No. 20 Miami Hosts Chargers in Non-Conference Series
2/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Feb. 8, 2012
Game Notes vs. Alabama-Huntsville 
THE GAME
No. 20 Miami (15-13-2, 11-11-2-1 CCHA) begins a five-game home stand by hosting Alabama-Huntsville (2-26-1) Friday and Saturday in its final non-conference games of the regular season. Puck drop Friday is set for 7:35 p.m. while Saturday's game is at 7:05 p.m. both at Steve Cady Arena. The games are Miami's first against an unranked foe since Dec. 2-3 at Northern Michigan. Saturday's game is both Swoop's Stoop night, as the team will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned off to raise money for the program founded by senior goalie Cody Reichard, and Skate with the 'Hawks night.
The RedHawks sit in a tie for fourth place in the CCHA with No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 15 Ohio State, but Miami plays out of the league this week while the other two play conference games. The 'Hawks were swept last weekend at then-No. 7/8 Michigan, falling 4-1 Friday and 3-0 Saturday. Friday, the Wolverines scored three first-period goals while junior forward Reilly Smith notched Miami's lone tally. Saturday, the RedHawks were blanked for just the second time all season (Oct. 22 at FSU). Smith leads Miami with a CCHA-best 20 goals, which is third nationally, and has a team-high 28 points. Freshman forward Austin Czarnik is second on the team with 23 points, including a team-high 16 assists. Senior goalie Connor Knapp leads the CCHA with 1.86 GAA, which ranks third nationally.
The Chargers are the only independent team in Division I men's ice hockey. UAH's wins came over then-No. 10 Denver Jan. 6 and Dec. 2 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, both of the WCHA, while its tie was vs. Air Force Oct. 21. Last weekend, the Chargers nearly upset Maine on Friday, leading 3-0 after two periods but the Black Bears rallied and won in overtime, 4-3, before topping UAH, 5-0, Saturday. Two weeks earlier, the Chargers went toe-to-toe with then-No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth, dropping two one-goal games. Kyle Lysaght leads UAH with 13 points and seven goals while Justin Cseter has a team-high eight assists and is tied for second on the team with 12 points with Mac Roy.
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 277-182-48 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.
Chris Luongo (Michigan State '89) is in his second season as the head coach of Alabama-Huntsville, where he has compiled a record of 6-52-3. He spent two years as the top assistant coach at UAH, helping them to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2010, before taking over the head job and was also an assistant coach at Wayne State for two years before that. He played four years at Michigan State and several years of professional hockey, including time with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.
THE SERIES
Miami is 6-1-0 all-time against the Chargers, first playing in 1988-89, which was a split in Huntsville. The teams last met in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, which Miami won, 2-1. The RedHawks are 4-0 all-time against UAH at home with sweeps during the 1989-90 and 2003-04 seasons. Miami has won each of the last six games against the Chargers after dropping the first-ever meeting.
QUICK HITS
- Junior forward Reilly Smith has scored 20 goals on the year, which ranks first in the CCHA and is five more than anyone else in the league. He also ranks third nationally while his 0.71 goals per game is fourth nationally. He also has a team-best 28 points, which is fourth in the CCHA.
- Junior forward Reilly Smith has seven game-winning goals this year, which leads the CCHA and ties for first in the country. He also ties for second in Miami single-season history in game-winners, and needs one more to tie the school record of eight held by Tim Leahy, who set the mark in 1996-97. Smith has 11 career game-winning goals, which ties for third in school history and needs one more to tie for second with Andy Miele (2007-11).
- Senior goalie Connor Knapp leads the CCHA with a 1.86 GAA, which ranks third nationally.Since the start of 2012, Knapp has played in eight games (seven starts) and has a 1.17 GAA, a .952 save percentage and two shutouts while going 5-2-0.
- The RedHawks are 4-2 in non-league games this year, splitting with Bemidji State and Colgate to start the year while beating Providence and Denver Nov. 25-26 to win the Denver Cup.
- Saturday is Skate with the 'Hawks night after the game. Miami will also wear special Swoop's Stoop jerseys, which will be auctioned off on MURedHawks.com starting Sunday. Senior goalie Cody Reichard will be recognized prior to the game for his work with Swoop's Stoop.
UP NEXT
Miami returns to CCHA play by hosting No. 9/9 Notre Dame Feb. 17-18 in the teams' only regular-season meetings. Friday's game is at 7:35 p.m. while Saturday's is at 7:05 p.m., both at Steve Cady Arena.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Both games this weekend will be televised on ONN as Dave Allen will handle play-by-play and Neil Sika will provide color commentary. Both games will also be on radio with the "Voice of Miami Hockey" Greg Waddell calling the action, as both nights will air on WKBV-AM 1490 while Saturday's game will also be on WMOH-AM 1450. As always, the games will be streamed live on MURedHawks.com as well through the All-Access subscription package.
