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OXFORD, Ohio – Blake Coleman’s goal with 1:02 remaining in overtime lifted the No. 6 Miami hockey team to cap a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory over No. 7 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday night.
The win gives the RedHawks (19-10-1, 12-7-1-1 National Collegiate Hockey) a weekend split of their weekend series with the Bulldogs (19-12-1, 11-8-1 NCHC). It also moves MU into sole possession of second place in the league standings.
Miami came out firing, taking the first five shots at even strength over the first six minutes and change. The Red and White got the evening’s first power play at the 7:10 mark and put some good pressure on Kasimir Kaskisuo. One particularly strong chance occurred midway through the man advantage when Austin Czarnik was fed for a one-timer at the left circle, but Kaskisuo came up with the stop to keep it scoreless.
The Bulldogs drew first blood shortly after the penalty expired as Karson Kuhlman dug the puck out from below the goal line and jammed a puck off Ryan McKay’s pad, but the rebound went to Kyle Osterberg on the other side of the crease, who tapped it in with 9:54 gone by to make it 1-0. Miami was also whistled for a penalty on that play and was called for another minor 49 seconds later to give Minnesota Duluth an extended 5-on-3.
Miami stood tall under siege from the Bulldogs, allowing just one shot on goal during the entire stretch to kill off both penalties. The RedHawks had two more chances on the power play in the opening 20 minutes, but were unable to solve Kaskisuo as they trailed by one at intermission despite a 12-8 lead in shots.
An early power play goal by UMD’s Carson Soucy on a point shot through traffic put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 2:10 into the second period. Anthony Louis cut the deficit in half 1:12 later as Kevin Morris blocked an outlet pass and worked the puck into the slot to Czarnik, who found Louis cutting down the left side for his sixth goal of the year.
The RedHawks were energized by that tally, controlling play over the next few shifts until drawing a penalty at the 4:03 mark. The RedHawks had numerous opportunities on the man advantage, the majority of them coming from Cody Murphy. He fired a blast through traffic that Kaskisuo never saw, but the puck hit him all the same. Murphy was later stopped by a sliding Kaskisuo on a backdoor feed, one of four saves the netminder made to keep MU from evening the score.
After withstanding that onslaught, the Bulldogs took advantage of a power play when Alex Iafallo ripped a slap shot through traffic to make it a 3-1 contest at the 7:51 mark. Undeterred, Miami continued to go on the offensive in a period that it outshot Minnesota Duluth 25-8. The RedHawks got another power play with 4:13 left in the frame, one where they placed six shots on target that Kaskisuo turned aside yet again. With time winding down in the frame, prolonged time in the offensive zone finally paid off as Matthew Caito ripped a one-timer from the left point top shelf to cut the deficit to 3-2 after 40 minutes of play. Scott Dornbrock and Andrew Schmit assisted on Caito’s third tally of the season.
Miami continued fighting back in the third and finally converted on the power play when a slap shot by Murphy caromed off Kaskisuo before bouncing off Sean Kuraly and in for his 15th goal of the season, tying the score at 3-3 at the 2:18 mark. Alex Wideman also drew an assist on Kuraly’s tying tally. The RedHawks continued pressing for offense throughout the period, outshooting the Bulldogs 11-5. Despite that territorial advantage, neither team could find another goal in regulation as the teams went to the extra session.
Both sides were playing the extra five minute period close to the vest, taking only one shot apiece. The RedHawks took advantage of their one opening when Louis knocked a loose puck from a Bulldog defenseman at the UMD blue line to create a 2-on-1. The sophomore forward then threaded the needle to Coleman, who buried his 12th goal of the season to give Miami its first win of the year when it trailed after two periods. Louie Belpedio also drew an assist on Coleman’s first game-winning goal this season.
The RedHawks ended up outshooting the Bulldogs 49-22 overall, including 37-14 in the final two periods and overtime. MU went 1-for-5 on the power play while UMD connected on 2-of-4 man advantages. Ryan McKay stopped 19 shots to pick up his third win of the year while Kaskisuo stopped 45 shots for Minnesota Duluth.
Miami heads out to Denver for its final regular season road series next weekend. Friday night’s series opener starts at 9:37 p.m. ET.
