Miami University
11-18-4, 6-14-3-1
No. 4/5 Denver
18-8-7, 12-6-5-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Denver | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Late Comeback Falls Short in Denver
3/3/2018 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
DENVER - A resilient Miami hockey team nearly clawed out of a big hole, but could not find a tying tally in a 6-3 loss at No. 4/5 Denver on Friday night.
Friday's setback drops the RedHawks to 11-18-4 (6-14-3-1 National Collegiate Hockey).
The RedHawks put together a couple good shifts early and Grant Hutton had a shot draw iron off a faceoff in the first minute of play. However, a minor penalty at the 1:27 mark gave DU's (18-8-7, 12-6-5-4 NCHC) potent offense a chance to go to work and Dylan Gambrell put it on the board with just 2:13 gone by.
Miami got back to pressure the Denver zone and a turnover created a good opportunity for Ben Lown up close that Tanner Jaillet was sharp on. DU followed that by gaining more possession in the offensive zone and hemming MU in its end. The RedHawks managed to kill off a subsequent Pioneer power play midway through the period to leave it a one-goal game thanks in part to a big save by Ryan Larkin.
Good lateral movement for @LarktheShark31 to keep it a one-shot game.
Watch on @CBSSportsNet#RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/pe7JIrn6rE- The Brotherhood® (@MiamiOH_Hockey) March 3, 2018
A third DU power play in the opening frame put MU in an even deeper hole as Gambrell struck again to make it 2-0 with 5:46 to go until intermission. The Pioneers outshot the RedHawks by a 17-7 margin in the opening 20 minutes to take the two-goal lead into the locker room.
Rudy Junda jammed in a puck in front of the net to make it a 3-0 game just 1:51 into the second period, matching Miami's hole from last Friday night's overtime win against North Dakota. A 3-on-1 rush allowed the Red & White to get on the board as Kiefer Sherwood buried a feed from Phil Knies to make it a 3-1 contest with 16:21 left in the second. Grant Hutton also picked up an assist on Sherwood's eighth tally of the year.
Get some numbers and @KSherwood44 gets a goal.#RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/uGWpYBnlIw
- The Brotherhood® (@MiamiOH_Hockey) March 3, 2018
That goal appeared to stabilize play for the RedHawks for awhile, but the Pioneers upped their lead to three once again when Henrik Borgstrom had a pass go off his skate and into the net to build a 4-1 lead almost exactly midway through the game.
Miami got its first power play of the game with 6:48 left in the middle stanza and held extended possession in the zone, but could not break through on Denver's penalty kill unit as it still trailed by three after 40 minutes.
The RedHawks killed off a Pioneer power play early in the third, but remained down 4-1 entering the late stages of the frame. Miami found a spark with 5:35 remaining when Conor Lemirande drove down the right wing, took a self pass off the wall and flung the puck into the middle where it went off a Denver player and in to cut the gap to 4-2. Ryan Siroky and Rourke Russell each picked up helpers on the play as the senior netted his second goal of the year.
Get the puck to the net, and good things happen for @clemirande pic.twitter.com/ydGfu6eb6X
- The Brotherhood® (@MiamiOH_Hockey) March 3, 2018
MU's comeback bid got even more interesting with 3:57 showing on the clock as Casey Gilling tried to play the puck from the half wall into the middle, but his feed hit a DU body and redirected in to make it a 4-3 contest. Russell once again picked up an assist on the tally as Miami made it a one-shot game late.
🤷ÃÆ'¢Ã¢"¢'️. @cgilling9 pulls us within 1!
Watch the finish on @CBSSportsNet#RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/SRQvBqEkgZ- The Brotherhood® (@MiamiOH_Hockey) March 3, 2018
That momentum was quashed just 1:34 later as Adam Plant scored from the left point by wristing a shot through a screen to bump Denver's lead back to 5-3. An empty netter by Colin Staub capped the scoring to give DU the series opening win.
Denver ended up outshooting Miami by a 35-23 count and went 2-for-5 on the power play while killing MU's lone power play off. Russell dished out two assists for his first career multi-point game. In goal, Jaillet stopped 20 shots while Larkin made 29 saves.
The RedHawks wrap up their regular season on Saturday against the Pioneers with opening faceoff set for 9:05 p.m. ET.
