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  • Miami Redhawks

    Does anyone on this thread still follow the RedHawks? I cannot remember the last time I can remember the last time I saw anyone posting anything about this program. It is surprising that they were 1 minute away from winning the National Championship in 2008-2009 and now they are in last place in the NCHC. What has happened to the program and is there hope that they can return back to contending for an NCAA championship?

  • #2
    Originally posted by collegehockeyfan1 View Post
    Does anyone on this thread still follow the RedHawks? I cannot remember the last time I can remember the last time I saw anyone posting anything about this program. It is surprising that they were 1 minute away from winning the National Championship in 2008-2009 and now they are in last place in the NCHC. What has happened to the program and is there hope that they can return back to contending for an NCAA championship?
    I am still mad at the Red Hawks for knocking UNH out of the 2007-2008 postseason. :-(

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    • #3
      Originally posted by collegehockeyfan1 View Post
      What has happened to the program and is there hope that they can return back to contending for an NCAA championship?
      Honestly my opinion, but it all stems from realignment. When you pull all of the "good" teams together in one conference and play 26+ gages a year against each other, someone has to lose. And with SCSU, NoDak, DU, and UMD in the mix, they're going to pull better talent on and off the ice to win more consistently.
      Visit the Alaska Nanooks Hockey Blog at http://nanookhockey.blogspot.com

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      • #4
        Re: Miami Redhawks

        We keep an eye on them but not huge fans, there is an alum in the family. What a rough season this has been or at least the recent stretch. Blasi is clearly frustrated given his recent tussle with the game refs, and received a conference repremand. Good coach and under a good contract - probably not going anywhere

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        • #5
          Re: Miami Redhawks

          I am an alum. There has never been a huge Miami posting presence here. Miami has its own message boards and the hockey fans seem to congregate there (MiamiHawkTalk.com)...

          That said, interest is down and frustration is high on HawkTalk. The current thread on the upcoming series with Omaha has six posts - mostly venting. There are a lot of unhappy Miami fans. Many would argue against Blasi having as much rope as some here might believe. There are high expectations for the program in Oxford and they invested a lot to make the move to the NCHC. He does have a long-term deal, so whether the school can afford to oust him sooner or later remains to be seen, but things will need to turn around quickly. I think forcing him to fire his assistants last year (and his cutting of a number of players) was a definitive sign that patience is running short...

          Miami's decline directly revolves around the assistant coaches/recruiters. Not long ago, Miami had a pair of assistants as good as any program has had in recent memory. Recruiting shot through the roof with Jeff Blashill (now a head coach in the NHL) and Chris Bergeron (look what he has done at BGSU). Those two were never adequately replaced and recruiting tailed off notably. The RedHawks have had a hard time stringing together deep and impactful recruiting classes ever since. Their approach to recruiting has become much more aggressive under Mannino/Beal - they've moved quickly on some younger targets and picked off prospects committed to other schools, etc. Still, there are not a lot of program changing type talents in the pipeline and their desperation may end up being too little too late...

          They've also had some unexpected misfortune in the last year or so. This team can't score - and they would look a lot better if Kiefer Sherwood hadn't unexpectedly left early, the coaching staff hadn't blown it with Carson Meyer and Metaj Pekar had been ruled eligible. Those losses hurt a whole lot more when recruiting has been suspect for so long...

          Miami still has one of the best facilities in the sport, an INCREDIBLE campus and a great academic reputation. It shouldn't be difficult to recruit to, or build a winner at, Miami. NCHC or otherwise. The current results are simply unacceptable. This year started hot, but has turned into a disaster. If next season isn't a marked improvement Blasi might be out of a job - and that will be a tough challenge without Melnick and Hutton...
          Live Free or Die!!
          Miami University '03

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          • #6
            Re: Miami Redhawks

            Originally posted by UAFHockeyFan314 View Post
            Honestly my opinion, but it all stems from realignment. When you pull all of the "good" teams together in one conference and play 26+ gages a year against each other, someone has to lose. And with SCSU, NoDak, DU, and UMD in the mix, they're going to pull better talent on and off the ice to win more consistently.
            This is accurate. When you go from the CCHA which annually had a handful of poor quality teams to a stacked NCHC, the competition simply got significantly better. You either keep up or fall behind.

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            • #7
              Re: Miami Redhawks

              Blasi should get the rope to right the ship, IMO. Although the cutthroat recruiting tactics it will take to do so, may cause other problems.

