For the fourth time in as many years, the Miami University men's hockey team (20-12-5) will compete in the NCAA tournament for a shot at the national championship. In 2008, eventual national champion Boston College bested the RedHawks 4-3 in overtime for a third straight year in the Eastern Regional. This year, the Red and White was placed in the West Regional bracket, and Boston College is out of the post-season picture altogether, giving the brotherhood a fresh chance at the coveted national title.

"I was obviously very pleased (that we made the NCAA tournament)," said Miami head coach Enrico Blasi. "It gives us a chance to play again. I think anytime you make the national tournament it's a successful season, and when you look at our resume as a whole, from the beginning to the end I think you can see that we had a pretty good year with a pretty young team. Have we had our disappointments? Yeah, absolutely. Have we had some ups? Absolutely. I think a lot of quality wins early and some good wins late against Ohio State and obviously Northern (Michigan). We're pleased to be playing and we've just got to make it happen."

The RedHawks will face off Friday against Denver University in the regional semifinal. The Pioneers share a certain kinship with Miami in head coach George Gwozdecky. Gwozdecky led the 'Hawks from 1989-94 and coached Blasi while he skated for the Red and White from 1990-94. Both then transferred out west, and from 1995-99 Gwozdecky served as head coach at Denver University with Blasi as his assistant coach. Finally, Blasi returned to Oxford in 1999 to assume his position as head coach of the RedHawks and began building the brotherhood into the successful and respected program that it is today.

"You can look at a lot of things that Denver does, and I would say that most people may think that we play similar styles of hockey," senior Justin Mercier said. "At the same time, I don't think that that gives one an advantage over the other. I know Coach Rico has learned a lot from his mentor, Coach Gwozdecky, so it's going to be an interesting match-up."

The West Regional will be held at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Denver, the No. 1 seed, holds a ledger of 23-11-5 on the season, while the No. 4 seeded RedHawks are 20-12-5. No. 2 Minnesota Duluth and No. 3 Princeton round out the bracket with records of 21-12-8 and 22-11-1 respectively.

"We haven't been out West for a few years," Blasi said, "but I think at this time in the season it doesn't really matter where you go. You have to play your best and every team in the field can win a national championship."

Creation of the national bracket required a lot of extra shuffling this year, as four of the 16 teams selected to compete are from the CCHA. University of Notre Dame and University of Michigan punched their tickets to the NCAA tournament weeks back, and Miami landed just inside the bubble, but in the end it was Ohio State that was really granted a Cinderella chance to go skate to skate with the nation's best in pursuit of a title.

Denver is no stranger to the NCAA tournament with 20 appearances and seven national titles under its belt. The Red and White is making its seventh all-time appearance and has advanced to the second round each of the past two years. The 'Hawks first gained an NCAA tournament bid in 1992-93 under Gwozdecky, senior captain Chris Bergeron and junior captain Blasi. This year, although Miami's program may appear inexperienced when measured up next to Denver's numerous appearances, the RedHawks are led by the winningest senior class in school history--a group of players who have also earned experience skating on the national stage every year since they came to Oxford.

"I think that we have a lot of experience going into the tournament," Mercier said. "Everyone except for our freshmen has gone there before, so we know what it takes to win. Now it's just about going out there and executing."

The Pioneers and the RedHawks have faced each other six times, with one contest occurring in the 2004 national tournament. Denver defeated Miami 3-2 March 27, 2004, at the West Regional in Colorado Springs, Colo. The two teams last clashed Oct. 7, 2006 when the Red and White opened Steve Cady Arena with a 5-2 triumph over the Pioneers in the season-opening game for both teams. Denver holds an all-time record of 4-2 over the RedHawks.

"(Denver is) a great team, obviously a well-transitioned team, so we have to make sure that we take care of the puck in all three zones and play good team defense," Blasi said. "If we can do that we'll give ourselves the best chance to win and just like any other game it'll come down to a couple bounces here and there."

Both teams have posted pretty similar numbers this season, and Friday's match-up promises to be a close one. Overall, Denver's scoring offense ranks 10th and averages 3.33 goals per game. The Red and White ranks 16th, averaging 3.11 goals per game.

Sophomore Anthony Maiani leads the offensive charge for the Pioneers with 41 points to his name this season, good for 25th in the nation in overall scoring. Denver also boasts three 15-goal scorers in freshman Luke Salazar and juniors Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Ruegsegger.

Meanwhile, sophomore Carter Camper gets the job done for Miami and is tied for 31st in the nation in overall point scoring with 36 points. The RedHawks' lineup includes a wealth of depth, including six 10+ goal scorers in Camper, sophomores Pat Cannone and Andy Miele, junior Gary Steffes, and seniors Mercier and Brian Kaufman.

"Our team is a puck possession team," Mercier said. "We've got to get it deep on these guys and hopefully our forwards can make them work a little in the defensive zone."

Both teams possess scoring potential in their defensemen as well. Miami freshman Chris Wideman-member of the 2008-09 CCHA rookie team-is tied for 28th in the NCAA in assists with 25. Denver freshman Patrick Wiercioch is tied for second in defenseman points per game and second in rookie points per game with a .94 average.

Special teams play a dominant role on both squads. Miami's power play ranks 12th overall while Denver is 24th, and Camper is tied with Ruegsegger for third in power play goals with 12 apiece. Additionally, the RedHawks' penalty kill tops the nation with its unparalleled 90.2 percent efficiency, while the Pioneers' 86.8 percent efficiency ranks 13th overall.

Finally, both teams possess solid last lines of defense. Miami's pair of rookie goaltenders has been a huge contributor to the team's success this season. Connor Knapp ranks 10th in overall goaltending with a .904 save percentage (SP) and 2.09 goals against average (GAA). Cody Reichard sits in 14th with a SP of .912 and a 2.16 GAA. Sophomore Marc Cheverie backstops the Pioneers and ranks 18th overall with a .923 SP and 2.30 GAA.

The puck is set to drop at 5:30 p.m. Friday. If Miami advances, the regional final will take place at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Television coverage Friday will be provided by ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, and RedHawk fans can also follow the action on WPFB 910 AM. Buffalo Wild Wings in Oxford will host the Miami Athletics Official Viewing Party, and all Miami fans who attend in Miami gear will receive a 10 percent discount on all their food purchases.