Relevant Rewind: First meeting between Miami and St. Cloud State
The Miami RedHawks and St. Cloud State Huskies have played hockey against each other in five different decades. The first meeting took place in Oxford, Ohio, on Friday, November 13, 1987. This game occurred during the first year of Division I hockey for the Huskies. Miami had been a Division I hockey member since the school fielded a team in 1978. Both teams had two wins coming into the contest. The Miami Redskins – who changed their name to the RedHawks in 1996 – had defeated Michigan and Michigan State. The Huskies two wins came from a sweep of Air Force. Both teams looked to snap losing streaks.
Ultimately, the home ice and veteran presence were too much for St. Cloud State as Miami cruised to an 8-1 victory in the first game of the series. The following night’s tilt was closer, yet the series ended in a sweep as Miami won 5-3. The Huskies scored three unanswered goals at one point in that second game to go up 3-2 yet Miami scored three unanswered goals themselves as the team battled back to win.
At the time of this first series in 1987, Miami was a part of the CCHA and St. Cloud State was an independent team. As we know all too well, the conference alignment within college hockey is never set in stone. Flash forward to today and these two teams have shared the same conference since 2013. Prior to joining the NCHC, the programs met 13 times with Miami leading the non-conference series 8-3-2. Since the NCHC was created, the two teams have met 38 times as conference foes. The script has flipped with the Huskies sporting a 26-10-2 record over the RedHawks in that timeframe. The two teams will play each other this weekend back in Oxford, Ohio, to determine who will win games 52 and 53 in the overall series.
Photo Credits: Featured photo: The Miami Student, Vol. 115, No. 21 (Nov. 17, 1987). Secondary photo: Miami Recensio 1988 Yearbook.