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              • #8
                Re: Miami Redhawks

                Originally posted by UAFHockeyFan314 View Post
                Honestly my opinion, but it all stems from realignment. When you pull all of the "good" teams together in one conference and play 26+ gages a year against each other, someone has to lose. And with SCSU, NoDak, DU, and UMD in the mix, they're going to pull better talent on and off the ice to win more consistently.
                There is no doubt that someone had to lose when the NCHC was formed - thats the nature of conference play. But, there is no reason that SCSU or UMD out-recruit Miami except for the fact that they have had better recruiters. Miami has everything that a recruit could want - larger AD, elite facility, beautiful campus, strong academics, history of athletic/hockey success, recent history of moving guys to the NHL, fully-funded scholarship situation, etc - and Michigan, the USNTDP, Minnesota (with NCHC membership) and Eastern/Western Canada fall squarely in its recruiting footprint. Ohio is also turning out a lot of great players lately, and before recruiting lapsed at Miami allowing OSU to rise, the RedHawks had a monopoly on these players. When Miami was on top, they had GREAT success in all those recruiting areas - now they don't. Much more important than changing conferences has been the changes in recruiters...

                You could make the argument that in a vacuum UND and Denver have inherent recruiting advantages over Miami. No other NCHC program does. Recruiting doesn't exist in a vacuum and Miami's recruiters have done a sub-standard job. While recruiters at UMD, SCSU and to a lesser extent WMU have simply done better work. Thats the bottom line. They were not more attractive situations for recruits when the NCHC was formed. If they are now, its solely due to the winning products on the ice. And Miami recruiting slipped dramatically to allow that to happen.

                Miami has every bit as much to offer and the recruiters haven't capitalized. Which puts Miami behind the 8-ball at the bottom of the conference. That shouldn't be difficult to over come with the right recruiters. Whether Miami starts to recruit to its potential again, under Blasi and the new assistants, remains to be seen. The 2019-20 class seems like it could turn out - but its not a sure thing. The 2018-19 class is pretty dependent, as currently constructed, on the two transfers - Murray from Penn State (USHL leading scorer) and Berry from Holy Cross (eligible second semester). Ryan Savage seems like a solid player, but he's not a scorer. Miami still NEEDS more scoring for next season, without a doubt (especially considering they're losing their top offensive threats at F and D)...

                And whether people think Blasi deserves more time to right the ship (and I'm OK with that, if they start making progress) - pulse around the University is, he may not get it if things don't happen very quickly...
                Last edited by Dan; 02-08-2019, 10:50 AM.
                Live Free or Die!!
                Miami University '03

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                • #9
                  Re: Miami Redhawks

                  Additionally...

                  In the early 2010's Miami was building off of a lot of successful teams and seasons. They had a recruiting class that featured names like Tyler Biggs, Connor Murphy, Ryan Hartman and Patrick Sieloff. In a similar scenario as to what killed UNH Hockey (the non-class of Bourque, White and Reid), these players combined to play one season in Oxford. Biggs left for MJ after his FR season, while the other three all bolted to MJ teams late in the process (for various reasons). leaving Miami high and dry just as they were preparing for and making the transition to the NCHC. They had to rush to fill these spots with below average NCAA talent, leaving the program with a real lack of depth and causing the program to dip at the worst possible time. Miami recruiters were unable to replace these players, could not restock the cupboard and have yet to recover their footing, following the less successful seasons that followed...
                  Live Free or Die!!
                  Miami University '03

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                  • #10
                    Re: Miami Redhawks

                    It's really a shame what happened. The Redhawk fans and RIT fans had a great time at the Frozen Four as they seemed to make an alliance (albeit a losing one as both teams lost in the semifinals). I had hoped the two teams would be able to schedule regular season games against each other, but that never happened.
                    2006-07 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
                    2008-09 Atlantic Hockey Co-Champions!
                    2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
                    2010 Frozen Four participant
                    2010-11 Atlantic Hockey Champions!

                    Member of the infamous Corner Crew

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                    • #11
                      Re: Miami Redhawks

                      I can still recall that 2007-08 Miami team as being one of the best i’ve seen come to Munn and play MSU.

