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DULUTH, Minn. - Despite generating a plethora of scoring opportunities, the Miami hockey team was unable to break through offensively as it dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 11/12 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday night.

The RedHawks (10-17-3, 5-13-2-0 National Collegiate Hockey) fired 34 shots on goal, including 29 in the final two periods, but suffered their third-straight shutout.

After struggling to generate offense on Friday, Miami got an early look in front as both Phil Knies and Ben Lown got close range shots that Hunter Shepard stopped and covered. Play was back and forth in the early going. A bit of Miami pressure did not yield the results it was looking for as a blocked shot by Minnesota Duluth (16-13-3, 10-10-0-0 NCHC) led to a Jared Thomas breakaway goal at the 9:59 mark.
The RedHawks got a power play opportunity with 8:37 remaining in the opening frame, which generated a good scoring opportunity for Kiefer Sherwood that Shepard turned aside as the Bulldogs killed it off. UMD later got a man advantage chance of its own and appeared to score with 6:12 remaining in the first, but officials waved the goal off due to goaltender interference as the score remained 1-0 at intermission.

Miami fired the first 12 shots on goal of the second period and got a good opportunity on a power play in the early going. That man advantage generated several good looks and four shots on goal, but Shepard kept all of them out of the net to leave UMD in front.

The Bulldogs got a pair of power plays in the back half of the second period, but the RedHawks held them without a shot on goal in both attempts and ultimately outshot them 14-1 in the middle stanza. However, Shepard turned aside each attempt to leave MU still down a goal through 40 minutes.

Still needing goal, Miami took a quick 6-1 shot lead in the third period, but Shepard again was sharp. Perhaps its best look came when Casey Gilling was fed down the right side on a controlled zone entry and while his shot got by Shepard, it rang off the post and stayed out.

After going awhile without being on the attack, UMD managed to add an insurance goal when Nick Wolff flung a shot through traffic and in with 6:13 left. MU pulled Ryan Larkin with 3:41 left to try and gain some numbers with an extra attacker, but Joey Anderson got sprung for a breakaway empty netter with 23.8 seconds remaining to put the game away.

Miami outshot Minnesota Duluth 34-22 and at one point had a 20-2 shots on goal advantage from the start of the second period to the five-minute mark of the third. Neither team converted on the power play with UMD going 0-for-3 and MU finishing 0-for-2. Shepard stopped all 34 shots he faced while Larkin made 19 saves for the Red & White.

The RedHawks return home for their final games in Steve `Coach' Cady Arena as they host North Dakota. Friday's series opener starts at 7:35 p.m.