Dec. 10, 2008
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE THE DAY OF EACH GAME AT THE TICKET WINDOW IN THE GOGGIN ICE CENTER.
MIAMI AND RPI BATTLE SATURDAY ON ONN AT 7:05 P.M. AND SUNDAY ON ESPNU AT 4:35 P.M.
Complete Release in PDF Format 
OXFORD, Ohio - The RedHawks return to Steve Cady Arena for their final home series of 2008 as the Red and White take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Dec. 13-14. Saturday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. and will be televised on the Ohio News Network. The game on Sunday starts at 4:35 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
Miami has put its best foot forward on the national stage. The RedHawks have had five games nationally televised either on ESPNU or the NHL Network and they are undefeated in those games (3-0-1-1).
“CHECKING” R.P.I.
Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is located in Troy, New York and has an undergrad enrollment of 5,117. The sports team colors are Cherry and White but the Engineers do have tradition of wearing black jerseys on Fridays. The Engineers hockey program began in the 1901-02 season and during its existence, it has won national titles in 1954 and in 1985. R.P.I. is a member ECAC and during its long history has had 17 first-team All-Americans. Adam Oates, one of NHL’s all-time greats, is an alumnus of R.P.I. and helped led the team to it last national title in 1985. Oates is a member of the R.P.I. hockey ring of honor along with Joe Juneau, Ned Harkness and Rank Chiarelli.
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This season, the Engineers hold a record of 3-11-1 and a mark of 2-5-0 in conference and are coming off a win at Brown (7-3). R.P.I. is led in scoring by Chase Polacek, who has 13 points (3-10-13) on the season. Rensselaer is led in goals by Patrick Cullen who comes into the weekend with seven goals on the campaign. R.P.I. boasts one win over a ranked team already this season, 3-2 at home over then-No.18 Harvard on Nov. 7. The Engineers fell just short of an upset of then-No.6 New Hampshire with a 1-0 loss on Oct. 17.
Miami leads the all-time series with a record of 3-1-0 including a two-game sweep of R.P.I. a season ago. Last season Miami defeated Rensselaer 7-3 and 5-1 with both games in Tory, N.Y. Both games were very even until the final period of each game. The RedHawks outscored the Engineers 9-0 in the two game set in the third period. This season, Miami is 0-1-1 in non-conference match-ups with both games coming against Vermont in Burlington.
THE REDHAWK RUNDOWN
- Tommy Wingels (Wilmette, Ill.) is currently on a three-game goal streak with six points and a +4 in the same span. A Wingels’ positive +/- tends to be a positive for the RedHawks. Miami is unbeaten and untied (20-0-0) in games when the sophomore has a positive +/-.
- The magic goal number under head coach Enrico Blasi has been four as Miami holds a record of 132-9-7 when it scores four or more goals.
- Chris Wideman (St. Louis, Mo.) is tied for second in the CCHA in defenseman scoring and is also tied for second in assists by a defenseman. Wideman is second in the CCHA in freshman scoring and leads all freshmen in assists with 14.
- Miami is on a six-game winning streak and will look to improve Blasi’s 108-47-15 mark in Oxford this weekend against R.P.I.
- The RedHawks are undefeated and untied this season when leading after two periods (10-0-0). Under Blasi, Miami holds a record of 147-11-13 when leading after two frames.
- The RedHawks have a chance this weekend to post their first undefeated December since the 2005-06 season when the Red and White went 4-0-2.
- In two career games against the Engineers, Justin Mercier (Eire, Pa.) has two goals and two assists. Jarod Palmer (Fridley, Minn) has a goal and four assists in two career games against R.P.I.
- The game Oct. 7 vs. Western Michigan was the first Sunday game for the RedHawks this season and the first for the Red and White since Dec. 30, 2007. Under Blasi, Miami holds a record of 8-5-0 in Sunday games.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
Miami has won its last six games with road sweeps of Michigan State (Nov. 14-15), Western Michigan (Dec. 6-7) and back-to-back wins against Michigan (Nov. 21-22) in Steve Cady Arena. The RedHawks have also won six in a row on the road, sweeping the Broncos, the Spartans and Notre Dame (Oct. 24-25). The Fighting Irish are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation with only three losses this season, two of those coming on their home ice to the Red and White.
