When Lindenwood visited Oxford last season for these teams’ inaugural meeting, both games were decided on third-period surges.
In Game 1, the Lions broke a 1-1 tie in the final frame, scoring three times en route to a 4-2 win, and in the finale, the RedHawks netted a pair of late goals to pull away in a 4-1 victory.
VFG takes a look at the upcoming series:
WHO: Miami RedHawks (4-0) at Lindenwood Lions (3-3).
WHERE: Centene Heights (3,500), Maryland Heights, Mo.
WHEN: Both nights–8:10 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tied, 1-1.
VIDEO STREAMING: Flo.tv ($).
MIAMI RADIO: Miamiredhawks.com, Greg Waddell (PxP).
NOTES: First-year Lindenwood head coach Keith Fisher has his team .500 despite suffering an opening-blowout weekend sweep at Wisconsin.
The Lions responded to those losses in Madison by sweeping Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie and splitting with Denver.
That’s right: LU beat Denver less than a week ago.
CHL Charlottetown standout Giovanni Morneau has four goals and three assists for a team-best seven points through the Lions’ first six games, and fellow freshman forward and Quebec Maritimes star Charles Savoie also has seven points, including a pair of markers.
Also up front, sophomore Adam Raesler dressed just seven times in 2024-25 and did not record a point, but he’s 3-1-4 in six games.
Two other freshmen forward QMJHL products — Louis-Phillipe Fontaine and Olivier Houde — have four points apiece.
St. Thomas transfer Ethan Thomas leads Lindenwood in defenseman points, having racked up four assists, but no other LU blueliner has more than two points.
Minn.-Duluth transfer and likely starter Klayton Knapp has resided between the pipes for five of Lindenwood’s six games, and he has an .892 save percentage and a 4.02 goals-against average.
The Lions allow 35.2 shots per game, the 12th-worst clip in Division I, and they’re allowing an average of 4.2 goals, so Miami should have no problem generating scoring chances.
Fisher held the associate title at Penn State the last seven seasons and keyed the Nittany Lions’ rise to power in the Big 10 in that span.
Now behind the bench of these independent Lions — in just their fourth year of Division I existence — Fisher has already won three games for a school that racked up 7, 8 and 9 W’s in its first three seasons.
In a small sample size, Lindenwood has struggled on the PK, killing penalties at just a 73.1-percent clip.
Opponents have scored at least three goals in all six of the Lions’ games.
Miami is off to a 4-0 start, having swept Ferris State in Oxford and won a pair of road games vs. RPI. That’s more wins than the RedHawks had in all of 2024-25.
The RedHawks’ rejuvenation has been the biggest story surrounding the team three weeks into the season. The second-most intriguing development has been the NCAA’s continued sidelining of MU goalie Shika Gadzhiev.
Gadzhiev has apparently completed all of his college eligibility requirements and is enrolled and taking classes but has yet to be cleared by the NCAA. He is ultimately expected to compete for the starting job between the pipes.
Miami coach Anthony Noreen said in Wednesday’s weekly press conference that he has still not received confirmation of his eligibility from the NCAA.
In the meantime, Matteo Drobac has been stellar in net for Miami, going 4-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage, including a 26-save shutout to cap off the RedHawks’ sweep at RPI two weeks ago.
————
VFG is headed to Belfast to cover Miami in the Friendship Four this November. We’re a completely independent website, so we bring you RedHawks hockey coverage without a dime of corporate compensation. If you like our work and have the means, please consider helping us continue to provide the best RedHawks coverage and photos by contributing via Venmo here:
View From the Glass 
One thought on “Preview: Miami at Lindenwood”