It was the largest crowd at the Goggin Ice Center since 2015, with a sold-out 3,642 fans packed in on Friday night. They saw their Miami RedHawks pull out a 6-5 overtime thriller over the St. Cloud State Huskies, improving to 8-3-0 on the season, 2-3-0 in NCHC play.
With the loss, St. Cloud State fell to 6-7-0 overall and 1-4-0 in NCHC play.
Related: 3 Keys for Miami Against St. Cloud State
Six different skaters scored for Miami: Michael Quinn, Ethan Hay, Kocha Delic, David Deputy, Casper Nassen, and Matteo Giampa with the game-winner. Goaltender Matteo Drobac stopped 14 of 19 shots, three of those goals coming in the third.
St. Cloud State got two goals from Gavyn Thoreson, while Barrett Hall, Grant Ahcan, and Tyson Gross each added one, for a total of four different goal scorers. Netminder Yan Shostak made 28 saves on 34 shots in the loss.
Game Recap
Quinn opened the scoring in the first on the power play, one-timing a pass home for the 1-0 lead. Hay did not get a point on the play, but he provided just enough of a screen to take away Shostak’s eyes.
Through one period, Miami led 18-3 in shots on goal and 32-7 in total shot attempts.
Early in the second, Hay broke free on a pass from Michael Phelan and appeared to score cleanly. After a review for possible goalie interference because Hay jammed his stick toward the net and may have pushed Shostak backward, the call stood, giving Miami a 2-0 lead.
A turnover behind Miami’s net later in the period set up St. Cloud State’s first goal, as Hall buried it to cut the lead to 2-1. Ahcan later tied it 2-2 on a rebound in front off a shot from Finn Loftus.
Delic restored the Miami lead on a wrister that beat Shostak’s glove side, with Deputy picking up the assist. Miami blocked 11 shots in the period despite a strong St. Cloud State push.
Thoreson then somehow slipped through three RedHawks behind the net and went five-hole on Drobac to tie the game 3-3. It was the first shorthanded goal Miami has allowed this season. It was a bad defensive lapse and another soft goal given up to this point in the game.
With five minutes left in the third, Deputy finally scored his first collegiate goal, ripping a loose puck past an out-of-position Shostak to put Miami back on top. Less than a minute later, Nassen tipped in a Vladislav Lukashevich shot to make it 5-3.
But St. Cloud State was not done. Gross scored with the extra attacker to cut it to 5-4 with about four minutes left, and Thoreson struck again moments later by going top shelf to stun the crowd and tie it 5-5.
After Miami held possession the entire overtime, Giampa broke out on a two-on-one with Deputy and sniped it top shelf to win it 6-5.
Miami earned two points instead of three after letting the 5-3 lead slip away in the third, but for a program that has not won much in overtime in recent seasons, this was a massive moment. St. Cloud State earned one point in the loss.
Miami finished 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and 1-for-4 on the power play.
Kyle Aucoin had his best game of the season in his return from injury. He blocked a team-high four shots and assisted on Giampa’s overtime winner.
Deputy continues to improve every game. He posted two points, a goal, and an assist, led the team with 11 shot attempts, and recorded five shots on goal. Quinn, Nassen, and Max Helgeson also finished with two points each. Lukashevich also picked up his 10th assist of the season.
Miami outshot St. Cloud State 34-19 and led 68-49 in total shot attempts. Also, Miami blocked 15 shots, while St. Cloud State finished with 14.
Faceoffs were about even: Miami won 49.3%, while St. Cloud State won 50.3%.
Puck drop for Saturday night’s rematch is at 6:05 p.m. EST.
