Games 25-26
Friday, Jan. 25 • 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 26 • 7:05 p.m.
Steve 'Coach' Cady Arena (3,019) • Oxford, Ohio

Miami RedHawks (9-11-4, 3-7-2-1 NCHC) vs. Colorado College Tigers (8-12-3, 2-7-2-0 NCHC)
TV/Stream: NCHC.tv
Radio: 1490 AM-WKBV/Tune In Radio (Greg Waddell-pbp; Drew Davis-analyst)

MATCHUP
Miami finishes up its four-game home stand with its second series of the year against Colorado College this weekend.
THE SERIES: Miami split a series in Colorado Springs in November and leads the all-time series 10-8-2.

PUCK POINTS
• Miami's freshman class has combined for 51 points (12g, 39a), 13th most in the country.

• Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has started 87 of Miami's 97 games since his freshman season in 2016-17. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 18 starts this year.

• Gordie Green has notched 67 points (31g, 36a) in his last 80 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.

• The RedHawks have allowed the first goal in eight-straight games and held the lead just once (for 9:23) in that span.

• Miami has been tied or within a goal at some point in the third period in eight of 10 games during its current winless streak.

• Senior forward Josh Melnick has missed the past four games (all losses) after missing only one game his first three seasons. He was riding a career-best seven-game point streak (3g, 5a) and became the 52nd Miami player to clear 100 career points on Jan. 5.

LAST WEEKEND
The RedHawks suffered their second-straight series sweep and the first at home after getting blanked twice by defending national champion Minnesota Duluth over the weekend. Friday saw MU surrender a shorthanded goal late in an otherwise even first period of play before UMD struck for three goals 1:29 apart early in the second period. The RedHawks were outshot 37-23 in the setback. On Saturday, Jordan Uhelski put together a strong performance with 36 saves in goal for the Red & White, but Miami was held to a mere 17 shots. Trailing 1-0 after the first, MU went on a few power plays in the second, but a blocked shot by UMD created a penalty shot that Justin Richards converted to make it a 2-0 contest. The Bulldogs scored a putaway goal early in the third to extend the RedHawks' winless streak to 10 games.

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 396-299-76 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: The Tigers sit 8-12-3 and have eight points in NCHC play (eighth place). After having its Friday contest against Denver postponed due to snowy road conditions, CC played a 4-4 tie against DU on the road on Saturday. The Tigers are 1-6-1 in their last eight games, however, though their last three contests all went to overtime. CC's offense has nine players with at least 11 points, paced by Westin Michaud's 17 (8g, 9a). Mason Bergh (5g, 10a) netted three of CC's four goals against MU in the team's November series. Alex Leclerc has started the bulk of the team's contests in goal, notching a 2.73 goals against average with a .910 save percentage.

THERE WHEN YOU NEED HIM: Graduate transfer goaltender Jordan Uhelski has provided depth in net of late. After starting just two of the RedHawks' first 15 games, Uhelski has appeared in six of MU's past nine games (four starts). He has been particularly sharp in his past five appearances (three starts), making 30 or more saves three times and posting a 2.19 goals against average along with a .933 save percentage.

PLAYING CATCHUP: Miami has found itself chasing the game during its 10-game winless streak (0-6-4). MU has trailed at some point in all 10 of those contests and surrendered the first goal nine times, including eight-straight outings. The Red & White have led for just 28:52 out of a possible 500 minutes of hockey in this stretch. The RedHawks' last lead came on Jan. 4 when they took a 2-1 first period lead on Providence, a lead that lasted 9:23.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: As usual, the meat of the NCHC schedule has done no favors to Miami as it has played eight-straight games against teams in the top 16 of the Pair Wise. That doesn't figure to change as eight of last 12 games come against schools that are ranked in the top 16 of the PairWise. MU is 0-6-3 against teams in the PairWise top 16 this year. Miami's remaining slate two road games each at No. 1 St. Cloud State, No. 3 Denver and No. 4 Minnesota Duluth along with a home set against No. 14 Western Michigan. The RedHawks are 11-41-12 against PairWise top-16 schools since 2015-16 after going 9-10 against them in their last NCAA appearance in 2014-15.

SHOTS GETTING FIRED: More rubber has been getting to the Miami net since the first month of the calendar 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 14 of its last 15 games, giving up at least 30 shots on goal 14 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 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	0-6-4	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 48 points this season (11g, 37a). That group is led by Derek Daschke's 16 points (4g, 12a) and Grant Hutton's 13 (4g, 9a).

FRESH FACES LEADING THE WAY: With eight freshmen on the roster, the opportunity 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 51 points (12g, 39a), which is the 13th most nationally. Derek Daschke paces the newcomers with 16 points along with a +11 rating.

HE'S SEEN A LOT: Junior goaltender Ryan Larkin has been kept busy over his time in Oxford. Larkin's started 87 of the RedHawks' 97 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 27 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 2,248 career saves rank fourth in school history.

BIG LOSS: Senior forward Josh Melnick has missed the last four games due to injury after missing just one game in total over his first three years. He had perked up since a slow start, notching 17 of his team-best 19 points in his last 14 contests. He became the 52nd player in school history to reach 100 career points in his last game played on Jan. 5. He was riding a career-best seven-game point streak before the injury. His next point will tie him with Pat Leahy and Mitch Ganzak for 50th in program history with 101 career points.

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 80 games dating back to December of 2016, Green has 67 points on 31 goals and 36 assists and his 18 points (9g, 9a) this year rank 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 13 points on four goals and nine 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 86 shots on goal.

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. Uhelski holds a 2.26 goals against average and .922 save percentage in six games and Rymsha has six points (3g, 3a) in 23 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.