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1:50 AM Friday, January 27, 2012

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

OXFORD — It has taken three excruciating months, but Miami University’s hockey team has arrived at a place whose destination once seemed improbable if not impossible:

On the verge of first place.

When the RedHawks take on the Northern Michigan Wildcats at home tonight and Saturday, they have a shot at replacing Ohio State as the leader atop the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings.

In the normal course of things, that should be no surprise for a team picked in one preseason poll as the No. 1 team in the nation.

But there has been nothing normal about the 2011-12 season for the RedHawks.

Four weeks into the season they were dead last in the CCHA standings at 0-4. Dead last and seemingly dead in the water.

“We really weren’t doing anything right,” Miami junior forward Reilly Smith remembered.

“But when we were 2-6 (overall) there was a worst-case scenario, not making the (NCAA) tournament, and with all the talent we had in the locker room we knew that wasn’t going to happen.”

Qualifying for the NCAA still isn’t a sure thing. But now the RedHawks are moving up in the PairWise rankings (tied for 14th), a good indication of which teams get at-large berths in the 16-team field. And in the CCHA they are tied for second place with Western Michigan, just two points behind an Ohio State squad that is winless in its last six games.

“The big thing is just confidence,” Smith said, explaining that Miami has a lot of young, talented players who have added experience to that talent. “That, and some phenomenal goaltending.”

Two and a half weeks ago, senior goalie Connor Knapp was named National Player of the Week by Inside College Hockey and since then has allowed only two goals in three starts.

This week, however, it was Smith’s turn to receive the honor after scoring four of Miami’s seven goals in the RedHawks’ series sweep against Western Michigan.

“You’ve got to give credit to the young guys on the line, Jimmy Mullin and Austin Czarnik,” Smith said. “They’ve been getting to all the loose pucks on the ice, and everything I shot was going in.”

Last weekend the two freshman linemates totaled six assists on Smith’s four goals, two of which came on rebounds.

“I was getting a lot of good opportunities. Pucks were hitting the post or getting a piece of the goalie,” Smith said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Weekend series

Who: No. 19 Northern Michigan Wildcats (11-8-5, 6-7-5-2 CCHA) at No. 17 Miami RedHawks (14-10-2, 10-8-2-1)

When: 7:35 tonight; 7:05 p.m. Saturday

Where: Steve Cady Arena, Oxford

TV: ONN both days

Radio: None

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