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RedHawks fall in CCHA Semifinals to Wolverines

Miami University senior forward Curtis McKenzie leaps into the boards after a goal as freshmen forward Riley Barber and sophomore forwards Blake Coleman and Austin Czarnik look on.
Miami University senior forward Curtis McKenzie leaps into the boards after a goal as freshmen forward Riley Barber and sophomore forwards Blake Coleman and Austin Czarnik look on.

Joe Gieringer, Senior Staff Writer

Miami University senior forward Curtis McKenzie leaps into the boards after a goal as freshmen forward Riley Barber and sophomore forwards Blake Coleman and Austin Czarnik look on. (Lauren Olson | Photography Editor)

The top-seeded Miami University hockey team (24-11-5) was aware of the challenge that the seven-seed University of Michigan posed, but when the two teams collided Saturday, it was all Wolverines for the majority of the afternoon as the Maize and Blue cruised to a 6-2 victory.

Riding an eight game unbeaten streak, the Wolverines stormed into the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) semifinals as arguably the hottest team in the country. Though freshman goaltender Steve Racine posted a disappointing .895 save percentage up to his most recent game, he had only allowed 10 goals in his six wins leading up to the Detroit matchup against the RedHawks. On the other end of the ice, freshman Ryan McKay was coming into the contest with the best goals against average and save percentage in the country, but those stats would count for little. After a scoreless first period, the Wolverines jumped to a 4-0 lead, with three of those goals coming within 2:11 of each other.

"I thought we tried to compete hard tonight," Miami Head Coach Enrico Blasi said in the post-game press conference. "Obviously, Michigan has a goalie, and they took it to us there in the second period and that was pretty much the game."

The Wolverines' offensive explosion started early in the second period with a shorthanded goal from freshman forward Andrew Copp, which was facilitated by a blocked shot from senior forward Kevin Lynch. Copp added one more at 9:22 of the frame, and junior forward Luke Moffatt and senior forward A.J. Treais joined in on the offensive rush.

Miami's McKay was pulled for the first time in his career after goal number four in favor of classmate Jay Williams. McKay logged 31:33 minutes of playing time and 12 saves on 16 shots, while Williams recorded nine saves on 11 shots in relief.

"We got a little frustrated," senior forward Curtis McKenzie said. "We didn't play the way we've been playing, and they took it to us from there."

After a period riddled with defensive breakdowns and sub-par play from a number of individuals, Miami bounced back and nabbed two goals, one by freshman forward Sean Kuraly at the end of the second period, and a power play tally by McKenzie in the opening minutes of the third period.

Michigan added two more of their own, bringing the final score to 6-2; the same score as Miami's CCHA Semifinals loss to Western Michigan University just one year prior.

Though the loss was a tough one for the RedHawks, and cost them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, there were also some bright spots on the weekend. Sophomore forward Austin Czarnik was named CCHA Player of the Year, the third RedHawk to receive that honor in the past four years. Freshman linemate Riley Barber was awarded CCHA Rookie of the Year, and Blasi was named CCHA Coach of the Year for the fifth time, the second most all-time of any coach in the league. All three awards recipients are quick to mention that their recognition is not due to individual talent, but rather a collective, team effort - something the RedHawks have maintained all year, and something that is conducive to success in the post-season.

"You've got to be poised, you've got to stay composed, and you've got to be disciplined," Blasi said of his team's strategy heading into the tournament. "You've got to play with a sense of hunger, but yet, still do your job. That will be the lesson we continue to preach throughout the week. This is a resilient group, and let's not forget, this is a team that won the CCHA Regular Season Championship, so let's not feel sorry for ourselves here. I know we learned a big lesson, and we'll move forward."

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Miami has drawn a No. 2 seed in the Toledo region, and Saturday's game against No. 12 Minnesota State University marks the eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the RedHawks. The Red and White are 1-0-1 all-time against the Mavericks, who are 24-13-3 entering into just their second ever NCAA appearance. The puck drop is set for 5 p.m. Saturday at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.