Miami hockey team comes alive late, wins 2-0

MU coach points  to a skirmish late in the second period as the ignitor.

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By John Bombatch, Staff Writer Updated 7:01 AM Monday, October 12, 2009

OXFORD — After 40 minutes of scoreless hockey, the Miami RedHawks needed roughly 40 seconds in the third period to score all the goals it needed.

Miami University swept its season-opening two-game series with visiting St. Cloud State with a 2-0 win Saturday, Oct. 10, at Steve Cady Arena.

Senior right winger Jarod Palmer scored off assists by Andy Miele and Reilly Smith with 14:38 left to play in the game. The fans weren’t able to sit down before the next Miami goal was scored.

As the P.A. announcer was announcing Palmer’s goal, the crowd of 3,371 erupted roughly 40 seconds later when freshman right winger Devin Mantha drove in for his first career score as a RedHawk. Mantha’s goal was assisted by Miele and Will Weber.

St. Cloud put the pressure on late when they pulled goalie Mike Lee for the final minute of play, but Miami’s defense kept the Huskies at bay for the team’s second win in two nights.

Goalie Connor Knapp and Palmer said the conversation in the Miami locker room before the third period was one urging the team to relax and get back to basics.

“We felt that we weren’t playing up to our potential and that we were starting to scramble a little bit,” Palmer said. “So in the third period, we were just trying to get back to what we do best, and that’s keeping the game simple, moving the puck up the wall, winning battles along the wall. We just wanted to get back to our game.”

Knapp, who recorded his third career shutout, said the RedHawks knew they had to get physical with the faster Huskies.

“We needed to start hitting them more, that’s something we also talked about in the locker room,” Knapp said.

And it worked.

Miami coach Enrico Blasi said a brief skirmish with 15.2 seconds left in the second period may have been the emotional lift that Miami needed. It was then that Miami’s Curtis McKenzie and St. Cloud defenseman Garrett Raboin got into a scrum just off to the right of the Huskies’ bench. Both players were penalized, and by the time the players were separated, there were three RedHawks and a pair of Huskies in the penalty box.

The resulting St. Cloud power play carried over into the third period, but Miami fended it off. Another Huskies penalty gave Miami the power play chance it needed, and that’s when Palmer scored the go-ahead goal.

“I thought both teams were a little sluggish, until that scuffle there at the end of the second period. That seemed to energize both teams a bit,” Blasi said.

Miami now takes to the road Oct. 16-17 for a pair of games with New Hampshire University. The RedHawks open Central Collegiate Hockey Association play when they return home Oct. 23-24 against Michigan State.

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