Jan. 22, 2011

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Despite playing with just three offensive lines and 15 skaters, the No. 11/12 Miami hockey team scored three power play goals and dominated Michigan State en route to a 4-0 victory Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena. With the win, the RedHawks (14-9-3, 11-7-2-1 CCHA) earned a weekend split with the Spartans (10-12-4, 6-10-2-0 CCHA) after dropping a 7-4 decision Friday.

Junior goalie Connor Knapp earned his second shutout of the year and eighth of his career, as he stopped all 26 shots he faced, including eight on five MSU power plays. Senior forwards Carter Camper and Andy Miele each finished with a goal and two assists while junior defenseman Chris Wideman chipped in a goal and an assist for his second multi-point game this year.

Miami fired a season-high 47 shots one night after putting 46 shots on target while Spartan goaltender Drew Palmisano made 43 saves in a losing effort. The RedHawks finished 3-for-7 on the power play with the three man-advantage goals tying a season high. Michigan State finished 0-for-5 on the power play.

"We played well tonight. We made a decision not to play some of our key guys so we had a short bench and I thought the guys in the lineup did a great job of playing within themselves," head coach Enrico Blasi said of the decision to sit junior defensemen Will Weber and Cameron Schilling, junior forward Alden Hirschfeld and sophomore forward Curtis McKenzie. "The guys on the ice made good decisions and made the most of our opportunities."

Miami jumped out to a 1-0 lead 9:07 into the opening period on junior Trent Vogelhuber's sixth goal of the year, after the 'Hawks never led Friday night. Miele stole the puck behind MSU's net on the forecheck and fed Vogelhuber, who was waiting on the doorstep and one-timed the puck into the net.

The 'Hawks made it 2-0 with less than a second left in the first period as Miele found the back of the net for the third time this weekend and 14th time on the year. Miami was on the power play and peppered Palmisano with shots, working it around the zone until Camper passed up a shot to dish to Miele, who was on Palmisano's left. Miele did some nifty stick work and beat Palmisano on his backhand, lifting it over the MSU netminder's shoulder. Miami finished the period with a 21-5 edge in shots while taking the two-goal lead into the intermission.

In the second period while on a 5-on-3 power play the RedHawks struck again, scoring on the two-man advantage for the second straight night. Miami worked the puck around the zone until Camper lined it up from between the circles and fired a wrister that beat Palmisano glove-side, top shelf for his 14th tally of the year. Knapp then stopped MSU's Dustin Gazley on a breakaway minutes later to keep Miami up 3-0.

Coming out of the second intermission the RedHawks were on the power play and 1:16 into the final stanza Wideman lit the lamp to make it 4-0 Miami. Miele and Camper passed the puck around the shell until Wideman blasted a low shot from just inside the blue line that got by Palmisano stick-side as the goalie was screened by senior Justin Vaive. It was Wideman's second score of the season.

The Spartans had four of their five power plays in the final stanza, including a 5-on-3 advantage for nearly a minute, but Knapp came up large with several big saves to keep MSU off the scoreboard and preserve the 4-0 shutout. Miele continues to lead the country with 44 points while Camper is second with 43 after each had three points Saturday.

"When we needed him in the third period he came up big," Blasi said of Knapp. "He made some huge saves at the end and I'm very proud of the way our team played. It's not easy to play with a short bench."

Miami stays on the road next weekend when they travel to No. 8 Notre Dame for a two-game series Friday and Saturday, Jan. 28-29. Puck drop Friday is set for 7:35 p.m. ET while Saturday's contest will be at 5:05 p.m. ET. The RedHawks and Fighting Irish split their series in Oxford earlier this season.

--MURedHawks.com--