GOING CAMPING
Carter Camper (Rocky River, Ohio) leads the team in points with 20 (10-10-20) and picked up his first career hat trick against Western Michigan Dec. 7. The sophomore picked up his 60th career point in the same game when he scored his second goal of the night at the 16:18 mark of the second period. Camper has six points in his last three games and is +6 in that stretch. When the Rocky River, Ohio native has a positive plus/minus the RedHawks are 6-0-1 this season and 24-0-1 all-time.
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FINISHING STRONG
The Red and White have dominated on their home ice in the final period this season. The RedHawks have only allowed one third-period goal this season while scoring eight. Corey Elkins of Ohio State scored 7:44 into the third period on opening night, but since that goal, Miami has not allowed an opposing team to score in the third. That is a shutout stretch of 132:16 of third-period hockey on its home ice.
REDHAWK SPECIAL TEAMS
The RedHawk special teams units are currently rated as the best in the CCHA. Miami leads the conference and the nation on the penalty kill with a unit that kills off 95-percent (96/101) of power plays for opposing teams. The RedHawks also have a solid power-play unit that is currently ranked second in the CCHA with a 20-percent (19/95) success rate. This season Miami is 6-2-2 when it scores on the power play, 8-3-0 when they are perfect on the penalty kill and 6-2-0 when they do both in the same game
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ROTATION OF SUCCESS
Miami has gone with a rotation of goalies this season, splitting time between Connor Knapp (York, New York) and Cody Reichard (Celina, Ohio). Reichard is currently ranked third in the CCHA in save percentage and goals-against average trailing Chad Johnson (first) of Alaska and Jordan Pearce (second) of Notre Dame in both categories. Reichard has only allowed five goals in his last four games, which includes a shutout against Michigan. The native of Celina, Ohio earned his first career shutout Nov. 24 in a road match up against No.1-ranked Notre Dame. The clean sheet also earned Reichard his first career win.
Knapp has also been solid between the pipes for Miami. Knapp picked up his first career win in his first game in the Red and White, Oct. 11 against Ohio State in Steve Cady Arena. Knapp posted a goals-against average of 1.01 in the month of November, second-best in the nation to Reichard (0.98 GAA). On the season, Knapp holds a 1.86 goals-against average and a record of 6-1-1. Knapp has also come through in the clutch making two penalty shot saves on the season. The biggest one coming against Vermont Oct. 18, when Tommy Wingels (Willmette, Ill.) was called for a penalty that gave the Catamounts a penalty shot with less than two minutes to go. Knapp made the kick save and preserved the tie for Miami. On the season, the freshman is undefeated on the road with a record of 3-0-1.
CLOSING IN ON 200 WINS
With 10 wins in 2008-09, head coach Enrico Blasi has drawn closer to the 200-win mark. Blasi is in his tenth season and has 197 wins at Miami, including one regular-season CCHA title. Blasi has the most wins by a head coach in school history as well as the highest winning percentage. Blasi is also closing in on his 150th career win in the CCHA, he currently has 146 conference wins, including 10 this season.
IN THE RANKINGS
Miami is currently ranked third in the USCHO and CBS College Sports Division I men’s hockey poll. The RedHawks have moved up and down in the Top 10 this season but have been ranked within the nation’s Top 10 for 36 consecutive weeks. During this run, the RedHawks have been ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team for ten weeks. Miami has also been ranked in the Top 10 for 71 of the last 79 weeks and has been ranked No. 1 for 11 of those weeks. This season, Miami has played eight games against ranked opponents and holds a record of 6-1-1 including six consecutive wins.
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WIDEMAN NAMED DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Chris Wideman (St. Louis, Mo.) picked up his second Central Collegiate Hockey Assosication weekly award this season as he was named Defenseman of the Week.
The award is the second of the season for Wideman as he earned CCHA Rookie of the Week honors the opening week for his four assists in two games against Ohio State. Wideman is all over the conference leader boards as he is tied for 14th in the in overall scoring (0-14-14), tied for third in assist scoring (14), tied for second in overall defenseman scoring, second in overall scoring by a freshman and first in the CCHA in freshman scoring by a defenseman. This season Miami holds a record of 6-1-2 when the freshman records an assist.
