Jan. 24, 2004
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - With three special teams' goals in the first period and four unanswered markers in the second period, the No. 15 Miami (14-9-3, 11-5-2 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) hockey team rolled to an easy 7-1 win over the visiting UNO Mavericks on Saturday night at Goggin Ice Arena. Seven different players scored for the RedHawks as they retain their hold on first place in the conference.
The penalty-killing tandem of senior Derek Edwardson (Morton Grove, Ill.) and freshman Marty Guerin (Lansing, Mich.) got the RedHawks on the board first when Guerin stole the puck in the Nebraska-Omaha (6-16-4, 4-13-3 CCHA) zone at 8:09 in the first period to set up a shorthanded marker. UNO's goalie misplayed the puck and Guerin was there behind the net to steal it, then feeding it to a slashing Edwardson who flipped it into the goal from in front of the crease. The shorty is Edwardson's third of the season.
The Mavericks evened the score, 1-1, at 11:27 in the first frame when Andrew Wong swatted a crossing pass out of midair past an unexpecting Brandon Crawford-West (San Diego, Calif.). Centering the puck from below the left circle was Kaleb Betts for the assist after he broke up the Miami breakout.
Junior Todd Grant (Indianapolis, Ind.) broke up the tie when he wristed a shot topshelf on Miami's first power play of the game at 13:38. After a substandard 0-for-7 outing last night, the power play was clicking on all cylinders as Edwardson and Grant worked back-and-forth to open Grant up for the easy strike in the middle of the UNO zone.
Another shorthanded goal, Miami's eighth of the season, was scored at 17:14 to give the Red and White a 3-1 advantage. Sophomore Andy Greene (Trenton, Mich.) stole the puck from UNO's pointman on the power play and skated down the right side with Edwardson trailing in the center. After crossing into the Mavericks' zone, Greene passed the puck to Edwardson in the middle, and was immediately hit with a one-timed pass to set up the easy goal, his fifth of the season.
The scoring continued on into the second period when senior Mike Kompon (Thunder Bay, Ontario) upped the Miami lead to three, 4-1, with an even-strength marker at 4:59. Kompon was given a pass in the slot after his linemate, senior Greg Hogeboom (Etobicoke, Ontario), snagged a UNO clearing attempt out of the air with his glove and skated in on a 2-on-1. The marker gives Kompon 123 career points (43-80-123), tying him with head coach Enrico Blasi for 16th all-time at Miami.
Sophomore Taylor Hustead (Scottsdale, Ariz.) stuffed home an errant rebound at 9:45 to up the RedHawks ever increasing lead to four, 5-1. This time, Holt allowed the goal after making his first save on a shot by Grant from between the circles. Fortunately for the Red and White, Hustead was trailing on the left wing to score his sixth goal of the season. Holt entered the game for the Mavericks after Tebbs allowed the Kompon goal.
Miami's sixth goal of the game was registered when Guerin made a spectacular move to get past two Mavericks' defensemen. Guerin broke into the UNO zone and threaded the puck between the skates of one defender, and then jumped through the gap left by both defensemen to the awaiting puck. With one move left up his sleeve, Guerin beat the goalie with a backhanded shot through the five-hole. Assisting on the goal were Greene, and Crawford-West who started the rush from the Miami end.
Not to be left out of the scoring fun, freshman Matt Christie (Ajax, Ontario) scored his team-leading 16th goal of the season at 19:44 in the second period to bring the game to its final, 7-1. Christie had the easy part of the play by one-timing a shot into the net, but it was Edwardson who created the goal when he made a sensational pass from the right wing through traffic to Christie on the left post. Also assisting on the goal was Guerin, for his first career three-point game.
Crawford-West made 21 stops for his 12th victory, but also split time with senior Nick Petraglia (Faribault, Minn.) who played the final 9:10 and made seven saves. Tebbs and Holt combined to stop 34-of-41 Miami shots in the UNO loss.
The RedHawks remain the top team in the CCHA as they hit the road next weekend and travel to Munn Ice Arena to face Michigan State on Jan. 30-31. The Spartans are tied for second in the conference with Michigan, only one point behind Miami, after sweeping Ohio State this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
