April 9, 2009
Game Notes
Miami Postgame Quotes 
Bemidji State Postgame Quotes
Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON, D.C. - One down and one to go. Thanks to its 4-1 victory over Bemidji State, the Miami RedHawks will be playing for the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Championship on Saturday night against Boston University.
The RedHawks, who own the nation's best combined record since the 2005-06 season and have made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, reached the Frozen Four for the first time in school history and improved to 23-12-5 overall, and await the winner of the second semifinal that pits Vermont against Boston University.
The first period was scoreless as each team had 12 on-target shots. Goalies Cody Reichard of Miami and Matt Dalton of Bemidji both had a handful of excellent saves, including some while each squad was on a single power play. Miami was credited with four grade-A chances.
Miami scored its first goal just 3:56 into the second period when sophomore forward Tommy Wingels scored his first post-season tally of 2009. Freshman Matt Tomassoni and sophomore Andy Miele picked up the assists on Wingels' goal. Four minutes and 39 seconds later , RedHawk freshman Alden Hirschfeld gave Miami a two-goal lead poking in the puck from the right side. It was his fourth goal in the last six games. Wingels and sophomore Carter Camper assisted on Hirschfeld's score.
The Beavers answered just one-minute, 11-seconds later when Matt Read netted his 14th goal of the season with assists credited to Matt Francis and Tyler Scofield, cutting the lead to 2-1. Miami University's Andy Miele was sent off at the 9:26 mark on a hooking call and the Beavers wasted little time drawing to within one goal just 20 seconds later. Bill Shea picked up the puck after a RedHawk turnover and passed to Scofield in the right corner. Scofield fed Francis, who wristed a shot past Miami's goalie Cody Reichard from just outside the crease.
However, the RedHawks stopped the Bemidji State momentum just a minute later, when Bill Loupee tallied his third goal of the season. Loupee took a shot that bounced off Dalton, but rebounded right back to Loupee, who put in his own rebound with a wrister into the right side of the net. Will Weber assisted on the play.
The only goal of the third period came after Wingels made a poke-check of the puck in the Beavers' offensive end after Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore pulled Dalton with about 2:30 to play in the contest. Wingels withstood a hit near center ice and fired the puck into the empty-net for his second goal and a career-high tying third point of the night.
Miami dominated the game physically wearing down the smaller Bemidji State team with a 25-13 shot advantage in the final two stanzas, including a 15-7 advantage in the final period.
The RedHawks went 1-of-2 on the power play and outshot the Beavers, 37-25, for the contest. Dalton, only a sophomore, made 33 saves for the Beavers, while Reichard stopped 24 shots for Miami. The Beavers were 1-of-4 on the power play. Bemidji State won 35-of-62 face-offs.
