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Miami returns to ice at No. 15 Michigan State

Czarnik expected to rejoin team from World Junior Tournament

file photo Miami defenseman Chris Wideman and the rest of the RedHawks open the second half of the second this weekend at No. 15 Michigan State.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 9:45 AM Thursday, January 5, 2012

OXFORD — After nearly a month between games, Miami University’s hockey players are well rested and ready to pick up where they left off in early December.

The second half of Miami’s season begins tonight with a two-game series at No. 15 Michigan State.

After a horrendous start, the RedHawks posted a 7-3-2 record in their final 12 games of 2011 to climb back to the .500 mark at 9-9-2 overall.

Miami coach Enrico Blasi said he doesn’t see the holiday break as an interruption of a good thing, but rather as a good thing in itself.

“It came at a good time,” he said. “We’d been working so hard to get back into it, we had some guys banged up, and with exams coming up they had a chance to focus on their studies for a week.”

The RedHawks had been ranked No. 1 in the nation in a couple preseason polls, only to lose six of their first nine games. Miami’s subsequent resurgance has included victories over three teams ranked in the top 10 at the time: Michigan, Denver and Ohio State.

“We had no choice,” Blasi said. “We had to play with more of a purpose and with more consistency. We need to focus on playing our game, in all aspects of our game.”

Even after its recent success, Miami ranks only 20th in the nation in team defense, 32nd in team offense and is not among the top 40 in converting power-play opportunities. Also, only three teams have spent more total minutes in the penalty box.

The RedHawks will have a difficult time winning their second Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title in three years. They sit in ninth place, a whopping 14 points behind league leader Ohio State.

Blasi said he and his team aren’t focusing on that.

“We don’t set any goals,” he said. “Our only goal is to be better today than we were yesterday. If you do that, things will happen and go your way.”

Freshman Austin Czarnik, whose 16 points are just one behind team leader Reilly Smith, was expected to rejoin the team in East Lansing today following his stint with Team USA at the World Junior Championship.

“Just to have him as a guy who found some chemistry with Reilly, that was huge for us,” Blasi said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Weekend series

Who: Miami RedHawks (9-9-2, 5-7-2-1 CCHA) at No. 15 Michigan State Spartans (11-7-2, 6-5-1-1 CCHA)

When: 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Munn Arena (6,470), East Lansing, Mich.

TV: None

Radio: WKBV-AM (1490) today only

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