OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami hockey team's offense broke out in a big way while
Ryan Larkin posted a 30-save shutout to guide the RedHawks to an emphatic 6-0 victory over Colgate on Saturday night.
Miami's victory is its third straight as it closes October with a 6-2 record.
Matching penalties just over two minutes into the contest opened the ice up and Miami went to work with the teams playing 4-on-4 hockey. After a sequence of puck drops by
Josh Melnick and
Gordie Green,
Grant Hutton walked in from the blue line and wristed a shot off the post and in for his second goal of the season to stake MU to a 1-0 lead just 2:48 in.
The RedHawks went to work on a power play at the 4:17 mark and controlled the puck for most of the man advantage, with
Jonathan Gruden hitting a post as the Raiders escaped from going down 2-0.
Colgate (2-3) went on a power play of its own with 5:41 left until the break, but
Ryan Larkin was sharp with a pair of stops. Miami nearly went up 2-0 immediately after killing the penalty off as
Ben Lown was fed on a transition rush cutting down the middle, but his shot went wide. A point blank save in the closing seconds by Larkin on Paul McAvoy kept the RedHawks on top by a 1-0 score at the end of the first.
The Raiders put together a stretch of seven-straight shots on goal and held the puck in Miami's zone for long stretches early in the second period, but
Ryan Larkin came through with some big stops to keep them from getting on the board.
A CU penalty with 6:20 gone by in the period gave MU a chance to work a man up and a left circle one-timer by
Josh Melnick beat Andrew Farrier shortside to make it 2-0 with 12:11 remaining in the middle stanza. Green and
Alec Mahalak chipped in helpers on Melnick's third of the year.
The Red and White closed the period with a barrage as Mahalak was sent ahead in transition by Green down the right side. The sophomore defenseman's shot was blockered aside, but
Scott Corbett pounced on the rebound for his first collegiate goal to bump the lead to 3-0 with 3:14 remaining. Not content with a three-goal bulge, Melnick threaded a perfect pass to Green streaking down the right wing, where he roofed one home to make it a 4-0 game through two periods.
The RedHawks' blue line got themselves involved in the third period to tack on a few more.
River Rymsha picked a corner in transition for his second of the season at the 10:49 mark on assists from
Casey Gilling and
Ben Lown. With 5:03 to go, Hutton netted his second of the evening with helpers coming from
Brian Hawkinson and
Jonathan Gruden to cap the scoring.
Miami outshot Colgate 41-30 on the night and went 1-for-3 on the power play while killing off both CU man advantages. Larkin made a season-high 30 saves for his third shutout of the season and fourth-straight victory while Farrier made 35 stops in the other crease. Green (1g, 3a), Melnick (1g, 2a), Hutton (2g, 1a) and Mahalak (2a) all posted multi-point nights for the Red & White.
Miami takes its 6-2 record, its best start since the 2009-10 season, into National Collegiate Hockey Conference play next weekend as it travels to Omaha for a two-game set. Puck drop in game one is set for 8:07 p.m. ET.
