By listening to ESPN announcers Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose during the televised broadcast of Miami University's hockey games this weekend, you'd have sworn that New Hampshire and Boston College were the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and the RedHawks were Emilio Estevez's Mighty Ducks.
It didn't matter that the 'Hawks took third place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association; they were still given the same chance that Rocky would've had against Apollo if the Italian Stallion had to fight with salmonella poisoning he got from the raw eggs he chugged.
Even in the victory over New Hampshire, the RedHawks were never described as talented, fast or good, but rather as gutsy, pesky and tough.
Perhaps fourth-seeded teams don't deserve to be peppered with praise about their ability, or perhaps the 5-0 shellacking that Boston College hammered the 'Hawks with in the first round of the tournament last year was still fresh in the
announcers' minds.
One thing is for sure, it's clear that Miami is still regarded as an afterthought on the national stage.
In the hierarchy of the college hockey world, the BC's, North Dakota's, Michigan's and Minnesota's are the ruling elite, while "second-tier programs" like Miami gaze up in wistful admiration of them.
After Sunday's loss to the Eagles, Miami captain Ryan Jones - the personification of the RedHawks' hard-nosed style - said that although the players are disappointed in being sent home, they're proud of their performance in Manchester.
As they should be.
After all, they did beat the Northeast region's No. 1 seed in the
first round.
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Nevertheless, a sense of frustration was notably absent in Jones. Just a couple hours after a shutout loss in the Northeast regional, ending Miami's Frozen Four bid for the second consecutive season, Jones seemed at peace with the reality of the situation.
And more than anything, his attitude reaffirmed the notion that the 'Hawks were in fact playing with the house's money.
If they won, awesome. If not, no big deal.
Without a doubt, Miami longs to be considered an elite program. They wish that annual berths in the Frozen Four were a birth rite, like it is for the cream of the hockey crop.
After 29 years of playing in Division I, they're finally on the cusp of achieving this rank, which is why the complacency that Jones spoke with should've been replaced with frustration.
The win over the Wildcats was absolutely a watershed moment for the program, but it shouldn't be viewed as a mitigating circumstance for feeling OK about the loss to Boston College.
Last year, when Miami was in the midst of tearing through its CCHA foes, Associate Athletic Director Steve Cady told me that when he was hired to be the first head coach of the Miami hockey team, he promised that Miami would one day be crowned national champions.
Although the RedHawks have yet to cash in on the promise that Cady made, it's awfully difficult not be impressed with the strides they've made.
After earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament just twice in its first 25 years of existence, Miami has secured a berth in three of the last four seasons. And while the team might not have the depth of some other teams, the fact that Miami has boasted a Hobey Baker finalist in consecutive seasons - forward Nate Davis this season and defenseman Andy Greene last season - is testament that talent does indeed skate in Oxford.
Having high expectations can be a burden to lug around. The stakes are raised and the pressure increases. Victories become expected and losses are treated as unacceptable. In college hockey, not every team is able to harbor these expectations with being realistically able to make good on them.
The RedHawks are fortunate enough to be one of those teams. Here's to hoping they'll realize it.
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