The Miami RedHawks are receiving votes in both national polls for the first time in two years after a 4-0-0 start to the season. The last time Miami began a season 4-0-0 was in the 2007-08 season, when that squad went a program-best 33-8-1 overall and later fell to Boston College in overtime in the NCAA Northeast Regional Final.
Three weeks in, the RedHawks have swept two older, physical teams in Ferris State and RPI, winning in different ways across the four games. They took down Ferris State in an offensive battle one night and a defensive, penalty-filled grind the next. It all came together in the series finale against RPI, where the RedHawks played to their identity and cruised to a 5-0 win, connecting on special teams and dominating all three zones from start to finish.
Take it for what it’s worth, but two weekends ago, Ferris State upset then-No. 1 Western Michigan on the road. Maybe Miami handled a better team than some realized, a true testament to a RedHawks squad that swept them.
Related: Miami Completes Weekend Sweep with 3-1 Win Over Ferris State
Also of note, this is a Miami team still without a game from highly regarded freshman goaltender Shika Gadzhiev, who has been dealing with ongoing eligibility issues, and without dynamic freshman forward David Deputy, who has been sidelined with an injury since the first period of opening night.
Through four games, Matteo Giampa leads the team in points with eight, including two game-winning goals. Kocha Delic leads in goals with four, and Ilia Morozov has seven points on three goals and four assists. Giampa, Morozov, Delic, and Michael Quinn have all scored a power-play goal.
The team is averaging 30.3 shots per game, with the power play sitting at 4-for-16 (25%) and the penalty kill operating at an 80% success rate. Despite the promising numbers, both areas can still use some work.
Below are five takeaways from the RedHawks’ hot start to the season.
Top Line Is Rolling
The top line of left wing Kocha Delic, center Ilia Morozov, and right wing Matteo Giampa has been the engine of Miami’s offense, combining for 16 points over the weekend sweep of RPI.
“They are three totally different types of players, and for whatever reason, they have clicked,” head coach Anthony Noreen said earlier this season. “Matteo brings size, skating, and skill. Morozov is the youngest player in college hockey, and he more than held his own against guys five years older. And Delic never stops. He is an Energizer Bunny with speed and skill.”
Delic uses his speed and quick release to create offense. He’s been key on both special teams and has made major strides defensively since last season in Sudbury with active stick lifts and solid backchecking. He leads all Miami forwards in ice time at 20:06 per game and might have the best wrist shot on the team.
Giampa has been Miami’s best puck handler, relentless on the forecheck, and quite the presence on the top power-play unit. His effort has helped the top line sustain long stretches of offensive-zone time and is great on the rush.
Morozov has made an immediate impact and is living up to the hype of a 2026 NHL Draft pick. The 17-year-old has been a weapon on the power play, fits perfectly between two fast, skilled wingers when five-on-five, and plays with confidence defensively. His patience and playmaking stand out, and he’s not afraid of contact despite his age.
He recorded six points in the weekend sweep against RPI, including his first two collegiate goals in the Friday comeback win.
He’s still adjusting to the college faceoff circle, winning 42% of his draws over the weekend, but those percentages will improve as he adjusts to this level.
Drobac Stays Hot
Goaltender Matteo Drobac sits at 4-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average (GAA) and a .928 save percentage (SV%) on the season.
Drobac let in a few he would want back early on Friday night against RPI, but settled down quickly and was lights out from that point forward. He was better at controlling rebounds as the series went on, which carried over into Saturday’s 5-0 shutout win, the first of his collegiate career.
“Yeah, in that first period I let up two, which wasn’t ideal,” Drobac said. “But as a goalie, you’ve got to have short-term memory and focus on the next one after every goal. At the start of every period, I tell myself it’s 0-0 again, just go out there and do your job. I kind of settled down in the second, and the boys started fighting back, which was good. We carried that momentum into the third and kept it going the next day, which worked out great for us.”
Drobac stopped 26 of 29 shots on Friday and even added an assist, and has faced 111 total shots this season, stopping 103 of them.
He said he is comfortable with the workload, crediting his experience in the offense-heavy Ontario Hockey League (OHL). “In the OHL, I played a lot of games, around 50 in my overage year, so I’m used to a heavier workload. In college, it’s kind of nice because you’ve got two games on Friday and Saturday, and then a whole week to recover. You play the two games, then have the week for practice, film, and working on things you want to improve. You get time to regroup for the weekend. It’s been great so far, nothing too much to handle. Just have to keep going.”
RedHawks Earning Recognition
Four Miami players have already picked up NCHC weekly honors. Justin Stupka earned Rookie of the Week after the opening weekend, while Morozov (Forward of the Week), Drobac (Goaltender of the Week), and Delic (Rookie of the Week) snagged three awards the following week. It was the first time in program history that three Miami players captured an NCHC weekly award in the same week, per Tim Cary of MiamiRedHawks.com.
Morozov was also named to the preliminary NHL Central Scouting Rankings released Monday, earning a “B” grade, projecting him as a second or third round pick for now. Many scouts are beginning to take notice of his hot start, and for good reason. There was at least one NHL scout I noticed in Oxford for the Ferris State series.
Head coach Anthony Noreen praised Morozov’s maturity before the season began, saying that while he may be the youngest player in college hockey, you would not know it by watching him.
“His maturity is well beyond his age, and obviously so is his game. He accelerated his schooling to come in early, and it has worked because of how he carries himself and how he prepares.”
Depth Showing Early
Miami has been able to roll four lines pretty well up to this point. The fourth line has embraced its checking role, while the third line continues to chip in with depth scoring from Doug Grimes, Casper Nassen, and Justin Stupka.
Max Helgeson has brought 100% effort every shift in his second line role, already scoring two goals, one empty netter in the Ferris State series and the game-winner in Friday’s matchup at RPI. With Deputy out, having a versatile forward like Helgeson, who can play up and down the lineup, works wonders.
On the back end, the RedHawks are decently deep. Ryder Thompson leads the team with 11 blocked shots, while Vladislav Lukashevich has nine and leads the team in average ice time at 21:32 per game. Both are used on the power play and penalty kill and have impressed early offensively, too.
Hay Leading in the Circle
Faceoffs were an issue early in the Ferris State series, but have shown improvement since. Miami is 106-for-157 (40.3%) overall, but the RedHawks took a step forward in the RPI finale, winning 49.2% of draws.
Freshman Ethan Hay stood out that night, going 14-for-19 (73.7%) and winning four shorthanded draws. He leads the team with 33 faceoff wins (44.6%), followed by Morozov with 28.
Hay has emerged as Miami’s most reliable faceoff man and is currently centering the second line. He looks like a player the RedHawks can count on to win key draws, an area that has been a struggle for the program in recent seasons.
Lindenwood Up Next
Can this team keep it up heading into NCHC play? Only time will tell, but for now, Miami’s first order of business is heading to St. Charles, Missouri, this coming weekend to face Lindenwood, a team that just split a series with then No. 5 Denver last weekend.
