DaytonDailyNews.com

OXFORD — Walt Kyle knows the road to Miami University's Steve Cady Arena.

Kyle and his Northern Michigan hockey team were just in Oxford three weeks ago, notching a surprising 2-1 victory and then a 1-1 tie (that ended in a shootout loss) against the RedHawks.

Tonight, March 13, the Wildcats are back in town to begin a second-round series in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament.

"Certainly it's not the team we wanted to face," Kyle said. "I wouldn't say we're confident going in there because we know Miami is one of the best teams in the country. But at the end of the day, if you're going to do well in the playoffs, you have to beat good teams."

Northern Michigan (16-15-5) has been among the hottest teams in the country since the first of the year, going 13-3-2 during that time.

Miami (19-10-5) dominated the February series, but Wildcats junior goaltender Brian Stewart proved to be a stone-cold beast.

In Game 1, the RedHawks outshot the visitors 44-20. In Game 2, the RedHawks outshot the visitors 47-7.

"Miami won the games — they just didn't win the scores," Kyle said. "It was probably Stewart's best weekend of the year. That's the only reason we were able to get some points down there."

Kyle said NMU, which hails from Marquette on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is a hardworking, blue-collar squad of "average guys."

Asked about his team's excellent record down the stretch, Kyle said that's a combination of solid play and a favorable schedule.

"Because of the unbalanced schedule in our league, your record sometimes depends on how you play and when you play certain teams," Kyle said. "In the second half of the season, we've played some of the teams in the bottom half of the league."

Stewart will be in goal tonight. He's 12-11-3 with a .920 save percentage, allowing 2.37 goals per game.

Northern Michigan's point leaders are sophomores Gregor Hanson (12 goals, 21 assists), Mark Olver (15 goals, 17 assists) and Erik Gustafsson (four goals, 27 assists).

For the RedHawks, sophomores Carter Camper (19 goals, 18 assists) and Pat Cannone (11 goals, 22 assists) head the point parade.

"They arguably have the most talented team in the league," Kyle said of MU. "They have a lot of quality people. They skate, they're strong, and they press the tempo of the game."

Miami has used two freshman goalies this season, Connor Knapp (13-4-3, .906, 2.05) and Cody Reichard (6-6-2, .912, 2.19).