Games 11-12
Friday, Nov. 2 • 8:07 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 3 • 8:07 p.m.
Baxter Arena (7,500) • Omaha, Neb.

No. 20/RV Miami RedHawks (6-2) at Omaha Mavericks (0-5-1)
TV/Stream: NCHC.tv (stream)/Fox College Sports (Friday)
Radio: 1490 AM-WKBV/Tune In Radio (Greg Waddell-pbp)

MATCHUP
Miami begins NCHC play at Omaha this weekend.
THE SERIES: The RedHawks hold a 20-17-6 all-time record against the Mavericks, though things have shifted since the formation of the NCHC. Omaha is 10-3-3 against Miami since the 2013-14 season, including sweeping the lone series between the schools in Omaha last year.

PUCK POINTS
• All 10 of Miami's newcomers have played at least one game and MU's nine first-year skaters have combined for 21 of the team's 66 points while graduate transfer goaltender Jordan Uhelski has picked up a win in net.

• Miami outshot its opponent in seven of its first eight games and ranks in the national top 10 in shots per game (seventh) and shots allowed per game (10th).

• Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has started 75 of Miami's 81 games since his freshman season in 2016-17. He has allowed one goal or fewer in five of six starts this year.

• At 6-2, the RedHawks are off to their best start since 2009-10 (6-1-1). That was also the last time Miami won seven of its first nine games as that squad began the year 8-1-1.

• Gordie Green has notched 58 points (25g, 33a) in his last 64 games dating back to midway through his 2016-17 freshman campaign.

• All 25 of senior blue liner Grant Hutton's career goals have come since his sophomore year and his goal total is tied for the fifth most all-time among Miami defensemen.

• Senior forward Josh Melnick is 12 points shy of becoming Miami's 52nd player to hit 100 career points.

LAST WEEKEND
Miami wrapped up the month of October by outscoring Colgate 10-1 in a home series sweep. Gordie Green led the way with a combined six points while Josh Melnick added five more over the weekend and Ryan Larkin made 58 saves on 59 shots. The RedHawks got goals from four different skaters in Friday's series opening 4-1 win with Green (1g, 1a), Melnick (1g, 1a) and Derek Daschke (2a) notching multiple points on the night. On Saturday, the Red and White got multi-point outings from Green (1g, 3a), Melnick (1g, 2a), Grant Hutton (2g, 1a) and Alec Mahalak (2a) while Larkin turned aside all 30 shots the Raiders sent his way in an emphatic 6-0 victory. The clean sheet was Larkin's third shutout of the season.

COACH BLASI
Enrico Blasi (Miami '94) is in his 20th season behind the RedHawk bench. He is a five-time CCHA Coach of the Year and was named National Coach of the Year in 2005-06. He is the RedHawks' all-time winningest coach with a 393-290-72 record at his alma mater, which he has taken to 10 NCAA Tournaments, including two Frozen Four berths, a National Championship game appearance, a trio of CCHA regular-season titles and two conference tournament titles.

ABOUT OMAHA: The Mavericks enter conference play winless at 0-5-1, having dropped five straight, with their last four defeats coming by a combined score of 25-8. Fredrik Olofsson leads UNO with eight points (1g, 7a) while Zach Jordan (3g, 3a) and Mason Morelli (3g, 2a) are tied for the team lead in goals. Omaha's power play, which has scored on 22.9 percent of its chances, accounts for eight of the team's 15 goals. Evan Wenninger has started five of six contests in net and holds a 5.01 goals against average with an .872 save percentage.

CONTROLLING PLAY: A catalyst of Miami's 6-2 start to the season has been its ability to control the puck. The RedHawks have outshot their foes in seven of eight games and are seventh nationally in shots on goal per game (34.62) and allow the 10th fewest shots on goal per contest (23.75).

SHUTTING THEM DOWN: Another area of improvement through the first month for Miami has been its defense. The RedHawks' 1.25 goals against per game is tied with Denver for the best figure in the nation. MU has allowed one goal or fewer in six of eight contests, posting three shutouts in that span.

SCORING BY COMMITTEE: Scoring for Miami has been more of a group effort through the first month. Twelve RedHawk skaters have netted at least one goal so far, with four different players (Karch Bachman, Gordie Green, Grant Hutton and Josh Melnick) tied for the team lead with three goals. The RedHawks broke out offensively with 10 goals in their sweep of Colgate after tallying just five goals combined the four games prior.

