Miami Ohio University Athletics
Miami Prepares For Nonconference Battles
11/7/2000 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Arena: John S. Glas Fieldhouse
Face Off: 7:35 p.m. Friday/7:05 p.m. Saturday
Site: Bemidji, Minn.
Cybercast: www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/MiamiOhio/Hockey/
Series Record: First meeting
REDHAWKS TAKE CCHA BREAK WITH BEMIDJI STATE ROADTRIP: Following a grueling two weekends of CCHA play, Miami goes out of conference this weekend to take on Bemidji State University of the College Hockey America Conference.
Both teams, who started the year with high expectations, have struggled to this point and are in search of the momentum that could turn their seasons around. Bemdiji State enters the contest at 0-5-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the CHA. Among the Beavers' losses are a season-opening defeat at the hands of current U.S. College Hockey Online No. 1 Minnesota and a pair of losses at current No. 9 St. Cloud State. Most recently, Bemidji State fell to conference rival Alabama-Huntington, which has ascended as high as No. 16 in the USCHO poll.
Bemidji State, which was picked to win the CHA in the preseason coaches poll, is coached by the venerable R.H. Bob Peters, who is in his 35th year as a collegiate head coach. Peters led his teams to four NCAA Division II titles in the '90's and is second only to Michigan State's Ron Mason in collegiate hockey coaching wins. Leading the Beavers is senior Shane Kalbrener, who has a team-high three goals on the season. Sophomore Bob Talarico and freshman Grady Hunt have split time in net for BSU, making three and two starts, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY: This weekend marks the first meetings between Miami and Bemidji State, which made the step to Division I ice hockey last season. Miami also is going head-to-head with the one-year old CHA for the first time. This season the CCHA is 7-3-1 versus the CHA. Lake Superior leads the CCHA with three wins over CHA foes, while Alabama-Huntsville has recorded all three CHA wins over CCHA opponents. In the RedHawks' last jaunt to Minnesota last season, the RedHawks swept a pair of games from St. Cloud State.
'HAWKS ON THE ROAD: Miami has historically struggled on the road during its 23-year history, assembling a 136-266-34 (.351) record away from the Goggin. Last season, Miami went 5-11-2 on the road, including losses in nine of its last 10 roadtrips. The RedHawks' last road victory came on Feb. 20, 2000 at Nebraska Omaha. Since that win, Miami has lost seven consecutive road contests.
A MIAMI WIN WILL: -Advance Miami to 2-5-2 overall -End a seven-game winless streak for the Red and White that extends back to a 4-4 tie with Clarkson on Oct. 14 -Snap a seven-game road losing streak that began with a 3-2 loss at Ohio State on Feb. 29, 2000 -Give the RedHawks their first weekend road sweep of an opponent since Oct. 15-16, 1999 versus St. Cloud State
A MIAMI LOSS WILL: -Drop the RedHawks to 1-6-2 overall -Extend Miami's current winless streak to eight games -Advance Miami's current road-losing streak to eight games -Continue Miami's worst nine-game start since beginning 1-8 during the 1995-96 season
HEAD COACH ENRICO BLASI: After a solid first season, which ranked him second in the nation in wins (13) among NCAA Division I first-year coaches, Miami head coach Enrico Blasi is in his second season at the helm of the RedHawk program.
Blasi, a former Miami player and 1994 graduate, joined the program last season after serving as an assistant under former Miami mentor George Gwozdecky at the University of Denver. While at Denver, Blasi helped the Pioneers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and three Western Collegiate Hockey Association upper-division finishes.
A native of Weston, Ontario, Blasi lettered at Miami from 1991-94 and served as an assistant captain during Miami's only CCHA Championship run in the 1992-93 season. He currently owns a 14-25-5 (.375) overall record.
FOLLOWING THE 'HAWKS: For the second-consecutive year, Miami fans are able to follow RedHawk hockey through the internet at Broadcast.com (www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/MiamiOhio/Hockey/), where Miami Sports Network broadcaster Bob Rotruck brings play-by-play of all 36 RedHawk regular-season contests. Broadcasts are also available in Oxford through Time Warner Cable channel 31 (campus) and 13 (community) as well as through Teamline, where fans of the 'Hawks can dial 1-800-846-4700 and enter access code 5768 to hear the games broadcast over their telephone.
