The two teams at the bottom of the NCHC standings meet this weekend as the Miami RedHawks (7-3-0) host the St. Cloud State Huskies (6-6-0). Miami enters the series in ninth place, while St. Cloud State sits eighth. Both teams are 1-3-0 in conference play and looking to climb up the standings, making this quite an important series.
St. Cloud State is coming off a bye week after a midweek 3-1 loss to St. Thomas. The Huskies did split against Western Michigan earlier this month and should be well-rested heading into the weekend. Their offensive leader is Austin Burnevik, who has 11 goals and is tied with Tyson Gross for the team lead in points with 15.
Related: Noreen Remains Confident After Miamiās Tough Weekend at Western Michigan
A familiar face will also be on the other bench, as former United States Hockey League (USHL) Tri-City Storm forward Nolan Roed, who was drafted and coached by Anthony Noreen in 2022 and played under him during the 2023-24 season. Roed recorded 60 points in Tri-City last season and was teammates with several current RedHawks, including Ilia Morozov, Shaun McEwen, Vladislav Lukashevich, and Ryan Smith. This season, Roed has eight points (two goals, six assists) and has recently centered St. Cloud State’s third line.
In goal, the Huskies have split starts between freshman Yan Shostak, 3-4-0, 2.71 goals-against average (GAA), .899 save percentage (SV%), and Maine transfer Patriks Berzins, 3-2-0, 2.04 GAA, .937 SV%.
With both teams trying to climb out of the bottom of the standings, here are three keys for Miami this weekend.
Stay Out of the Box
Miami took 15 penalties for a total of 41 minutes last weekend at Western Michigan. The penalty kill went 10 for 12, which was solid, but giving up that many chances is too much. St. Cloud State has a power play operating at 32.7%, 18 for 55 this season, and will make the RedHawks pay if they continue taking 13.4 penalty minutes per game.
Burnevik leads the team in power-play goals with six and has three game-winning goals. Gross and Barret Hall are tied for second with three power-play goals each.
Miami has to clean up the stick infractions. Tripping, hooking, cross-checking, and slashing have hurt them in several games, and NCHC officials are calling those closely this season. St. Cloud State’s power play moves pucks quickly, crashes the net, and looks to generate traffic in front. Miami’s 75.6% penalty kill needs to be up to the task this weekend.
Match Their Physicality
Miami is the smaller team overall. St. Cloud State’s defensive core plays fast and heavy. One of their captains, Cooper Wylie, is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, and plays a physical two-way game. He leads their blue line with seven points. On the right side, Mason Reiners is 6-foot, 200 pounds, and brings another strong presence.
St. Cloud State’s defense is not as heavy as Western Michiganās, but they break out quickly and stay organized in transition. Miami needs to be sharper in the neutral zone, cleaner on exits, and more disciplined with line changes. Poor changes hurt them last weekend and led to a few goals.
Winning battles and limiting second and third opportunities will be important this weekend.
Spend Time in Offensive Zone
Miami has to generate more sustained offensive zone time this series. They were outshot 91-38 when they suffered a sweep last weekend. At one point on Saturday, the shots were 39-5 in favor of Western Michigan. Miami needs more traffic, more pucks on net, and longer stretches of time on the attack.
Noreen emphasized this to me after the Western Michigan series.
“The best defense is a good offense. When they are spending time in your end, when you come out, instead of being able to go on the attack, now you are thinking I have to get off and get fresh legs, and now they are coming right back at you. When we have been at our best, that is what we have been able to do. Obviously, this is a whole other level against a really good team (Western Michigan).”
Miami has allowed 32.7 shots per game this season. St. Cloud State has allowed 29.1. Offensively, Miami averages 27.3 shots per game, while St. Cloud State averages 33.3. Noah Urness has two game-winning goals and plays on the third line, left wing. That third line of Urness, Roed, and Burnevik has arguably been their best line, and one Miami has to shut down.
Miamiās main shot blockers, including Ryder Thompson, McEwen, and Lukashevich, will be important. Thompson leads with 20, while Lukashevich is in second with 15, and McEwen rounds it out with 10.
St. Cloud State has blocked 50 shots this season and has won 54.7% of its faceoffs. Miami will rely on Ethan Hay and Morozov in the circle. For the Huskies, Gross leads at 62%, 62 wins in 100 draws, while Roed has won 49 of 88 for 55.7%.
Reiners leads St. Cloud State in blocked shots with 20, followed by Wylie with 15. Max Smolinski and Thor Byfuglien each have 12. Miami will need to match that group shift for shift.
Puck drop for game one is tonight at 7:05 PM EST. Miami will debut their Cradle of Coaches jerseys.
