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Miami hopes rest on powerful finish

Losses at Michigan make a return trip to NCAA tourney bit less certain.

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12:24 AM Friday, February 10, 2012

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

OXFORD — Miami University’s hockey team has some damage to repair and not much time to do the work.

With a disastrous series at Michigan behind them and only three weekends in the regular season ahead of them, the RedHawks need a strong finish to guarantee themselves a seventh straight NCAA Tournament berth.

The good news is that five of Miami’s final six games prior to the start of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs are at Steve Cady Arena, starting with tonight’s non-league contest against Alabama-Huntsville.

Miami dropped in both the CCHA standings and all-important PairWise rankings after getting swept by the Wolverines 4-1 and 3-0.

The RedHawks are tied for fourth place in the CCHA and all three teams ahead of them (Ferris State, Western Michigan and Michigan) have six league games remaining. Miami has only four, which will make it difficult to earn points and catch up.

The PairWise comparison is more important to Miami’s chances of making the NCAA as an at-large team, and the RedHawks fell from a tie for 10th place to 18th place.

To make matters worse, tonight Miami will be without senior defenseman and captain Will Weber, who received an automatic one-game suspension following his disqualification for fighting in Saturday’s game at Michigan.

It was an all-around bad weekend for Miami. Coach Enrico Blasi wants his players to put it behind them.

“We’ve got to let it go,” he said.

Reilly Smith scored the only goal of the weekend for the RedHawks, who were 0-for-12 on power-play opportunities.

“I just think we didn’t play well, didn’t generate enough chances,” Blasi said, “and when we did generate chances, we didn’t take advantage.

“We’ve got to get better,” he said, “and our focus is getting ready and playing hard, and it doesn’t matter who you play this time of year.”

Alabama-Huntsville has won only two games all season, but one was a 3-2 victory last month at perennial- power Denver.

“They also took Maine to overtime last week and played Duluth hard,” Blasi cautioned. Minnesota Duluth, the defending national champion, barely got past Alabama-Huntsville two weeks ago, winning 2-1 and 4-3.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Weekend series

Who: Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (2-26-1) at Miami RedHawks (15-13-2, 11-11-2-1 CCHA)

When: 7:35 tonight; 7:05 p.m. Saturday

Where: Steve Cady Arena, Oxford

TV: ONN both days

Radio: WMOH-AM (1450) Saturday only

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