Middleton’s Musings: Miami hockey’s series at Western Michigan made its place in the NCHC abundantly clear

There’s a different kind of buzz around Goggin Ice Center these days.

With the influx of new players on the Miami University hockey roster (21 to be exact) under second-year head coach Anthony Noreen, the team has a different playstyle, a different vibe, a different swagger and, so far, vastly different results.

The first ten games of the season have gone swimmingly for the RedHawks. Not everything has been perfect, of course, but a 7-3-0 start, powered by a recent home series split against the Arizona State University Sun Devils, which gave the program its first conference win since January 13, 2024, has put them on the minds of pundits throughout the college hockey universe.

Social media brands like Everything College Hockey ranked Miami at 19th, while ESPN sports commentator and anchor John Buccigross ranked them as high as 14th.

In contrast, the official USCHO poll placed them one spot outside the top 20, and the USA Hockey poll had them ranked 20th both before their second bye week – the first time Miami has been in the top 20 since 2015.

Last season’s three-win finish was still a success for those around the program, as the approach was focused on changing the culture rather than racking up wins. But for those wanting to pack the stands, there was little appeal.

Now, not only is the culture changing, but the new class of players also provides the on-ice skill that Miami hockey fans have been begging for since the program’s downturn.

This feels even more special because Miami’s wins have come in various ways against teams they struggled to play last season. The RedHawks have had multiple comebacks, including a four-goal third period against the Ferris State University Bulldogs in the season-opener and a three-goal comeback against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on the road.

Additionally, the back-to-back overtime victories against Lindenwood University were the first time in Miami hockey history that that feat had been accomplished. And, for anyone who has paid attention since the program’s decline began, the overtime and shootout periods have been notoriously hard for the RedHawks to win (and painful for those who had to watch).

However, while things are all fine and dandy for now, the likelihood of the RedHawks finding their way to a national championship with their current total of three losses to their name is about as high as me stepping foot on the ice in a Division I hockey game.

The RedHawks travelled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face the reigning national champion: the No. 8 Western Michigan University Broncos. While they haven’t fully found their stride in conference play, the Broncos made sure the RedHawks left knowing there’s still a long way to go.

The Broncos came into the series off the wrong end of a sweep by the University of Denver Pioneers in their second National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) series after splitting with the St. Cloud State University Huskies at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Western Michigan’s most surprising loss, though, came against Ferris State at home, a 3-2 defeat in which former University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks goaltender Hobie Hedquist stopped 48 of 50 Broncos shots.

But despite those road bumps, the Broncos still managed to stifle a RedHawks offense that had performed well to that point, taking home two commanding victories with scores of 5-2 and 6-2.

When looking around the NCHC, there are more schools with the talent of Western Michigan than there aren’t. That’s not to say every series against some of these powerhouses will end up with the same results, but that’s not to say it shouldn’t be surprising if there are a few more multi-goal losses in the future.

Through two conference series, the Pioneers have allowed only seven goals in 14 games and have given up 20 goals overall, including a 7-3 victory over then-No. 9 Boston College and a 1-0 shutout loss to the Northeastern University Huskies.

The RedHawks will travel to Denver for their first series of December following their participation in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a far cry from the competition they’ll be playing overseas.

Miami will also have to hit the road for other big series later in the year. This includes trips to Grand Forks to play North Dakota, Tempe to play Arizona State and Omaha to play the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks – a group which may not have the record for now, but has been sneaky good to begin the season, putting together a couple of big wins against the No. 17 Colorado College Tigers and No. 3 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

The goal of this column, of course, is not to be a Debbie Downer – nobody likes that. The purpose is more about still being realistic about their position in a stacked conference. The first few series were fun and brought life back to a fanbase that needed resuscitation. But there needs to be some nuance in how the program is being discussed.

What should matter to Miami hockey fans is the idea that this team can beat anyone in the NCHC. While yes, talent and reputation-wise, the program still has a long way to go and they may end up with more losses than wins by season’s end, that doesn’t mean they can’t earn themselves a fair few conference victories.

The hype around the Miami hockey program is well-deserved. The fact that they can be competitive with any program in a conference that’s arguably the best in college hockey is exciting. Still, it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves regarding the expectations for this program following three big non-conference series wins, a conference series split and a drubbing at the hands of the reigning national champion.

@jjmid04

middleje@miamioh.edu