RedHawks Play in Denver Cup Classic over Holiday Weekend
11/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Game Notes at Denver Cup 
Friday Live Blog
Saturday Live Blog
THE GAME
Starting a stretch that sees Miami (6-6-2, 4-4-2-1 CCHA) play nine of its next 10 games away from home, the RedHawks head to the Denver Cup Classic Friday and Saturday for a pair of non-conference tilts. The 'Hawks open with Providence (6-4-1, 4-3-0 HE) on Friday at 6:37 p.m. ET before taking on host and No. 9/10 Denver (5-3-3, 4-2-3 WCHA) Saturday at 9:07 p.m. Princeton is the fourth team at the showcase, as the Tigers face the Pioneers Friday night and play Providence in the early game Saturday.
Miami enters the weekend riding a season-long six-game unbeaten streak. The RedHawks earned their first shutout of the year Friday, a 4-0 win over Bowling Green with senior goalie Cody Reichard in net, as he has been the entire unbeaten streak. Freshman Blake Coleman had two goals in the win. Saturday, the 'Hawks skated to a 4-4 overtime draw with the Falcons as senior Alden Hirschfeld, junior Reilly Smith and freshman Austin Czarnik each had a goal and an assist. The four goals both nights tied a season high. Smith leads Miami with eight goals and 11 points on the year while Hirschfeld has a team-high seven helpers.
Both teams Miami faces this weekend feature top-10 offenses nationally. The Friars, who tie for eighth nationally scoring 3.55 goals per game, were riding a four-game winning streak until suffering a loss to Northeastern last Friday. Providence has played just two games away from home this year, losing both at Maine. Freshman Ross Mauermann leads PC with eight assists and 12 points while junior Tim Schaller has a team-best eight goals.
Denver is sixth in the country, scoring 3.91 goals per game, led by junior Drew Shore's team-best 11 assists and 16 points. His 1.45 ppg ranks sixth nationally. Sophomore Jason Zucker is second with 15 points and has a team-best six goals on the year. DU is coming off a win and a tie against Nebraska-Omaha last weekend and is unbeaten in its last three games, downing Colorado College Nov. 12.
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 268-175-48 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.
Nate Leaman (SUNY Cortland '97) is in his first season at Providence after an eight-year stint at Union College, where he compiled a record of 138-127-35. Last year, he led the Dutchmen to their first NCAA Tournament in school history and the ECAC regular-season title. He also won the Spencer Penrose Award for National Coach of the Year last year and is a two-time ECAC Coach of the Year.
George Gwozdecky (Wisconsin '77) is in his 18th season at Denver and 26th season overall as a head coach. He has compiled a record of 403-242-58 at Denver and 553-366-79 for his head coaching career. The Pioneers have captured two NCAA national championships, three WCHA regular-season titles and four WCHA playoff titles during Gwozdecky's tenure while Gwozdecky has won the Spencer Penrose Award (National Coach of the Year) twice, including in 1993 when he was at Miami (1989-94).
THE SERIES
Miami is 2-3-0 all-time against Providence, last meeting Oct. 20, 2000, a Providence win. The RedHawks are 3-4-0 all-time versus Denver, last meeting March 27, 2009 when Miami beat DU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Miami has won the last two games with Denver but is 1-3 at DU.
QUICK HITS
- Miami is riding a season-long six-game unbeaten streak, going 4-0-2 during that time. The RedHawks improved to .500 (6-6-2) with a win and a tie last weekend for the first time since Oct. 15 when a loss at Colgate made the RedHawks 2-2.
- Senior defenseman Chris Wideman was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week last week after handing out three assists while posting a +4 rating in two games against Bowling Green.
- Senior goalie Cody Reichard recorded his 11th career shutout last Friday, as he is now just one shy of tying David Burleigh ('03) for the school record at 12. Reichard also has started each of the last six games, the first Miami goalie to do so since Jeff Zatkoff during the 2007-08 season.
- Saturday's game pits Denver head coach George Gwozdecky, who coached at Miami from 1989-94, against his former player in Miami head coach Enrico Blasi. Blasi also assisted Gwozdecky at Denver for four years prior to taking over at his alma mater.
- Junior Reilly Smith and freshman Austin Czarnik each have five points in their last three games. Freshman Tyler Biggs has a point in seven of his last eight games.
UP NEXT
The RedHawks return to league play when they travel to Marquette, Mich. for a two-game series with Northern Michigan Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Neither game this weekend will be televised, however both games will be broadcast on radio on both WKBV-AM (1490) and WMOH-AM (1450). The Voice of Miami Hockey, Greg Waddell, will have all the action for both games. As always, live audio of the games are available on MURedHawks.com through the All-Access subscription package. A live blog will also be available through MURedHawks.com for both games this weekend.
COACH AND PUPIL REUNITED: Saturday's game against Denver will feature head coaches who have each coached at the other institution. DU head coach George Gwozdecky coached Miami from 1989-94, before moving on to Denver, as he led the RedHawks to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in 1993 and CCHA regular-season title that same year. Miami head coach Enrico Blasi was an assistant under Gwozdecky at Denver for four years prior to taking over at his alma mater. Gwozdecky also coached Blasi at Miami from 1990-94 when Blasi was a two-time captain.
WIDEMAN CLAIMS CCHA HONOR: Senior defenseman Chris Wideman was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week for the week of Nov. 14-20. He dished out three assists in a win and a tie against Bowling Green. He also helped Miami pitch its first shutout of the year with a 4-0 win Nov. 18. In that game, the blueliner assisted on Miami's first goal, which turned out to be the game-winner. On Nov. 19, he handed out two assists for his second multi-assist game of the year. Both of his assists were the primary assists and both goals broke a tie to put Miami ahead. Wideman posted a +4 rating on the weekend, going +2 in each game. He blocked a shot in each game as well. It was his third career CCHA Defenseman of the Week award but first this year.
