Oct. 5, 2009
THE GAME
The 2009-10 hockey season begins in earnest Friday when No. 1/4 Miami hosts No. 13/15 St. Cloud State. The RedHawks defeated Windsor 6-2 on Saturday night in an exhibition as Jarod Palmer scored twice and dished out an assist, while the Huskies earned a 4-3 win over Lethbridge in exhibition play on Sunday.
The RedHawks posted their best finish ever at the 2009 NCAA Tournament, advancing to the national title game. In CCHA play, Miami was tied for second in the final standings with a 17-7-4 record.
St. Cloud State posted an 18-17-3 record a year ago, placing sixth in the WCHA with a 13-13-2 conference mark. The Huskies were swept in the first round of the WCHA Tournament by Minnesota.
THE COACHES
Enrico Blasi (Miami'94) enters his 11th season behind the RedHawk bench. He is a three-time CCHA Coach of the Year selection and was named National Coach of the Year in 2005-06. He stands 210-151-33 in 10 seasons.
Bob Motzko begins his fifth season as head coach of the Huskies with a 81-58-19 overall record. The 2006 and 2007 WCHA Coach of the Year led SCSU to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007 and 2008. He was an assistant for Miami from 1991-93.
PRESEASON PICKS
Miami enters the season as the No. 1 team in the nation according to the USA Today/USA Hockey Coaches poll. The RedHawks received just four first-place votes but managed a slim lead over Denver and Boston University. In the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll, Miami was ranked fourth.
The CCHA polls had a different slant to them as both the coaches and media tabbed Miami third. For the first time in four years, both groups agreed on the the top spot -- held by Michigan -- while also listing the next four the same. Notre Dame is second, followed by Miami, Ohio State and Northern Michigan.
CCHA HONORS
Carter Camper and Chris Wideman were named to the Coaches' Preseason All-CCHA team on Tuesday. Camper was one of two unanimous picks for the first team, while Wideman was an honorable mention selection.
QUICK HITS
- Miami returns 17 letterwinners from last year's Frozen Four team.
- Miami's hockey team will wear a special fourth jersey for selected games this year. The bicentennial jerseys commemorate the University's founding in 1809.
- Since 2005-06, Miami's ice hockey team has the best winning percentage among all 58 Division I teams at .689.
- Special-teams play was a big factor in the RedHawks' success in 2008-09. Miami led the nation in penalty kills and was third in the CCHA in power plays.
SERIES HISTORY
Miami stands 5-1-1 all-time against St. Cloud State with the RedHawks winning three straight meetings.
The teams first faced off Nov. 13-14, 1987 in Oxford with the RedHawks winning both games, 8-1 and 5-3. The teams played again in 1998-99 with the Huskies winning (5-4) and tying (4-4) in Oxford on Dec. 11-12. The following year -- Enrico Blasi's first as head coach -- Miami traveled to St. Cloud and swept the Huskies, 5-4 (ot) and 3-2 on Oct. 15-16, 1999.
The last meeting was a 2-1 win during the 2007 Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus.
BLASI VS. THE HUSKIES
Enrico Blasi holds a 3-0-0 record all-time against St. Cloud State. His first team posted a sweep Oct. 15-16, 1999, while the RedHawks took a 2-1 win at the 2007 Ohio Hockey Classic.
EXHIBITION RECAP
Miami posted a 6-2 win over Windsor Saturday night in its exhibition contest. The RedHawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period, then answered a Lancer goal with three more. Jarod Palmer scored twice and added an assist, while eight other players tallied at least one point.
Miami killed off five of six Windsor power plays, but also allowed a short-handed goal during a 5-on-3 situation.
HOMETOWN BOY
RedHawk freshman Joe Hartman knows the St. Cloud State program well. He lives just a few miles away from the National Hockey Center and the St. Cloud State campus.
FIRST-TIMERS
Six RedHawk freshmen made their collegiate debuts on Saturday night with one making an immediate impact. Reilly Smith tallied the game's first goal and added an assist. Curtis McKenzie, Steve Mason, Garrett Kennedy, Joe Hartman and Steven Spinell also saw action in their first collegiate contest.
IN GOAL
Miami split time in goal between both of its returners. Sophomore Cody Reichard started and played 30:47, while Connor Knapp came in to play the final 28:58. Reichard made 10 saves, while Knapp stopped 18 shots, including 15 in the final period.
CAMPER FOR HOBEY
Junior Carter Camper enters the season as a leading candidate for the Hobey Baker Award. As a sophomore, the Rocky River, Ohio, native led the RedHawks with 42 points (20-22) on 122 shots. He also recorded a +5 rating. Camper was among the top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker in 2008-09.
TOP TEAM
Since 2005-06, Miami's ice hockey team has the best winning percentage among all 58 Division I teams. Over the last four seasons, the RedHawks have compiled a record of 105-44-14 (.689), just ahead of Michigan, which has a record of 109-47-10 (.687) since 2005-06.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Special-teams play was a big factor in the RedHawks' success in 2008-09. Miami led the nation in penalty kills, turning in a success rate of 89.7 percent (208/232), while finishing third in the CCHA in power plays (18.4 percent - 45/244).
Carter Camper and Pat Cannone finished first and tied for second, respectively, in power play points. Camper tallied 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists), while Cannone (five goals, 16 assists) matched Western Michigan's Patrick Galivan with 21 points.
IN THE RANKINGS
Miami enters the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country, according to the USA Today/USA Hockey Coaches poll. The RedHawks garnered just four-place votes, but had enough points to stand just ahead of Denver and Boston University. Miami has been ranked in the Top 10 in 46 straight weeks and for 81 of the last 89 weeks. The RedHawks have held the top spot in the USCHO/CBS College Sports poll 11 times during that time, but never during the preseason.
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. A reunion will take place during the weekend of the Notre Dame series (Dec. 4-5) and the team will wear a special fourth jersey for certain games.
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