Box Score Feb. 18, 2017 Box Score | PDF Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - A strong start gave the Miami hockey team an early lead, but No. 2 Denver scored five of the final six goals to defeat the RedHawks 5-2 on Saturday night.
The result gives the Pioneers (22-6-4, 14-3-3-2 National Collegiate Hockey) a sweep of the weekend series.
Miami (9-15-6, 5-11-4-2 NCHC) went on a power play just 46 seconds after the opening faceoff and generated a couple clean looks at the goal. A wrister by Kiefer Sherwood was smothered by Tanner Jaillet and later an Anthony Louis one-timer was fought off by the DU goaltender. The Pioneers got sprung for a breakaway late in the man advantage, but Evan Janssen's shot went wide of the cage.
An offensive zone faceoff win by the RedHawks put them on the board with 4:10 gone by as the puck redirected to Carson Meyer. The freshman buried a shot from the left circle top far corner for his eighth goal of the season to give them their first lead of the weekend at 1-0.
After striking twice on the power play on Friday, Denver went to work on a man advantage at the 9:48 mark. Another MU penalty with 41 seconds left on the first minor created a two-man advantage for DU. The Red & White nearly killed off both penalties, but Troy Terry made a man miss with a move entering the offensive zone and beat Ryan Larkin one-on-one to even the score at 1-1 with 7:04 to go in the period. Emil Romig then snuck a wrist shot from the left circle through 42 seconds later to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead. DU outshot Mu 11-8 in the frame thanks to getting four power plays and took the one-goal lead into the locker room.
The RedHawks killed off the remaining 1:28 of a carryover penalty and got to go to work on another power play 2:29 into the middle stanza. This one connected as after working the puck from point to point, Grant Hutton was able to step into a slapshot and rocket one past Jaillet for his seventh goal of the year to tie it up at 2-2 at the 4:08 mark.
Denver had an answer for that as Troy Terry controlled the puck after an offensive zone faceoff win and picked a corner from the slot to make it a 3-2 game with 13:30 remaining in the second period.
Gordie Green's speed posed problems a couple of times in the second period. He was fed in for a partial breakaway, but tripped up at the 13:15 mark to create a power play, though Jaillet made a big save on a redirect and MU ultimately went scoreless there. Green then nearly went in for a breakaway, but was tripped up in the neutral zone in the waning seconds of the frame to generate another power play chance for the Red and White to start the third period, trailing 3-2.
The RedHawks were unable to generate much attack with their power play to start the third as the Pioneers had probably the most dangerous chance, a Dylan Gambrell shot as part of a breakaway that Larkin kicked away. The score remained 3-2 until DU won a puck battle behind the net and Emil Romig converted on a centering feed from the slot at the 5:05 mark to make it a 4-2 game. Tariq Hammond eventually put the game out of reach by converting a 2-on-1 rush with 4:55 left.
Denver ended up outshooting Miami by a 38-25 margin. Both teams went 1-for-5 on the power play on the evening. Larkin made 33 saves while Jaillet turned away 23 at the other end.
The RedHawks return to the ice on Thursday when they open up a series against Minnesota Duluth. Puck drop is at 8:07 p.m.