FANTASTIC FROSH:Miami's freshman forwards have been contributing greatly on offense, especially as of late. Austin Czarnik was named CCHA Rookie of the Week Nov. 14 after notching a career-high three points Nov. 12 in a 3-3 tie with No. 4/5 Michigan. He was the second straight RedHawk to win the award as Tyler Biggs was CCHA Rookie of the Week Nov. 7 after dishing out two assists at Alaska Nov. 4-5. Czarnik is tied for second on the team with 10 points (4g, 6a), which ties for fourth in the CCHA among freshmen, while Biggs is tied for ninth with eight points (3g, 5a). Biggs and Czarnik are also tied for second among rookies with seven points in CCHA play, with Biggs notching a point in seven of his last eight games, including a five-game point streak (10/27 to 11/11), the longest by a RedHawk this year. Freshmen Biggs, Czarnik, Blake Coleman, Jimmy Mullin and Alex Wideman have combined for 13 goals on the year, 36.1 percent of Miami's scoring, and 29 points, which is 30.2 percent of Miami's points.
CLOSE CONTESTS: Of Miami's 14 games this year, 13 have been decided by two goals or less, including each of the first 12 as Miami has never opened a season with 12 straight games decided by such a small margin. The lone game not decided by two goals or less was a 4-0 win over Bowling Green Nov. 18. The RedHawks are 5-2 in one-goal games in 2011-12 but are 0-4 in two-goal games, two of which include an empty-net goal late, while Miami also has two ties. A key to the one-goal wins has been scoring first, something the 'Hawks have done 10 times this year, including all six wins. Miami won both games at Alaska (Nov. 4-5) and beat Michigan Nov. 11 by scoring just two goals (all 2-1), something it hadn't done since March 27, 2010, a 2-1 win over Alabama-Huntsville in the NCAA Tournament, as the 'Hawks were 0-5-4 when scoring two goals or less last year.
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. With a whitewash Nov. 18 vs. Bowling Green, Reichard now has 11 career shutouts, one shy of tying David Burleigh ('03) for Miami's career whitewashes record of 12. Reichard's 49 career wins rank third, as he needs six more to tie for second in Miami history and 12 victories to become Miami's all-time winningest goalie, surpassing 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 sits ninth on Miami's career saves list with 1,707. Reichard and Knapp currently rank second and fourth, respectively, in career save percentage (.914, .910) and second and third in career GAA (2.03, 2.10).
STRONG SCHEDULE: Miami faces a tough schedule in 2011-12, including nine teams currently ranked in the USCHO.com Poll. The RedHawks earned their first win over a ranked team this year Nov. 11, beating then-No. 4/5 Michigan, 2-1, before tying 3-3 the next night. Miami also already split with Colgate, now No. 16, Oct. 14-15 and fell to then-No. 14 Ferris State (now No. 7) Oct. 21-22 and to then-No. 18 Lake Superior (now No. 13) Oct. 27-28 and still plays at No. 10 Denver Saturday. A total of seven CCHA teams are ranked, as the 'Hawks play No. 11 Michigan again in February and No. 9 Ohio State four times. The 'Hawks also face No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 10 Western Michigan and No. 20 Michigan State twice each while also playing at LSSU later this year. Among teams Miami has already played, its opponents combined record is 49-37-11 (.562). Miami is 2-5-1 against teams currently ranked.
HIRSCHFELD'S HELPERS: Senior forward and co-captain Alden Hirschfeld tallied an assist in each of Miami's first four games this year and has one in each of his last two games as well as he leads the team with seven. He has a point in nine of 14 games this year, including three goals. By being held pointless Oct. 21 at Ferris State, his career-long seven-game point streak dating back to last season was snapped but he has points streaks of four games and three games this season.
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 then scored two goals and had three points Nov. 12 vs. Michigan and now has 11 multi-goal games for his career, which leads active RedHawks. Smith, who is tied for second in the CCHA with eight goals and is tied for 16th nationally averaging 0.67 goals per game, was 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).
OVERTIME ODDS 'N ENDS: After tying all six overtime contests last year, Miami is 0-2-2 in its four extra-session games in 2011-12, including a 3-3 tie with No. 4/5 Michigan Nov. 12, which the RedHawks went on to earn the extra point as sophomore Bryon Paulazzo scored the game-winning goal in the shootout's fourth round, giving the 'Hawks their first shootout win since Jan. 28, 2011 at Notre Dame. The 'Hawks lost their other shootout Nov. 19 after a 4-4 tie with Bowling Green. 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. The RedHawks then fell to Lake Superior Oct. 27, 3-2, in overtime.
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. Coleman then became the first rookie to find the net twice in the same game, doing so Nov. 18 vs. Bowling Green. 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. The next night, 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. Mullin tallied his first career assist Nov. 5 on the game-winning goal at Alaska.
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. To learn more about Reichard's foundation, Swoop's Stoop, click here.
WINNING WAYS: Miami has the best winning percentage among Division I college hockey teams over the last seven years (since 2005-06), compiling a record of 164-68-29 (.684), just ahead of Boston College, who has gone 166-72-21 (.681) during that span. CCHA foe Michigan ranks third over the last seven years with a record of 171-81-17 (.667). The RedHawks have had at least 20 wins in each of the last six seasons, including a school-record 33 wins in 2007-08, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament each year as well. The six straight NCAA Tournament appearances ranks fourth among active streaks behind Michigan (21), New Hampshire (10) and North Dakota (9).
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--MURedHawks.com--
