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Miami RedHawks Hockey Hosts Western Michigan in the 2020-21 Home Opener

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Hockey

The Miami University ice hockey team continues the 2020-21 season this week as the RedHawks take on Western Michigan in the home opener for the 2020-21 season.

THE SERIES: The all-time series is tied by a 70-70-12 margin. The 'Hawks are 2-7-1 in the last ten games against the Broncos, and the series this weekend are the third and fourth meeting of the two teams so far in the 2020-21 season.

PUCK POINTS

  • Freshman Ludvig Persson recieved his third and fourth career win and shutout during the weekend at Western Michigan, stopping a combined 58 shots, and allowing only two goals.
  • Persson's performance gave him his third straight NCHC Goaltender of the Week honor, becoming just the second goaltender in conference history to win the award three times in row. Persson continues to shine in his first season in the NCAA. His save percentage (3rd, .963) and goals against average (5th, 1.13) are in the top-10 nationally, ahead of all other NCHC goaltenders. 
  • The freshmen for Miami continued to see the scoresheet, with Joe Cassetti recording his first two Miami career goals, and Hampus Rydqvist getting his second goal on the season. Matthew Barbolini is currently second on the RedHawks in points (7) and assists (5).
  • Matt Barry, Phil Knies, and Ben Lown all also added to their offensive production, including seeing the scoresheet in both games against the Broncos. Knies and Barry both recorded three points on the weekend, with Lown added his first goal of the season in the Saturday game.

ABOUT LAST WEEK: Miami kicked off the regular travel portion of the schedule with a bang against Western Michigan, winning both games 3-1 and 5-1, respectively. The road sweep in Kalamazoo marks the first road sweep for the RedHawks since January 2016, and the Friday win at Lawson marks their first win at the Broncos' home since December of 2017. Derek Daschke scored his team-leading third goal of the season in the first game of the weekend, with Knies scoring the eventual game winner to seal the deal. The RedHawks offense continued to explode on Saturday, with the line of Knies, Barry, and Lown combining for five points, and Cassetti and John Sladic scoring their first goals on the season. Rookie Robby Drazner collected his second of the season, capping the biggest offensive effort from Miami so far this season.

ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN: Miami and Western Michigan met last weekend, and the Broncos only got on the score sheet twice in the series, with Ethen Frank and Luke Grainger getting the goals. After graduating three of their top five scorers from 2019-20, the Broncos heavily rely on junior forward Drew Worroad (2g, 9a, 11p in 2020-21), and seniors Josh Passolt (3-6-9) and Frank (7-2-9) 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 twelve 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 (1-6-7) for Philadelphia. 

QUITE A DEBUT: With twelve games on the docket so far this season, all seven of the RedHawk rookies saw action in at least one game. Drazner, Barbolini, Rydqvist, and Cassetti have all scored their first career goals so far this season, and Drazner and Barbolini both have assists to go with their goals. With his .963 save percentage and 1.13 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 12/14, 12/21, and 1/4.

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 86.5% on the 2020-21 season is ranked 15th in the NCAA, ahead of NCHC foes like North Dakota, Denver, and Minnesota Duluth. The RedHawks saw some improvement on the power play against Western Michigan, scoring three power play goals last weekend.

THE LINEMATE CONNECTION: After not seeing much on the score sheet in the first two weeks of NCHC Pod play, Phil Knies, Ben Lown, and Matt Barry continued to see action on the same line against the Broncos. The line with upperclassmen combined for eight points total, leading the RedHawks to the road sweep. 

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 receiving 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.