Games 15-16
Friday, Nov. 23 • 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 24 • 7:00 p.m.
Whittemore Center (6,501) • Durham, N.H.

No. 19/RV Miami RedHawks (9-5, 3-3 NCHC) at New Hampshire Wildcats (1-6-3, 1-3-2 Hockey East)
TV/Stream: UNH Wildcat Productions YouTube
Radio: 1490 AM-WKBV/Tune In Radio (Greg Waddell-pbp)

MATCHUP
Miami's takes a break from conference play with a road series at New Hampshire this weekend.
THE SERIES: The Wildcats hold a 6-5-1 lead in the all-time series, though this is the first meeting between the programs since the 2011 NCAA Tournament (3-1 New Hampshire win).

PUCK POINTS
• Miami's freshman class has combined for 33 points (6g, 27a), tied for fourth most in the country.

• The RedHawks' blue line has posted 35 points on 10 goals and 25 assists, a total that ranks seventh nationally.

• Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has started 81 of Miami's 87 games since his freshman season in 2016-17. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of 12 starts this year.

• Miami has allowed at least 30 shots on goal in five-straight games after doing so just twice in its first nine contests.

• All 26 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. His 10 points (4g, 6a) are tied for sixth among NCAA blue liners (third in the NCHC).

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

• A win would give Miami 10 victories prior to December for the first time since going 10-4 in the season's first two months in 2014-15.

LAST WEEKEND
The RedHawks picked up their third-straight series split when they went to Colorado College. Ryan Larkin put on a stellar display of goaltending in both contests, opening the series by stopping 29 of 31 CC shots on Friday. While Karch Bachman struck in the second period to tie things up, the Tigers got a late second period goal and Alex Leclerc stopped 29 of 30 shots as CC took game one 2-1. The RedHawks jumped out front 2-0 on goals by River Rymsha and Derek Daschke on Saturday, but the Tigers countered with a pair of second period goals by Mason Bergh to leave things all even at 2-2. Larkin made 34 saves and had several big stops in the third to send the game to overtime, where Casey Gilling netted the overtime winner to lift Miami to the 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 396-293-72 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 NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Wildcats' 2018-19 season has been a story of close, but no cigar. While UNH sits 1-6-3, all but two of its contests have been either ties or one-goal games, the only exceptions being meetings against No. 4 UMass. Max Gildon and Charlie Kelleher lead the Wildcats with identical 1-9-10 scoring lines while Ara Nazarian paces them with five goals. New Hampshire has called upon sophomore Mike Robinson the most in goal and he holds a 2.62 goals against average with a .911 save percentage.

SHUTTING THEM DOWN: Another area of improvement through the first month for Miami has been its defense. The RedHawks' 1.86 goals against per game is fifth nationally. MU has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of 14 contests, posting three shutouts in that span.

SHOTS GETTING FIRED: More rubber has been getting to the Miami net since the calendar switched to November, although Ryan Larkin has proven equal to the task of being the last line of defense. MU has been outshot in five-straight games, giving up at least 30 shots on goal in each instance after outshooting its foes in eight of its first nine outings when it was ninth nationally in shots on goal allowed per game (23.33).

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 35 points this season (10g, 25a) a total that ranks fourth in the nation. That group is led by Derek Daschke's 11 points (3g, 8a) and Grant Hutton's 10 (4g, 6a).

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 33 points (6g, 27a), which represents the fourth-best total nationally. Derek Daschke paces the newcomers with 11 points along with a robust +12 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 eight different players (Karch Bachman, Derek Daschke, Gordie Green, Grant Hutton, Phil Knies, Josh Melnick, River Rymsha 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 81 of the RedHawks' 87 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 23 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 2,088 career saves rank sixth in school history, 48 shy of Richard Shulmistra for fifth. This season, his 1.67 goals against average sits seventh nationally and his .941 save percentage rank sixth 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. His three shutouts are also tied for the national lead.

CHASING 100: Senior forward Josh Melnick has perked up offensively since a slow start. After notching just two points in the first six games of the year, Melnick has notched 11 of his team-best 13 points in the last eight contests. He is six points away from becoming the 52nd Miami skater to reach 100 career points as he has 32 goals and 62 assists in his career.

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 70 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.

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 in each of his first two campaigns with his 97 shots leading all Miami forwards in 2017-18. Bachman has scored five goals, including three game-winners, this season and leads the team lead with 49 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 only five MU 14 games have been decided by less than three goals (3-2 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.

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 five points (3g, 2a) and a +2 rating in 13 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.