# 1978–79 Miami Redskins men's ice hockey season

The 1978–79 Miami Redskins men's ice hockey team represented the Miami University in college ice hockey. In its inaugural varsity season the team was coached by Steve Cady and played at the newly opened Miami Ice Arena.

## Season

Miami's ice hockey program was promoted to varsity status in the summer of 1978. In their first season the Redskins remained in the Mid–Central Collegiate Hockey Association, a small collection of local club teams, mainly so it could field a full schedule. Miami was also able to schedule 10 games against Division I opponents that would take place throughout the season.
After an initial win over Cincinnati, Miami was beaten soundly in four consecutive games. The losses were against the top-tier squads which was a trend that would continue throughout the season. Miami finished the regular season with a very good 12–3–1 record in conference, but lost all 10 games against the D-I teams. Miami's up and down year came to an end with the MCCHA tournament, with the entire championship being played in its home arena. The Redskins took advantage of the opportunity and routed Eastern Michigan before shutting out Michigan–Dearborn to claim the championship.
As Miami continued to transition into a full Division I schedule, the team knew it had a long way to go before it could compete with the rest of the big programs.

## Standings

1978–79 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Air Force | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 31 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 157 | 139 |
| Miami | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 37 | 22 | 14 | 1 | 257 | 145 |

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent$^#$ | Site | Result | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||
| October 20 | vs. Cincinnati | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 15–2 | 1–0 (1–0) |
| October 27 | at Bowling Green* | BGSU Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | L 0–15 | 1–1 |
| October 28 | vs. Bowling Green* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | L 1–8 | 1–2 |
| November 3 | at Northern Michigan* | Lakeview Arena • Marquette, Michigan | L 2–13 | 1–3 |
| November 4 | at Northern Michigan* | Lakeview Arena • Marquette, Michigan | L 3–7 | 1–4 |
| November 10 | vs. Illinois–Chicago* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 7–4 | 2–4 |
| November 11 | vs. Illinois–Chicago* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | L 4–5 | 2–5 |
| November 17 | vs. Kent State | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 14–1 | 3–5 (2–0) |
| November 18 | vs. Kent State | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 13–2 | 4–5 (3–0) |
| December 1 | at Michigan–Dearborn | Dearborn, Michigan | T 5–5 $^{OT}$ | 4–5–1 (3–0–1) |
| December 2 | at Michigan–Dearborn | Dearborn, Michigan | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 4–6–1 (3–1–1) |
| December 8 | at Eastern Michigan | Ypsilanti, Michigan | W 9–4 | 5–6–1 (4–1–1) |
| December 9 | at Eastern Michigan | Ypsilanti, Michigan | W 10–2 | 6–6–1 (5–1–1) |
| December 15 | vs. Missouri* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 11–2 | 7–6–1 |
| December 16 | vs. Missouri* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 14–2 | 8–6–1 |
| January 5 | at Saint Louis* | St. Louis Arena • St. Louis, Missouri | L 2–8 | 8–7–1 |
| January 6 | at Saint Louis* | St. Louis Arena • St. Louis, Missouri | L 3–6 | 8–8–1 |
| January 10 | at Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | W 10–1 | 9–8–1 (6–1–1) |
| January 12 | at Kent State | Kent State University Ice Arena • Kent, Ohio | L 4–6 | 9–9–1 (6–2–1) |
| January 13 | at Kent State | Kent State University Ice Arena • Kent, Ohio | W 9–2 | 10–9–1 (7–2–1) |
| January 17 | at Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | W 9–4 | 11–9–1 (8–2–1) |
| January 19 | at Michigan–Dearborn | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 7–3 | 12–9–1 (9–2–1) |
| January 20 | at Michigan–Dearborn | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 2–5 | 12–10–1 (9–3–1) |
| January 23 | at Cincinnati* | Cincinnati, Ohio | W 9–0 | 13–10–1 |
| January 26 | at Western Michigan* | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | L 2–4 | 13–11–1 |
| January 27 | at Western Michigan* | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | L 2–6 | 13–12–1 |
| January 31 | vs. Cincinnati | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 18–2 | 14–12–1 (10–3–1) |
| February 2 | at Illinois–Chicago* | Chicago, Illinois | W 3–1 | 15–12–1 |
| February 3 | at Illinois–Chicago* | Chicago, Illinois | W 5–4 | 16–12–1 |
| February 10 | vs. Duquesne* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 14–0 | 17–12–1 |
| February 14 | vs. Saint Louis* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | L 1–4 | 17–13–1 |
| February 16 | vs. Eastern Michigan | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 6–4 | 18–13–1 (11–3–1) |
| February 17 | vs. Eastern Michigan | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 6–3 | 19–13–1 (12–3–1) |
| February 23 | vs. Ohio State* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | L 1–7 | 19–14–1 |
| February 24 | vs. Cincinnati* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio | W 18–2 | 20–14–1 |
| MCCHA Tournament ||||||
| February 26 | vs. Eastern Michigan* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio (MCCHA Semifinal) | W 12–2 | 21–14–1 |
| March 6 | vs. Michigan–Dearborn* | Miami Ice Arena • Oxford, Ohio (MCCHA Championship) | W 5–0 | 22–14–1 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. Source: ||||||

## Roster and scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Pts | PIM |
| Gary Delonge | C | - | 39 | 35 | 74 | - |
| Pete Shipman | F | - | 26 | 45 | 71 | - |
| John Malloy | C | 37 | 16 | 52 | 68 | - |
| Bill Bok | F | - | 32 | 34 | 66 | - |
| Vern Sketchley | W | - | - | - | - | 73 |
| Paul Kinney | W | - | - | - | - | 88 |
| Dudley Fitzpatrick | D | - | - | - | - | 88 |

## Players drafted by NHL Clubs
### 1979 NHL Entry Draft

Miami did not have any players selected in the NHL Entry Draft.