Miami already opened its season last weekend vs. Bowling Green, but New Hampshire has yet to play a game in 2019-20.
When these teams have met, it has typically been on neutral ice, as this is just the Wildcats’ second-ever trip to Oxford.
Miami split that home series in 2010, with each team winning a 6-3 decision.
A look at this weekend’s series:
WHO: New Hampshire Wildcats (0-0) at Miami RedHawks (0-1).
WHEN: Friday and Saturday – 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio.
ALL-TIME SERIES: New Hampshire leads, 7-5-2.
TV: NCHC.tv.
NOTES: The trip to Durham last season was disastrous, as many players had nightmarish flight issues with some dealing with five layovers and a travel time of nearly 24 hours.
The effect that had on Miami on the ice can’t be quantified, but the RedHawks – who had been playing well to that point – went 0-1-1 against a UNH team that was, at the time, below the 20th percentile mark in the PairWise.
Like Miami, New Hampshire limped into its conference tournament and was swept in the opening round, ending its season.
Scoring was an issue for the Wildcats last season, as they averaged just 2.50 goals per game.
But three of UNH’s 20-point producers up front are back, led by senior Liam Blackburn. The senior led the team in points last season (10-14-24) and is tops among active Wildcats scorers with 63 points.
Angus Crookshank, an Ottawa draftee, tied for second in scoring in 2018-19 with 10 goals and 13 assists.
Charlie Kelleher is also back after leading the team in helpers with 18 in addition to his three goals.
Max Gildon, who was selected by Florida, leads the defense as he has notched over 20 points each of his first two seasons and was easily No. 1 on the team in defenseman goals and assists last season.
No other returning blueliner picked up more than eight points in 2018-19.
Will MacKinnon went 1-7-8, playing in all 36 games UNH games, and Anthony Wyse scored one and tallied six assists in his junior campaign.
Benton Maass, a Washington draftee, and Ryan Verrier, who did not record a point last season, both logged 30 or more games last season.
All three of the goalies who logged ice time for UNH in 2018-19 are back, and the top two in minutes are both NHL draft picks.
Junior Mike Robinson logged 1,836 minutes, going 11-12-8 with an impressive 2.48 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
Ty Taylor, a Tampa Bay selection who was the back-up last season, went 1-3-1 with a 3.67 GAA and .855 save percentage.
Overall, UNH boasts five NHL draft picks on its roster.
The Wildcats have a six-man freshman class of four forwards and two defensemen, four of which played in the USHL last season.
New Hampshire was picked seventh out of 11 teams in Hockey East.
Miami fell, 7-4 to Bowling Green in its season opener on Sunday,
Gordie Green and Karch Bachman accounted for all of the goals, with two each, and Green finished with four points as he assisted on the RedHawks’ other two tallies.
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