Miami Faces No. 4 Ohio State in Intrastate Rivalry
12/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Dec. 7, 2011
THE GAME
In its final games of 2011, Miami (8-8-2, 4-6-2-1 CCHA) plays a home-and-home series with in-state rival Ohio State Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the two sides square off in Columbus at Value City Arena at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, the fourth-ranked Buckeyes then come to Oxford for another 7:05 p.m. showdown at Steve Cady Arena as the RedHawks wrap up the first half of the season.
Miami is looking to bounce back after being swept at Northern Michigan to start December. The 'Hawks dropped a heartbreaker Friday as NMU scored with 2:10 to play to break a 1-1 tie and steal a 2-1 victory, snapping Miami's eight-game unbeaten streak. Junior defenseman Steven Spinell had Miami's lone goal, his first of the year. Saturday, the RedHawks racked up a season-high 14 penalties in a 5-1 loss as the Wildcats scored three 5-on-3 power play goals. Freshman forward Austin Czarnik tallied Miami's only score short-handed. He leads the team with 15 points on the year and is tied for the team lead with nine assists with senior forward Alden Hirschfeld. Junior forward Reilly Smith paces Miami with 11 goals this season as he and Hirschfeld each have 14 points.
No. 4/4 Ohio State (12-3-1, 9-2-1-1 CCHA) enters the weekend riding an 11-game unbeaten streak, the second-longest active streak in the country, including a nine-game winning streak. The Buckeyes, who sit in first place in the CCHA, have outscored foes 42-15 during their unbeaten streak. Miami is 14 points back of OSU in the CCHA, tied for eighth with Michigan. During the winning streak, Ohio State has swept Alabama-Huntsville, No. 14/15 Northern Michigan, No. 7 Michigan and No. 11 Lake Superior. Sophomore Chris Crane leads OSU with 17 points, including nine goals, while senior Danny Dries has a team-best 10 scores and 15 points. Freshman Ryan Dzingel also has 15 points and a team-high 10 assists and is tied with Czarnik for the most points in the league among rookies. In league play only, the Buckeyes have both the top offense (3.51 gpg) and defense (2.17 gpg allowed).
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 270-177-48 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.
Mark Osiecki (Wisconsin '94) is in his second season at Ohio State, where he has posted a record of 27-21-5. OSU finished ninth in the CCHA in his first year. He came to Columbus after serving as an assistant at his alma mater for six years. While with the Badgers he was their recruiting coordinator and defensive coach, helping lead Wisconsin to a national title in 2006 and the 2010 championship game.
THE SERIES
Miami has faced Ohio State more than any other school as the in-state rivals have played 134 times previously. Miami holds a slight, 63-59-12, edge in the all-time series, however the Buckeyes swept the RedHawks in Columbus last year. Miami is 40-22-4 vs. OSU in Oxford and 20-33-7 against the Buckeyes in Columbus. Head coach Enrico Blasi is 27-21-6 against Ohio State behind Miami's bench.
QUICK HITS
- Miami is going for its 600th win in program history this weekend. The RedHawks are 599-591-102 all-time. Miami is 2-0-1 against top-10 teams so far this season.
- Junior forward Reilly Smith, the reigning CCHA Player of the Month for November, was named a captain this week, joining senior forward Alden Hirschfeld and senior defenseman Will Weber to make tri-captains. Smith has a team-best 11 goals on the season.
- Freshman forward Austin Czarnik, the reigning CCHA Rookie of the Month, scored Miami's lone goal Saturday at NMU short-handed, giving him six for the year, which is second on the team. It also moved him into the team lead with 15 points this year, which ties for tops among all CCHA rookies, while his 0.88 points per game ranks 10th nationally among freshmen.
- With Czarnik's short-handed goal Saturday, Miami now has four short-handed goals on the year, which ties for fourth in the country.
- Of Miami's 18 games this year, 15 have been decided by two goals or less. The 'Hawks are 5-3 in one-goal games, 1-4 in two-goal games and also have two ties.
