Jan. 31, 2004
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Miami University hockey team completed a weekend sweep at Munn Ice Arena Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 win over the Spartans thanks in part to a 34-save performance from freshman goaltender Brandon Crawford-West. The win keeps the No. 11 RedHawks (16-9-3, 13-5-2 CCHA) in first place in the CCHA by one point over Michigan.
Right from the onset Saturday's game had the same high-speed excitement as Friday's thriller, but today it was the RedHawks who struck first scoring the game's first goal 2:20 into the first period.
In a scramble in front of the net, junior Todd Grant picked up a loose puck and put it past a sprawling Vicari for a 1-0 lead. Taylor Hustead and Chris Michael picked up assists on the goal.
At the start of the second period Miami has a chance to put the game away early as it had a two-man advantage for the first minute of play thanks to a pair of Michigan State penalties, but the Spartans were able to squelch the power play and captured the momentum of the game.
MSU was finally able to solve Crawford-West at the 13:57 mark of the second period when freshman A.J. Thelen unfurled a slap shot that was eventually tapped home by Mike Lalonde.
Miami regained the lead, 2-1, at 18:25 of the second when freshman Andy Nelson ripped a one-timer from the top of the right face-off circle that snuck over the left shoulder of Vicari.
Nelson's goal was set up when senior Mike Kompon dug the puck out from the boards and found Nelson all alone. For Kompon the assist was the 124th point of his career moving him past head coach Enrico Blasi and into 16th place on the career scoring list.
Freshman Marty Guerin, one of the heroes of Friday night's game, put the game out of reach at 19:22 of the third period as he added an empty-net goal to make it 3-1. Guerin, a Lansing native, tallied three points on the weekend in his return to Mid-Michigan.
Miami remains in first place in the CCHA one point ahead of Michigan and five ahead of Michigan State. The RedHawks return to action Friday, Feb. 6, at 7:35 p.m. ET in Oxford, Ohio, as they take on Notre Dame.
