Miami RedHawks (2-7-1) vs.
Western Michigan Broncos (2-6-2)
Saturday, Jan. 2 | 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 3 | 5:00 p.m.
Lawson Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
All-Time Series vs. WMU: 68-70-12 (Lost last meeting, 4-8, on Mar. 7, 2020)
WATCH | GAME NOTES | @MiamiOH_Hockey

OXFORD, Ohio. – The Miami University ice hockey team continues the 2020-21 season this week as the RedHawks take on Western Michigan in the first game of the regular travel portion of the schedule to open 2021.

PUCK POINTS:

• Freshman Ludvig Persson recieved his second career win and shutout during the final week of Pod action, stopping 26 shots en route to a 3-0 upset win over Denver on Thursday night.
• The shutout win over the Mavericks was the fourth shutout out of five in the Pod, and the first time the Pioneers were been held scoreless.  
• The freshmen for Miami continued to see the scoresheet, with Robby Drazner recording his first career goal, and Matthew Barbolini leading the team in points (6) and assists (4). 
• Matt Barry, Phil Knies, and Ben Lown all also added to their offensive production, including seeing the scoresheet against Denver. Knies, the RedHawk captain, recorded his first goal on the season against the Pioneers, and all three contributed to the second goal to secure the victory.
• Persson continues to shine in his first season in the NCAA. His save percentage (4th, .962) and goals against average (6th, 1.19) are in the top-10 nationally, ahead of all other NCHC goaltenders. For his efforts, the Swede was awarded the NCHC Goaltender of the Week for two weeks in a row, making him the first repeat award winner for the conference this season.

LAST TIME: Miami ended the Pod with one of the toughest schedules in the country, which included four games against top NCHC foes. After being falling to Denver during the first week, the RedHawks saw themselves with an opportunity for a rematch in week three. After being the first one to get on the board on Thursday, the Pioneers never responded to the Miami offense, and the RedHawks secured their second win on the season. The RedHawks met the Colorado College Tigers for the first time this season in the final week, and took them to a shootout on Saturday evening, where the Tigers got the extra point. Miami ended the 2020 portion of the schedule in the Pod with a game against top-ranked North Dakota, where Miami fell 6-2 before traveling back to Oxford for the holiday break.

ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN: Western Michigan went 2-6-2 in the three weeks of action in the NCHC Pod, and saw two wins in a row during the second week against St. Cloud (2-1) and Colorado College (5-2). After graduating three of their top five scorers from 2019-20, the Broncos heavily rely on  junior forward Drew Worroad (2g, 8a, 10p in 2020-21), and seniors Paul Washe (5-4-9) and Josh Passolt (3-6-9) to get things started. After losing starting goaltender Brandon Bussi to to injury in the Pod, WMU has looked to goaltender Austin Cain to take up more minutes in net, as he has has started ten games on the WMU schedule so far this year. Being offensively led by three seniors and two juniors returning from last season, the Broncos currently have 1 NHL draft pick on their roster, defenseman Ronnie Allard (1-5-6) for Philadelphia. 

QUITE A DEBUT: With ten games on the docket so far this season, all seven of the RedHawk rookies saw action in at least one game. Defensemen Hampus Rydqvist and Robby Drazner, along with forward Matthew Barbolini both scored their first career goals, Barbolini and Robby Drazner both have assists to their names, and goaltender Ludvig Persson has two wins and two shutouts already in his career.. Barbolini has seen time on the top line for the RedHawks, and and Rydqvist has seen time as a top pairing on defense. With his .962 save percentage and 1.19 GAA, Persson is the top-ranked rookie goaltender in NCAA Division 1 hockey, ranking first among freshmen goaltenders in both statistical categories. Persson was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Week for both 12/14 and 12/21.

MAKING SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL: One spot Miami looks for a resurgence is in its penalty kill as it ranked 54th out of 60 teams nationally last season with a 75.4 percent kill rate. Even though the RedHawks didn't see success on the PK, Miami did see success with the man advantage on the power play. Miami's current penalty kill rate of 87.1% (27-for-31) on the 2020-21 season is ranked 11th in the NCAA, ahead of NCHC foes like North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth.

THE LINEMATE CONNECTION: After not seeing much on the scoresheet in the first two weeks of NCHC Pod play, Phil Knies, Ben Lown, and Matt Barry saw action on the same line together against Denver. Barry and Knies both scored against the Pioneers, and Lown collected two assists, leading the RedHawks to the upset win. Lown, a senior from Califronia, also blocked pivotal shots from the dynamic Denver squad.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: After a large senior class graduation and a bunch of other departures, there are many holes in the Miami lineup, and that's where the big freshman class comes in. With three forwards, three defenders, and one goaltender, the freshman class for 2020-21 is one of the most geographically diverse classes in Miami history. The rookie class includes: 

• Robby Drazner: Defender/Buffalo Grove, Ill. (Nanaimo Clippers, BCHL)
• Hampus Rydqvist: Defender/Gothenburg, Sweden (Maryland Black Bears, NAHL)
• Michael Holland: Forward/Charlotte, N.C. (Boston Jr. Bruins, NCDC)
• Brian Silver: Forward/Lake Bluff, Ill. (Omaha Lancers, USHL)
• Dylan Moulton: Defender/Nolensville, Tenn. (Green Bay Gamblers, USHL)
• Matthew Barbolini: Forward/Williamsville, N.Y. (Lincoln Stars, USHL)
• Ludvig Persson: Goalie/Hindas, Sweden (Lone Star Brahmas, NAHL)

TOUGH COOKIES TO CRACK: With the NCHC sporting four teams ranked in the USCHO.com poll, and two more recieving votes, the RedHawks figure to once again play one of the most difficult schedules in the country this season. The league is also already home of the past four national champions, which means that its success will come down to how it performs against the top teams in the nation. Last year, the Red & White played 11 games against teams that finished in the top 15 (2-8-1) and 16 against teams that finished in the top 20 (3-11-2). Miami met the #1 and #3 ranked teams in the country in the first week of action. The RedHawks have already seen both victories over a ranked teams this season, getting a 1-0 win over #17/RV Omaha on December 12, and a 3-0 shutout victory over #8/7 Denver on December 17.

BACK BEHIND THE BENCH: Chris Bergeron (Miami '93) continues his tenure, and is on second season as a head coach. After starting fresh in Oxford, Bergeron and his staff finished the 2019-20 season (his first) with a 8-21-5 overall record.Before returning to Oxford, Bergeron went 171-154-44 in nine seasons as Bowling Green's head coach, leading the Falcons to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 in his final season in 2018-19. BGSU posted 20 or more victories in Bergeron's final five seasons at the helm. Prior to going to Bowling Green, Bergeron spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Miami and helped the Red & White go an astounding 226-139-37 during his tenure. The RedHawks qualified for six NCAA Tournaments and reached the Frozen Four in Bergeron's last two seasons as an assistant, including a national runner-up finish in 2009. As a player, Bergeron spent two years as team captain and helped Miami capture its first CCHA title in 1992-93, posting 61 of his 120 career points that season.

The 2020-21 Miami ice hockey season is proudly sponsored by Kroger and Cintas.