March 5, 2005

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio - With home-ice advantage in the first round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs on the line, the Miami University RedHawks (15-16-5, 11-13-4 CCHA) earned a critical point, skating to a 2-2 tie with Ohio State (24-8-4, 21-5-2 CCHA) in front of 11,848 fans at Value City Arena. However, Michigan State spoiled any hopes Miami had of hosting a first-round series by skating to a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame and securing the sixth playoff spot.

 

Miami opened the scoring late in the first period on the strength of Matt Davis' (Rocky River, Ohio) fourth goal of the season. With a delayed penalty coming to the Buckeyes, Davis took a pass from Nathan Davis (Rocky River, Ohio), his younger brother, and after an initial slapshot from the slot was blocked, wired another into the top right corner past Dave Caruso staking Miami to a 1-0 lead.

 

The RedHawks killed off four Ohio State power plays in the second period thanks largely to the goaltending of sophomore Brandon Crawford-West (San Diego, Calif.) and the penalty killing of senior defenseman Chris Busby (Kenilworth, Ill.). Crawford-West made 12 saves in the first and 13 in the second to keep the one-goal lead.

 

Junior Chris Michael (Glenview, Ill.) and sophomore Marty Guerin (Lansing, Mich.) combined to make it 2-0 for the RedHawks midway through the third period. With Michael streaking to the net, Guerin feathered a pass from the left-wing boards right onto Michael's tape as he redirected the puck through Caruso for his ninth goal of the year.

 

Ohio State cut Miami's lead in half at 16:53 of the third on Domenic Maiani's 11th goal of the year and tied the game, 2-2, just 14 seconds later on Rod Pelley's 21st of the season. The Buckeyes controlled the pace of play for the final 3:07 of play but the RedHawks were able to hold off the late charge, sending the game into overtime.

 

 The five-minute overtime period lacked any offensive flow as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

 

Crawford-West stopped 35 Ohio State shots to move his season record to 11-14-5. The RedHawks were outshot 39-17 in the contest.

 

By virtue of its seventh-place regular-season finish in the CCHA standings, Miami will travel to Michigan State for a best-of-three series with the Spartans with a spot in the Super Six at Joe Louis Arena at stake. The RedHawks and Spartans split a two-game series at Goggin Ice Arena in Oxford earlier this season.

 

Notes: JR Matt Davis' goal was assisted by his younger brother Nathan marking the first time that one of the brothers has assisted on the other brother's goal ... SO Matt Christie had his five-game goal scoring streak snapped ... Miami earned a trip to the Super Six in 2004 by sweeping Lake Superior State in the first round.

 

 

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