingels registered a career-high four goals in the game at Ohio State.

CAMPER COMES ON
Junior Carter Camper added three points to his scoring total during the quarterfinal series, registering two goals and an assist vs. Nebraska-Omaha. He now has 37 (15g, 22a) for the season, almost matching his total of 42 (20g, 22a) as a sophomore. Camper had a seven-game streak snapped at Bowling Green, but has still tallied at least one point in 16 of the last 19 games (25 total).

CENTURY CLUB
Miami saw its fifth player join the century club in Alaska when junior Carter Camper made his 100th appearance as a RedHawk. He joined classmates Tommy Wingels, Pat Cannone, Vincent LoVerde and Justin Vaive as in the club's the newest entrants. Seniors Jarod Palmer (161) and Gary Steffes (135) have also reached triple-digit appearances. Andy Miele has played in 97 career games and could reach the mark during postseason play.

CLASS OF 100
The 2009-10 senior class is one of the most successful in school history and still has several games left to play. The foursome of Jarod Palmer, Gary Steffes, Dane Hetland and Brandon Smith has 106 wins, tying last year's group for the all-time lead. The junior class already ranks seventh for any four-year period, despite only playing three of those seasons so far. The top 10 senior classes in Miami history:

	1.	2008-09	106
		2009-10	106
	3.	2007-08	98
	4.	2006-07	88
	5.	2005-06	88
	6.	1994-95	84
	7.	2010-11 (next year's seniors)	82
	8.	1981-82	77
	9.	2003-04	76
		1995-96	76
		1996-97	76

GRAB THE BROOM
Miami finished the season with weekend sweeps of nine opponents, two better than the seven it posted last year. Miami has won a pair of games against St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ferris State, Western Michigan and Lake Superior State this season. The last victim of a Friday-Saturday sweep was Bowling Green on Feb. 12-13, meaning Miami has now gone a season-long six games without back-to-back victories. Only one other time did the RedHawks go at least six games without a sweep -- posting a 1-1-4 record from Nov. 13-28.

OPPONENT SWEEP
Robert Morris has posted the only 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. A year ago, only Michigan swept the RedHawks during the regular season.

SHORTHANDED SUCCESS
Miami picked up its sixth shorthanded goal of the season on Saturday vs. Ohio State when Vincent LoVerde found the net four-on-five. Defenseman Joe Hartman, leads the team -- and is tied for ninth in the nation -- with a pair, while position mate Chris Wideman tallied one against Nebraska-Omaha. 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
Lake Superior State scored the third shorthanded goal of the season against Miami midway through the second period on Feb. 6. Robert Morris (Jan. 8) and North Dakota (Nov. 28) have the other 4-on-5 goals this season.

COMING BACK, I
When Miami fell behind 3-0 on Saturday vs. Ohio State, it marked the first time all season that the RedHawks faced a three-goal deficit. They finally pulled even at 4-4 before losing in overtime. Previously, Miami fell behind by two goals seven times, rallying to tie in five of those (1-2-2). Losses to Nebraska-Omaha (Feb. 21) and Robert Morris (Jan. 8) are the exceptions.

COMING BACK, II
Miami has fallen behind 1-0 in 17 of the 39 games this year, but that hasn't been a worry this season. The RedHawks. have a 8-5-4 record in such contests. During the 2008-09 campaign, the RedHawks were just 2-12-3 when the opponent scored first.

FRESHMEN FEVER
Three of Miami's freshman class members have made a tremendous impact this season. Curtis McKenzie stands sixth on the team with 23 points (5g-18a), while Reilly Smith is just behind at 20 points. Defenseman Joe Hartman has 14 points and has been a part of the No. 1 defensive pairing most of the year. He also has a pair of shorthanded goals.

ALL IN
A total of six players on the Miami roster have appeared in all 39 games this season. The number includes one freshman -- forward Reilly Smith. Vincent LoVerde was the latest player to miss a game as he was a healthy scratch for the series opener against Ohio State. Reserve goaltender Ben Saksa and defenseman Garrett Kennedy are the only players on the active roster yet to see action for the RedHawks.

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 132-50-21 (.702), ahead of Michigan, which has a record of 134-64-11 (.664) during the same span.

QUICK STRIKES
Miami's two goals 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.

SHOOTOUT NUMBERS
Five of Miami's CCHA games this season ended in a tie and went to a shootout to determine who earned the third point in the conference standings. Both games of the first Ferris State series, the Saturday night contest at Western Michigan, the Alaska opener and the regular-season finale at Ohio State were still deadlocked after overtime and went to the extra session. Miami is 4-5 all-time in shootouts, including 2-3 this season.

EMPTY NETTER
Andy Miele recorded Miami's second empty-net goal of the season in the Friday game vs. Lake Superior State, making the score 2-0 with 0.2 seconds remaining. Jarod Palmer tallied the first empty-netter Dec. 12 when he scored with 27 seconds remaining against Ohio State.

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.

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.

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.

THIS AND THAT
Miami stands 22-0-0 when leading after two periods this season. The RedHawks are now 15-2-2 on Fridays, 10-3-5 on Saturdays and 20-0-3 when scoring first.