OXFORD, Ohio-- Sitting in the Champions Room on the event level of the Goggin Ice Center, captain Jack Clement leaned back in his chair and began to explain what made him decide to return to Miami Hockey for a fifth season.
 
However, even before Clement opened his mouth, the writing was on the wall.
 
Literally.
 
Just over his right shoulder, one of the RedHawks' familiar mantras is posted in large silver letters for all to see: I WILL LEAVE THIS PROGRAM BETTER THAN I FOUND IT.
 
Clement believes there's still more he can do to accomplish that goal.
 
"I'm coming back because I want to be a part of leaving this place better than I found it, and I really believe in the people here and what we have going on," the senior defenseman said.
 
"I think we're in a great spot to take a huge step forward next year, and I felt that I could play a big part in a leadership role…
 
"I wanted to be a part of that."
 
Clement has made 130 appearances for the Red and White over the past four seasons, including wearing the 'C' in the 2022-23 campaign, and will likely finish his collegiate career as one of the program's all-time leaders in games played. His continued presence on the back end, along with the return of fifth-year goaltenders Logan Neaton (a Winnipeg Jets draft pick) and Carter McPhail, will help provide crucial veteran experience as the RedHawks look to climb up the NCHC standings next winter.

"Sometimes leaving a program better than you found it isn't something that people are interested in. Jack is one hundred percent interested in that," said head coach Chris Bergeron. "I do think he's left it better than he's found it, but the winning and losing maybe says different, and I think that's what he wants to take care of.
 
"We've got a good foundation in place [in terms of] relationships and trust and people, and now we want to follow it up with results. That's where Jack's mind is at, and that's what makes him a great piece of this thing…
 
"To have Jack say, 'I'm coming back for a fifth year because we've got more to do here': I think it says a lot about him."
 
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Clement is looking forward to writing another chapter in a sport that he's loved and excelled at for most of his life. From getting his start in skating classes at the age of four, to a second-grade trip with his hockey team to Russia, to winning state titles at Brother Rice High School, to helping the NAHL's Shreveport Mudbugs capture the Robertson Cup, to…
 
Wait…Russia?
 
That's quite the road trip for peewee hockey.
 
"Igor Larionov [who won three Stanley Cups as a player with the Red Wings] is from our area, and his son was on our team," Clement explained. "He brought our team over and we played in a 10-day tournament there, which was a really cool experience. My whole family went!"
 
Clement's family includes older sister Madison, who graduated from Miami University in 2020, as well as younger sister Megan, currently a junior at Miami. Those family connections have been a special part of Clement's time on campus in Oxford, as he'll spend all five years of college with one of his siblings also enrolled.
 
"It's definitely nice to have that family aspect here and have a piece of home here," Clement said. "Being a Michigan kid, Miami's always been a school that I had my eye on growing up, with them going to those Frozen Fours…it was always a school that I thought was awesome and loved to watch.
 
"[Coming here] was really a no-brainer…I love this place so much and love the hockey program so much. It's done so much for me."
 
Clement, a four-time NCHC Academic All-Conference selection, will complete his Bachelor's degree in Marketing this spring and is exploring options for a Master's program at Miami, which he anticipates being able to finish by May 2024. The two-time Distinguished Scholar-Athlete, who has over 200 career blocked shots to his credit already, also hopes to use his fifth and final season as a RedHawk as a springboard to a possible professional career to continue pursuing his hockey dreams.
 
"He's a respected player throughout our league, and he plays an honest, high-intensity, high-effort game," said Bergeron of his captain, who was named a finalist for the conference's Sportsmanship Award last month. "As a person, as a student and as a teammate, Jack is a top-level guy.
 
"Usually, the people who get the points are the ones who get recognized. Jack deserves to be recognized for his daily approach to being a student-athlete, and hopefully kids are learning from him, because I think the way he operates is the way you're supposed to operate."
 
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By choosing to come back and use his 'COVID year' of eligibility, Clement will become the first RedHawk to serve as captain in consecutive seasons since Louie Belpedio (2016-17, 2017-18). "It's nice to have a year as captain and then come back as captain, because there's always stuff that you think of when looking back on a season that you could do better," Clement said. 
 
"He's taken on the responsibility with open arms, and I think he's done a great job —in a situation that can sometimes get negative— of staying positive," said Bergeron. "Jack's positivity isn't made up. It's not forced. It's not fake…
 
"He is the voice of our team. He has the ear of all the players. He treats everybody properly and the same; he's just an outstanding person and a great leader."
 
On the ice, Clement has made some unforgettable contributions, including an unassisted game-winning goal in Miami's triumph at No. 19 North Dakota last November to give the RedHawks their first win in Grand Forks since 2017. He hopes quite a few more memorable moments are in store during the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.
 
"There's definitely unfinished business," Clement said. "I care so much about this place and this program. All I want is for this program to be successful…
 
"However many more games left I have, I'm going to take advantage of that and do the best I can to help turn this thing around."

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Season tickets for the 2023-24 Miami Hockey season are available, and fans can renew their season tickets now! For more information, call the Miami Athletic Ticket Office at (513) 529-4295.