Nov. 6, 2015

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OXFORD, Ohio - Ryan McKay made 12 of his 23 saves in the third period as the No. 19 Miami hockey team topped rival Western Michigan 2-1 on Friday night.

The RedHawks (4-4-1, 1-2 National Collegiate Hockey) picked up their first league win and snapped a three-game losing streak with the triumph.

Both teams went four minutes without a shot before Zach LaValle did some strong work below the goal line to bring the puck into the crease, but Colin Olson prevented Miami from jamming it in. The Broncos cleared the puck up ice for a transition rush where Paul Stoykewych was fed moving in at the left dot for a one-timer that slid past McKay and in to put them up 1-0 at the 4:46 mark. It marked the third time in the last four games the RedHawks allowed the first goal after scoring first in their first five games.

The Broncos were guilty of a cross check in the offensive zone seven minutes in, putting the RedHawks on the evening's first power play. That bore fruit as extended puck possession and strong perimeter passing concluded with Jack Roslovic taking a cross-ice seam pass from Louie Belpedio and sniping it top shelf from the right dot to even the score at 1-1 with 12:03 left in the first. Anthony Louis also picked up an assist on Roslovic's sixth goal of the year.

Miami continued to press on the attack after the goal, ultimately firing 16 shots Olson's way. A tripping penalty put the Broncos on the power play with 5:20 left in the opening stanza, but the RedHawks kept them on the outside to kill off their 25th-straight penalty. MU put together a late push in the closing moments, but Olson did not let another puck by him as the teams went to the locker room locked in a 1-1 tie.

Belpedio created a scoring opportunity on the first shift of the second period when he moved the puck into the middle for a shot that Olson turned aside with a body in front. Sean Kuraly was there for a rebound, but the bouncing puck was sent just wide of the cage.

After weathering a bit of a Western Michigan storm, Miami started to re-establish its game. The RedHawks grabbed the lead for the first time with 11:21 to go in the middle frame as a stretch pass sprung Louis up ice. Louis peeled off a defender and dropped the puck to Andrew Schmit, who quickly centered to an oncoming Josh Melnick for a one-timer that beat Olson for his third goal of the season.

After facing only nine shots over the first 30 minutes and change, McKay was challenged with consecutive quality chances with roughly five minutes to go in the period. The senior goaltender first kicked out a point blank shot by Nolan LaPorte, who was fed in the slot for a one-timer. On the next shift, McKay stoned Frederik Tiffels in close and the rebound was cleared away before it could cross the goal line. Shots were a tighter 10-8 margin, still favoring Miami, and the Red and White skated into the locker room with a one-goal lead after 40 minutes.

The Broncos went on their second power play 40 seconds into the third period after the RedHawks were called for boarding. McKay made two more stops and the Red and White killed off their 26th-straight penalty. WMU continued trying to press the attack, but its surge was halted when it was whistled for a slash at the 7:23 mark. Belpedio ripped a one-timer through traffic that got by Olson, but hit the post while Louis wristed a shot that Olson stopped before staying in front of Kuraly's follow up. Despite those chances, Western killed the penalty and then was under siege by a barrage of high quality shots by Justin Greenberg and Kevin Morris before eventually freezing the puck.

Western Michigan started pushing for a tying goal and had a good set up as JT Osborn had the puck by himself in the slot, but his wrist shot went high and wide. Miami got a power play with 7:05 left, but WMU had the best opportunity as Nolan LaPorte forced a turnover and got behind MU for a breakaway from the blue line in. McKay responded with his best save of the evening, staying with LaPorte throughout his deking sequence and smothering his backhand shot to keep the Red and White in front as the Broncos eventually killed off the power play.

With time winding down, WMU began to take more chances and eventually pulled Olson for an extra skater with a minute and a half left. The Broncos sustained possession in the offensive zone and got a couple more shots through, but McKay steered them aside and the RedHawks kept the puck outside the dots to hold on for the victory.

The RedHawks outshot the Broncos 38-24 for the night and went 1-for-3 on the power play while killing off both WMU man advantages. McKay turned away 23 of 24 shots to improve to 4-2-1 while Olson stopped 36 of the 38 pucks he saw.

Miami guns for the weekend sweep on Saturday night with the puck dropping at 8 p.m.