Miami forwards Riley Barber, Jimmy Mullin, Blake Coleman, Austin Czarnik and Alex Wideman celebrate Coleman’s power play goal during Miami’s 3-2 loss to Wisconsin Saturday. (Lauren Olson | Photography Editor)
For the third time in four weeks, the Miami hockey team has split a weekend series with a team ranked 12th or higher in the USCHO national poll, following a battle with the No. 12 University of Wisconsin.
Sophomore goaltender Ryan McKay led the way for the RedHawks Friday night. The netminder improved upon his already impressive save percentage by stopping all 30 shots he faced in a 2-0 victory.
"It was no real surprise to us in the quality of the game," head coach Enrico Blasi said. "It was a good college hockey game. We got a bounce to give us the 1-0 lead and they had their chances. It could have gone either way, but obviously we're real happy it went our way."
The opening frame was a physical one, and Wisconsin threw its larger bodies around with gusto. Twenty-one shots in total were fired, but McKay and the Badgers junior goalie Landon Peterson stood tall. It took a great individual effort halfway through the second period by junior Blake Coleman to set up Anthony Louis in the slot, who put it where grandma hides the thin mints to break the scoreless tie. It was the freshman forward's fifth goal on the year.
After more than a period of silence from both offenses, the Badgers pulled Peterson with just over a minute to play. It gave junior captain Austin Czarnik the chance to net his sixth goal of the season, sealing the deal for Miami. McKay improved his record to 5-1-1.
"It's a credit to our team defense," McKay said. "If you want to compare it to the beginning of the season, it's a dramatic difference, and that's why we're getting results."
The following night's results weren't necessarily what the RedHawks had in mind.
They might have entered the third period with the lead, but two untimely goals ultimately gave Miami a 3-2 loss at the hands of Wisconsin.
"I thought we played well and so did they," head coach Enrico Blasi said. "It was a close game and it came down to who was going to make a play or two, and we didn't. It's a tough weekend when every shift is crucial, but give them credit; [Wisconsin] played hard, they played well, and they made a few plays at the end."
The Brotherhood battled back in the second period with two scores of their own to take the lead. The first was a bar-down snipe by Coleman at 5:01 of the frame, giving the RedHawks their first power play score of the weekend. With just a few minutes remaining in the second, Czarnik danced his way into the offensive zone off a 100-foot pass by junior forward Jimmy Mullin, using his saucy paws to dazzle the defense and tickle the twine.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Miami was 23-0 last year when leading after two periods and 7-0 this year, but that streak ended against Wisconsin. The Badgers spoiled the potential sweep for the RedHawks when they scored two goals in a five-minute span, taking the lead off a goal by junior forward Joseph Labate. He caught Ryan McKay cheating off the post and deflected a shot off his shoulder in, silencing the crowd and giving his team the boost it needed to finish in front.
"You've just got to make simple plays like off the glass and out," Czarnik said of his team's defensive-zone play. "I don't know what happened - we just collapsed ... we've got to find a way to get these W's. Splitting is no longer acceptable."
McKay recorded 23 saves in the losing effort, his worst outing of the season. Despite dropping to 5-2-1, McKay still boasts a .943 percent, which checks in at fourth best in the country, as well as a stellar 1.74 goals-against average. Czarnik finished with two points, as did sophomore linemate Riley Barber who dished out two helpers.
The 'Hawks return to action next weekend when they travel to Omaha, Neb. to mix it up with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Nebraska-Omaha is currently receiving 26 votes in the USCHO poll, which lands them just three spots shy of No. 20.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.