Games 13-14
Friday, Nov. 16 • 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 17 • 8:00 p.m.
World Arena (7,380) • Colorado Springs, Colo.

No. 20/RV Miami RedHawks (8-4, 2-2 NCHC) at Colorado College (4-5-1, 0-4 NCHC)
TV/Stream: NCHC.tv (stream)
Radio: 1490 AM-WKBV/Tune In Radio (Greg Waddell-pbp)

MATCHUP
Miami's conference slate resumes as it heads to Colorado College this weekend.
THE SERIES: The RedHawks are 9-7-2 all-time against the Tigers, though CC went 2-1-1 against MU last year, going unbeaten in the final three meetings.

PUCK POINTS
• The RedHawks' defense ranks fourth in the country with 32 points (8g, 24a), led by Grant Hutton's 10.

• Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has started 79 of Miami's 85 games since his freshman season in 2016-17. He has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of 10 starts this year.

• Miami's freshman class has combined for 27 points (5g, 22a), fifth most in the country.

• Gordie Green has notched 61 points (28g, 33a) in his last 68 games dating back to midway through his 2016-17 freshman campaign.

• Fifteen different skaters have scored Miami's 35 goals this season.

• All 26 of senior blue liner Grant Hutton's career goals have come since his sophomore year and his goal total is fifth most all-time among Miami defensemen, one behind Andy Greene & Joe Cook for third all-time.

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

LAST WEEKEND
The RedHawks stood toe-to-toe with No. 11 North Dakota and came away with a weekend split at home. On Friday, Miami found itself in a 2-0 hole after 20 minutes, but a Ryan Siroky deflection put the Red & White on the board and within a goal just before the close of the second period. Despite getting two power plays, MU was unable to draw closer and a UND empty net goal sealed the RedHawks' 3-1 setback in the series opener. Saturday was a different story as Josh Melnick connected on the power play in the first period to stake Miami to a 1-0 lead, which held going into the third period. North Dakota found the tying goal early in the frame, but Casey Gilling tipped home his first goal of the season with 10:23 left to snap the tie. Gilling's forward faceoff win then sprung Karch Bachman's insurance tally with 3:40 left, which marked Gilling's third point of the night. North Dakota drew within a goal with 22.8 seconds left, but got no closer thanks to a 36-save outing from Ryan Larkin in a 3-2 victory.

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 395-292-72 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 COLORADO COLLEGE: Conference play has been tough sledding for the Tigers as they drew No. 2 St. Cloud State and No. 1 Minnesota Duluth in consecutive weekends to start out 0-4 in the NCHC (4-5-1 overall). CC was riding a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) and a 4-1-1 start to the season up until that point. Senior Trey Bradley (3g, 6a) and junior Nick Halloran (4g, 5a) pace an offense that averages 3.2 goals per game while junior Alex Berardinelli tops the team with five goals. Alex Leclerc is CC's go-to goaltender as he holds a 2.16 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in nine starts.

SHUTTING THEM DOWN: Another area of improvement through the first month for Miami has been its defense. The RedHawks' 1.83 goals against per game is fifth nationally. MU has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of 12 contests, posting three shutouts in that span.

OFFENSIVE BLUE LINE: Miami's defense has been an area of strength and that has gone beyond keeping the puck out of its net. The RedHawks' blue line has posted 32 points this season (8g, 24a) a total that ranks fourth in the nation. That group is led by Grant Hutton's 10 points (4g, 6a) and Derek Daschke's nine (2g, 7a).

FRESH FACES LEADING THE WAY: With eight freshmen on this year's roster, the oportunity was going to be there for new players to make an impact and that's what has happened. The RedHawks' freshman class has combined for 27 points (5g, 22a), which represents the fifth-best total nationally. Derek Daschke paces the newcomers with nine points along with a robust +11 rating.

SCORING BY COMMITTEE: Scoring for Miami has been more of a group effort. Fifteen RedHawk skaters have netted at least one goal so far, with six different players (Karch Bachman, Gordie Green, Grant Hutton, Phil Knies, Josh Melnick and Ryan Siroky) netting at least three goals, led by Green's six.

HE'S SEEN A LOT: Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has been kept busy over his time in Oxford. Larkin's started 79 of the RedHawks' 85 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 22 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). His 2,025 career saves rank seventh in school history, 26 shy of Jeff Zatkoff for sixth. He is off to a strong start this year, posting a nation-leading three shutouts while his 1.61 goals against average and .941 save percentage rank eighth among all NCAA goaltenders. He has also earned NCHC Goaltender of the Week twice in four weeks and was named NCHC Player and Goaltender of the Month as well as National 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 68 games dating back to December of 2016, Green has 61 points on 28 goals and 33 assists and his 12 points (6g, 6a) this year leads the team.

HUTTON FOR GOALS: 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 26 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 10 points on four goals and six assists this season. His next goal will tie him with Andy Greene and Joe Cook for third most in school history among defensemen.

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 eight points shy of becoming Miami's 52nd member of the 100-point club with his career totals of 32 goals and 60 assists (92 points).

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. Bachman has scored four goals, including three game-winners, and is second on the team lead with 37 shots on goal.

GAMES OPENING UP: 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 and went 8-8-5 in those instances as opposed to 4-12 in games decided by three goals or more. Things have been much different this year as MU has played just three games decided by less than three goals (2-1 in those instances). Miami is 6-3 in games decided by three or more goals this season.

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 starts manning 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 10 games, with eight putting up at least one point and four (Brian Hawkinson, River Rymsha, Derek Daschke and Gruden) recording at least four 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 all six episodes on TheSeason2018.com.