Box Score Oct. 28, 2017 Box Score | PDF Box Score | Photo Gallery
OXFORD, Ohio -- A five-goal third period blew open a tight game as the Miami hockey team capped the weekend in sweeping fashion with a 7-1 win over UConn on Saturday night.
The RedHawks moved to 3-3 on the season on the strength of their first series sweep of the year.
A Husky penalty 2:02 into the contest put the RedHawks on the hunt for a goal. Miami cashed in for its first power play goal of the weekend with 3:40 gone by as Kiefer Sherwood one-timed a Scott Dornbrock feed from the left circle and in to make it a 1-0 contest. Carson Meyer also drew an assist on the play as MU grabbed an early lead on Sherwood's second goal of the season.
The RedHawks fired the first eight shots on goal of the night as they grabbed the early lead. A Miami penalty gave UConn its first power play of the night just over six minutes in which led to its first shot of the game, a Ryan Larkin save that kept the lead intact. The Huskies went on another power play midway through the first, but again the Red and White penalty killing unit prevailed.
Miami came at UConn in waves offensively, generating several quality chances that Adam Huska had to fend off. One big chance came late in the frame when Austin Alger picked off an outlet pass and came in uncontested to the net, but Huska stopped the freshman forward's shot to keep it a one-goal game.
That constant Miami pressure finally paid off on the scoreboard with two minutes left in the frame as Grant Hutton took the puck from behind his own net and took it himself the other way. After a shot was stopped and ended up back on his stick, Hutton fed Gordie Green who was open atop the crease at the right wing, where he buried his fourth goal of the season. Larkin also drew his second assist of the year as he left the puck for Hutton to keep play alive. The RedHawks ultimately outshot the Huskies 16-3 in the opening frame and took a 2-0 lead into the dressing room at the break.
Both teams fired 10 shots on goal in the middle stanza and Miami got a couple power play opportunities to try and pad its lead a bit more. The Red and White successful killed off the lone Husky power play thanks to some stellar point blank stops by Larkin.
With 3:08 left in the frame, the RedHawks went on their second man advantage of the frame, but it was the Huskies who found the net for the first time this weekend as Corey Ronan was left open in front of Larkin. While the MU sophomore goalie stuck with Ronan and made a point blank save on his attempt, the rebound landed in the crease where Adam Karashik knocked it in for a shorthanded goal to cut the lead to 2-1 at the end of two periods.
The RedHawks wasted little time getting that breathing room back in the third period as Phil Knies received a drop pass and beat Huska on a wraparound to make it a 3-1 game just 1:25 into the frame. Sherwood and Karch Bachman drew the assists as Knies' second tally of the year put MU back up by a pair.
Miami's power play then went to work as Belpedio wristed a shot from the middle for his second of the season after dogged work by Green and Josh Melnick freed up the puck along the wall to up the lead to 4-1 3:14 into the final frame. Melnick then got into the scoring himself as all five RedHawks on the power play unit kept possession alive as Knies worked it to Hutton at the point, who swung it to Belpedio at the left circle, who in turn fed a cutting Green where he flung a backhand off Melnick and in for the junior forward's first tally of the year as the lead moved to 5-1 with 13:47 left.
Belpedio netted his second of the night after intercepting an outlet pass and firing a shot that beat Huska and ended his night with MU leading 6-1 at the 7:37 mark of the frame.
A major penalty on the Huskies allowed the RedHawks to go to another power play and while they did not score, they milked five minutes off the clock in the third. Larkin also made sure UConn stayed at just one tally with a stellar breakaway save on Jeff Wight.
With time winding down, Miami capitalized on another power play as Austin Alger finished at the back door with Conor Lemirande and Chaz Switzer helping to cap the scoring with 2:24 left.
The RedHawks outshot the Huskies by a 44-18 margin and went 4-for-7 on the man advantage while killing off all three UConn power plays. Larkin stopped 17 of 18 shots for his second-straight victory and finished with 36 saves on 37 shots for the series while also adding an assist on the evening. Huska made 28 saves while Tanner Creel made nine stops in the final 12:23 for UConn. Four Miami skaters finished with double digit points as Belpedio (2g, 1a) and Green (1g, 2a) tallied three apiece while Melnick (1g, 1a) and Sherwood (1g, 1a) added two more. In total, 13 RedHawks notched at least one point
Miami begins National Collegiate Hockey Conference play at home against Colorado College next weekend. Friday's series opener begins at 7:35 p.m.