UP NEXT
The RedHawks are off for winter break and don't return to the ice until the new year when Miami travels to East Lansing, Mich. for a two-game series with No. 14 Michigan State Jan. 6-7. Both games during the weekend are set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Friday's game at Ohio State can be seen online at BTN.com (for a fee) while Saturday's game will be televised on ONN with Dave Allen handling play-by-play and Neil Sika adding commentary. Both contests will also be broadcast on radio on WKBV-AM 1490 (Richmond, Ind.) while Saturday's game will also be on WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio) with Greg Waddell calling the action. As always, live streaming of home games and audio of all the games are available on MURedHawks.com through the All-Access subscription package.
CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN: Junior forward Reilly Smith became Miami's third captain in 2011-12, being given the "C" on Dec. 5. He joins senior forward Alden Hirschfeld and senior defenseman Will Weber, who were named co-captains for Miami at the start of the 2011-12 season. Both Hirschfeld and Weber were assistant captains on the 2010-11 squad. Hirschfeld has now played in 111 career games, with his 100th game as a RedHawk coming Oct. 27 against Lake Superior State, while Weber has suited up for 132 career contests, as each has played in all 18 games this season. Smith has appeared in 98 career games and will likely play in his 100th career game Saturday against Ohio State.
FROM RED AND WHITE TO RED, WHITE & BLUE: Freshman forward Austin Czarnik was one of 29 players nationally under the age of 20 to be named to the preliminary roster for the U.S. National Junior Team at the World Junior Championship. He will take part in the U.S. National Junior Team's camp from Dec. 17-23 in Camrose, Alberta while the 22-player final roster will be announced Dec. 22. Should Czarnik make the final roster, he would then represent the United States at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta from Dec. 26, 2011 to Jan. 5, 2012.
A NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER: The month of November was very good to the RedHawks as Miami went 6-0-2 during the month while the RedHawks swept all three CCHA monthly awards. Junior forward Reilly Smith was named CCHA RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month, his first such award, as he had a league-best seven goals in the month and totaled nine points. He averaged 1.12 points per game with two multi-goal games, three multi-point contests and a +4 rating. Freshman forward Austin Czarnik claimed CCHA Gongshow© Rookie of the Month after leading all CCHA players with 10 points in seven games in November. He averaged 1.43 points per game with three goals and seven assists. Czarnik posted four multi-point games, had a +5 rating and was twice named CCHA Rookie of the Week in November. Senior goalie Cody Reichard won CCHA Gongshow© Goaltender of the Month, going 5-0-2 with a 1.68 GAA, a .932 save percentage and one shutout in November. Miami had players claim CCHA Player and Rookie of the Month in the same month for the first time since October 2007 when Justin Mercier was Player of the Month and Carter Camper was Rookie of the Month. This is the first year the CCHA has awarded a Goaltender of the Month.
DONE GOOD IN DENVER: Miami had great success at the Denver Cup Classic Nov. 25-26, as the RedHawks captured the title with a 6-2 win over Providence and a 4-2 win over No. 9/10 Denver, who hosted the showcase-style tournament. It was the second time the 'Hawks have won the tournament, also winning in 1997. In addition to the team title, junior forward Reilly Smith was named MVP after a three-goal weekend and landed on the all-tournament team. Freshman forward Austin Czarnik, senior defenseman Cameron Schilling and senior goalie Cody Reichard were also named to the all-tournament team. Czarnik totaled four points on a goal and three assists, Schilling had a pair of helpers and was +3 for the weekend and Reichard made a season-high 32 saves in the championship game vs. the Pioneers, including stopping a penalty shot, to earn his 50th career win in net.
