Goggin Ice Center was rocking on Friday night as the Miami RedHawks (8-3-0) outlasted the visiting St. Cloud State Huskies (6-7-0) in a 6-5 overtime thriller.
Related: Giampa Lifts Miami to OT Win in Front of Largest Goggin Crowd Since 2015
It was a game Miami should have put to bed. Turnovers and a few defensive lapses allowed St. Cloud State to hang around, and Miami ultimately lost a point in the process. St. Cloud State grabbed one, while Miami secured two. A regulation win would have given Miami the full three points and bumped them up in the NCHC standings.
Still, a gutsy 6-5 win is a win and great for the fan base. Here are three takeaways.
Goggin Comes Alive in Biggest Crowd Since 2015
A packed house of 3,642 fans filled Goggin, completely maxed out with standing-room only. The student section was loud, engaged, and relentless from puck drop to the overtime winner. Chants were back in full force, and St. Cloud State goalie Yan Shostak heard plenty of heckling throughout the night. Shostak allowed six goals and made 28 saves on 34 shots in the loss.
Head coach Anthony Noreen spoke about the electric atmosphere post-game.
“This was the biggest crowd since 2015. That was unbelievable. That is what we want Miami hockey to be. For the people that showed up tonight, that was electric. Our guys felt it and built off it. That was incredible. It was as cool an experience as myself and this group has had. We have talked a lot as a group about wanting to restore that and get it back to that and feel that. Not just for us, but for all the people who have played here, sacrificed here, and supported through the good and the bad. So that was amazing. A big thank you to everyone who showed up tonight.”
Aucoin & Deputy’s Best Games as RedHawks
Kyle Aucoin had his best outing of the season in his return from injury. He blocked a team-high four shots and assisted on Matteo Giampa’s overtime winner. With a top-pairing like Ryder Thompson out with an injury (per John Lachmann), Aucoin stepped into an important role alongside Michael Phelan on the first pairing.
His biggest play came in overtime when he intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and fed the puck up ice to create the two-on-one for David Deputy and Giampa. Giampa buried it for the winner.
Deputy scored his first collegiate goal and continues to show improvement each game.
Noreen praised Deputy’s early-season development and confidence after the game.
“He is a guy we are really excited about, not just this year but moving forward in his Miami career. It is funny. At morning skate today, the first thing he said to me when he saw me was that he felt a scoring night coming. I said I could see it and feel it. Whether the goal went in or not, we love his motor, his energy, his pace. He loves Miami and believes in what we are doing here. He has been all in since day one when he committed to us.”
Deputy finished with two points, 11 shot attempts, and five shots on goal. He posted a game-high plus-2.69 game scorecard from Ryan Sikes of PuckPreps. Since returning from injury on Halloween night against Arizona State, he’s put up four points (one goal, three assists) in those five games.
Aucoin also graded well at plus-0.88.
Max Helgeson added two assists and posted the second-highest game score on the team at plus-2.24. His line with Ryan Smith and Deputy has had good chemistry of late.
Neither goalie graded well. Matteo Drobac stopped 14 of 19 shots, including three goals allowed in the third period. A few went in he’d surely like back, as he finished with a game-low minus-2.55. With the win, he improved his record to 8-3-0 on the season, his 11th straight start.
Bent But Didn’t Break
Miami’s penalty kill went 4-for-4, but the team still surrendered three separate leads. They gave up a 2-0 lead, a 3-2 lead, and a 5-3 lead. St. Cloud State entered the night with one of the best power plays in the country at 32.7%, and the penalty killing units were up to the task.
Two goals stood out as the worst Miami surrendered. First, Shaun McEwen’s turnover in the first period led directly to a goal. Secondly, the shorthanded goal when Gavyn Thoreson cut through three RedHawks behind the net and slipped a backhand five-hole on Drobac. It was the first shorthanded goal given up by Miami this season.
Noreen explained the chaos late in regulation when the 5-3 lead quite literally evaporated.
“As far as that situation goes, it is a little bit different. It is 4 on 4. They pull the goalie, so you are essentially killing, but you cannot ice it. It is interesting. Delic kind of gets a step on a guy and gets whacked, and you probably end it there if you go up and make it three. You feel like against a really good power play, and I thought our kill was excellent tonight. Usually, that four kill range is about where you can go.
When you start getting into five, six, seven, that is where you go to the well too many times. That was sort of like their fifth power play, even though it was not a power play. Credit to them for fighting back. I did not think it was nerves or any massive breakdowns. They are a good power play that made some good plays. I thought our kill was really good tonight for the most part. I am sure they will make some adjustments and be better. That is going to be a massive part of the game tomorrow night.”
Speaking of maturity, Ethan Hay had another strong game. He scored to make it 2-0 and played a key role on the opening goal with a fly-by screen on Michael Quinn’s shot. His best moment may have come in overtime when he took the opening faceoff, won it, and immediately jumped off for Ilia Morozov to enter three-on-three. It was a perfect example of a team-first decision. Hay finished the night winning 60% of his draws.
Noreen also said the team’s mindset continues to impress him.
“Overall, this team just has a really good calmness about them. Even when we score to go up, they get high for 20 or 30 seconds to celebrate, and then you look at the bench and guys are seated and ready. They are engaged. We have not let our highs get too high or our lows get too low.
After last weekend, there was real focus and intention from our guys all week. There were plenty of times where you could have let that slip away against a very good hockey team, but we kept coming right back to it. Those are experiences you put in the bank. You do not want to blow the lead, but we have been there, and next time we will know to put it away. The game keeps going.”
Noreen then talked about his group’s maturity.
“What we really like about this group right now is that in our room, you would think, based on everything, that guys would be jumping up and down. They are not. They feel like they should have put the foot on the gas and not let it get to that point, and we like that. I think there is a real maturity in that.
But when they came out and sat on the bench and looked up and saw that and felt that, it is undeniable. It is special. It is what makes college hockey great. It is why I and we came here and believed in this. We have seen videos of it being like that and heard stories from so many alumni about it being the thing to do on Friday and Saturday nights.
The first part of that is on us. We have to make it so people can relate to this team and know this team will embody what the school and community are about. That means playing and leaving everything out there to the very end. We could have let it go. It is 5 to 5. They came back. Maybe we let it slip away. But they do not really touch the puck in overtime, and then Matteo finishes it. It felt fitting. Good for St. Cloud. They fought back. But it felt like a night we needed to get that one. We needed that more than ever.”
Miami looks to complete the sweep on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 PM EST.