HE'S SEEN A LOT: Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has been kept busy over his time in Oxford. Larkin's started 75 of the RedHawks' 81 games since his 2016-17 freshman campaign. The Clarkston, Mich., native debuted with a strong .910 save percentage as a freshman and made 30 or more saves 12 times that year. In his career, Larkin has 20 games where he has recorded at least 30 stops. He already owns two of Miami's top eight seasons in total saves with 905 as a freshman (third) and 863 in 2017-18 (eighth). He is off to a strong start this year, posting a nation-leading three shutouts while his 0.83 goals against average and .966 save percentage are the best of all NCAA goaltenders who have started more than two games. He has also earned NCHC Goaltender of the Week twice in four weeks and was named NCHC Player and Goaltender of the Month in October.

GOING GREEN: Junior forward Gordie Green enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign and hopes to build on that after leading the RedHawks with 33 points on 15 goals and 18 assists a year ago. Green's status as a go-to scorer started midway through his freshman campaign as he adjusted to the college level. In his last 64 games dating back to December of 2016, Green has 58 points on 25 goals and 33 assists and his nine points (3g, 6a) this year leads the team.

OFFENSE FROM THE DEFENSE: Senior defenseman Grant Hutton provided Miami with a boom on defense thanks to his return. A year ago, Hutton led all NCAA defensemen with 13 goals, a total that was one off Miami's overall team lead. All 25 of Hutton's goals have come since his sophomore season and his career total is tied with Louie Belpedio for fifth all-time among Miami blue liners. Hutton has seven points on three goals and four assists through eight contests.

CHASING 100: Senior forward Josh Melnick comes into the season looking to build off last year's career-best 29 points (10g, 19a) as he nears a milestone. Melnick is 12 points shy of becoming Miami's 52nd member of the 100-point club with his career totals of 31 goals and 57 assists (88 points).

NEED MORE POWER: One area that is beginning to come around for Miami is its power play. After a 2-for-8 performance on opening night, MU went 20-straight power plays without scoring until Derek Daschke netted the game-winning goal in the third period against UMass Lowell on Oct. 20. The RedHawks have scored a power play goal in three-straight games, netting three power play goals in their last eight man advantages.

CAUSING HAVOC: One player who has shown a knack for creating scoring chances with the potential to lengthen the Miami attack is junior forward Karch Bachman. Despite only scoring nine goals in his first two seasons, the Florida Panthers' 2015 draft pick has finished third in shots on goal each of his first two campaigns with his 97 shots leading all Miami forwards in 2017-18. Through eight games, Bachman has scored three goals, including two game-winners, and leads the team with 31 shots on goal.

PLAYING IT TIGHT: The RedHawks were quite accustomed to playing tight contests as 21 of their 37 games last year (including ties) were decided by two goals or fewer. When Miami was able to keep contests manageable and low scoring, it had some success as evidenced by its collective 8-8-5 record in those situations. Games that opened up were more problematic as MU was 4-12 in games decided by three or more goals. This year, Miami is 5-2 in games decided by at least three goals and won its only one-goal game, 2-1 over UMass Lowell on Oct. 20.

WE'RE STILL HERE: While much was made of Miami graduating defenseman Louie Belpedio and an early departure of Kiefer Sherwood to the prefessional ranks, the RedHawks bring a good amount of last season's production back to the ice this year. Seven of Miami's top nine scorers are on this year's roster, including top scorer Gordie Green and his 33 points. In fact, all four Miami players who netted at least 10 goals are back for another season. That also doesn't account for Ryan Larkin's 36 startsmanning the crease again this year.

NEW FACES: The RedHawks have used a lot of fresh blood on this year's roster. Ten of Miami's 27 players were not on campus a year ago. That group includes a member of the USA National Team Development Program in Ottawa draft pick Jonathan Gruden, six players who played in the USHL last season, two graduate transfers, one NAHL player and one OJHL player. All 10 of the RedHawks' newcomers have suited up in at least two of Miami's first eight games, with seven putting up at least one point and four (Brian Hawkinson, River Rymsha, Derek Daschke and Gruden) recording at least three points thus far.

CHANGE OF VENUE: Among the newcomers to Miami this year are a pair of fifth-year transfers in defenseman River Rymsha (Dartmouth) and goaltender Jordan Uhelski (Alabama Huntsville). The duo are believed to be only the second and third postgraduate transfers in Miami hockey's history as they add another layer of experience to the roster. Uhelski was Alabama Huntsville's starting goaltender the past two years, logging 52 starts since 2016-17. Rymsha played a career-high 28 games at Dartmouth last year and logged 69 games of in four years with the Big Green. The two have already acclimated themselves to Miami, with Uhelski holding a 2.04 goals against average in two starts and Rymsha notching four points (2g, 2a) and a +5 rating in seven games.

A LOOK INSIDE THE BROTHERHOOD: A partnership with the NCHC and Miami hockey's equipment provider, STX, has led to the creation of The Season (Miami Hockey). This six-episode documentary series promises to take fans inside the RedHawks' preparation for the 2018-19 season. The first episode aired on Oct. 4 and fans can check out the episodes throughout the season on TheSeason2018.com.