Miami Red Hawks Men's Ice Hockey - History

History

Miami University added hockey to the roster of varsity sports in 1978, the program's first coach was Steve Cady. Miami played as an independent Division I team for the first two seasons, collecting an overall record of 45-27-3. The team joined the CCHA for the 1980-81 season, and has participated in the CCHA every season since.

The 1992-93 season marked a historic year for the program. led by the third head coach in program history, George Gwozdecky, the team received its first bid to the 1993 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The team lost in the first round to Wisconsin 3-6.

After a mediocre record for most of the program history the team has recently elevated to a powerhouse program in the NCAA Division I. Under current head coach Enrico Blasi the team has made the NCAA Tournament the past nine out of ten seasons, including the past eight straight seasons.

In 2009, the RedHawks made their first appearance in the Frozen Four, beating University of Denver in the opening round, Minnesota–Duluth in the West Regionals, and Bemidji State in National semifinal game. The team advanced to the Championship game and came within a minute of winning the school's first NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship before Boston University scored 2 goals in the final minute of regulation to tie the game. Boston finished the comeback with a strange redirected shot 11:47 into overtime.

Tragedy struck the program and school on Friday February 5, 2010, when Miami student hockey manager, Brendan Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, and a friend/passenger passed away in a traffic accident on icy winter roads in South-Central Indiana. The team remained strong, using the tragedy as inspiration on the ice. The team scored 10 goals the following night against Lake Superior State University. And on February 12, 2010, after a victory over Bowling Green State University, the RedHawks claimed a third CCHA regular-season title.

The RedHawks finished the 2010-11 regular season ranked third in the CCHA, giving the team a first round bye in the 2011 CCHA Tournament. The RedHawks faced Alaska in the second round and swept Alaska by a combined score of 8-2. The RedHawks then beat Notre Dame 6-2 in semifinal round and dismantled the Western Michigan Broncos in the championship to give the university its first Mason Cup. After the strong finish in the regular season the team was ranked as a #1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The RedHawks were placed into the Northeast Regional at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. In the opening round of the tournament the team faced the 4th-seeded New Hampshire Wildcats and lost 1-3 in front of a pro-New Hampshire crowd. Miami senior forward Andy Miele was named as the 2011 Hobey Baker Award winner, becoming the university's first Hobey Baker winner. Miele lead the nation in scoring with 71 points (24 goals and 47 assists). It was the most in Division I since the 2002-03 season and 11 more than the second highest scorer in the 2010-11 season. In addition, he had at least one point in 33 games and multiple points in 22 and tied a school record with a 17-game points streak from January 8, 2011, to March 19, 2011.

In July 2011, following the announcement in June 2011 that the Big Ten Conference will begin sponsoring men's ice hockey, The athletic directors of the Miami and five other schools, Colorado College, the University of Denver, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, and the University of North Dakota, announced the formation of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Miami will remain in the CCHA until the NCHC begins play in the 2013-14 season.

The 2011-12 season marked another return to the CCHA Semifinals at Joe Louis Arena and seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The RedHawks finished the regular season with a record of 21-15-2 and a conference record of 15-11-2-1. Despite a slow start to the season that included a five game winless streak through October, the finished the regular season with a six game win streak and secured fourth place in the CCHA standings. The RedHawks received a first round bye in the 2012 CCHA Tournament and swept Michigan State in a best-of-three series to advance to the CCHA Semifinals. Although the team lost in the CCHA Semifinals 2-6 to Western Michigan, the RedHawks rebounded with a 4-1 win over Bowling Green in the CCHA Third-place game. Despite the loss in the CCHA Semifinal round, the RedHawks received an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament and were seeded second in the East Regional, held in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Miami played the third-seeded UMass Lowell in the opening round in the tournament. The RedHawks rallied in the third period to overcome a three-goal deficit and tie the game to force overtime. The RedHawks season was ended just over two minutes into overtime when UMass Lowell forward Riley Wetmore capitalized on a rebound to give UMass Lowell a 4-3 win. The loss to UMass Lowell marked the team's second straight first round loss after making the Frozen Four in 2009 and 2010.