Box Score Jan. 27, 2018 Box Score
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Despite a slow start to the game, the Miami hockey team roared back to take a lead over Colorado College, but ultimately settled for a 4-4 tie on Saturday night.
The Tigers (11-11-4, 5-8-3-2 National Collegiate Hockey) scored during the 3-on-3 overtime session to nab two NCHC points.
After a slow start on Friday, things got worse at the outset for Miami (9-12-3, 4-8-2-0 NCHC) in the finale as Nick Halloran opened the scoring 29 seconds in and netted another goal with just three minutes to put the Tigers up 2-0.
Despite the inauspicious start, the RedHawks showed resilience as the period wore on. Kiefer Sherwood fed Carson Meyer for his fifth goal of the season with 7:32 gone by to get MU on the board trailing 2-1.
Miami was not done there as its power play made up the difference and then some. Phil Knies made it four-straight games with a goal when his redirect evened the score at two apiece. Sherwood picked up his second assist of the night while Meyer dished out an assist for his first multi-point game of the year.
The RedHawks converted on another power play with 5:45 left in the period as a Louie Belpedio fired a wrist shot from the point that took a hop and got by Alex Leclerc to give them a 3-2 lead, their first of the weekend. Josh Melnick and Gordie Green each dished out assists on Belpedio's ninth goal of the year.
Miami began the second period shorthanded, but managed to kill off the man advantage without issue, one of two penalties it killed off in the middle stanza. Midway through the second, Meyer pounced on a loose puck atop the crease off a Karch Bachman shot and buried his second goal of the night, his first career multi-goal game. Belpedio also handed out an assist to help the Red & White grab a 4-2 lead with 9:31 left in the second.
The RedHawks got an opportunity to grab a three-goal lead late in the frame when they were awarded a penalty shot with 4:15 to go until intermission. However, Belpedio's bid went off the post and a CC power play goal by Mason Bergh with 2:04 left cut the lead to 4-3 after 40 minutes.
CC dialed up the offensive pressure in the third, outshooting MU 16-3 in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Miami's lead held near the midway point of the period before Trevor Gooch entered the zone and roofed a backhand from the slot to tie the score at 4-4 with 11:04 remaining in regulation and ultimately forcing the overtime period.
The five-minute overtime session came and went without incident as the tie was secured. Both teams then moved on into the 3-on-3 overtime session to play for an extra point in the NCHC standings. With just under a minute left, Christian Versich scored on a wraparound to end it and give CC five of six points on the weekend.
Colorado College used a surge in the third period to outshot Miami 34-32 overall. The RedHawks went 2-for-2 on the power play while the Tigers finished 1-for-4 with the man advantage. Meyer's three points (2g, 1a) led MU individually while Sherwood (2a) and Belpedio (1g, 1a) also had multi-point outings. Larkin finished with 30 saves while Leclerc made 28 stops for CC.
Miami heads into February with six of its eight contests that month at home, starting with Friday night's series opener against Western Michigan that starts at 7:35 p.m.
