COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Despite firing 20 third period shots, the Miami hockey team was unable to fully escape an early 3-0 hole in a 4-2 setback at Colorado College on Saturday.
The RedHawks (6-11-3, 3-6-1-1 National Collegiate Hockey) settle for a split of the weekend series.
An early 4-2 shot advantage was the end of anything good for the RedHawks in the first period of play as the Tigers (8-9-1, 3-6-1-0 NCHC) wired the final 13 shots on goal of the opening frame. That coincided with a three-goal frame that saw it open the scoring at the 2:22 mark when Troy Conzo jammed in a rebound off a wraparound shot. A CC power play caught a bounce when Chris Wilkie's point shot redirected off a MU defenseman and in and then Conzo struck again with 5:04 left in the period to dig Miami into a 3-0 hole at intermission.
At the midway point of the game, Miami only had six shots on goal as it struggled to gain the offensive zone. The RedHawks were forced to kill another penalty about five minutes into the frame, which they did successfully to stay within three goals.
Matt Barry had the Red & White's best opportunities about 12 minutes into the middle stanza when he picked off an outlet pass and worked into the slot for a pair of shots. However, Matt Vernon steered both aside and covered it up to leave it a 3-0 contest.
Miami finally found a spark with 3:24 left in the frame when
Chase Pletzke slid a pass to
John Sladic down low at the left wing and the freshman buried his fifth goal of the year to get MU on the board.
Monte Graham also picked up an assist on the play as the RedHawks skated to the dressing room facing a 3-1 deficit.
Colorado College got caught with too many men on the ice to give Miami its first power play four minutes into the third period. That man advantage was fortuitously timed and the RedHawks took full advantage as
Derek Daschke blasted a one-timer feed from Pletzke home for his sixth goal of the year.
Gordie Green also earned an assist on the play as MU found itself within a goal at 3-2 with 14:44 remaining.
Riding the energy of the last two goals, Miami put up tremendous pressure over the next several minutes, ultimately putting 20 shots on goal in the third period after registering just 11 in the first 40 minutes of play.
Monte Graham had a rebound chance at the doorstep that Vernon stopped roughly eight minutes into the frame that represented Miami's best chance to even it up.
As the period wore on, the Tigers' transition game padded their lead as Josiah Slavin finished a 2-on-1 feed with 6:40 left to make it a 4-2 game.
With 3:31 to go, Miami pulled
Ryan Larkin for a sixth skater and the 6-on-5 game applied a great deal of pressure on the Colorado College net. Matt Vernon made several close range saves and a rebound chance was fired wide with an open net. Despite the surge on the crease, the Tigers withstood the barrage of shots to keep the RedHawks from getting any closer.
Colorado College ended up outshooting Miami 36-31 and went 1-for-4 on the power play while MU converted its lone man advantage attempt. Pletzke assisted on both Miami goals for his second-straight multi-point game while Larkin finished with 32 saves.
Miami returns home for four-straight games over the next two NCHC series. MU begins the home stand by hosting first-place North Dakota. Friday's series opener is nationally televised on CBS Sports Network and starts at an earlier than usual 6:30 p.m.
