Jan. 21, 2011
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Despite outshooting Michigan State 46-22, the No. 11/12 Miami hockey team was unable to overcome an early deficit as the Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead and capitalized on their chances en route to a 7-4 victory Friday night at a sold out Munn Ice Arena. MSU (10-11-4, 6-9-2-0 CCHA) snapped a four-game losing streak to the RedHawks (13-9-3, 10-7-2-1 CCHA) when playing in East Lansing with the win.
The 46 shots were a season high for Miami while the seven goals allowed were the most this year and most since the Frozen Four loss to Boston College last year. It was the most goals the `Hawks have conceded in league play since a 9-3 loss to Ohio State Oct. 21, 2004.
Even with Miami controlling play early and jumping out to a 9-1 lead in shots, the Spartans struck first at 9:50 of the opening period. Torey Krug flung the puck from the boards towards junior goalie Cody Reichard, who made the save, but the rebound popped out to Kevin Walrod, as he slipped the puck under Reichard's pad for an early MSU lead.
The Spartans tacked on another score just over a minute later as Dean Chelios took a cross-ice feed from Daultan Leveille and beat Reichard stick-side, near post to give Michigan State a 2-0 advantage. The RedHawks responded quickly however, cutting the deficit in half 12:10 into the frame. Junior Will Weber won the puck in Miami's end in the corner and flipped it up the boards to a surging Andy Miele. Miele picked up the puck and used a nifty move to fake the MSU defender and get him on the ground before regaining control and wristing it past MSU goalie Drew Palmisano stick-side for his 12th tally of the year. In addition to Weber, sophomore Reilly Smith picked up his 16th helper this year.
Just 2:20 into the second stanza the `Hawks pulled even at 2-2. The puck was loose on the side of the net and Palmisano attempted to cover it but senior Justin Vaive gathered the rubber and fed wide open senior Pat Cannone in front of the empty net for an easy score, his 10th of the year.
Facing a 5-on-3 penalty kill for 1:17 later in the middle period, Miami nearly was able to hold off the two-man Spartan advantage but with the puck bouncing around in front of the net, MSU's Greg Wolfe poked it in with just six ticks left on the two-man advantage to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead. Michigan State then regained their two-goal lead with 5:13 left in the second period as Dustin Gazley fired a rocket from a sharp angle below the faceoff circle to Reichard's left and beat him top shelf. Junior goalie Connor Knapp was then inserted in place of Reichard as the frame would end with MSU up 4-2 despite the `Hawks holding a 24-13 edge in shots.
Miami wasted little time cutting into the deficit as Vaive scored a 5-on-3 power play goal just 1:41 into the final frame. Junior Chris Wideman fed the puck across the blue line to senior Carter Camper, who fired a wrister that Vaive deflected in front of the net and beat Palmisano glove-side, top shelf for a 4-3 contest. Vaive finished with two points on the night.
The game remained a one-goal affair for just four more minutes until Chris Forfar fired a shoot that deflected off the glass behind the net and bounced to the other side of the cage where Forfar gathered his own rebound and stuck it in the net before Knapp got there. Gazley then made it 6-3 6:15 into the third period as he charged towards the net and the puck slipped by Knapp five-hole despite Gazley not actually getting a shot off, as he lost control while making a move.
Miele scored his second goal of the game with 11:06 remaining to make it 6-4. Weber gathered the puck after it was poked away from Miele and dribbled to the corner where he passed through traffic in front of crease back to Miele, who buried the puck for his third multi-goal game this season. Weber earned his second helper of the game on the play, tying a career high for assists and points. The Spartans would add an empty-netter late however to make the 7-4 final.
The RedHawks outshot Michigan State 22-9 in the final frame with the 22 shots a single-period season high. MSU finished the game 2-for-6 on the power play while Miami was 1-for-4. Palmisano ended with 42 saves while Reichard finished with just eight and Knapp only seven. The `Hawks lost for just the second time when scoring at least four goals this year, falling to 11-2-0.
The RedHawks look to earn a weekend split with the Spartans when the teams meet again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena.
--MURedHawks.com--
