“The NCHC is the strongest conference in hockey and it’s imperative that we become more competitive for conference championships and NCAA appearances,” Sayler said.

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Miami was a combined 398-311-76 in 20 seasons under Blasi, a Miami graduate. He was a five-time conference coach of the year and was named National Coach of the Year for the 2005-2006 season. He guided the RedHawks to the NCAA Tournament 10 times, including two Frozen Four appearances, capped by the 2009 championship game in Washington, D.C., when Miami lost a two-goal lead to Boston University in the final minute of regulation and fell in overtime.

Since joining the NCHC six years ago, Miami was 45-84-15-10 in conference play. The RedHawks finished second in the NCHC regular season during the 2014-2015 season and won the conference tournament that same year to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That remains Miami’s lone top-half conference finish in the NCHC.

“I want to thank Rico and his family for their service and commitment to Miami University and the broader Oxford community,” Sayler said in the statement.