2008 Woodie Awards
March Madness begins on ice
'Hawks head north to Manchester in first round NCAA Tournament
Dan Kukla
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: Sports
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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.
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