Nov. 21, 2015 Box Score | PDF Box Score | Highlights
OXFORD, Ohio - A spirited second-period comeback by the Miami hockey team primed to take five points in its weekend series with No. 6 Omaha, but the Mavericks scored with 1:46 remaining in overtime to drop the RedHawks 3-2 on Saturday night.
In its third-straight overtime game, Miami (5-7-2, 2-5-1-1 National Collegiate Hockey) dropped its first home contest since opening night while Omaha improved to 9-2-1 (3-2-1-0 NCHC).
The Mavericks drew the first power play of the night just 2:42 in after a fast paced first couple minutes. Luc Snuggerud had a strong drive to the net, but was warded off by
Grant Hutton and took just a weak shot that
Ryan McKay got a pad on as MU killed off the man advantage. The Red and White got an opportunity of their own with a power play at the 5:59 mark, but similarly came up empty as the teams remained scoreless eight minutes in.
David Pope opened the scoring with 8:29 gone by as Austin Ortega blasted a shot from atop the left circle that McKay got a pad on, but the rebound kicked to Pope down low at the right wing and he put it in to make it a 1-0 UNO lead. The RedHawks had a glorious chance right after as
Kiefer Sherwood got sprung on a 2-on-1 rush, but Evan Weninger stuck with his backhand shot and kept it out.
An offensive zone penalty by Omaha with 6:22 left in the frame put Miami back on the power play, but it had a tough time getting set up over the first half of the man advantage. In the back half, the next unit sustained some pressure as
Scott Dornbrock made some nice individual plays to hold the puck in the offensive zone for a flurry of perimeter shots that the Mavericks blocked. With both teams reaching for the puck in traffic, Miami was whistled for a hooking penalty with five to go on its man advantage, putting it back on the penalty kill. The nation's top penalty kill was able to whittle away the second UNO man advantage with little difficulty and the rest of the period came to a close with the Mavericks holding the one-goal lead despite a 13-9 RedHawk shot advantage.
Sean Kuraly nearly tied the contest on the first shift of the second period as
Kevin Morris slipped a pass to him in the slot area that he stepped in to blast on net. Weninger got a piece of it, but the puck slipped just past him towards the goal line, but the Mavericks were able to get a stick on it and clear the puck before it crossed the line to maintain the lead.
A five minute major penalty was called on Miami just 31 seconds into the frame, giving Omaha a golden opportunity with the man advantage. The RedHawks fought valiantly to kill off the first three minutes and change, but a drive to the net caused havoc and Brian Cooper blocked their desperation clearing attempt in the high slot before beating McKay with a wrist shot to make it 2-0 at the 3:51 mark. Miami killed the remaining minute and a half of the extended power play, but saw itself down 2-0 early in the middle stanza.
The RedHawks created a slew of chances after getting back to full strength as Kuraly got sprung for a breakaway and appeared to fool Weninger with a deke to the left, but the freshman goaltender kicked his right pad out to make the save. On the ensuing shift,
Josh Melnick found some open ice in transition and head a clean look from the left wing that Weninger got a piece of and saw the puck go just wide. Melnick then collected the puck behind the goal line and fed Dornbrock, who crept in from the left point for a one-timer at the dot that Weninger stopped and froze for a draw.
Omaha got another power play with 6:09 to go in the middle frame to try and add another to its lead, but Miami got a save from McKay and two blocks by its skaters to salt away that man advantage. That kill energized the Red and White as
Anthony Louis was set up by a nice seal and feed by
Kevin Morris after he left the box and won a battle on
Justin Greenberg's dump in. Louis worked into the middle, where he roofed a backhand past Weninger for his third goal of the year and second in as many games to pull the RedHawks within 2-1 with 3:42 remaining in the second.
Miami wasn't done there as in the final minute a strong blocked shot by Louis sprung
Taylor Richart and Sherwood on a 2-on-1. Richart slipped the puck to Sherwood at the right circle and his heavy wrist shot blew right past Weninger's glove to tie the game at 2-2 with 43 seconds left in the second, capping the scoring in the middle frame and leaving the score tied with 20 minutes to go in regulation.
Both teams played pretty even in the third period with each side firing seven shots on goal in the frame, but both McKay and Weninger turned all of those attempts aside. The RedHawks got a pair of power plays and the Mavericks had one as well, but the teams only combined for one shot during those man advantages as the teams entered overtime for the second-straight night.
Miami put together a good first shift of overtime as Louis and Melnick both had looks on goal that Weninger turned aside, but a penalty 45 seconds in sent the RedHawks to their seventh penalty kill of the evening. As per usual, MU killed the penalty without allowing a shot on goal and started a surge in the offensive zone with
Alex Gacek throwing a puck on goal that Weninger steered away. With the puck at the half wall, Justin Parizek chipped the puck to the blue line, where it hopped over a Miami defenseman and started a 2-on-1 rush with Tyler Vesel feeding Jake Randolph for a back door goal that ended the game with 1:46 left in the overtime period.
The RedHawks outshot the Mavericks by a 32-25 margin, but went 0-for-4 on the power play, snapping a streak of five-straight games with a power play goal. UNO converted on 1-of-7 man advantages at the other end. Wenninger made 30 saves to pick up the win while McKay stopped 22 shots. Louis led all skaters with two points on a goal and an assist.
Miami is idle until Dec. 4, when it finishes the 2015 portion of its schedule with a two-game series at Colorado College.
