While the Miami University ice hockey team still tries to get the awful taste of once again falling short in the NCAA Tournament out of its mouth, it's also time for the team to move on.
The last lines of the book Friday Night Lights read, "The season had ended, but another one had begun. People everywhere, young and old, were already dreaming of heroes." This coming after the Permian Panthers had just lost their chance at a state title-a title that was supposed to be theirs.
The RedHawks find themselves in a very similar predicament. We can sit around discussing how for the third straight year, the Boston College Eagles took us out of the tournament, or how in the world one of the top ranked defenses in the country allowed three goals in under two minutes. We could find fault with the team, or we could turn our attention to the 2008-09 season where just like in Odessa, Texas-the home of the Panthers-the stakes will be high months before the first game is even played.
When you find yourself a powerhouse like the 'Hawks-maybe not a dynasty yet-people expect you to win year in and year out. The Red and White had the most wins of any team in Division-I this year but will not make the trip to Denver. So take those 32 wins, throw them out and let's go back to the drawing board.
Miami seems to have a bright future ahead. With players like Andy Miele, Tommy Wingels and Carter Camper all just completing their freshmen year, the RedHawks will maintain their potent offense. Defensively the RedHawks will lose some big names, like Mitch Ganzak and Brad Robbins, but keep their best all-around defensive player in Alec Martinez.
However, the biggest hole that head coach Enrico Blasi will need to fill is the team leader. The heart and soul of the Miami RedHawks is gone.
Literally-he's left for the NHL already.
Two-year captain Ryan Jones will prove to be the biggest hole to fill. This isn't a bold prediction on my part; the guy led the nation in goals scored and is in the top three finalists for the Hobey Baker award.
My question is who will lead the RedHawks in 2008-09? Is there a sophomore worthy of making a run as a two-year captain or will a junior need to step up for his last season on the ice?
Looking at the roster, there aren't too many sophomores that I would give the "C." Dane Hetland is a sophomore but I'm pretty sure I've seen more ice time then he has in his playing career; same can be said for Brandon Smith. Jon Whitacre, the lovable goalie fans love to chant into games when the RedHawks are up 8-0 is probably a long shot as well. So the only two sophomores left are Jarod Palmer and Gary Steffes. Both are solid players, but don't possess the leadership capabilities needed to take charge of one of the nation's top teams.
I also don't think a freshman is ready to lead this team, so that shortens the list just a bit. My vote for the next captain of the RedHawks is this past year's alternate captain Kevin Roeder. While he isn't a goal scorer-and let's be honest, neither was Andy Greene-Roeder has the capabilities to lead the team. Like Jones, if one of his players takes a cheap shot against the boards, Roeder will sacrifice his body to make sure he defends his player. After all, my favorite sign in Goggin history-"Guns don't kill people, Roeder does"-does not stretch the truth by any means.
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Miami is set for another run at a Frozen Four appearance come 2008-09, and while the team is losing its two top players in Jones and Nathan Davis, it seems adequately prepared to take on the challenges even without the NHL-bound stars.
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