MIAMI ICE HOCKEY REGAINS TOP SPOT IN USCHO.COM/CSTV POLL

RedHawks' Impressive Sweep at Rensselaer Also Nets Honors for Three Players

Dec. 17, 2007

OXFORD - Following a pair of impressive victories at highly ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute last weekend, Coach Enrico Blasi's Miami RedHawks ice hockey team is back on top of the national polls.

Miami had slipped to No. 2 in the rankings after splitting a pair of games at home against Alaska, but this past weekend's 7-3 and 5-1 road wins in Troy, N.Y. convinced the pollsters to put the RedHawks back into the No. 1 slot. MU holds a slim four-point margin over Michigan in this week's poll, 968 to 964. Miami garnered 23 first-place votes, one fewer than the 16-2-0 Wolverines. The two teams will face off in Oxford on Feb. 8-9.

The RedHawks, now 7-1 against ranked opponents and winners of seven straight road games in 2007-08, had been perched on top of the polls for six consecutive weeks before slipping to No. 2 last week.

Off to the best start in school history at 16-2-0, Miami leads the nation in scoring offense (4.50 goals per game), scoring defense (1.50) and scoring margin (+3.00 per game).

The RedHawks will not play again until Dec. 29 when they face off against St. Cloud State at the Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus.

The impressive victories at Rensselaer also netted three Miami stars CCHA Player of the Week honors.

Senior forward Ryan Jones (Chatham, Ont.) was named Offensive Player of the Week by the league. He scored the game-winning goal in Sunday's victory after notching a goal and two assists in Saturday's come-from-behind win. Nationally, Jones ranks first in game-winning goals (six), fourth in goals per game (16 in 18 games), and seventh in points per game (1.39).

Junior Alec Martinez (Rochester, Mich.) earned Defenseman of the Week honors. He was a plus-six over the weekend, scoring a goal and assisting on three other RedHawk tallies. Martinez ranks fourth among the nation's defensemen with 17 points in 18 games (six goals and 11 assists).

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