Here are my three keys for the Miami RedHawks to have success this weekend against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Miami is heading to a place where it hasn’t won since 2023 and holds an all-time road record of 2-19-3.
1. Stay Out of the Box!
UMD’s top players (Zam Plante, Jayson Shaugabay, Ty Hanson, etc.) are way too talented to give them extra opportunities on the power play, especially after the way the RedHawks took penalties last weekend.
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“Part of it is you’ve got to be disciplined. You can’t go to the well too many times. Listen, it’s the game of hockey. There are going to be penalties. You’ve got to make sure they’re not stick penalties, after-the-whistle penalties, or undisciplined penalties. If they’re going to happen, they need to be hard penalties that just happen within the framework of the game,” said Anthony Noreen.
Miami cannot continue going to the well at this rate in the NCHC and expect its penalty kill to remain perfect. Quite frankly, with the level of offensive talent throughout the conference, that’s nearly impossible. The RedHawks have given up six power-play goals on 29 penalty kills this season and average 10.4 penalty minutes per game.
Miami took eight minor penalties over last weekend’s series against St. Thomas, and preventable ones at that. That simply cannot continue against a team with the offensive weapons UMD has.
2. Get to the Net Front and Finish Chances
The RedHawks need to continue drawing calls with their speed and heavy forecheck while not shying away from playing north-south through the neutral zone.
Miami has drawn 36 minor penalties this season and scored eight times on the man advantage, good for a 22.2% success rate, which is around the national average in college hockey.
In many instances, the RedHawks have had plenty of opportunities to put one in the back of the net on the power play but have missed wide, shot high or put the puck right into the goaltender. Simply put, they need their top players to finish their chances on the man advantage.
Using their speed to their advantage and getting to the net front will be important against a UMD team that closes out well and is defensively sound. It’s going to take some greasy goals to split this series, at the very least.
UMD is averaging 11 penalty minutes per game but has been nearly perfect on the penalty kill, posting a 92.6% success rate this season. The Bulldogs have allowed just two power-play goals on 27 opposing opportunities.
Getting the two elite defensemen in Timmy Runtso and Vladislav Lukashevich back up to speed is also important. Both are key pieces of Miami’s power play.
“Both those guys being back and healthy, and getting healthier, not that they’re not fully healthy, but getting their wind back and their game shape back, is a huge boost to our lineup,” Noreen said.
“With Timmy, we truly believe that with his work, his detail, his ability, and how coachable he is, he’s going to continue to grow in that (power-play QB) role. Vlad’s a rock for us. Since he’s been here, he’s been a lot like Drobac on the back end. He plays massive minutes for us, kills penalties, plays on the power play, whatever it is.”
3. Keep Doing What You’ve Been Doing
The RedHawks are 4-0 when scoring first, making a fast start at Amsoil Arena especially important. Miami is also 4-0 in one-goal games this season.
Despite some scoring and finishing issues, the RedHawks have done a lot of things well offensively. As Noreen pointed out, it’s more about building the right habits and continuing to create opportunities, and the scoring will come. I’m also sure some shooting drills happened this week at practice after three goals on 70 shots on goal vs St. Thomas!
“It’s more habit-based. Listen, you’re in the NCHC. Every team is going to have an elite goaltender. That’s just the reality of the situation,” Noreen said.
As you can see in the graphic below from Five Hole Analytics, Miami ranks among the better teams in college hockey when it comes to creating chances and limiting opportunities in its own end. The RedHawks have also led in expected goals in both of their losses this season, against Northern Michigan and St. Thomas.
Defensively, keep doing what you’ve been doing.
The RedHawks are allowing just 1.9 goals per game and 20.8 shots against per game, the fourth-best mark in college hockey in shots allowed.
Miami has done a much better job closing on opposing rushes, limiting opportunities and keeping teams from generating consistent offensive pressure. Blocking shots has simply become part of this team’s identity.
“We’re a team that prides ourselves on competing on every play, whether it’s offensively or defensively. We’re going to try and block every shot possible,” said senior forward Matteo Giampa.
Now, it’s time to get the puck in the back of the net more consistently.
Miami needs its top players, including Ilia Morozov, Matteo Giampa, Kocha Delic and David Deputy, to produce, while the depth scoring needs to continue as well.
Enough of leading in expected goals. It’s time to start putting the puck in the back of the net and even out the metrics.
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