Miami University
USANTDP (Exhibition)
USANTDP Tops Hockey 3-0 in Exhibition Play
10/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
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OXFORD, Ohio – Twenty-one third period penalty minutes kept the No. 9/11 Miami hockey team from mounting much of an attack in a 3-0 exhibition loss to the U.S. National Team Development Program on Saturday.
The RedHawks were short-handed seven times and had 27 total penalty minutes in their exhibition opener.
USA got an early opportunity on the power play 4:10 into the period, but the RedHawks were able to kill off two minutes without allowing a shot on goal. The Red and White’s first shot was taken by John Doherty with nearly eight minutes expired in the period.
With under seven minutes to go in the frame, Miami’s offense threatened in the offensive zone. Michael Mooney was fed in the slot for a shot that Luke Opilka stopped. On the ensuing draw, Coleman won the puck to Czarnik for a one timer from the right circle, but Opilka again turned it away.
The RedHawks were whistled for too many men on the ice with just over six minutes left in the first, but they got the best chance when Czarnik blocked a shot and went in for a breakaway. However, Opilka stuck with Czarnik to make a save and keep it scoreless. Miami ended up killing the penalty, but Matt Tkachuk put USA on the board with 2:14 left in the first at the end of a cycle conducted by Jeremy Bracco and Colin White.
Miami got another chance shortly after the goal as Riley Barber brought the puck up the right wing and fired a shot that Opilka covered up. Opilka made nine saves in the period to keep the Red and White trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes of play.
The RedHawks went to work on their first power play of the night 1:46 into the second period, but the best chance came from USA when Christian Fischer corralled a loose puck and went in for a partial breakaway that Jay Williams made a nice save on. The RedHawks got one shot with the man advantage, but were unable to find the back of the net with the man advantage.
MU killed off another penalty at the 4:58 mark and even got a nice shorthanded chance as Blake Coleman found Czarnik cutting in the middle, but his return pass was broken up. The Red and White killed off the power play and had another chance of their own that came up empty in a scoreless second period of play.
Play was pretty back and forth at the start of the third, but USA added a second goal when Casey Fitzgerald scored from a sharp angle to make it a 2-0 contest. From there, Miami took an uncharacteristic amount of penalties, spending much of the remainder of the period short-handed and unable to generate much attack. The RedHawks spent 7:46 of the final 13 minutes on the penalty kill, with USA adding a power play goal from Auston Matthews with 1:23 left to cap the scoring.
USA used a 14-6 third-period edge in shots to outshoot Miami 31-25 overall. USA went 1-for-7 on the power play while the RedHawks were 0-for-3 with the man advantage. Williams made 29 saves on 32 shots in goal for MU while USA’s Opilka turned away all 25 shots he faced to post a shutout.
Miami returns to the ice on Sunday when it closes exhibition play against Simon Fraser. Opening faceoff is at 5:05 p.m.
