Preview: Miami hockey splits series at home against Lindenwood; faces RPI in final non-conference series

The Miami University hockey team returned to action last week after a disappointing home-and-home series against the Robert Morris University Colonials to face another out-of-conference opponent: The Lindenwood Lions.

The Lions, holding a record of 1-3-0 after almost sweeping the then-ninth-ranked University of Wisconsin Badgers, were also coming off the wrong end of a series sweep.

Lindenwood lost two games by one goal to Air Force on the road and headed to Oxford for their third series of the year, looking to finish with a .500 record.

One theme through Miami's first four series of the year has been slow starts. But that was not the case in either of the two games. The RedHawks looked like a completely different team, generating scoring chances and using open ice to create space in the offensive zone.

Miami came out of the first with a 1-0 lead in game one after senior Matt Choupani blocked a shot at the point, took it down for a breakaway and graduate student Colby Ambrosio put home the rebound.

The RedHawks gave up a goal in the second that sophomore netminder Bruno Bruveris had bounced off his glove and sat behind him, waiting for a Lindenwood stick to finish the job. Senior Alexander Lundman did just that.

The wheels fell off in the third period for Miami. A designed play and a beautiful one-timer from senior David Gagnon gave the Lions the lead. Another goal from Gagnon shorthanded two minutes later put the Lions up two goals with 13:37 on the clock.

Miami cut the Lions’ lead to one on a goal from Choupani,. but an ill-advised boarding penalty from junior forward Frankie Carogioiello put the Lions back on the power play, and they scored less than 30 seconds in. The Lions held the RedHawks for the rest of the period and took the first game 4-2.

The message didn’t change between games one and two of the series. The RedHawks came out flying after Friday's loss, scoring five and a half minutes in. Graduate student Christophe Fillion received a backhand stretch pass from senior defenseman Spencer Cox. He entered the zone quickly, hit the brakes and left the puck for Carogioiello, who scored off the far post and in.

The Lions tied the game at the end of the first. It took until late in the second period on the power play when first-year forward Casper Nassen used his wicked one-timer to give the RedHawks the lead again.

From there, Miami controlled the pace of play, although it wasn’t without its tense moments. The dagger came just over midway through the final frame, when on a five-minute penalty kill, junior forward Raimonds Vitolins intercepted a pass and scored on a breakaway, doubling the RedHawks’ lead.

Fillion hit the empty net with a minute and a half remaining in regulation to seal the victory for the Red and White.

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There were many positives from the RedHawks' last series against the Lions. Their starts were much better; their penalty killing was strong (despite going in the box far too often); they managed to score from up and down the lineup and their goaltending was sensational.

While the forwards’' and defensemen's performance was a factor in the victory, the key was first-year netminder Ethan Dahlmeir, who stopped 34 of 35 shots in the 4-1 Miami victory.

Up next for the RedHawks in their final non-conference series are the 2-3-1 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers. They come into the matchup with three straight losses.

The last time these two programs faced off was in January 2016, when they split a weekend series. RPI stole a road win in the Friday game, but Miami triumphed in a 4-2 Saturday victory to take the lead in the all-time series at 3-1.

The games between these two programs have generally been close, with the largest margin of victory being three goals in a 2015 matchup Miami won.

RPI’s current team has plenty of goal-scoring power. So far this season, the only game RPI has scored under three goals was its exhibition win against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen.

The Engineers’ biggest win came against the Canisius Golden Griffins on Oct. 12 by an 8-3 score. Since that win, their record is 0-3-1, putting all the more pressure on the upcoming weekend to try and stop the skid.

“From a penalty kill perspective, their power-play moves the puck extremely well,” Miami head coach Anthony Noreen said. “They do a really good job of shooting from different areas and different angles. All five guys are ready to rip at all times. They’re a team that’s scored a lot of goals in the early going, so, for us, we’re a team that’s got to defend better..”

Against the Lions, the RedHawks found themselves killing lots of penalties off, including a five-minute major, their fourth of the season. They’re currently the most penalized team in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and against the potent power-play that Noreen alluded to, they must stay out of the box.

This series against RPI is the last tune-up before games have implications in the standings. No series is easy, whether it’s non-conference or in-conference. However, playing against teams in arguably the best conference in college hockey is a step up from the competition the RedHawks have had thus far.

RPI will be a good test for a RedHawks team that will face potent offenses for the rest of the season. The puck drops between the two teams on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7:05 p.m.

@jjmid04

middleje@miamioh.edu