# 2021–22 Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey season

The 2021–22 Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey season was the 44th season of play for the program and the 9th season in the NCHC conference. The RedHawks represented Miami University and were coached by Chris Bergeron, in his 3rd season.

## Season

Miami opened the season with a solid performance but then saw its offense stall for much of the next two months. The RedHawks earned a surprising win over Omaha in early November but that was one of the only bright spots during the first half of the season. While their conference schedule was a murders row of ranked teams, the team couldn't get on track with its non-conference schedule, losing games to Long Island and Ferris State, two of the weakest teams in Division I hockey.
Ludvig Persson received the bulk of minutes in the crease despite fairly pedestrian performance. Even so, he was ill-served by a porous defense that allowed an average of more than 35 shots against per game. As a result, Miami was one of the worst defensive teams in the country. Only St. Thomas, who were playing their first season at the D-I level, allowed more goals.
The team's poor play continued through January, leaving the team with just a single conference win in sixteen matches. After a week off at the beginning of February, however, the RedHawks were able to recharge and sweep a series against the Mavericks, winning consecutive games for the first time in over a year. Even while losing five of their next six to end the regular season, the team kept the score close on most nights and appeared to have found some level of fight.
The late-season improvement did not prevent the team from finishing last in the conference. Miami was set against Denver in the NCHC quarterfinals and, predictably, did not fare well versus the #3 team in the country.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Will Cullen | Forward | United States | Left mid-season (signed with Bridgeport Islanders) |
| Casey Gilling | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Minnesota Duluth |
| Phil Knies | Forward | Slovakia | Graduate transfer to Bentley |
| Ben Kraws | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Arizona State |
| Ben Lown | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Alec Mahalak | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Caleb Rule | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Rourke Russell | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to Sacred Heart |
| Grant Valentine | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Will Cullen | Defenseman | United States | 25 | Pelham Manor, NY; transfer from Bowling Green |
| Thomas Daskas | Forward | United States | 22 | Rochester Hills, MI; transfer from Air Force |
| Nick Donato | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Chicago, IL |
| PJ Fletcher | Forward | United States | 20 | Dana Point, CA; transfer from Quinnipiac |
| Chase Gresock | Forward | United States | 23 | Powell, OH; transfer from Merrimack |
| Kirk Laursen | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Bloomfield Hills, MI |
| Alex Murray | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Glenview, IL |
| Logan Neaton | Goaltender | United States | 22 | Brighton, MI; transfer from Massachusetts Lowell; selected 144th overall in 2019 |
| Michael Regush | Forward | Canada | 23 | Surrey, BC; transfer from Cornell |
| Red Savage | Forward | United States | 18 | Scottsdale, AZ; selected 114th overall in 2021 |

