Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Miami hockey team's potent power play erased three separate deficits, but a late shorthanded goal by 10th-ranked Providence handed the RedHawks a 4-3 setback on opening night.

A young Miami (0-1) team that dressed nine freshmen got goals out of three returners, but ended up dropping its third-straight regular season opener.

"I thought we started the game very tentative," head coach Enrico Blasi said. "We got better in some areas as the game progressed. Our process continues and tomorrow is another opportunity to get better."

The Friars (1-0) peppered the RedHawk goal in the first few minutes, jumping out to a 6-1 shot advantage four minutes in. Ryan Larkin was equal to the task and got settled in by stopping each attempt, but PC's pressure eventually led to a penalty by MU that put it shorthanded at the 4:19 mark. The Friars eventually cashed in when Erik Foley crashed the net and found a rebound from an initial stop by Larkin to put them up 1-0 with 5:37 gone by.

Miami's special teams got an opportunity to answer with 12:09 left in the frame. The first unit managed to get set up and fed the middle point for several shots, but most went wide through traffic. That power play was cut short on a Red and White penalty with six seconds left in the man advantage, forcing them back to the penalty kill. Larkin continued his busy period with a pair of stops to hold the Friars off the board. Each team had one more abbreviated power play that did not connect and Larkin finished with 13 stops to keep the PC lead at just 1-0 despite its 14-5 shot advantage after 20 minutes of play.

A Providence penalty with time expired in the first gave Miami fresh ice and a power play to work with at the start of the second period. The special teams paid off for the Red and White as Gordie Green gained the zone at the right boards and moved beneath the goal line before flinging a center pass to Justin Greenberg, whose one-timer got through Hayden Hawkey for his first goal of the season to even the score at 1-1 with just 1:42 gone by in the frame. Scott Dornbrock also earned an assist feeding Green into the zone.

Miami got another power play just 18 seconds later to try and take the lead with, but Providence managed to draw a penalty in the waning seconds of that man advantage to set the tone for a special teams dominated second. The RedHawks were down two men for 23 seconds after another penalty, but managed to get through that situation unscathed.

Niko Rufo crashed the net while under duress and scored with 8:52 left to put PC back in front, a goal that stood after further review. The RedHawks killed the ensuing power play and got an opportunity with another man advantage with 4:19 left in the middle stanza. The RedHawks were again sharp a man up as Justin Greenberg got a great chance at the left circle that Hawkey stopped, but the rebound was sent to Scott Dornbrock, who ripped a slapshot through traffic to tie the score at 2-2 with 2:57 left until intermission. That tie didn't last long as a transition rush created a few shots in a row that Larkin stopped before Garrett Gamez finally scored on a rebound 23 seconds later to make it a 3-2 PC lead after 40 minutes.

Penalties continued to mar the flow of the game in the third period. At one point, Miami got three-straight power plays, which carried play to roughly the midway point of the final frame. The third time a man up was the charm as Grant Hutton took the puck at the point after a faceoff win, walked it into middle where he ripped a slap shot that took a bounce and went over Hawkey and in to tie the score at 3-3 with 10:24 left in regulation.

The Friars followed that up by getting a two-man advantage within the next 40 seconds of play. With 1:26 left on the first penalty, the RedHawks bore down and got some big stops out of Larkin along with some tremendous individual defensive plays to keep the Friars from finding the net.

Shortly after killing off the penalty, Miami went to yet another power play with an opportunity to grab its first lead. However, it was Providence that got the lift as a turnover in the offensive zone was flung up the ice where Brian Pinho had a step on the defense. Larkin tried to hustle out of his crease and beat Pinho to the spot, but was a hair late. Pinho gathered the puck from beneath the right faceoff circle and sent the puck into the open net for a shorthanded goal that made it 4-3 with 6:07 remaining.

Rufo got free for a breakaway late in the frame, but was hooked on his way in to earn a penalty shot with 4:05 remaining. On this attempt, Larkin stood his ground and kept it a one-shot game in the late stages. Moments later, another Friar penalty gave Miami a 4-on-3 power play chance to even the score up. The RedHawks were unable to get a good look with the open ice, however, and the Friars killed off the penalty with little resistance. MU continued to pressure with an extra skater and its net empty, but couldn't find a tying goal at the end.

Providence outshot Miami by a 32-18 margin, though the total was a more even 18-13 over the final two periods. The RedHawks struck on three of their 10 power plays while the Friars scored on 1-of-8 man advantages and scored a shorthanded goal that proved to be the winner. Larkin stopped 28 of 32 shots in his collegiate debut while Hawkey made 15 saves on 18 shots.

These teams finish up the season-opening series on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. ET.