Miami University
Northern Michigan
Penalties Doom No. 18 Miami in Loss at NMU
12/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Dec. 3, 2011
MARQUETTE, Mich. - Despite being outshot 29-27, Northern Michigan scored three 5-on-3 power play goals to top the No. 18 Miami University hockey team, 5-1, Saturday night at the Berry Events Center. The RedHawks (8-8-2, 4-6-2-1 CCHA) were whistled for a season-high 14 penalties while the Wildcats (7-6-3, 4-5-3-2 CCHA) swept Miami for the first time since March of 2002 after edging the `Hawks, 2-1, Friday.
Northern Michigan finished 3-for-12 on the power play while Miami was 0-for-4 with a man advantage as NMU was called for just seven infractions. Reid Ellingson was solid in net for the Wildcats, making 28 saves, while senior goalie Cody Reichard finished with 22 stops in defeat.
Miami came out firing in the first period, putting four shots on goal before the Wildcats could get the puck on target while senior forward Alden Hirschfeld hit the post just over a minute in off of a faceoff in the offensive zone. Like Friday night however, the Wildcats scored first off the stick of Stephan Vigier. Ryan Daugherty put his initial shot wide and Vigier gathered it behind the net and was able to beat Reichard on the opposite side before he could recover to make it 1-0 7:42 into the game.
A pair of penalties on the `Hawks in the middle of the first period gave the Wildcats a 5-on-3 power play and they quickly upped the lead to 2-0. Justin Florek stuck home a loose puck in front of the net off assists from Kyle Follmer and Tyler Gron at 12:36 of the opening period. Miami immediately cut the deficit in half however, short-handed, as nine seconds later freshman forward Austin Czarnik scored his sixth goal of the year to make it 2-1. Czarnik won the draw following the NMU score back to junior defenseman Joe Hartman, who found Czarnik skating into the offensive zone where he fired a wrister and beat Ellingson five-hole for his first career short-handed tally. It was Miami's fourth short-handed goal of the year.
Miami stayed short-handed for much of the remainder of the game but was able to generate chances a man down, especially in the second stanza. After a tripping call on junior defenseman Steven Spinell, one of four RedHawk penalties in the period, junior forward Reilly Smith had a good look in front of the net but was unable to bury the puck. Just after the penalty, NMU got a breakaway but Reichard was able to turn it aside to keep it a one-goal contest.
The Wildcats did push their advantage back to two with 6:38 left in the second period however, as Reed Seckel made it a 3-1 game. Seckel took a pass from Matt Thurber and skated up ice, blasting a shot from above the circle to Reichard's right and beat Reichard over his left shoulder. After another tripping call on Miami with a minute left in the stanza, Smith and Czarnik again created scoring opportunities short-handed as both had excellent shots on net but Ellingson was there to make the save each time. The `Hawks did outshoot NMU, 10-5, in the period despite the penalties.
Just 26 ticks into the final frame, Miami was whistled for roughing, creating another 5-on-3 power play for the Wildcats, and again Northern Michigan took advantage, redirecting a shot through Reichard's legs only 48 seconds into the period. Florek picked up his second goal of the game on the play to make it 4-1, as he tipped a shot by Mitch Jones.
Miami had a chance to chip into the lead when Jones was given a five-minute major for checking from behind, but the `Hawks were unable to do much on the extended power play. NMU then added another 5-on-3 power play goal off the stick of Vigier with 7:24 remaining to complete the scoring and the 5-1 final. Miami ended with seven penalties for 25 minutes in the third period resulting in six power plays for the Wildcats, who were called for four infractions in the final 20 minutes but it led to only one RedHawk man advantage.
The RedHawks round out the first half of their season next weekend with a home-and-home series against No. 7 Ohio State. Friday, Dec. 9, Miami travels to Columbus to face the Buckeyes at 7:05 p.m. before the two teams return to Oxford Saturday, Dec. 10, for another in-state battle at 7:05 p.m. at Steve Cady Arena.
--MURedHawks.com--
