Even though the men's basketball team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this past Saturday, March Madness lives on - for the Miami hockey team.

Sunday afternoon, Miami's hockey team was granted an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The RedHawks, who earned a No. 4 seed in the tournament, will begin their title run 1 p.m. Saturday when they face off against the No. 1 seeded New Hampshire Wildcats.

If the RedHawks want their post season experience to last longer than their basketball playing counterparts, they will have to perform at their very best. The Wildcats are 26-10-2 and were the regular season champions of the Hockey East Conference. This will be their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance, a feat accomplished only by two other teams, Minnesota and Michigan.

"They're a very skilled team, but I think we match up well," Head Coach Enrico Blasi said. "Both teams have good goaltending and guys up front that can score goals. It's just going to be a matter of who executes the right plays at the right time."

In addition to the challenge of playing such a high caliber team, Miami also faces the obstacle of playing what is essentially a road game.

The University of New Hampshire is located a mere 36 miles from the game's site at the Verizon Wireless Arena, all but eliminating the stresses of travel for the Wildcats and their fans. This will be the third consecutive time under coach Blasi that the RedHawks have to play a first round game in their opponent's backyard.

Last year Miami fell in the first round of the tournament to Boston College in Worcester, Mass., and in 2004 they were downed by Denver while playing in Colorado Springs, Colo.

This poor track record does not bode well for the 'Hawks, especially after posting just 8-8-3 mark in away games this year. Nevertheless, Blasi remains optimistic.

"Hopefully our league play, where we have to play on the road in hostile environments has prepared us well," Blasi said. "We're kind of used to it and hopefully our guys will understand what to expect and be ready to play."

Miami finished the regular season on a high note, winning five of its last six regular season games. However, after dropping their regular season finale to Northern Michigan, they then tallied two losses to Lake Superior State in the second round of the CCHA tournament, the 'Hawks enter the tournament with three straight losses.

They have netted just three goals in their last three contests while giving up eight goals to their opponents in those games. However, while winning is always the better option, times of struggle can still have positive effects.

"I think you learn a lot from your successes but you learn even more from your failures," goalie Charlie Effinger said. "As a team we've had to overcome a lot. Going through some of the stuff we've gone through will be a good thing for us and we'll be able to stick together as a team."

The ability to play as a team is crucial to Miami's success. With stars such as Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist Nathan Davis and team captain Ryan Jones, it's easy to focus on the individuals. However, in the cutthroat setting of single elimination tournament play, the value of a team playing as a collective unit far outweighs the performance of any single player.

The RedHawks haven't officially announced who will be in goal Saturday for their first round game, however, sophomore Jeff Zatkoff has started the last three games for Miami over junior Charlie Effinger, and may be the likely choice for Miami.

"Right now its do or die," Zatkoff said. "We have to play every game like it's our last."