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Frozen Four notebook: PK key for RedHawks

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 9:45 PM Wednesday, April 8, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Enrico Blasi doesn’t know everything about his Miami University hockey team’s ability to kill off penalties. He just knows the RedHawks are pretty good at it.

“We have been doing it for about five or six years,” Blasi said Wednesday, April 8, after his team held a practice in preparation for its NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game tonight against Bemidji State. “Most of the guys you see out there have done it for a while.

“If you have about an hour I can explain it to you,” he added with a grin, “but frankly I don’t know if I understand it. Coach (Chris) Bergeron and coach (Brent) Brekke do an unbelievable job preparing the PK.”

Miami ranks second in the nation in killing off penalties at 89.8 percent, just a fraction of a percentage point behind Yale. The only other Frozen Four participant ranked among the top 10 in that category is Boston University, 10th at 87.5.

“Our guys understand the schemes that we are trying to execute,” Blasi said, “and the bottom line is you have to execute. You have to have goaltending, you have to block shots, you have to do a lot of things that our program stands for.”

Cady, a can-do man

Steve Cady’s to-do list for Wednesday, April 8 had about as many lines as a page from the District of Columbia telephone book.

Meetings with everyone about everything. Interviews. Press conferences. Presentations. And the pages for Thursday, Friday and Saturday are just as crowded. Cady is unperturbed.

“This has a chance — we still have to get through the week — to be the best Frozen Four ever,” he said.

Miami’s Senior Associate Director of Athletics and former hockey coach is serving as chairperson of the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee this year and he is overseeing the Frozen Four.

Cady has gotten big-time help from George McPhee, general manager of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and former Hobey Baker Award winner from Bowling Green.

McPhee moved the Capitals out of their own locker room, which allowed Boston University to move in (the Terriers got priority because they are the top-seeded team remaining).

“There is no other NHL team that would do that,” Cady said. “Boston gets the Capitals’ locker room and all the facilities.”

Pleased with practice

The coaches of today’s first semifinal, Blasi and Bemidji State’s Tom Serratore, each said he was happy with his team’s practice session Wednesday.

“Our guys had a good time on the ice today,” Blasi said.

Serratore said the Bravers had a high-tempo practice. “This game is high octane, so you’d better practice high octane, that’s how I look at it.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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