Wideman continued his giving ways against Western Michigan Dec. 6 as he picked up the first assist on the game-winning goal by Jarod Palmer (Fridley, Minn.). Wideman also helped the RedHawk penalty kill unit go five-of-five on Saturday. Wideman was back at work on Sunday against the Broncos and picked up assists on Miami's two power play goals to open the game. Wideman would pick up his third assist on the night when he fired a shot on net in the second period that was tipped into the goal by Justin Vaive (Toronto, Ontario).
LAST TIME OUT – DEC. 7 VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
Miami tied a season high for goals as the RedHawks earned their third consecutive sweep with a 7-3 victory over Western Michigan in Lawson Ice Arena.
Miami was forced to put its NCAA-leading penalty kill unit to the test in the first when Carter Camper was called for obstruction hooking at 7:12 and Justin Mercier picked up a contact to the head high-sticking call 1:20 later. The RedHawks killed off both penalties and continued their streak of penalty kills on the road.
The RedHawks would use the momentum of the 5-on-3 kill and earned their own 5-on-3 advantage. The Broncos were able to kill off the first penalty but Pat Cannone would capitalize on the man advantage. Camper fired a shot wide of the net that was picked up by Mercier, who worked it over to Cannone. The sophomore fired a shot that hit Western Michigan goalie Jerry Kuhn and went into the net.
The Red and White were not finished in the first as Camper netted his four power-play goal in the final minute of the first frame. The goal was credited to Jarod Palmer but after a review was changed to Camper.
Justin Vaive would get things going early in the second period when he tipped in a shot by Chris Wideman from the blue line. Andy Miele picked up the second assist as he worked the puck to Wideman. Tommy Wingels earned his second goal in as many nights at 12:04 of the second period after Camper worked the puck over to Mercier who found Wingels.
Camper extended the Miami lead to four, when the RedHawks turned defense into offense. In their own end Wingels tipped the puck to Matt Tomassoni, who found Camper. He was waiting at the Western Michigan blue line and took it in and beat Kuhn stick side.
After a goal by Steve Silver for Western Michigan, Gary Steffes would move the lead back to four with 40 seconds remaining in the second period. Vaive worked the puck to Miele, who passed it over Steffes who found the net.
Miami and Western Michigan would trade third-period goals when Patrick Galivan scored 4:40 into the period. But Camper completed the hat trick with a goal at 16:57, Mercier and Wingels picked up the assists
Game Notes
Brian Kaufman and Jarod Palmer each played in their 100th career game on Sunday. The RedHawk pair entered the game with very similar numbers. Palmer has 24 goals and 50 assists while Kaufman entered the match up with 23 goals and 50 assists.
The game was the first Sunday game for the RedHawks of the season and the first for the Red and White since Dec. 30, 2007. Under head coach Enrico Blasi Miami holds a record of 8-5-0 in Sunday games.
Miami tied a season high for shots in a period with 19 attempts on net in the first frame.
Carter Camper tied a career high with four points with his first career hat trick.
Chris Wideman set a new career high with three assists. Wideman now leads the RedHawks in helpers with 14 on the campaign.
Justin Mercier set a season high for points as he picked up three assist on the day and now has 88 career points.
IS THERE A DRAFT IN HERE?
Freshmen Trent Vogelhuber and Will Weber are both draft choices of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Weber was chosen in the second-round of the 2007 NHL draft by the Jackets. Vogelhuber, a native of Dublin, Ohio, was taken in the same draft, in the seventh-round. Vogelhuber called being drafted by his favorite team “a dream come true.” Weber and Vogelhuber join three other RedHawks, who have been picked in the NHL draft. Justin Mercier was picked by the Colorado Avalanche in 2005. Justin Vaive was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and just this past off season Tommy Wingels was picked by the San Jose Sharks.
NEXT UP
Miami takes two weeks off and then heads to Columbus to defend its Ohio Hockey Classic title. The RedHawks will open the tournament against Clarkson on Jan. 2 at 5:05 p.m. If the Red and White play Ohio State in the second game then they will play at 8:05 p.m. but if they do not they will play at 5:05 p.m.
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