Regular season crown to be decided this weekend

It can't be a coincidence that the Hoosiers (17-3-2, 5-1-2) and Miami of Ohio (12-1-2, 6-1-1) will meet in the final series of the regular season. \nOver the last 10 years, the Hoosiers and the RedHawks have developed one of the more intense rivalries in all of ACHA hockey. More often then not, the Hoosiers have found themselves on the losing side of the feud. \nThe last time these two teams met was in the 2001 MCHL Championships. The result was a 2-1 overtime victory for Miami. It marked the second straight year they beat the Hoosiers for a league title game.\nThis weekend will provide the Hoosiers with an opportunity for revenge. IU sits one seed behind the first-ranked RedHawks in the GMHL rankings. If the Hoosiers can squeeze out a win and a tie, they will be the league's No. 1 seed going into next week's playoffs.\n"We definitely have to settle the score with these guys," defenseman Joe Rogers said. "They've knocked us out of some key games, and I think everybody that's been on the team before remembers that."\nThe Hoosiers head to Oxford in an attempt to gain a win or pull out a tie at Goggins Ice Arena. A win would mark the first time in history that IU has won on the road against Miami.\n"This year's team has accomplished a lot of firsts this year," Coach Rich Holdeman said. "This is another one we'd like to have."\nHoldeman reiterated the intense history between the two squads.\n"I told the guys before practice, of all the teams we play, Miami is the team I most want to beat every time we play them," he said. "Over the years, they've given us our most disappointing losses, losses that were tough to swallow. We've never beaten them at their barn."\nAs if facing a team that has only lost once all season (a one goal loss at Michigan State) wasn't tough enough, the Hoosiers will have to find a way to beat a goaltender that has been their nemesis. RedHawk senior Ben Winkler was in the net when Miami defeated IU in the championship game last year. He was also the culprit behind both Miami victories in the MCHL and ACHA national championship tournaments two years ago.\n"They have a goaltender that always seems to play well against us," Assistant Coach Alex Kyrias said. "For some reason against Indiana, he just shines. I'm sure we'll be seeing him this weekend."\nThe RedHawks are notorious for playing a conservative, stand-up defensive style, which could work against the smaller Hoosier offense. Along with their smothering defense, Miami has the ability to create offense out of nowhere. The team also has the kind of talent to capitalize on the opportunities their defense forces. \nMiami sophomore Jeff Lorenz and juniors Matt Brandt and Scott McKone have combined for 61 points this season.\n"It's the best rivalry we have as far as competitive rivalry," Kyrias said. "They're our nemesis. That's the team we'll probably have to go through for a title. We're going to need guys that don't normally step up to step up."\nSaturday night's showdown will be at the Frank Southern Center Ice Arena on South Henderson. Scheduled face-off time is 7:30 p.m.