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 twice in November becoming the first CCHA freshman to win it twice this year, while also claiming CCHA Rookie of the Month for November. He first won it Nov. 14 after notching a career-high three points Nov. 12 in a 3-3 tie with No. 4/5 Michigan and again Nov. 28 after a four-point weekend at the Denver Cup Classic. He was the second straight RedHawk to win the award Nov. 14 as Tyler Biggs was CCHA Rookie of the Week Nov. 7 after dishing out two assists at Alaska Nov. 4-5. Czarnik leads the team with 15 points, including a team-high nine assists, with the 15 points tying for first in the CCHA among freshmen and seventh among all CCHA players. Biggs is 12th among CCHA rookies with eight points (3g, 5a). Czarnik is also 10th nationally among freshmen with 0.88 points per game while Biggs had 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 18 goals on the year, 37.5 percent of Miami's scoring, and 39 points, which is 30.7 percent of Miami's points.
REILLY RAKING IN THE HARDWARE: After earning several postseason awards last year, junior forward Reilly Smith continues to pick up honors this season. In addition to his CCHA Player of the Month for November, he was named CCHA Player of the Week for the second time this year Nov. 28 after scoring three goals and earning MVP at the Denver Cup Classic. It was his fourth career CCHA weekly honor, as he became the first player this year to win CCHA Player of the Week twice. He tallied his second career hat trick Oct. 14 at Colgate in his first game of the season to lead Miami to the win, which earned him his first CCHA Player of the Week honor Oct. 17. 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. He also scored two goals Nov. 12 vs. Michigan and two goals Nov. 26 at Denver, giving him 12 multi-goal games for his career, which leads active RedHawks. Smith, who is second in the CCHA with 11 goals and is tied for 14th nationally averaging 0.69 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 was also second among returning point-scorers after totaling 54 points a year ago, which tied for seventh in the country en route to earning First-Team All-CCHA and All-America honors from College Hockey News (Second Team) and Inside College Hockey (Third Team).
CLOSE CONTESTS: Of Miami's 18 games this year, 15 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 games not decided by two goals or less were a 4-0 win over Bowling Green Nov. 18, a 6-2 win vs. Providence Nov. 25 and a 5-1 loss at Northern Michigan Dec. 3. The RedHawks are 5-3 in one-goal games in 2011-12 but are just 1-4 in two-goal games, two of which include an empty-net goal late, while Miami also has two ties. 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.
SHORT-HANDY: Miami has four short-handed goals on the year, which ties for fourth in the country, trailing only Boston University (6 SHG), Colgate (6 SHG) and Providence (5 SHG). 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 current junior Reilly Smith each scored a man down. Freshman Austin Czarnik then added Miami's most recent shorty Dec. 3 at Northern Michigan.
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 50 career wins rank third, as he needs five more to tie for second in Miami history and 11 victories to become Miami's all-time winningest goalie, surpassing Burleigh (60). With a win Nov. 25, Knapp moved into sole possession of seventh in Miami history with 33 wins. Reichard sits ninth on Miami's career saves list with 1,763. Reichard and Knapp currently rank second and fourth, respectively, in career save percentage (.913, .910) and second and third in career GAA (2.08, 2.09).
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, and also beat Providence, who's now No. 20, 6-2, Nov. 25 and No. 10 Denver, 4-2, Nov. 26. Miami also already split with Colgate, now No. 12, Oct. 14-15 and fell to then-No. 14 Ferris State (now No. 9) Oct. 21-22 and to then-No. 18 Lake Superior (now No. 15) Oct. 27-28. A total of six CCHA teams are ranked, as the 'Hawks play Michigan again in February and No. 4 Ohio State four times, including twice this weekend. The 'Hawks also face No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Western Michigan and No. 14 Michigan State twice each while also playing at LSSU later this year. Among teams Miami has already played, its opponents combined record is 73-60-17 (.543).
SCORING EARLY AND OFTEN: Miami has scored first in 11 of its 18 games this year, going 7-3-1 in those contests with Miami's only win when it didn't score first coming Nov. 26 at Denver but the 'Hawks still tied the game within the first five minutes. Miami has outscored its opponent 17-13 in the first period this year, scoring within the first 10 minutes of the game nine times this year and four times within the first five minutes.
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 nine of 18 games this season, which ties for 13th in the CCHA. He has a point in 11 of 18 games this year, including five 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 point streaks of four games and three games twice this season.
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.
--MURedHawks.com--