CODY'S ALL CLASS: Senior goalie Cody Reichard was named one of just five finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, given to college hockey's finest citizen regardless of gender or division, on Feb. 2. He is one of just two finalists from Division I men's ice hockey. One day earlier he was named one of 10 finalists for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for ice hockey. The winner of both awards will be announced on April 6 at the Frozen Four. As part of Cody's foundation, Swoop's Stoop, the team will wear special jerseys Saturday vs. Alabama-Huntsville that will be auctioned off on MURedHawks.com to help raise money for the foundation. To be considered for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS award, a senior student-athlete must exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. To learn more about Swoop's Stoop, click here.
SMITH IS MR. CLUTCH: Junior forward Reilly Smith has a career-best seven game-winning goals this year, which ties for the NCAA lead. It also ties for second in Miami single-season history, one behind Tim Leahy's eight in 1996-97. He also ties for third in career game-winners at Miami with 11, needing one more to tie Andy Miele for second all-time. Smith scored four goals, including his second hat trick this year and third career, in a sweep of then-No. 8 Western Michigan Jan. 20-21. He scored both game-winners as well and earned Inside College Hockey National Player of the Week Jan. 23 for his efforts, the second RedHawk to win it in three weeks (Connor Knapp), while also claiming CCHA Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this year (only player to do so) and fifth time in his career. He leads the CCHA with 20 goals overall (five more than anyone else) and ranks third nationally, as he 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). This year, Smith has won CCHA Player of the Month for both November and January, and earned CCHA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year Nov. 28 after scoring three goals and earning MVP at the Denver Cup Classic. He tallied his first hat trick this year 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 13 multi-goal games for his career, which is more than all other active RedHawks combined.
KNAPP TIME: Senior goalie Connor Knapp saw his six-game winning streak snapped Jan. 27 in a 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan. He had not allowed more than one goal in five straight games from Jan. 6 to Jan. 21. In six starts in January, Knapp posted a 0.83 GAA while allowing just five goals and pitching both of his shutouts this year (Jan. 7 at Michigan State and Jan. 21 vs. Western Michigan). He has 10 shutouts for his career now. Knapp's GAA has dropped to 1.86, which is third nationally and first in the CCHA while his 1.74 GAA in CCHA play also leads the league with his .929 save percentage in CCHA action ranking third. Knapp ranks fifth in Miami history with 39 career wins, as well. Knapp arguably had the best weekend of his career Jan. 6-7, helping Miami sweep then-No. 15 Michigan State on the road. Starting both games on the same weekend for the first time since his freshman year, he made 33 saves on 34 shots in an overtime win Jan. 6 before stopping all 20 shots that came his way Jan. 7 for his ninth career shutout and first this year. For his efforts he was named Inside College Hockey (INCH) National Player of the Week and CCHA Goaltender of the Week for the first time in his career. He then won CCHA Goalie of the Week again just two weeks later after giving up just one goal in a sweep of then-No. 8 Western Michigan Jan. 20-21.
SMITH JOINS THE CENTURY CLUB: With an assist Jan. 28 against Northern Michigan, junior forward Reilly Smith became the 47th player in Miami history to tally 100 career points. He added a goal later in the game and now sits at 102 points, which ranks 45th all-time. He accomplished the feat in just 108 career games. He was then named RBC Finanacial Group CCHA Player of the Month for January, his second time winning the award in three months, also winning it for November. He potted seven goals and totaled 10 points in eight games in January while posting a +5 rating. He also recorded his third career hat trick during the month and scored four game-winning goals.
REICHARD LIKES CLEAN SHEETS: With a 16-save shutout Jan. 28 against Northern Michigan, senior goalie Cody Reichard tied the Miami school record for career shutouts of 12, also held by David Burleigh ('03). The 12 clean sheets tie for third in CCHA history as well, as he needs one more to tie for second in CCHA history with Michigan's Josh Blackburn, who pitched 13 from 1998-2002. It was Reichard's second whitewash of the year and the fourth for the RedHawks as classmate Connor Knapp has the other two and 10 career shutouts. All four shutouts have come in CCHA play, which ties for the most in the league, while the duo is tied for third in the CCHA in whitewashes.
FANTASTIC FROSH: Miami's freshman forwards have been contributing greatly on offense this year, as Tyler Biggs, Blake Coleman, Austin Czarnik, Jimmy Mullin and Alex Wideman have combined for 32 of Miami's 81 goals on the year, which is 39.5 percent of Miami's scoring, while all seven freshmen combined have 74 points, which is 34.3 percent of Miami's points. Three different freshmen scored in a win vs. Ohio State Dec. 9 -- the only time that's happened this year -- while at least one has scored a goal in 18 of 30 games. Miami newcomers have collected five CCHA Rookie of the Week awards (the most of any team), the most recent of which went to Coleman after a one-goal, two-assist weekend vs. Northern Michigan Jan. 27-28. Czarnik has won it three times, earning his third CCHA Rookie of the Week award for his four-assist weekend vs. WMU Jan. 20-21. Czarnik was also named CCHA Rookie of the Week twice in November becoming the first CCHA freshman to win it three 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 after Biggs was CCHA Rookie of the Week Nov. 7, dishing out two assists at Alaska Nov. 4-5. Czarnik is second on the team with 23 points and leads the team with 16 assists, which also leads all CCHA newcomers. The 23 points rank second in the CCHA among freshmen and tie for 19th among all CCHA players. Mullin and Coleman are both second on the team with eight goals and tied for ninth in the league among freshmen with 15 points. Czarnik is also 16th nationally among freshmen with 0.79 points per game.
