Heavy Hitter
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Feb. 11, 2002
One thing Miami junior forward Chris Knupp has always enjoyed doing is hitting opponents with a punishing body check. After two seasons with the RedHawks, Knupp has been given the green light by head coach Enrico Blasi to do as much damage to the other team and also provide some leadership and leverage as the point-man on the RedHawks penalty-killing unit.
"(Chris) is the kind of kid that is a real pleasure to coach because he will do anything you tell him to do," Blasi says. "His role on the penalty kill has been very important to us this season. You can always count on Knupp to hit someone and disrupt the power play."
Despite its 4-7-1 record since the Michigan series (Dec. 7-8), in terms of preventing its opponents from scoring on man-advantage situations, Miami has been on a tear. In the last 12 games, Knupp and his fellow penalty killers have wiped clean 53 of 60 RedHawk penalties. Knupp's straightforward, business-like attitude is a prime reason why he has become one of the RedHawks' best penalty killers this season.
"When I'm out on the point, my main objective is to get in the way and prevent the guy from shooting the puck," Knupp says. "I try to stay in the shooting lane while at the same time taking away any passes they might have -- you know, prevent the back-door pass for any easy goal. The basic idea when penalty-killing is to wait for or force the opponent to make a mistake."
Knupp and the RedHawk penalty-killing unit are ranked third in the CCHA, killing penalties at a .882 clip. Not only is the man-down team preventing opponents from scoring but it is also creating scoring opportunities. Although Miami has only scored three short-handed goals this season, Knupp continues to play aggressively on the penalty-kill forecheck.
"On the forecheck I try to press hard and eat as much time off the clock as possible," Knupp says. "The longer I can keep them in their zone, it gives our defenseman time to get back, and maybe create a scoring opportunity at the same time."
With his one goal and four assists this season, Knupp now has 14 career points (7-7-14) in 90 games. His roles as a heavy-hitting forward and solid penalty-killer have developed since his arrival at Miami in 1999. Prior to becoming a RedHawk, Knupp played for the Chicago Freeze of the North American Hockey League and built himself a reputation as being a dangerous scorer.
Knupp finished 13th in the NAHL in scoring with 59 points and was named Chicago's team MVP. His 34 goals, 14 of which were power-play tallies, were fourth in the league and helped earn him a spot in the NAHL All-Star Game. However, even with the Freeze, Knupp was beginning to develop his short-handed expertise as he finished tied for the league lead with four short-handed goals.
"Playing for the Freeze was fun because it allowed me to live at home and be relatively close to my family while playing in juniors," Knupp says. "The assistant coach with the Freeze, Brent Brecky, had a lot to do with me getting here (Miami)."
Behind every great college athlete there is an equally great set of parents, and this more than holds true for Knupp. After dealing with the gruesome travel itinerary of a junior hockey player, Knupp's parents continue to be regular shows at most of his collegiate contests as well.
"My parents have been great because they've always made as many of my games as they possibly can," Knupp says. "They do a really good job of that and have always been very supportive of my hockey. Even when I was in juniors and playing all the time they were able to make quite a few road trips."
All it takes is five minutes with Knupp to realize he is a well-rounded athlete and can do more than just skate. Knupp, a two-year letterwinner in golf at Crystal Lake Central High School, was given every opportunity by his parents to try out a host of other sports.
"It seemed like in high school there was always a different sport for a different season," Knupp says. "My uncles were both wrestlers so of course I fooled around with that for a little while. Then there was track, cross country, golf, swimming, the list just goes on and on."
But it's hockey that has always been in Knupp's blood. Most of that is probably due to the fact that he isn't a true native of Crystal Lake, Ill., but of Boston, Mass.
"Being in that area drew me to hockey," Knupp says. "Hockey was big up there, so that's pretty much where I got started with the pushing of the chair around the ice thing, just like any kid."
Since then Knupp has grown into a hard-hitting 5-8, 195-pound staple in the RedHawk lineup. The consummate team player, Knupp works hard everyday in practice and during games, willingly allowing his teammates to do the scoring, just so long as he can enjoy the feeling of crushing his opponents against the Goggin Ice Arena boards on occasion.
"Scoring and a good body check provide two different kind of rushes," Knupp says. "I think hitting is my favorite, then scoring and penalty-killing. It's fun to lay that big hit on some guy, especially when you're not the biggest guy out there on the ice."
Story by Media Relations Assistant Ryan Erb