VINELCA@MIAMIOH.EDU
SPORTS 11
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019
STARTING GOALIE SHARES THE LARKIN LEGACY EMILY DATTILO
CULTURE EDITOR Senior Ryan Larkin grew up playing hockey with his older brother and two cousins, and he was the last to learn how to skate. “Since I couldn’t skate, they made me play goalie and I ended up kinda developing the skills for it,” Ryan said. Recreational leagues allow players to rotate positions, but by age 10, Ryan found his home in the net, playing goalie full-time. Twelve years later, the net is still home and, for the last three years, it has rested on the ice of the Steve “Coach” Cady Arena. During the summer, however, he returns to Michigan, his home state, to share his hockey skills with younger kids in a special way. For the past four years, Ryan, his brother, Adam, and his cousins, Dylan and Colin, have run Larkin Hockey School at Lakeland Arena in Michigan, after their local rink owner asked if they’d be interested in starting a camp. All four boys have plenty of hockey experience — Ryan is Miami’s starting goalie, Colin played at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Adam played at Yale and Dylan is the alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings. Between the four of them, all three positions are covered. “We have a little bit of something for every kid that comes to the camp
and someone that’s kinda an expert on that position, and I guess it just kinda went from there,” Ryan said. This past year, the youngest participant they had was five-years-old and the oldest was 13 or 14, so the camp is split into three-day segments to accommodate the three different age groups. On a typical day back in Oxford, Miami goalies grace the ice 30 minutes before the rest of the players, working on goalie-specific training before delving into a regular team practice. Ryan says if the goalies aren’t focused, the rhythm of practice gets thrown off. “The game kind of revolves around us, so it’s important that we’re always ready and that, during practice, we’re ready to go,” he said. On game days, he breaks the game down into five-minute pieces. While his teammates swerve about a stretch of ice, sending shards of ice flying into side boards, Ryan commands a smaller amount of space with the same amount of intensity. He takes his stance, fiercely protecting the net. “The very first save is kind of in a category of its own — you always like to get that first save, it makes you feel confident and feel like you’re in the game,” he said. Being in the net requires both speed and focus without much break. Ryan says the mental part of being a goalie is more tiring than the physical part. During the week, he practices
with purpose and talks with coaches and former Miami goalies to try to decrease stress and calm his nerves. “At the end of each weekend, there’s a big mental wear and tear on ya, and it’s just kind of between the nerves and the pressure of the position,” Ryan said. “Every Sunday is kind of a day just to relax and get your mind away from hockey.” Despite the high-pressure nature of his position, Ryan’s demeanor is calm and quiet. Dressed in black athletic pants, a light blue hoodie, black and white bracelets and Nike gym shoes, he chats about his love for his sport. He talks about his most memorable moments as goalie — his first win freshman year playing against Providence, and a game in North Dakota where Miami was down 3-1 at the beginning of the third period, and ended up winning it 5-3 — and he talks about how the relationships that are built make hockey different from other sports. “You’re also all competing for the same thing, while competing against each other for playing time at every position,” he said. “So, you get a little bit of everything, but it really is a family atmosphere.” And really, that’s nothing new. For Ryan, hockey has always been a family affair. dattilec@miamioh.edu
SENIOR RYAN LARKIN IS IN HIS FOURTH SEASON AS MIAMI’S STARTING GOALTENDER. THIS SEASON, HE HAS SAVED 88.4 PERCENT OF THE SHOTS HE’S FACED. CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI ATHLETICS
̓HAWKS RETURN TO MILLETT LOOKING FOR A W SCOUTING REPORT THE GAME
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday at Millett Hall TV/Radio: ESPN+, Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner, RedHawk Radio on YouTube Live
MIAMI REDHAWKS
Record............................................................................. 4-3 Offense....................................................................75.4 ppg Defense....................................................................69.7 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player......................................... (position, height, key stat) Dae Dae Grant.................................. (guard, 6’2”, 6.6 ppg) Nike Sibande....................................(guard, 6’4”, 16.6 ppg) Milos Jovic........................................ (guard, 6’4”, 5.9 ppg) Dalonte Brown............................. (forward, 6’7”, 13.6 ppg) Bam Bowman.................................(forward, 6’8”, 8.5 ppg)
NORTHERN KENTUCKY NORSE
Record..............................................................................5-3 Offense:...................................................................76.6 ppg Defense....................................................................67.6 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
REDSHIRT JUNIOR GUARD MILOS JOVIC DEFENDS AN INBOUND PLAY DURING MIAMI’S SEASON-OPENING LOSS TO WRIGHT STATE NOV. 9 AT MILLETT HALL (LEFT). JUNIOR GUARD NIKE SIBANDE SHOOTS A FLOATER DURING HIS 24-POINT PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE RAIDERS (RIGHT). THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN
MIKE GUISTOLISE STAFF WRITER
The men’s basketball RedHawks are looking to shake off a disappointing Florida road trip after going 1-2 in the Gulf Coast Showcase last week. As Northern Kentucky (5-3) comes to Millett Hall Tuesday evening, Miami (4-3) will seek a return to the winning culture head coach Jack Owens continues to try to build in Oxford. “They play a lot of iso-basketball,” Owens said of NKU. “I truly believe we will shoot the basketball better than we did in Florida. We have to come out when we have an opportunity to win games … This is going to be a great test for us.”