SLOW STARTERS: When Notre Dame tallied a goal just 0:14 into the first quarter of last Saturday's 1-1 tie, it marked the 10th consecutive game in which the Red and White surrendered a contest's first goal. Chris Knupp was the last Miami player to score the first goal of a contest, achieving the feat in the second period of a 2-1 loss to Ohio State on March 4, 2000. Miami has not netted the first goal in the first period of a game in 16 consecutive contest, dating back to a Ken Marsch goal versus Nebraska Omaha on Feb. 20, 2000. Though early momentum may not completely define a game, Miami has emerged victorious in just two of those 16 contests.
PLAYING FROM BEHIND: Largely due to sluggish starts, Miami has spent the majority of this season playing from behind. Until Matt Chandler's go-ahead goal in the second period of last Friday night's loss to Notre Dame, Miami had been without a lead for more than 13 periods. The last time the RedHawks had previously held a lead was 4-3 versus Clarkson on Oct. 14, before the Golden Knights tied the game in the third period. Since Notre Dame regained the lead from Miami in last Friday's contest, Miami has gone over four more periods without a lead.
IN A RUT: After snapping last season's six-game losing streak with an Oct. 13 defeat of No. 18 Clarkson in its season opener, Miami has resumed its struggles. The Red and White has proven victorious in just two of its last 18 outings and a mere one of its last 14 road contests dating back to last season. A draw versus Notre Dame Saturday night ended a five-game losing skid for Miami, but the Red and White is still mired in a seven-game winless streak.
COMING FROM ALL ANGLES: Though the RedHawks have not scored as many goals as they would like, Miami has enjoyed a remarkably balanced offensive attack through its first six contests. Thus far, a total of 12 players have combined to produce Miami's 18 goals, with just four players tallying multiple goals.
Leading Miami's goal scorers are a pair of usual supects in junior Jason Deskins (4) and senior Gregor Krajnc (2) as well as a pair of newcomers in freshmen Greg Hogeboom (2) and Mike Kompon (2). Surprisingly, Miami's top-three returning scorers from the 1999-2000 season (Pat Leahy, Nick Jardine, Evan Cheverie) have tallied just one goal apiece this season.
NOT SO SPECIAL: Part of Miami's recent struggles can be attributed to troubles with the special teams. Over the past six contests, Miami has converted on just two of its 27 power plays, including an 0-for-11 stretch over its past three games. On the flip side, until stuffing all five of Notre Dame's power play attempts last Saturday, Miami had given up eight power play goals in 19 attempts over its previous three contests.
WITH OPEN ARMS: The returns of junior Jason Deskins and senior Gregor Krajnc from season-ending knee injuries a season ago are already beginning to make a profound impact on the 2000-01 season.
Deskins, who led the CCHA in goals during the 1998-99 season, has tallied a team-high four goals this season, including three in CCHA play, and ranks third on the team with five total points. He had a three-game goal scoring streak snapped last Saturday versus Notre Dame. Krajnc, who briefly stepped forward in Deskins' absence a season ago before suffering knee injury of his own, is currently second on the team with six point (2-4-2), including two assists in a 3-2 loss at Michigan two weekends ago.
SETTING 'EM UP: After tallying a total of 11 assists through his first 68 games as a RedHawk, junior defenseman Ken Marsch has caught fire this season. Marsch, who tallied a season-high four assists versus Clarkson in a 4-4 Oct. 14 tie, already has amassed eight assists this season. Until last weekend, when he was blanked, Marsch had tallied assists in every game Miami had scored in this season.
Dan Boyle, now of the NHL's Florida Panthers, tallied 107 career assists during his career, ranking first all-time among Miami defensemen and 10th in the CCHA. Boyle and Bobby Marshall share Miami's single-season record for assists by a defenseman with 43 apiece.
UTILITY MAN: With injuries thinning out Miami's corps of defensemen, head coach Enrico Blasi has called upon senior Ernie Hartlieb to make the switch from forward to defenseman. Hartlieb, who played his first 83 games as a RedHawk on the offensive end of the ice, has started the last four games as a defenseman. Hartlieb, who calls himself "more of a natural defenseman", gained experience as a defenseman during a 20-game stint with Little Caesar's Midget team of the MNHL and also as a full-time defenseman on his summer roller hockey team. His game-tying goal versus Notre Dame last Saturday was the second goal by a Miami defenseman this season.
DINGED UP DEFENSE: For the second consecutive season, injuries are beginning to play a prominent roll in Miami's season. After injuries ravaged its forward corps during the 1999-2000 season, the injury bug has set its sights on Miami's defensemen this season. Senior Clarke Walford, who played in 33-of-36 games a year ago, underwent reconstructive shoulder surgery before the start of the season and is expected to be out until January. Freshman A.J. Kratofil, who started Miami's first game, suffered a broken collarbone versus Clarkson and is out of commission for 4-6 weeks.
