RedHawks Make Trek to Alaska for CCHA Series
11/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Nov. 2, 2011
THE GAME
Riding a five-game losing streak, its longest since 2008-09, Miami (2-6-0, 0-4-0 CCHA) heads north to Alaska to take on the Alaska Nanooks in a CCHA series Friday and Saturday at the Carlson Center with both games at 11:05 p.m. ET (7:05 p.m. local). The RedHawks will be playing on Olympic-sized ice (200 feet by 100 feet) for the first time this year. Miami will also be looking for its first CCHA win this weekend after being swept in back-to-back weekends to start league play.
The 'Hawks opened CCHA play at Ferris State Oct. 21-22, suffering a pair of defeats, and returned home only to be swept by No. 18 Lake Superior State, which was Miami's first regular-season home sweep since the 2001-02 season. On Thursday, the Lakers scored 42 seconds into overtime to steal a 3-2 win away from Miami as senior defenseman Cameron Schilling tallied two points in the loss. On Friday, LSSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the second period and held on for the 5-3 win. Miami rallied with three unanswered goals, including two short-handed tallies, to get within one, but the Lakers would not be outdone.
Alaska (3-3-2, 0-2-2 CCHA) comes into the weekend in 10th place in the CCHA, just two points ahead of the RedHawks, also looking for its first league win. The Nanooks opened CCHA action hosting then-No. 11 Western Michigan at home, losing the opener and tying the second night. Last weekend, UAF traveled to Ohio State and also played the Buckeyes to a draw Thursday, but lost the shootout, as was the case with WMU, before falling 6-0 Friday night to OSU. Nik Yaremchuk leads Alaska with five goals and six points while Colton Beck also has six points though the Nanooks have just five goals in four league games. Defensively, UAF is giving up 3.50 gpg in CCHA action, as is Miami.
THE COACHES
Enrico Blasi (Miami '94) is in his 13th season behind the RedHawk bench. He is a four-time CCHA Coach of the Year and was named National Coach of the Year in 2005-06. He stands 264-175-46 in 13 seasons at his alma mater, where he has led Miami to seven NCAA Tournaments, including two Frozen Four berths, a National Championship game appearance, a pair of CCHA regular-season titles and the school's first ever Mason Cup last year. Blasi is the the winningest coach in school history.
Dallas Ferguson (Alaska '96) is in his fourth season at the helm of the Nanooks where he has compiled a record of 54-48-22. He was named CCHA Coach of the Year in his first season in charge of UAF (2008-09) and led his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2009-10. Prior to taking over the reins at Alaska, he was an assistant at UAF for four years.
THE SERIES
The RedHawks are 35-14-5 all-time against Alaska starting in the 1984-85 season, including 15-7-3 in Fairbanks. Miami went 3-1-0 against UAF last year, splitting in Oxford during the regular season but sweeping the Nanooks in the CCHA Playoffs. The RedHawks are 3-0-1 against Alaska in their last two trips up north, winning the shootout in the lone tie and outscoring UAF 15-3 during that stretch.
QUICK HITS
- In eight games this year, the RedHawks have scored first five times, doing so within the first 10 minutes each time, but are just 2-3 in those games. Miami has given up just two goals in the opening 10 minutes this year but have allowed seven in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
- Miami ranks second in the nation in short-handed goals with three on the year after scoring two shorties in the second period Friday against LSSU. Only Boston U. has more with four.
- A pair of RedHawks scored their first career goal Friday against LSSU as freshman forward Tyler Biggs scored his first goal short-handed. Fellow freshman forward Blake Coleman then scored his first career goal unassisted. Biggs also had an assist in Thursday's game, giving him a point in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
- After starting the year 5-for-15 on the power play, the RedHawks have gone 0 for their last 21 power play opportunities, including 0-for-20 in their last five games. Miami last scored on the power play Oct. 14 at Colgate in the second period and sits 5-for-35 (.143) on the year.
- Miami was swept in back-to-back weekends for the first time since 2004-05 and has started 0-4 in CCHA play for the first time since the 1995-96 season. That year was also the last time the RedHawks had six losses in their first eight games, as Miami started that season 1-9.
UP NEXT
Miami returns home to start a four-game homestand, hosting No. 3/3 Michigan Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12 at Steve Cady Arena. Puck drop Friday is set for 7:35 p.m. while Saturday starts at 7:05 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Neither game will be televised this weekend but they will be streamed live through the America One Network. Both games will also air on radio on WKBV-AM (1490) out of Richmond, Ind. with Greg Waddell calling the action. Audio for both games will be streamed live on MURedHawks.com through Miami All-Access.
SHORT-HANDY: Although Miami's penalty kill is only at 76.6 percent, the RedHawks have been able to generate plenty of offense while a man down. Miami has three short-handed goals on the year, which ranks second in the country, trailing only Boston University's four. Senior Matt Tomassoni scored the game-winning goal Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State short-handed in the third period. Then on Oct. 28 against Lake Superior, Miami scored two shorties in the second period as senior Alden Hirschfeld and freshman Tyler Biggs each found the net a man short, with Biggs' the first goal of his career. It marked the first time the 'Hawks scored two short-handed goals in the same game since Jan. 14, 2011 against Bowling Green when Hirschfeld and junior Reilly Smith each scored a man down.
HIRSCHFELD'S HELPERS: Senior forward and co-captain Alden Hirschfeld tallied an assist in each of Miami's first four games this year. He also added an assist Oct. 27 against Lake Superior and scored his first goal of the year Oct. 28. He has a point in six of eight games this year with his five assists and six points leading the team and the five assists tying for 14th in the CCHA. By being held pointless Oct. 21 at Ferris State, his career-long seven-game point streak dating back to last season was snapped. In Miami's 4-1 exhibition win over Windsor Oct. 2, Hirschfeld tallied two goals. He has three regular-season multi-goal games in his career, including one hat trick.
