Miami Student

Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Front Page

This marks the second time in Miami's ice hockey history that a team has been ranked No. 1.

After sweeping the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (1-2-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) this past weekend, the Miami University RedHawks (6-0-0, 4-0-0 CCHA) have been ranked the No. 1 team in the nation according to both the USCHO.com and USA Today polls.

The 'Hawks have yet to lose this season, and have not given up more than two goals in any game, while scoring at least four goals in five of their first six games.

"Everyone has been really positive," Head Coach Enrico Blasi said. "Our focus is making sure that we take care of the day at hand and that we are progressively getting better."

Starting out the series Friday night, senior captain Ryan Jones wasted no time getting started, tallying a pair of goals and adding an assist to put him over the 100-point mark for his career at Miami, becoming just the 40th member in Miami ice hockey history to reach that milestone.

"It is a huge honor just thinking about everyone who is in that (100 point) club," Jones said. "I was just trying to work hard and I knew the bounces would come eventually."

Adding to the triumph, junior forward Justin Mercier notched two goals, while freshman Carter Camper, senior Charley Fetzer and junior Brian Kaufman rounded out the remaining goals Friday night to help lead the RedHawks to a 7-2 victory over the Mavericks.

In his first action of the season, senior goaltender Charlie Effinger was solid between the pipes, turning away 33 of 35 shots faced.

"We like to start every year off on the right foot," Effinger said. "I was just lucky the team brought their game tonight and they were working hard to help block the shots for me."

Continuing their domination from Friday night, the Red and White lit up the scoreboard once again and knocked off the Mavericks by a score of 5-2 Saturday. Junior goaltender Jeff Zatkoff, who returned to the net after having Friday night off, turned away 21 of the 23 shots faced.

One of the more penalized games of the season for the 'Hawks, Saturday's matchup saw 23 penalties called, two of which included UNO ejections for checking from behind and game misconduct.

"They lost two of their better players early," Kaufman said. "The fact that they were down to only five defensemen also helped us. The more tired they got, the more we capitalized."

Continued...

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