(above) Miami will be ready to meet Denver on Friday afternoonFrom: Oxford Press
by Pete Conrad
More than once this season the Miami University hockey players decided it might be best to stare straight ahead, to stay focused on their next game, their next practice, their next breath.
Because if they let their eyes wander, they might see the buzzards circling overhead.
Miami is the team that refuses to go quietly. Forget the fact that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the RedHawks. Forget the five-game losing streak in January. Forget the injuries and illness. Forget the team's 8-9-2 record since the Christmas break. Forget their failure to get past the second round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.
In their own minds, the 13th-ranked RedHawks are taking a full head of steam into this weekend's NCAA tournament first-round game against the fourth-ranked Denver Pioneers.
"That's our mentality," said senior forward Brian Kaufman, Miami's team captain. "We're good enough to have (an NCAA berth), let's not waste it."
"This time of year we can put the wins and losses behind us and focus on one game," said sophomore forward Carter Camper, Miami's leading scorer with 20 goals, 19 assists for 39 points.
The bad times for the 2008-09 RedHawks, according to Kaufman, serve only to make them stronger.
"This team definitely has been through the most adversity of any Miami team I've played on," he said. "It's something we pride ourselves on, dealing with adversity. I think that will help us in the long run.
"This year we've had some key injuries, and in some games we played hard and did not get good bounces," Kaufman noted. "We've seen it all."
The worst was Miami's 3-1 loss to Northern Michigan, at home, in the deciding game of their CCHA tournament quarterfinal series.
"We didn't end the season the way we wanted to, or the playoffs," Camper said. "It's definitely nice to get a second chance."
by Pete Conrad
More than once this season the Miami University hockey players decided it might be best to stare straight ahead, to stay focused on their next game, their next practice, their next breath.
Because if they let their eyes wander, they might see the buzzards circling overhead.
Miami is the team that refuses to go quietly. Forget the fact that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the RedHawks. Forget the five-game losing streak in January. Forget the injuries and illness. Forget the team's 8-9-2 record since the Christmas break. Forget their failure to get past the second round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.
In their own minds, the 13th-ranked RedHawks are taking a full head of steam into this weekend's NCAA tournament first-round game against the fourth-ranked Denver Pioneers.
"That's our mentality," said senior forward Brian Kaufman, Miami's team captain. "We're good enough to have (an NCAA berth), let's not waste it."
"This time of year we can put the wins and losses behind us and focus on one game," said sophomore forward Carter Camper, Miami's leading scorer with 20 goals, 19 assists for 39 points.
The bad times for the 2008-09 RedHawks, according to Kaufman, serve only to make them stronger.
"This team definitely has been through the most adversity of any Miami team I've played on," he said. "It's something we pride ourselves on, dealing with adversity. I think that will help us in the long run.
"This year we've had some key injuries, and in some games we played hard and did not get good bounces," Kaufman noted. "We've seen it all."
The worst was Miami's 3-1 loss to Northern Michigan, at home, in the deciding game of their CCHA tournament quarterfinal series.
"We didn't end the season the way we wanted to, or the playoffs," Camper said. "It's definitely nice to get a second chance."
4 comments:
Miami is good but not great. Denver should win this one.
Miami has been inconsistent but has some strong talent.
DU will need to work the speed game and play sound defense.
DU has played the tougher schedule and should be the favorite. I think DU wins 4-2.
one is that you can be sure coach Blasi will have them 100 percent ready. I was at the 04 springs tournament game when Berkhoel saved our azz with two unbelievable acrobatic saves. I saw Blasi in the hotel about an hour later and he was spitting nails.Even though we are the superior team we will have to match their intensity or have a good chance of losing.
We got our asses whipped last year in the 1st round by Sconnie, who was not an elite team. DU would be making a huge mistake overlooking Miami. This is the playoffs where anything can happen.
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