November 21 and 22 was a bad weekend to be a Wolverine fan.

The Maize and Blue were downed by archrival Ohio State University in football and Duke University in basketball. Then, of course, there was the hockey match in Steve Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio.

Aided by unrivaled goaltending, masterful penalty killing and a relentless offense, the Miami University men's ice hockey team accomplished a feat it failed in just a season ago - a home hockey series sweep of the University of Michigan Wolverines.

A pair of goals by sophomore Andy Miele backed by freshman goaltender Cody Reichard's perfect night in net propelled the Red and White to a 2-0 shutout victory in Friday thrilling series opener.

Miami's No. 1 penalty kill was put to work almost immediately as a hooking call against sophomore Carter Camper gave Michigan the man-advantage just 12 seconds into the contest. The Wolverines bombarded Reichard with shots, working hard to gain their signature first-point advantage. The 12th ranked goalie kept his cool, though, and defied every attempt, including a spectacular glove save that kept what looked to be an easy goal out of the net.

At the outset, the RedHawks had trouble matching Michigan's offensive intensity, allowing the Maize and Blue to post eight shots on goal without tallying a single one themselves until six minutes into regulation.

It looked as if tides would turn when consecutive tripping calls later in the period sent Michigan sophomores Ben Winnett and Tristin Llewellyn to the sin bin, giving the Red and White a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:48. Senior net minder Billy Sauer shut down Miami's fearsome No. 2 power play unit, however, and the first frame came to a scoreless conclusion.

"It … could've been a huge part of the game," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. "They've got the best power play in our league, so we felt fortunate to kill the penalty off, let alone a two-man advantage, but that never showed up at the end of the game."

Miami opened scoring at 6:53 of the second stanza when Miele picked up a dish from sophomore Justin Vaive and wrapped it around the net, sneaking it past Sauer to put the Red and White on the board.

"We moved Andy (Miele) to center," Miami head coach Enrico Blasi said. "Miele played center growing up, and he actually felt very comfortable there all week. That line seemed to click a little bit, so it was nice to see them have success."

The Red and White continued its offensive onslaught into the third period, and it wasn't long before Miele left his mark again, beating Sauer stick-side just 1:52 after the second intermission to cushion Miami's lead with another point. Junior Gary Steffes fired the initial shot from the blue line only to be stonewalled by Sauer. Miele's timing was impeccable as he managed to pick up the loose puck in front of the net and work it in.

"We did a lot of good things in front of the net," Blasi said. "We didn't give them second opportunities. And, you know, you gotta get lucky sometimes too."

The Wolverines appeared to score with just 24.9 seconds left in play, but the goal was disallowed and the final score stood at 2-0, marking Miami's third shutout victory in 2008-09 and first win over the Maize and Blue in Steve Cady Arena.

Saturday night's contest saw more brilliant goaltending on Miami's side by rookie goaltender Connor Knapp, and this time it was sophomore forwards Carter Camper and Tommy Wingels who combined for a pair of goals to give the RedHawks a 2-1 victory over Michigan. The triumph was Miami's sixth straight win against a ranked opponent - all CCHA teams-and first sweep of the Maize and Blue since Dec. 2-3, 2005.

Following Friday night's game, Blasi predicted that both teams would be "high-flying and very explosive" the following night. The truth of that forecast was revealed almost immediately as each team sent two to the box during the opening minutes of the first stanza.

Scuffles along the boards escalated at 13:31 when Michigan sophomore Matt Rust was whistled for a five-minute major for checking from behind and assessed a game misconduct penalty. Rust was ejected from the game, opening a golden five-minute window for the RedHawk power play unit to have a try at sophomore goalie Bryan Hogan.

Miami's numerous scoring attempts throughout the man-advantage were in vain, however, and Michigan senior Travis Turnbull intercepted a Miami pass and broke away for a shorthanded try as the penalty clock was winding down. Knapp deftly deflected the attempt, and it was mere moments later, as the words "Michigan returns to full strength" were booming throughout Steve Cady Arena, when Camper finally pushed one through for the Red and White.

"We got the five-minute power play and I knew we wouldn't get a lot of shots in those five minutes, but I knew I had to be ready in case they got a break or something like that and they did," Knapp said. "So, I just told myself I was ready for it and I think there was a huge momentum shift. After saving that, we scored right away, so I think that could've been a turning point in the game."

Wingels struck next, giving the 'Hawks their fourth goal in as many periods just 2:41 into the second stanza. Camper set Wingels up with an accurate cross-ice pass, and the sophomore from Wilmette, Ill. blasted a one-timer past Hogan to give Miami an insurance goal.

That insurance came in handy when sophomore Pat Cannone was whistled for slashing at 14:16 of the stanza and junior Chris Summers pulled the Wolverines within one on the first power play goal of the series. Summers' tally snapped a streak of 23 straight penalty kills for the brotherhood's top-ranked unit. On the flip side, the Red and White failed to capitalize on a single man-advantage of their own over the course of the series.

"Michigan's a very good team," Blasi said. "They come after you just like we do on the penalty kills. We'll get back to work at it, but I think we had some good chances."

Miami executed expertly for the remainder of the game, even managing to kill off a 5-on-3 late in the second. Both teams fought hard throughout the third and each goalie faced 13 shots, but Blasi's boys persevered in the end and skated to a 2-1 victory over the Maize and Blue.

"It was a hard-fought game, obviously," Berenson said. "Goals are precious, and obviously we're not able to capitalize on our chances. Miami's a great team, and they're getting good goalkeeping, good defense."

This isn't the last that Miami and Michigan will see of each other this season, however. The two teams share a cluster and are set to face off against each other once again Jan. 9-10 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

"Every series, every game that you win, you gain a little bit of confidence," Blasi said. "Our focus is on our daily improvement, but you hope that you continue to build. The battles aren't over yet. They'll be hard-fought again and we'll be in their building this time, so we'll see."