                      Also, when MSU was searching for a new coach a couple years ago I was sort of hopeful that we could swipe Blasi. It felt at the time that perhaps Blasi and Miami might be feeling a little stale to each other and maybe he’d want a fresh start at a big program. There was never even a rumor MSU and Blasi ever spoke, though.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Miami Redhawks

                        To be perfectly frank, Miami was never a hockey power, and they never had the longstanding base of support to sustain fan interest when an inevitable downturn in fortunes arrived. Miami was pretty much a mediocrity and also-ran in the sport until about 2005. In the mid 2000's, they went on a hell of run for eight or nine years and were without question a top ten program (not top five without a NC), but when that ended, it would certainly seem that a large amount of the fanbase simply hopped off the bandwagon.

                        They're located in a state with marginal hockey culture and two other D1 programs. Cady is nice, but it's not all that special. We're not talking about Yost or Hobey Baker as a recruiting tool. Academics? Miami is 97th in the current USNWR ranking, so I don't see that as some magic recruiting tool in a sport that has many Ivy league and close to Ivy schools in it. The overall athletic department is a typical football mid-major swimming in debt. Once the shine wore off the hot young coach, it would seem that the program has simply gravitated back to its historical norm. Despite all the crowing about "college hockey's newest dynsaty" and "we're a hockey school," Miami really wasn't. It was simply a school that latched onto a hot young coach and rode that wave for awhile, but when the tide receded there was no real foundation there to maintain long term support.
                        Last edited by Eddie Schorr; 02-10-2019, 10:17 AM.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Miami Redhawks

                          Originally posted by Dan View Post
                          You could make the argument that in a vacuum UND and Denver have inherent recruiting advantages over Miami. No other NCHC program does.
                          If you can't recruit the top MN kids you can't expect sustained success over the long term in the Nacho. See the Gopher threads for a lot of lamenting on that subject.

                          I think UMD and SCSU have a big recruiting advantage over Miami.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by TalonsUpPuckDown View Post
                            If you can't recruit the top MN kids you can't expect sustained success over the long term in the Nacho. See the Gopher threads for a lot of lamenting on that subject.

                            I think UMD and SCSU have a big recruiting advantage over Miami.
                            Denver has exactly zero kids from Minnesota on its current roster - a roster that is mid-pack due to youth and nothing more.

                            Until a year or two ago Miami had a monopoly on top Ohio kids - yes, there are very good players in Ohio (Meyer, Sherwood, Kuraly and Roslovic in just the last few years). When you're getting them all it's a great start. This year's roster has just the third string goalie from the state and Meyer is playing at OSU...

                            Miami is also in a perfect location relative to loads of top recruits in Michigan, Missouri, Pittsburgh and W. New York, is in the USHL footprint and is equally as accessible to Eastern and Western Canada as any other program in the NCAA. On top of that they now have clear inroads into Minnesota as a part of the NCHC.

                            With what the school has to offer on top of that - there is no disadvantage at Miami.

                            We often argue about what school A has to offer as opposed to school B, with complete disregard for the human element of recruiting. As if any replacement recruiters could be dropped into any situation and would produce equivalently. It's just not true - recruiting skills matter. Miami had great recruiters. They haven't recently. That's the issue...
                            Last edited by Dan; 02-10-2019, 11:28 AM.
                            Live Free or Die!!
                            Miami University '03

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Miami Redhawks

                              Originally posted by Dan View Post
                              Denver has exactly zero kids from Minnesota on its current roster - a roster that is mid-pack due to youth and nothing more.

                              Until a year or two ago Miami had a monopoly on top Ohio kids - yes, there are very good players in Ohio (Meyer, Sherwood, Kuraly and Roslovic in just the last few years). When you're getting them all it's a great start. This year's roster has just the third string goalie from the state and Meyer is playing at OSU...

                              Miami is also in a perfect location relative to loads of top recruits in Michigan, Missouri, Pittsburgh and W. New York, is in the USHL footprint and is equally as accessible to Eastern and Western Canada as any other program in the NCAA. On top of that they now have clear inroads into Minnesota as a part of the NCHC.

                              With what the school has to offer on top of that - there is no disadvantage at Miami.

                              We often argue about what school A has to offer as opposed to school B, with complete disregard for the human element of recruiting. As if any replacement recruiters could be dropped into any situation and would produce equivalently. It's just not true - recruiting skills matter. Miami had great recruiters. They haven't recently. That's the issue...
                              You said earlier that "Well, Denver's Denver" and I agree. Miami isn't Denver...

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