CLOSE CONTESTS: Of Miami's 30 games this year, 22 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. Of the eight games decided by more than two goals, five were Miami wins, including four shutouts, while two of the three losses came in three-goal losses at Michigan Feb. 3-4. The RedHawks are 7-6 in one-goal games in 2011-12 after going 1-5 last year, but are just 3-4 in two-goal games, two of which include an empty-net goal late, while Miami also has two ties. Miami has five wins in 15 games this year when scoring two goals or less (all 2-1 wins), something it hadn't done since March 27, 2010, a 2-1 win over Alabama-Huntsville in the NCAA Tournament, as the 'Hawks were 0-6-4 when scoring two goals or less last year.
STRONG SCHEDULE: Miami faces a tough schedule in 2011-12, including eight teams currently ranked in the USCHO.com Poll. The RedHawks are 9-9-1 vs. ranked teams, including five victories over top-10 teams and two sweeps (No. 15 Michigan State and No. 8 Western Michigan). Miami has also beaten No. 4/5 Michigan, No. 9/10 Denver and No. 4/4 Ohio State for its other top-10 wins. A total of eight CCHA teams are ranked, as the 'Hawks still play No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 15 Ohio State in February. Among teams Miami has already played, its opponents combined record is 176-145-54 (.543).
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 shares the Miami record of 12 career shutouts with David Burleigh ('03) while Knapp has 10 for his career, as each have two this season. Reichard's 51 career wins rank third, as he needs four more to tie for second, while Knapp ranks fifth in Miami history with 39 wins. Reichard sits ninth on Miami's career saves list with 1,844. Knapp and Reichard currently rank second and third, respectively, in both career save percentage (.915, .912) and career GAA (2.00, 2.11) behind Jeff Zatkoff at .927 and 1.96.
DISTINGUISHED DEFENSEMEN: Miami's strength this year has been its defense as the RedHawks are second in the CCHA allowing just 2.21 goals per game in league play, including four shutouts, and rank 10th nationally allowing 2.33 gpg overall. Miami has claimed CCHA Defenseman of the Week three times this year with a different player winning each time. Most recently, senior Cameron Schilling claimed the honor Jan. 9, the second of his career, after dishing out two assists, blocking four shots and helping Miami go 13-for-13 on the penalty kill in a sweep at No. 15/15 Michigan State, including a shutout Jan. 7. Junior Steven Spinell won the honor for the week of Dec. 5-11 after helping Miami's penalty kill go 10-for-11 in a split with No. 4/4 Ohio State while assisting on Miami's game-winning goal. He was also +4 in Miami's win over OSU Dec. 9 and blocked five shots on the weekend to earn his first CCHA honor. Senior Chris Wideman won the award for the week of Nov. 14-20. He dished out three assists in a win and tie against Bowling Green. He also helped Miami pitch its first shutout of the year Nov. 18. Wideman posted a +4 rating on the weekend, as well. It was his third career CCHA Defenseman of the Week award.
SCORING EARLY AND OFTEN: Miami has scored first in 19 of its 30 games this year, going 13-5-1 in those contests. Miami's only two wins when it didn't score first were Nov. 26 at Denver, when the 'Hawks still tied the game within the first five minutes, and Jan. 13 at Lake Superior, when Miami tied it less than four minutes later. Miami has scored within the first 10 minutes of the game 12 times this year and six times within the first five minutes.
SHORT-HANDY: Miami has six short-handed goals on the year, which ties for sixth in the country. Senior Matt Tomassoni has two of Miami's shorties despite scoring just four goals all year. His latest came Dec. 9 in a win at Ohio State while he also scored the game-winning goal Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State short-handed in the third period. He is tied for the CCHA lead and eighth nationally in scoring short-handed. 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 added another shorty Dec. 3 at Northern Michigan as he and Tomassoni gave Miami short-handed goals in back-to-back games. Smith then scored a short-handed goal Jan. 20 vs. Western Michigan, which was the game-winner.
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. On Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State, Alex had an assist on Chris' game-tying power play goal while on Jan. 28 vs. Northern Michigan, Chris assisted on a goal by Alex in the third period.
GOING POLLING: Miami fell out of both national polls Oct. 31 for the first time since Oct. 17, 2005, a span of 145 polls, but are back in the USCHO.com Poll for the fourth straight week, coming in at No. 20. For the second time in three years, Miami started the season ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, marking the 21st time in the last 66 polls that the 'Hawks have held the top spot, doing so 18 times in 2009-10 and twice last year. Miami was also selected No. 1 in the College Hockey News Preseason Top 10 and the Preseason INCH Power Rankings.
--MURedHawks.com--