BIG "D": Opposing forwards may be finding that there is a little less room to work with when surrounded by Miami's corps of defensemen. In all, five of Miami's defensemen stand at 6-foot-1 or greater, highlighted by the 6-foot-7, 240 pound Brian Sipotz. Other intimidators for the RedHawks include Jake Ortmeyer, who stands at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, and recently converted defenseman Ernie Hartlieb, who stands 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. Miami's seven healthy defensemen currently average 6-foot-2 inches and 200 pounds.
DAVIDS LOOKING TO BE GOLIATHS: Miami's goalkeeping responsibilities this season are resting on the capable shoulders of sophomore David Burleigh and redshirt freshman David Bowen, who have alternated starts over Miami's first six games. Burleigh has started Miami's last five games, including a solid performance versus Notre Dame last weekend, when he shut the Irish out for over 64 consecutive minutes. Bowen, who held Clarkson to just one goal in the season-opener and shut out No. 3 New Hampshire for 28 minutes in a relief appearance, currently leads the duo with a 2.42 GAA while Burleigh, who owns a 4.82 GAA, leads with 135 saves.
THEY GROW UP SO FAST: Miami, which replaced one-third of its team during the off-season, is already relying heavily on its newcomers. Of Miami's eight eligible freshman, six have already seen time on the ice, combining for four goals and five assists. Leading the RedHawk frosh statistically are Mike Kompon, who's tallied two goals and two assists on the season and freshman Greg Hogeboom, who has netted two goals. Derek Edwardson made his presence felt last weekend by contributing assists on two of Miami's three goals.
On the defensive end, Brian Sipotz, who is ranked among the top 100 prospects for the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, has been an integral part of Miami's corps of defensemen in all six games, and David Bowen, a redshirt freshman, currently is leading Miami's goalkeeping corps in goals against average. Miami is also awaiting the return of defenseman A.J. Kratofil, who is out 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone after starting the season's first game.
CRADLE OF COACHES: Head coach Enrico Blasi reloaded his coaching staff during the offseason, bringing in Norm McCauley and Chris Bergeron to replace the departing Dave Smith and Joe Bonnett. Both assistants have Miami ties, with McCauley serving as a graduate assistant at Miami from 1984-86 and Bergeron playing at Miami from 1990-93. Bergeron and Blasi were teammates on Miami's only CCHA Championship team during the 1992-93 season.
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING: Miami's 2000-01 ice hockey has not been provided the luxury of easing into the season.
Over the first eight contests, all eight games have been against opponents ranked within the top 20 in one of the two major national polls at some point during the season. Miami opened the season against Clarkson, which was picked 18th in both national preseason polls. From there, Miami embarked on a challenging New England roadtrip that included an Oct. 20 game against Providence, which has since climbed as high as No. 15, and an Oct. 21 matchup with New Hampshire, which is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation. Miami wrapped up the month of October with consecutive losses to Michigan, which was temporarily ranked No. 1, and began the month of November against Notre Dame which was ranked as high as 20th in the preseason.
BODIES WORKING OVERTIME: If an opponent goes into overtime with the RedHawks, it may want to consider playing for the tie. Of its past 15 overtime contests, Miami has surrendered just one goal, compiling a 7-1-7 record. Since a 4-3 overtime loss to Michigan on Nov. 13 of last season, Miami has gone unbeaten over its past five overtime contests, including a pair of ties this season.
Historically, Miami owns a 29-30-52 record in overtimes, a record that has been greatly aided by an overtime mark of 8-3-13 over the past three seasons.
MARSCH NAMED FIRST CCHA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK IN 2000-01: Following an impressive weekend in which Miami started its ice hockey season 1-0-1 versus nationally ranked Clarkson University, RedHawk junior defenseman Ken Marsch was honored Oct. 16 as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's Defensive Player of the Week. The junior was outstanding on both ends of the ice, helping Miami kill 18-of-19 Clarkson powerplays while amassing five assists over the weekend, including all four assists in the 4-4 Oct. 14 tie.
REDHAWKS PICKED IN MIDDLE OF CCHA PACK: In the Central Collegiate Hockey Association coaches and media polls, released Sept. 20 at the CCHA Media Day, Miami University was picked to finish sixth and ninth, respectively, out of the league's 12 teams.
Miami finished ninth in the CCHA with a mark of 10-15-3 last season. The RedHawks earned 79 votes in the coaches poll and 183 votes in the media poll. Michigan was the favorite in the coach's poll, collecting 11 first-place votes, while Michigan State was given a narrow edge by the media.
