The RedHawks are no longer in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). This is a fact, but those 11 words were on full display this weekend at Goggin Ice Center.
The RedHawks, then No. 1 in the country, opened up a new era of hockey in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) when they lost 4-2 to the University of North Dakota, then and current No. 6.
The RedHawks then fired back Saturday with a 6-3 win to split their opening conference series.
This kind of hard-nosed hockey should become the norm.
The RedHawks will face off against highly-ranked teams all year, unlike last year when the 'Hawks only currently ranked conference opponents were the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan, and Lake Superior State University.
Things are going to be different for the Brotherhood this year.
In the most recent poll from USCHO.com, the RedHawks were the highest ranked NCHC team in the country, at third, but the RedHawks have plenty of company in the poll.
North Dakota is ranked sixth, St. Cloud State University is ranked 10th, the University of Denver is 17th in the country and the University of Minnesota Duluth, Colorado College and Western Michigan University all received votes. The University of Nebraska-Omaha was the only NCHC team to not receive any votes, but it began the year with votes before losing early in the season.
The RedHawks' tough schedule should prepare them for the NCAA tournament, where they have not advanced to the Frozen Four since the 2009-10 season, and have only won one NCAA tournament game in the same span (last year in the first round).
With a schedule full of ranked opponents, Miami should be better prepared to face the caliber of opponents it should see in the NCAA tournament, when the time for single elimination games arrives.
This weekend, the RedHawks take on the No.8 Providence College Friars. ESPN's John Buccigross, who releases his own "Cawlidge Hawkey" ranking each week via Twitter, has the 'Hawks and Friars ranked second and third in the nation.
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Whichever poll you look at, this will be another test for the RedHawks, their second top-ten matchup in as many weeks.
The RedHawks' next three opponents, Providence, Canisius College, and the University of Wisconsin were all in the NCAA tournament last year. Eight of the ten remaining NCAA opponents on the RedHawks' schedule have received votes this season to be included in the top 20 poll on USCHO.com.
The RedHawks faced off against 16 different teams last season (including the NCAA tournament) and in the USCHO's final poll, just seven of those teams were ranked, and only two of those teams (Notre Dame and St. Cloud State) were in the top ten.
The RedHawks aren't going to have any Alaska's or Northern Michigan's on their schedule now that they're in the NCHC, but after seeing the response the 'Hawks gave Saturday night after a loss, I think it's fair to say they're up for the challenge.
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