Games 19-20
Friday, Jan. 4 • 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 5 • 7:00 p.m.
Schneider Arena (3,030) • Providence, R.I.

No. 16/RV Miami RedHawks (9-6-3, 3-3-2-1 NCHC) at No. 10/10 Providence Friars (11-4-3, 6-1-2 Hockey East)
TV/Stream: Providence Live Stream
Radio: 1490 AM-WKBV/Tune In Radio (Greg Waddell-pbp; Bridgette Proulx-analyst)

MATCHUP
The RedHawks return to action by starting off their second half at Providence this weekend.
THE SERIES: The Friars claimed a 4-0 victory over the Red & White in the Ice Breaker back in October and holds a 10-5-2 lead in the all-time series. MU is 1-7-2 in its last 10 meetings with PC.

PUCK POINTS
• Miami's freshman class has combined for 41 points (9g, 32a), t-ninth most in the country.

• Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has started 83 of Miami's 91 games since his freshman season in 2016-17. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 14 starts this year.

• Gordie Green has notched 64 points (28g, 36a) in his last 74 games dating back to midway through his 2016-17 freshman campaign.

• 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).

• The RedHawks have gone to overtime in four of their last five games (1-0-3).

• Miami has allowed a power play goal in five-straight games, killing off just 14 of 21 (66.7 percent) of opponent's power play in that span. MU allowed just eight power play goals in its first 13 contests.

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

FIRST HALF RECAP
The RedHawks soared out of the gates with a 6-2 record in October and eventually bumped that record to 7-2 by opening NCHC play with a road win against Omaha. Miami split its first three league series before a quick trip to New Hampshire that saw it go 0-1-1. The Red & White proved their mettle against No. 1 St. Cloud State to close the first half, putting up a pair of ties and nabbing three league points from the Huskies in the process. MU's defensive play (2.17 goals against per game; 11th nationally) and goaltending have been big catalysts as Ryan Larkin ranks fourth in the country with a .936 save percentage while his 1.89 goals against average sits ninth nationally. Karch Bachman's seven goals lead the team and match his total from last season while Josh Melnick and Gordie Green have tallied six each. On the blue line, freshman Derek Daschke's 12 points rank third among freshman defensemen while Grant Hutton also has 10 points.

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 396-294-75 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 PROVIDENCE: The Friars sport 11-4-3 record and are tied for third in Hockey East with 13 points. Junior Josh Wilkins paces PC with 21 points (6g, 15a) as his 1.31 points per game ranks 11th in the country. Kasper Björkvist's nine goals lead the team as he is another of the eight Providence skaters with 10 points or more. Senior goaltender Hayden Hawkey is the team's anchor in goal, starting 17 of 18 contests and boasting a 1.88 goals against average (7th nationally) and a .916 save percentage along with four shutouts.

SHUTTING THEM DOWN: One area of improvement through the first two months for Miami has been its defense. The RedHawks' 2.17 goals against per game is ninth nationally. MU has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 18 contests, posting three shutouts this season.

SHOTS GETTING FIRED: More rubber has been getting to the Miami net since the first month of the seasoncalendar switched to November, although Ryan Larkin and Jordan Uhelski have proven equal to the task of being the last line of defense. MU has been outshot in eight of its last nine games, giving up at least 30 shots on goal eight times 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).

STUCK ON NINE: For whatever reason, Miami has found itself struggling to get results once it's hit nine wins the last few seasons, something that has continued since the RedHawks moved to 9-5 with a Nov. 17 win at Colorado College.

	Record at 9th W	Record after	Final Record
2016-17	9-11-6	0-9-1	9-20-7
2017-18	9-8-2	3-12-3	12-20-5
2018-19	9-5	0-1-3	N/A

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 40 points this season (10g, 30a). That group is led by Derek Daschke's 12 points (3g, 9a) and Grant Hutton's 10 (4g, 6a).

FRESH FACES LEADING THE WAY: With eight freshmen on the 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 41 points (9g, 32a), which is tied for the ninth most nationally. Derek Daschke paces the newcomers with 12 points along with a robust +10 rating.

SCORING BY COMMITTEE: Scoring for Miami has been more of a group effort this season. Fifteen RedHawk skaters have netted at least one goal so far, with 10 different players (Karch Bachman, Scott Corbett, Derek Daschke, Casey Gilling, Gordie Green, Grant Hutton, Phil Knies, Josh Melnick, River Rymsha and Ryan Siroky) netting at least three goals, led by Bachman's seven.

HE'S SEEN A LOT: Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has been kept busy over his time in Oxford. Larkin's started 83 of the RedHawks' 91 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 24 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 2,131 career saves rank sixth in school history, five shy of Richard Shulmistra for fifth. This season, his 1.89 goals against average sits ninth nationally and his .936 save percentage rank fourth 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. He is also tied for third in the country with three shutouts.

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 15 of his team-best 17 points in the last 10 contests. He is two points away from becoming the 52nd Miami skater to reach 100 career points as he has 34 goals and 64 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 74 games dating back to December of 2016, Green has 64 points on 28 goals and 36 assists and his 15 points (6g, 9a) this year is second on 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 seven goals, including three game-winners, this season and leads the team lead with 71 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 eight of MU's 18 games have been decided by less than three goals (3-2-3 in those instances). Miami is 6-4 in games decided by three or more goals this season.

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 his last two years, logging 52 combined starts in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Rymsha played a career-high 28 games at Dartmouth last year and logged 69 games in four years with the Big Green. The two have already acclimated themselves to Miami, with Uhelski holding a 2.21 goals against average and .915 save percentage in five starts and Rymsha notching six points (3g, 3a) and a +3 rating in 17 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.