FIRST TIME FOR FRESHMEN: In Miami's game against Lake Superior Oct. 28, two RedHawks scored their first career goal as Tyler Biggs (short-handed) and Blake Coleman (unassisted) each found the net for the first time. At Colgate Oct. 14, Biggs tallied his first career point on an assist in the first period. In that same game, freshman forward Austin Czarnik registered his first collegiate goal and added an assist for a career-high two points. Four RedHawks tallied their first career point Oct. 7-8 against Bemidji State. Freshmen forwards Jimmy Mullin and Alex Wideman each tallied their first career goal in Friday's season-opening game, with Wideman's coming on the power play. On Saturday, Czarnik and Coleman each tallied their first career assist while Wideman also recorded his first assist as a RedHawk on the same play as Coleman, which was scored by Wideman's brother, senior defenseman Chris Wideman.
TRICKY REILLY: Junior forward Reilly Smith tallied his second career hat trick Oct. 14 at Colgate in his first game of the season to lead Miami to the win. His other hat trick came on Oct. 23, 2010 against Northern Michigan. He also had an assist Oct. 14 against the Raiders, giving him a career-best four points, and added a goal the next night earning him CCHA Offensive Player of the Week -- the third such honor of his career. He now has 10 multi-goal games for his career, which leads active RedHawks. Smith is the leading returning goal-scorer in the nation entering 2011-12 after leading Miami with 28 goals as a sophomore, which tied for fourth nationally. Smith is also second among returning point-scorers after totaling 54 points a year ago, as only Minnesota Duluth's Jack Connolly (59 points in 2010-11), had more points than Smith among returning players. Smith tied for seventh in the country last year in points en route to earning First-Team All-CCHA and All-America honors from College Hockey News (Second Team) and Inside College Hockey (Third Team).
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: The RedHawks have six losses in their first eight games for the first time since 1995-96 when Miami started 1-9. That year was also the last time the RedHawks started 0-4 in CCHA play, as Miami started 0-6.
The 'Hawks have been swept by Ferris State and Lake Superior the last two weekends, the first time Miami has suffered back-to-back sweeps since 2004-05. Over the previous four seasons, the RedHawks had only been swept in league play three times. The home sweep at the hands of LSSU was the first time that had happened since the Lakers did it in the 2007 CCHA Playoffs and the first time in the regular season since Michigan State swept Miami Feb. 22-23, 2002. Miami was also shut out by Ferris State Oct. 22, something that has only happened once each of the past four years, including this year, and was not shut out at all during the 2007-08 campaign.
The RedHawks also lost their home opener on Oct. 7 to Bemidji State for the first time since 2001 when the RedHawks lost to Merrimack, as Miami had won nine straight home openers. That game was also Miami's season opener, last falling in the 2005-06 season opener to North Dakota prior to the loss to BSU.
STRONG SCHEDULE: Miami faces a tough schedule in 2011-12, including eight teams currently ranked in the USCHO.com Poll. The RedHawks already split with Colgate, now No. 18, Oct. 14-15 and fell to then-No. 14 Ferris State (now No. 10) Oct. 21-22 and to then-No. 18 Lake Superior (now No. 11) Oct. 27-28 and still plays at No. 8 Denver Nov. 26. A total of six CCHA teams are ranked, as the 'Hawks will play No. 3 Michigan and No. 17 Northern Michigan four times each and No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 4 Western Michigan twice each while also playing at LSSU later this year.
OVERTIME ODDS 'N ENDS: After tying all six overtime contests last year, Miami is 0-2 in extra-session games in 2011-12 after falling to Lake Superior Oct. 27, 3-2. Miami's Oct. 15 overtime game at Colgate was its first overtime game of the season. The extra-session loss (3-2) was Miami's first overtime loss since March 13, 2010 when the 'Hawks lost to Ohio State in the second round of the CCHA Playoffs.
DYNAMIC DUO: Senior goalies Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard are two of the top goalies in Miami history, despite splitting time in net during their careers. Reichard's 45 career wins rank third, as he needs 11 more to tie for second in Miami history and 17 victories to become Miami's all-time winningest goalie, surpassing David Burleigh (60). With a win Oct. 8, Knapp moved into a tie for seventh in Miami history with Alain Chevrier, Brandon Crawford-West and Charlie Effinger. Reichard also has 10 career shutouts, needing two more to tie Burleigh for Miami's career whitewashes record. Reichard and Knapp currently rank second and third, respectively, in career save percentage (.913, .910) and career GAA (2.07, 2.10).
BROTHERLY LOVE: The RedHawks have a pair of brothers on their team for the first time since 2005-06, as freshman forward Alex Wideman joins his brother, Chris Wideman, a senior defenseman, on the Miami roster in 2011-12. The last pair of brothers to play at Miami together was Matt and Nathan Davis when Matt was a senior and Nathan was a sophomore. In Miami's exhibition win over Windsor Oct. 2, the duo each had an assist on Miami's third goal while on Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State, Alex had an assist on Chris' game-tying power play goal.
CODY'S ALL CLASS: Senior goalie Cody Reichard was named one of 20 candidates for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for ice hockey. The 10 finalists will be announced mid-season with the winner being declared on April 6 at the Frozen Four. To be considered for the prestigious award, a senior student-athlete must exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN: Senior forward Alden Hirschfeld and senior defenseman Will Weber have been named co-captains for Miami for the 2011-12 season. Both were assistant captains on the 2010-11 squad. Hirschfeld has now played in 101 career games, with his 100th game as a RedHawk coming Oct. 27 against Lake Superior State, while Weber has suited up for 122 career contests.
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--MURedHawks.com--