The test might be more important to the future of the season than predicted. Although the RedHawks’ record might not be immediately alarming to fans, the inconsistency of whether the team is able to make plays for one another has carried over from game to game. This plagued Miami in the Showcase, when, during the threegame span, the RedHawks combined for 18 assists (four, nine and five, respectively). The issue of the ball sticking in players’ hands has been addressed by Owens more than once in the first seven games, but it remains. The leading playmaker for the team is sophomore guard Mekhi Lairy (3.4 APG), who comes off the bench. This
issue leads to the starting lineup having five players who come out ready to eat, but no one is there to set the table. Success in transition has helped keep games close. Junior guard Nike Sibande has taken big strides on the defensive end, averaging a steal per game while also carrying the responsibilities of being the starting lineup’s primary ball handler. Keeping the same defensive intensity against the Norse is key in defending their star 6-foot-7 senior forward, Dantez Walton, who leads NKU in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (7.0). Walton will most likely be matched up against junior forward Dalonte Brown, who has the potential to match Walton in every facet.
SCOREBOARD WEDNESDAY MEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Liberty...................................... 65
Miami....................................... 66 Miami....................................... 53 Wright State..............................71
FRIDAY FOOTBALL Miami....................................... 27 Ball State.................................. 41
HOCKEY
SATURDAY
HOCKEY Miami......................................... 3 UConn........................................4
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Miami.........................................4 Miami....................................... 62 UConn........................................ 6 Miami (Fla.).............................80
Player......................................... (position, height, key stat) Bryson Langdon................................(guard, 5’9”, 8.1 ppg) Tyler Sharpe..................................... (guard, 6’1”, 12.5 ppg) Trevon Faulkner............................. (guard, 6’4”, 13.0 ppg) Dantez Walton............................. (forward, 6’7”, 16.6 ppg) Silas Adheke.................................(forward, 6’10”, 5.3 ppg)
The Norse, however, will not be at full strength, as junior guard Jalen Tate broke his hand in practice and had surgery on it two weeks ago. Tate played in three games while pacing the team in assists and placing second in rebounds per game before being sidelined. The RedHawks are also slowly recovering from early-season injuries, hopefully giving way to the chemistry that was seen as a strength when the year began. Who’s hot Sibande continues to build his resume for the NBA. His 20 points in 36 minutes of play are typical of his workhorse mentality. The team will need Sibande to keep up the intensity
while the rest of the team looks to find its identity. Who’s not Isaiah Coleman-Lands has worked to become a catch-and-shoot spark off the bench, but his shooting percentages haven’t quite been up to par yet. He sits at 31 percent from the field and 30 percent from the arc in the first seven games. Coleman-Lands can go on a tear at any moment, but moving the ball and getting closer to the basket might serve him better to get out of his post-injury funk. guistom@miamioh.edu
’Hawks Talk “It’s Dec. 2. It’s my wife’s birthday. I’m not taking her out to dinner tonight ’cause we’re preparing for the MAC Championship game.” ⁃⁃ Chuck Martin, while discussing his dedication and love for his players and their chance in Saturday’s conference championship game