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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Three different skaters scored goals in every situation you can as the No. 7 Miami hockey team topped Colorado College 3-1 on Friday night.
The RedHawks (17-9-1, 10-6-1-1 National Collegiate Hockey) scored the final three goals of the night to extend their unbeaten streak to a season-high four games (3-0-1). Friday’s win also moves MU into a second-place tie in the NCHC standings with 32 points, tying Omaha.
“We played hard tonight,” Miami head coach Enrico Blasi said. “More importantly, we executed on a few big plays when we needed to. We need to be ready to compete again tomorrow.”
Miami nearly got on the board in the first minute when Austin Czarnik gathered the puck with speed in transition and beat Tyler Marble with a wrist shot that rang off the post. Extended offensive pressure by the Red and White drew a Tiger penalty at the 5:50 mark, but it was CC that drew first blood as Luc Gerdes gathered a rebound and slipped one past Jay Williams with 6:19 gone by.
The RedHawks’ power play rectified that mistake 26 seconds later when Anthony Louis wristed a shot from the high slot and Cody Murphy redirected it past Marble for his 11th goal of the season, tying the score at 1-1 at the 6:45 mark. Matthew Caito also drew an assist on the power play tally.
CC got to work on a power play of its own with 5:39 left in the opening frame. Cody Bradley got a look from the right circle midway through the man advantage, but Williams was up to the task to knock it away as MU had a successful two-minute kill. The Tigers were caught with too many men on the ice with 2:26 left in the period, but was unable to generate another goal as the teams skated to their respective dressing rooms tied at 1-1.
Colorado College came out with some jump to start the frame, pinning Miami in its defensive zone and forcing Williams to make a couple of saves. An icing infraction kept a tired line on the ice and forced MU to use its timeout with 18:06 to go in the frame. The Tigers also got a power play 2:55 into the period and generated some good shots that Williams turned away to keep the contest tied.
The RedHawks got a lift with a strong shift by the line of Conor Lemirande, Kevin Morris and Justin Greenberg roughly seven minutes into the middle stanza. The trio worked the puck down low and crashed the net for a couple quality shots that Marble stopped to keep it a 1-1 game.
It appeared Murphy added another goal nearly eight minutes into the second when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot and fired it into the net after a rush near the crease left Marble out of the play. Officials took a second look at the play and waved the goal off, leaving the score tied.
Miami continued pressing after the disallowed goal with Louis beating Marble with a shot, but hitting the post with just under eight minutes to go. The constant offensive pressure finally wore down the defense and drew a CC penalty with 6:50 to go. A few chances were generated, but the power play got cut short by a goaltender interference minor at the 14:22 mark. After yielding a shorthanded goal in the first, MU returned the favor when Riley Barber finished a 2-on-1 rush for his 13th goal of the year to put the RedHawks on top 2-1 with 3:38 to go in the middle frame. Czarnik and Louie Belpedio drew assists as the Red and White carried a one-goal lead into locker room after outshooting the Tigers 16-10 in the second.
The RedHawks locked things up defensively in the third period with the lead in hand, holding CC to just five shots on goal in the final 20 minutes of play. Justin Greenberg gave MU an insurance tally with 10:51 remaining as he finished off Kevin Morris’ saucer pass on a 2-on-1 for his first goal of the year to make it a 3-1 contest. Taylor Richart also garnered an assist after starting the transition rush. That goal was the lone marker of the period as MU salted away its second-straight win.
Miami outshot Colorado College 34-23 overall and went 1-for-4 on the power play while killing off all three CC man advantages. Williams stopped 22 of 23 shots to improve to 15-4 on the season while Marble turned away 31 of Miami’s 34 shots.
The teams wrap up the weekend series on Saturday night. Puck drops at 9:07 p.m. ET.
