Going into Friday's game against Vermont, the RedHawks are the No. 4 team in the country. This season the 'Hawks have been predicted by the CCHA coaches to win the conference.
Kicking off the 2007-08 season, the Miami University hockey team prepares to put their best skate forward when they face off against the University of Vermont at Steve Cady Ice Arena Friday and Saturday night.
The RedHawks, who ended their season last year 24-14-4 overall and 16-8-4 in the CCHA, received 471 points to lock down the fourth spot behind University of North Dakota, Boston College and Michigan State University in the USCHO.com/CSTV national poll.
"We're excited to get the season going, and are looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead," said three-time CCHA Coach of the Year Enrico Blasi, who recently received a 10-year contract extension that will keep him in Oxford as head coach of the RedHawk squad through the 2016-17 season.
Looking within the CCHA, Miami was picked by the 12 coaches in the CCHA as the preseason favorite to win the conference. Members of the media picked Miami to finish second in the CCHA, behind defending national champion Michigan State.
As their quest for another CCHA championship begins, the RedHawks welcome back 20 players, including both starting goaltenders and all eight defenseman. The 'Hawks also returned Captain Ryan Jones and the leading-point scorer from last season, Nathan Davis. Davis last season was just one of nine players in the nation to reach the 50-point mark.
"Their leadership (Jones/Davis) is extremely important to the rest of the team," Blasi said. "They make sure our message is clear and consistent and this is only effective when you have captains like we do."
Jones and Davis will be responsible for leading the entire RedHawk team, especially the five new freshmen who joined the Red and White this season. The recruiting class has been ranked seventh in the nation, according to Inside College Hockey (INCH).
"(The first-years) work hard and seem to fit quite well with the culture Enrico Blasi has created around the rink," senior goaltender Charlie Effinger said. "I am expecting they will impact the rest of the team right from day one."
The men's college hockey Web site lists two members of the RedHawks' first-year class among its best individual players. Carter Camper is ranked by INCH as the nation's 12th-best freshman forward and Vincent LoVerde is listed as the 19th-best defenseman.
"I see some really talented offensive ability with the new guys," Davis said. "They are great goal scorers, and I think they will play a huge role in helping us with some problems we may have had last year."
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Fresh talent is going to be extremely important for the RedHawks who face a challenging schedule ahead, with contests against Vermont, Ohio State University and Michigan State within just the first month of the season.
The Michigan State Spartans also bring back 20 players from a team that captured the school's third national championship last season. However, the 'Hawks are not concerned with looking ahead because they understand they have to be on top of their game regardless of who they are playing.
"We are going to face teams with all different strengths and weaknesses," Davis said. "The biggest thing for us is to play to their strengths and do what we do best as a team."
A driving force behind the RedHawk's success has been their strength at the goaltender position guided by assistant coach Jeff Blashill, who specifically works with the team's goalies and special teams units. Miami boasts two all-CCHA goaltenders in Effinger and Jeff Zatkoff, as both have proven to be reliable goalies. The 'Hawks remain confident both will be able to get the job done, regardless of who is in the goal.
"It's one of those areas that only one guy can play at a time," Blasi said. "But I truly believe that we have one of the best tandems in the country."
Focusing on their preparation on and off the ice, the Red and White has mainly been building upon its approach to the game, eliminating distractions and trying to maintain its consistency in order to ensure a victorious season.
"We're not concerned anymore about whether we are good enough," Davis said. "Those worries are gone. Now it's just a matter of trying to figure out as a team what it takes to win on a daily basis. We are not taking games off this year."
The puck will drop at 7:35 p.m. Friday night, while Saturday's game will have an 8:05 p.m. start time.
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