## Roster

As of September 28, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #1 Denver † | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 98 | 55 | 41 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 175 | 93 |
| #9 North Dakota † | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 78 | 58 | 39 | 24 | 14 | 1 | 119 | 99 |
| #6 Western Michigan | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 84 | 68 | 39 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 138 | 101 |
| #11 St. Cloud State | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 84 | 69 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 133 | 97 |
| #5 Minnesota Duluth * | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 61 | 56 | 42 | 22 | 16 | 4 | 109 | 93 |
| Omaha | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 65 | 74 | 38 | 21 | 17 | 0 | 123 | 102 |
| Colorado College | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 48 | 87 | 36 | 9 | 24 | 3 | 79 | 116 |
| Miami | 24 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 54 | 105 | 36 | 7 | 27 | 2 | 94 | 153 |
| Championship: March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 2 | 6:07 PM | at Ferris State* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | | Persson | W 7–4 | 1,757 | 1–0–0 |
| October 3 | 7:07 PM | at Ferris State* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | | Neaton | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,507 | 1–1–0 |
| October 15 | 7:00 PM | at Michigan State* | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | | Persson | L 1–3 | 6,511 | 1–2–0 |
| October 16 | 7:00 PM | at Michigan State* | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | | Persson | L 1–2 | 5,010 | 1–3–0 |
| October 22 | 7:05 PM | Bowling Green* | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 3,209 | 1–3–1 |
| October 23 | 7:07 PM | Bowling Green* | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 4–6 | 2,486 | 1–4–1 |
| November 5 | 8:07 PM | at #9 Omaha | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Persson | W 4–3 | 4,325 | 2–4–1 (1–0–0) |
| November 6 | 7:07 PM | at #9 Omaha | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Persson | L 1–4 | 4,003 | 2–5–1 (1–1–0) |
| November 12 | 7:05 PM | #7 North Dakota | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 1–4 | 3,135 | 2–6–1 (1–2–0) |
| November 13 | 5:05 PM | #7 North Dakota | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 4–5 | 2,626 | 2–7–1 (1–3–0) |
| November 19 | 9:07 PM | at #11 Denver | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Persson | L 1–4 | 4,882 | 2–8–1 (1–4–0) |
| November 20 | 8:07 PM | at #11 Denver | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Neaton | L 1–7 | 4,916 | 2–9–1 (1–5–0) |
| November 26 | 7:05 PM | Long Island* | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 4–7 | 1,009 | 2–10–1 |
| November 27 | 5:05 PM | Long Island* | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Neaton | W 4–1 | 906 | 3–10–1 |
| December 3 | 7:05 PM | #6 Western Michigan | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Neaton | L 3–6 | 2,116 | 3–11–1 (1–6–0) |
| December 4 | 5:05 PM | #6 Western Michigan | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 3–5 | 1,881 | 3–12–1 (1–7–0) |
| December 12 | 3:05 PM | at Mercyhurst* | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | | Persson | W 7–4 | 858 | 4–12–1 |
| January 4 | 7:05 PM | Mercyhurst* | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 894 | 4–13–1 |
| January 7 | 7:05 PM | Colorado College | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Neaton | L 1–5 | 1,182 | 4–14–1 (1–8–0) |
| January 8 | 5:05 PM | Colorado College | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 3–4 | 1,270 | 4–15–1 (1–9–0) |
| January 14 | 8:07 PM | at #7 Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | | Persson | L 1–4 | 5,324 | 4–16–1 (1–10–0) |
| January 15 | 8:07 PM | at #7 Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | | Persson | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 5,827 | 4–16–2 (1–10–1) |
| January 21 | 8:37 PM | at #6 St. Cloud State | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | | Persson | L 1–11 | 3,740 | 4–17–2 (1–11–1) |
| January 22 | 7:07 PM | at #6 St. Cloud State | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | | Persson | L 0–8 | 4,107 | 4–18–2 (1–12–1) |
| January 28 | 7:05 PM | #5 Denver | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 2,204 | 4–19–2 (1–13–1) |
| January 29 | 5:05 PM | #5 Denver | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 2–4 | 2,682 | 4–20–2 (1–14–1) |
| February 11 | 7:00 PM | #18 Omaha | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | CBSSN | Persson | W 5–4 | 2,303 | 5–20–2 (2–14–1) |
| February 12 | 7:05 PM | #18 Omaha | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | W 4–2 | 2,614 | 6–20–2 (3–14–1) |
| February 18 | 9:30 PM | at Colorado College | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Persson | L 3–4 | 3,517 | 6–21–2 (3–15–1) |
| February 19 | 8:00 PM | at Colorado College | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ATTRM | Persson | L 2–3 | 3,545 | 6–22–2 (3–16–1) |
| February 25 | 7:05 PM | #8 Minnesota Duluth | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | L 1–3 | 2,756 | 6–23–2 (3–17–1) |
| February 26 | 5:05 PM | #8 Minnesota Duluth | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | | Persson | W 4–0 | 2,862 | 7–23–2 (4–17–1) |
| March 4 | 7:05 PM | at #8 Western Michigan | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | | Persson | L 3–5 | 3,053 | 7–24–2 (4–18–1) |
| March 5 | 7:05 PM | at #8 Western Michigan | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | | Persson | L 0–3 | 3,303 | 7–25–2 (4–19–1) |
| NCHC Tournament ||||||||||
| March 11 | 9:07 PM | vs. #3 Denver* | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (NCHC Quarterfinal Game 1) | | Persson | L 2–5 | 4,255 | 7–26–2 |
| March 12 | 8:07 PM | vs. #3 Denver* | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (NCHC Quarterfinal Game 1) | | Persson | L 1–5 | 5,210 | 7–27–2 |
| Miami Lost Series 0–2 ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Derek Daschke | D | 36 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 8 |
| P. J. Fletcher | F | 35 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 14 |
| Matt Barry | F | 36 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 20 |
| Matthew Barbolini | F | 35 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 32 |
| Chase Gresock | F | 21 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 6 |
| Redmond Savage | C | 35 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 43 |
| Ryan Savage | RW | 30 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 16 |
| Joe Cassetti | LW | 25 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 19 |
| Jack Olmstead | F | 30 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| Dylan Moulton | D | 34 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 |
| Hampus Rydqvist | D | 28 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 14 |
| Thomas Daskas | F | 29 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 16 |
| Mike Regush | C | 24 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 16 |
| Monte Graham | F | 36 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 30 |
| Jack Clement | D | 36 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 18 |
| Chase Pletzke | C | 31 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
| Alec Capstick | D | 23 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 29 |
| John Sladic | F | 24 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Will Cullen | D | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Nick Donato | D | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
| Brian Silver | F | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Brayden Crowder | D | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
| Robby Drazner | D | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Scott Corbett | C | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Kirk Laursen | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Holland | F | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Murray | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Logan Neaton | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Andrew Sinard | D | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Ludvig Persson | G | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 94 | 155 | 249 | 414 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Ludvig Persson | 31 | 1860 | 6 | 23 | 2 | 122 | 1027 | 1 | .894 | 3.93 |
| Logan Neaton | 7 | 296 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 172 | 0 | .887 | 4.45 |
| Empty Net | - | 24 | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2182 | 7 | 27 | 2 | 153 | 1199 | 1 | .887 | 4.21 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.