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Though polls place the No. 10 Miami University men's ice hockey team well ahead of No. 17 Michigan State University, the upcoming series in East Lansing, Mich. is bound to be closer than those numbers convey.
The RedHawks, now 4-3-3 on the season and 4-2-2-1 in conference play, will take to the road November 14-15 to spar with the Spartans, who are 4-2-2 overall and 2-2-2-2 in the CCHA.
Facing off against MSU may be something akin to looking in a mirror for the young Miami squad, as both teams possess similarly youthful line-ups.
"We're probably pretty similar in the fact that we have some key players that are in a key situation very young," Miami head coach Enrico Blasi said. "Theirs happens to be more on the defense and a couple of forwards, but I think it's just one of those things where you have to be ready to play your best, no matter who you're playing."
The Green and White lost eight talented players to graduation and the professionals at the conclusion of 2007-08 and has worked to incorporate 11 freshmen into the line-up this season. Comparably, the 'Hawks lost nine of their own at the end of last year and have since welcomed eight newcomers into 'the brotherhood.' Inconsistencies in both teams' records for 2008-09 evidence the fact that these adjustments are a process and won't happen overnight.
"We're a work in progress," Blasi said. "We're just trying to find our game right now, and sometimes we look real good and sometimes we don't look as good. It's just a matter of getting better and making sure that we are a little bit more consistent in our play and our effort."
One major point that the Red and White have struggled with over the last couple of weekends has been keeping up the intensity necessary to pull off a sweep of their opponents rather than settling for a split. Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Miami fell 2-1 to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks in game 1 before finding a fire that would rally them to a 5-0 shutout the following night. Last weekend saw the same situation in reverse as the 'Hawks pulled out a 3-2 shootout victory Friday night, only to skate flatly to a 2-1 loss in the series clincher.
Last year, Miami swept the Spartans on the road with a total tally of 7-3 on the series. Victories like that are distinct possibilities for this year's squad too, as evidenced by the brotherhood's dual defeat of 2007-08 national runner-up Notre Dame on the road earlier this season. Based on recent play, however, Miami will need to put forth a consistent, effort in order to realize the potential for a weekend win to happen.
"We still need to improve in a lot of areas," senior captain Brian Kaufman said. "Some things really stuck out this weekend. The main thing is that we need to win all of our individual battles and compete hard for all 60 minutes. We showed what kind of team we are capable of being for five minutes here and 10 minutes there, but we need to be able to keep that intensity up for the entire game."
The Spartans have kept a strong front throughout all seven of their home contests this season, suffering only one loss against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Oct. 16.
While Michigan State and Miami match up similarly on record and team composition, another comparison can also be drawn between the teams' styles of play.
From a national standpoint, the teams rank closely in both scoring defense (MSU is 8th and Miami is 15th) and combined special teams (Miami 6th and MSU 12th).
"Both teams are pretty much split down the middle," Kaufman said. "We each play with a defense first philosophy. Past history tells us it should be a pretty even series."
Veteran net minder and senior captain Jeff Lerg, who was a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season and who currently boasts a .944 save percentage, backstops the Spartans. Couple that talent with a blue-line crew that contains the leadership of two of the team's three alternate captains and the Green and White boast a formidable defensive line-up.
"We're playing a team that's very good defensively with big defensemen where you're going to have to earn your space offensively," Blasi said. "When that happens, it becomes a very physical game."
Though historically a defense-oriented team, Miami's squad has been showcasing some serious offensive talent in 2008-09, a facet that may give Blasi's boys just the extra edge they need to break down Lerg and company.
Currently, sophomores Pat Cannone and Carter Camper are one-two in the CCHA for overall scoring with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Cannone also leads the CCHA in assists at nine, with Camper and freshman Chris Wideman tied for third at seven each. Junior Gary Steffes is also in a four-way tie for first in goals with 5, and Camper and Cannone are tied for fifth place with four goals each.
If there's anything the first few weeks of this season have shown CCHA hockey fans, it's that anything can happen.
"Our league is very even right now, so every game is crucial and anybody can beat anybody," Blasi said. "You have to make sure that you're taking care of business and gaining points as you go."
The RedHawks will take their business to Michigan State this weekend and endeavor to retain their perch atop the CCHA standings. The puck is set to drop at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday night.
