Dec. 9, 2006
| Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - Despite holding a one-goal lead with under one minute to play, the Miami University RedHawks (14-5-1, 10-3-1 CCHA) had to settle for a 2-2 tie with the Ohio State University Buckeyes (5-9-4, 5-6-3 CCHA) in front of a capacity crowd at Steve Cady Arena on Saturday night. With an extra attacker on the ice, OSU's Jason DeSantis' found the back of the net with 48 seconds remaining in the contest as his shot from the point made its way through traffic and past Miami's Jeff Zatkoff (Chesterfield, Mich.).
After a scoreless first period, senior Marty Guerin (Lansing, Mich.) gave Miami a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 4:32 of the second period. Forechecking behind the OSU net, freshman Jarod Palmer (Fridley, Minn.) forced a turnover and picked up the loose puck before finding Guerin alone at the right post, where he buried it in the top corner behind Joseph Palmer for his fifth goal of the year.
The Buckeyes responded at 9:05 of the second on Mathieu Picard's second goal in as many nights as he deflected a shot from the point behind Miami's Zatkoff, just seconds after an Ohio State power play had expired. Less than one minute later freshman Gary Steffes (Grand Blanc, Mich.) restored the Miami lead with his fifth goal of the season off a beautiful centering pass from junior Brad Robbins (West Bloomfield, Mich.). Steffes and sophomore Justin Mercier (Erie, Pa.) gained the Ohio State zone on a 2-on-1 rush, and after Mercier's centering pass to Steffes was blocked, Robbins picked up the loose puck and found Steffes alone in the slot for a 2-1 Miami lead.
The RedHawks appeared poised to take home their seventh consecutive Central Collegiate Association victory, but Ohio State pulled Palmer in favor of an extra skater with just over a minute to go and capitalized on an offensive-zone faceoff to the right of the Miami net to even the score 2-2, a tie which overtime could not break.
Zatkoff turned away 24 shots and saw his record move to 9-3-1, while Palmer made 30 saves and went to 5-7-3. Both teams were held scoreless on the power play as Miami was 0-for-7 and Ohio State was 0-for-6. It was just the second time this season that Miami was held scoreless with the man-advantage. The last time was Nov. 10 at Lake Superior State.
Miami takes a 20-day break from competition but returns to the ice on Dec. 29-30 at the Ohio Hockey Classic at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
NOTES: Miami's five shots in the first period were its lowest single-period total of the season ... Miami leads the NCAA with eight shorthanded goals this season ... JR Ryan Jones had his career-best eight-game point streak snapped ... Miami is undefeated in its last seven CCHA games.
