The Miami University hockey team entered the third period with the lead, but two untimely goals ultimately resulted in a 3-2 loss at the hands of the University of Wisconsin, ending the series in a 1-1 split.
"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."
Miami (7-4-1) was riding Friday's 2-0 shutout win coming into the contest Saturday, but the Badgers found the back of the net first. 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 junior forward Blake 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, junior captain Austin Czarnik danced his way into the offensive zone off of a 100-foot Jimmy Mullin pass, using his saucy paws to dazzle the defense and tickle the twine.
Miami, which was 23-0 last year when leading after two periods and 7-0 this year, saw that streak end Satuday. The Badgers spoiled the potential sweep for the Red and White when they scored two goals in a five minute span, taking the lead off a Joe LaBate goal at 15:17. He caught sophomore goaltender Ryan McKay cheating off the post and deflected a shot off of 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. "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. 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.
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