Chris Bergeron is coming home, and so is the Miami University hockey team.

Bergeron, a former MU assistant coach and player who’s now the head man at Bowling Green, is bringing his Falcons to Steve Cady Arena for a weekend series against the RedHawks, who haven’t played a home game since Dec. 8.

“It’ll always be the most difficult place for me to go as a visitor,” said Bergeron, in his third year at the BGSU helm after spending 10 years coaching at Miami. “It’ll always be part of my life, and I’m proud of that. I cheer for them when we’re not playing them.”

The RedHawks are excited to be playing anybody at home after eight consecutive road contests.

“I’m so happy to be back here,” said MU forward Austin Czarnik, a sophomore from Washington, Mich. “There’s nothing like it. Fans, students, everybody’s unbelievable every time we’re here.”

Said Miami coach Enrico Blasi, “It’s just nice to have a full week where we can be at home and sleep in our own beds, prepare like we can all week and not be disrupted by travel.”

The sixth-ranked RedHawks are 13-6-5 overall and 8-4-4 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, while Bowling Green is 8-11-5, 5-8-3. The Falcons are 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

Senior goaltender Andrew Hammond is allowing 2.58 goals per game with a .916 save percentage for BGSU. Sophomore forward Ryan Carpenter heads the offense (10 goals, nine assists).

“We need to prepare for a team that works as hard as anybody in the country,” Blasi said. “I think what you’ve seen the last few weeks from Bowling Green is indicative of what their team is really like. They play in your face. Every time you touch the puck, somebody is going to finish a check on you.”

MU continues to lead the nation in goals-allowed average (1.58), yet also continues to struggle at putting pucks in the net. The RedHawks have 11 goals in their last nine games, impressing their coach with everything but the final shots.

“The type of chances we’re getting are quality chances,” Blasi said. “The type of plays leading up to the chances are quality plays. It’s just one of those things where the last few weeks, we’ve played great goaltending. We’re going to continue to face that down the stretch. Come this time of the year, there’s not a lot of four- and five-goal games. You’ve got to play tight games, and you’ve got to be able to win those games.”

Czarnik (nine goals, 17 assists) and freshman Riley Barber (nine goals, 16 assists) lead Miami in points. Freshman goalie Ryan McKay is No. 1 in the country in goals-allowed average (0.97) and save percentage (.964).

“It’s a group that’s been doing the same thing for years,” Bergeron said of MU. “We have to find a way to limit the amount of time we spend in our zone. As good as we think we defend, and I think when we’re on we defend pretty well 5-on-5, Miami will expose it just because they wear you down.”

Czarnik said the RedHawks’ lack of goals has been frustrating, but he believes the offense is ready to get on a roll after the 2-1 win over Wisconsin last Saturday.

“We have to compete in front of the net and battle one another every day,” Czarnik said. “If you work hard in front of the net in practice, it’s going to carry over to the game.”

MU is 3-4-2 in its last nine games, outshooting its opponent seven times in that stretch. The RedHawks were 1-4-2 in those contests and, ironically, 2-0 in the two games they got outshot.

Blasi said his team grew during last weekend’s split at Wisconsin. Saturday’s attendance was 12,037.

“It was a great weekend of hockey,” Blasi said. “I thought both nights we played well, and I thought both nights they played well. It felt like an NCAA-type game. I thought our young guys did a real nice job maturing. That’s the type of environment where you have no choice but to play.”