Recap: RedHawks sweep Alaska Anchorage in first home series of 2024-25 season

Following two ties against the Ferris State University Bulldogs, the Miami University RedHawks hockey team returned to Oxford looking for its first wins of the season against the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.

Having not played the Seawolves in almost 40 years, the new-look RedHawks impressed in front of the first home crowds of the year.

The home opening game on Friday was much closer than the second matchup on Saturday.

The game’s first goal came in the final minute of the first period off the stick of junior forward Johnny Waldron, who was questionable earlier in the week but was penciled back on the first line with graduate student transfer Colby Ambrosio and senior transfer Matt Choupani.

It occurred on the power play, just as the second Miami goal did when junior forward Max Dukovac tipped home a shot on the ice from first-year forward Casper Nassen. Senior forward Raimonds Vitolins also added an assist on the play.

Anchorage scored 18 seconds into the third to cut Miami’s lead in half. Thirty-two seconds later, the RedHawks cushioned the lead back to two after junior forward William Hallén tipped home a shot by senior defenseman transfer Connor Hutchison.

Dukovac, Vitolins and Hallén are three returning players, and all play on the same line. For Miami head coach Anthony Noreen, they’re as crucial as any to winning games.

“When they’re going, we’re good,” Noreen said. “That’s been one of, if not the key element to this team. They’ve got a little bit of everything. And when they’re going, we’re going. It’s as simple as that.”

The Seawolves scored a late power-play goal to cut the deficit to one, but the RedHawks stayed strong through the last minute and 25 seconds to secure the victory.

“I love that we found a way to win,” Noreen said. “I thought it was just one of those nights, and for this group, I think they need that. It’s a group that’s seen a lot of those go the other way.”

Sophomore goaltender Bruno Bruveris stopped 25 of 27 Anchorage shots, securing his second victory in a Miami sweater after making crucial saves down the stretch, especially on the penalty kill.

“I think we just put out a team effort,” Bruveris said. “That was a great team win, and I’m happy we did that at home on Friday night. It was really important for fans to see us improving and getting into a new era.”

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

After securing Noreen’s first win as a Division I head coach, the team looked to continue its momentum into Saturday and come out with a sweep.

They started fast and on time, unlike the Friday game. The RedHawks took a 1-0 lead on a coast-to-coast solo effort from Ambrosio. However, a five-minute major boarding call on Ambrosio sunk Miami's momentum for the rest of the period.

“I thought that first 10 minutes was probably the best hockey we’ve played all year,” Noreen said. “Take a five-minute penalty, and it could have very easily gone the other way. I thought we gained some really good momentum off that, and it kind of went from there, but the guys had a really good start for sure.”

Fortunately, the penalty kill, which has only allowed one goal on 18 attempts, including two five-minute majors, did its job and hardly allowed the Seawolves to set up, let alone score.

The second period also started with a bang, with Choupani registering his first in the Red and White on two perfect feeds from Waldron and Ambrosio, making this the Boston College transfer’s first multi-point game in 142 collegiate appearances.

The RedHawks added two more second-period goals, one from Nassen on the power play and the other from Choupani again to put the RedHawks up 4-0. Choupani’s two goals were his first since February and Miami’s first since Matthew Barbolini did it in February against the Denver University Pioneers.

“Those are the guys you want to see get rewarded,” Noreen said. “You talk about a guy who does it right? That guy gets here at 6 o’clock in the morning and leaves at 10 o’clock at night. You can’t get the kid off the ice.”

Anchorage scored a goal off a blind pass to the middle of the defensive zone by Choupani, but all was said and done by that point, giving Miami its second win of the season and the series sweep.

After his excellent performance in net Friday, Bruveris spoke optimistically about his play and the Miami hockey program in general.

“It’s great,” Bruveris said. “I think it’s really special here, and it’s going to get better. I can promise that.”

The RedHawks play a home-and-home series with Robert Morris University next. The first game is at Goggin Ice Arena on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7:05 p.m. The second is in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

@jjmid04

middleje@miamioh.edu