Preview: Miami hockey returns home for non-conference bout against Alaska Anchorage

The Miami University hockey team has a somewhat familiar early non-conference schedule this year. In 2024, the first season Head Coach Anthony Noreen was at the helm, the RedHawks played the University of Alaska Anchorage in a two-game home series and the Robert Morris University Colonials in a home-and-home the weekend after.

In 2024, the RedHawks lost both games of the series by a total of 9-2. In their chance at revenge in the sold out home opener on Thursday, Miami demolished the visitors 7-1. Then, they came back with a hard-nosed, important 3-2 win on the road. 

With a 3-1-0 record, the next familiar opponent is the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage. They enter town as the RedHawks’ opponent in the first full home series of the season at Goggin Ice Center.

Miami’s previous work at Robert Morris showcased plenty of different facets about the team, including how much skill and depth the roster has.

In those two games, the RedHawks had 11 different players grace the score sheet. Senior forward Matteo Giampa led the way with six points over the weekend, including a four assist night on Thursday. He leads Miami in points with seven through four games. 

“The thing about Matteo is he can do it quietly, and he can do it probably as loudly as anybody we have just because of that pop and skating and athleticism that he has,” Noreen said. “When you have that, and you can combine him using his skating, power and ability to get inside and attack off the rush and in-zone offense, it makes him a dangerous player, and we need to keep pushing him in that direction.”

Tied for second place behind Giampa in points are three underclassmen, sophomores Ilia Morozov (4 goals, 0 assists), Kocha Delic (2 goals, 2 assists) and freshman Matouš Kucharcík (1 goal, 3 assists). 

Sophomore David Deputy, who made his return to the lineup after missing the team’s first series against Northern Michigan University, racked up three assists in Thursday’s game heading into the series with Alaska Anchorage.

There were plenty of firsts through the weekend, helping solidify the RedHawks’ confidence in their depth moving forward. Freshman forward Ryan Seelinger and freshman defenseman Cal Huston both scored their first goals of their collegiate careers, while freshman defenseman Branko Vukas tallied his first assist on a nice play to the front of the goal.

In net on Saturday was freshman goaltender and Calgary Flames draft pick, Yegor Yegorov, who recorded his first collegiate win between the pipes. 

The two games were very different situations for Miami to adapt to, with one seeming to have every puck find the back of the net and the other a tight game with lots of ebbs and flows. But early in the season, being put in those situations against a tough, veteran team like Robert Morris can only help.

“It was a good building step for us,” Delic said. “I think we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of the way that we want to play, but it was definitely good. I think we’re taking steps in the right direction to build our identity, our culture here.”

Now, the focus is on Alaska Anchorage, sitting on a 1-5-0 record, have played one of the toughest schedules in college hockey up to this point and for the rest of the season.

Following two home exhibition games against Mount Royal University and the University of Mary, the Seawolves had a real flip regarding the skill level of their opponents.

Next in line was the then-No.1 Denver University Pioneers, who visited Alaska and came away with a 6-2 and 4-1 win on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. Then, the Seawolves hit the road to face the No. 2 team in the country at the time, the University of Michigan Wolverines at Yost Ice Arena. 

They got smoked. 

In the first game of the series, Michigan ran away with a 10-1 victory. Saturday night wasn’t much better, as the team fell 7-2.

Fortunately, the next series for the Seawolves wasn’t one of the top two teams in the country, as they faced Lake Superior State University (the new home of former Miami RedHawk forward Casper Nassen) at home. Alaska emerged from that series with the first win of the season and another loss, bringing them to where they stand today now heading into their second series against a National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) opponent. 

“They’re going to be well-seasoned based on the teams they’ve played,” Noreen said. “If you don’t manage the puck well against them, they counter in a hurry, and they’ve got the skillset to beat you. They defend hard, they’re good in special teams. But their speed in transition both ways, that’s at the forefront against these guys. We’ve got to really value every possession we have.”

While a 7-1 win in the home opener and the offense have been the focus for Miami fans, the defense has quietly shone through the first four games of the year.

According to Ryan Sikes and SportLogiq, the RedHawks have done the best work in all of the NCAA to this point in the season at not allowing high-danger scoring chances. The lower the expected goals against, the better, and Miami sits atop the pack.

xGF vs. xGA - Oct. 20, 2026 What stands out? https://t.co/y5kw8eag41

— Ryan Sikes (@rms_hockey) October 20, 2026

But the great defense isn’t just about the actual defenseman on the roster or the tactics behind the way a team plays. Instead, the focus for Noreen and his coaching staff is emphasizing commitment, and making sure that the group understands there’s no excuses. Every player needs to be fundamentally sound all the time and force opponents into easier shots for the goaltender to see.

“It’s a structural thing, and it’s a commitment thing,” Noreen said. “It’s not just the guy that’s on the puck. It’s a commitment from all five guys to check, be engaged and have awareness.  We think it’s been OK. We think it could be way better. ”

The other area of the game in which the RedHawks have improved (and it has shown in the results) is the power play. 

Last season, Miami ranked dead last on the man advantage in the NCHC with a 12.1% conversion rate. Now, they’re clicking at 27.3%.

While it’s impossible to say what will happen against higher level opponents in conference play, there is a different connectivity with both power play units on the ice, and that feeling doesn’t just resonate in the stands, it resonates on the ice, too.

“That was a big thing at the end of last year that we talked about and needed to get better at this year,” Delic said. “In hockey, that’s huge when you get a man up. And (scoring) on 20-25-30% of your power-plays, that plays a big role in if you win or lose a hockey game. And just playing with confidence when we’re out there, knowing we can make plays and execute on them.”

In front of a home crowd for two straight nights for the first time during the 2026-27 season, Miami will look to continue the magic they found during the home opener. But both teams will come into the series with something to prove. 

Alaska Anchorage is looking to stabilize under first-year head coach Eric Rud, who came via an assistant coaching job for two years with the NCHC’s St. Cloud State University, but before that had his connections to Miami.

From 2019-22, under former RedHawks Head Coach Chris Bergeron, Rud was an associate coach for the Miami hockey team. And what better time to prove yourself than against your old team on your old stomping grounds?

As for Miami, the focus remains inward so they can gain respect outward. While they have yet to garner much national recognition thus far in 2026-27, the group understands what they have and, more importantly, what they can earn.

“Part of our group’s power is the chip on the shoulder, and that has to be there,” Noreen said. “We need to consistently have that. We need to keep feeding that… if you’re not happy with how you’re being recognized or the way you’re being looked at, you’ve got a blank canvas to go out and do it, not just during games, but every day in practice to build toward it.” 

The RedHawks and Seawolves square off at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 23 and 6:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio.