The Miami RedHawks wrapped up their weekend sweep of the Ferris State Bulldogs on Saturday night in Oxford with a 3-1 win, scoring twice late in the third to put it away. Kocha Delic knocked in the game-winner with three minutes left, and Max Helgeson iced it with an empty-net goal; both were their first goals as RedHawks.
It was the opposite of Friday’s wild 6-4 win, when Miami poured in four goals in the third period. Saturday’s matchup turned into more of a grind, with defense, special teams, and solid goaltending making the difference for the RedHawks.
Related: Miami Opens Season With Comeback Win Over Ferris State
Miami goaltender Matteo Drobac stayed calm all night, stopping 19 of 20 shots. At the other end, Hobie Hedquist kept Ferris State in it with 24 saves on 26 shots. Miami held the edge in shots overall, 27-20.
First Period
Just 16 seconds into the game, Stupka slipped behind the defense and ripped one over Hedquist’s shoulder to give Miami the early 1-0 lead.
The RedHawks pressed for more chances on the forecheck, but the opening period ended with the score unchanged.
Ferris State finished with seven shots in the first, while Miami had six. Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play.
Second Period
The second was filled with whistles and sloppy play from both sides, as five total penalties were called. Neither team found much of an offensive rhythm, and the penalty-kill units controlled the play.
Miami held its 1-0 lead heading into the final period.
Third Period
Ferris State finally broke through on the power play with 9:55 left in regulation. Chris Lie’s shot from the point found its way through traffic, with Josh Zary screening in front of Drobac. The goal was later credited to Zary post-game, as the puck deflected off his skate.
Miami punched back with just over three minutes left. Michael Quinn fired from the blue line, and Delic cleaned up the rebound at the net-front to put the RedHawks ahead 2-1.
With under three minutes remaining, Helgeson forced a turnover in the offensive zone on the forecheck, grabbed the puck, and fired it into the empty net to secure the 3-1 win.
Game Notes
- Miami’s penalty kill went 4-for-5, giving up only the third-period goal
- The RedHawks blocked 22 shots, led by Vladislav Lukashevich with six
- Both teams piled up penalties, finishing with six each for 12 total
- Ferris State won 58.3% of the faceoffs, while Miami won 41.7%, a much better margin than Friday’s game
- Miami’s offensive play was far from clean, but they defended hard and found timely plays to grind out the win
- Ferris State looks like a team that could make some noise in the CCHA this season, with the potential to finish in the middle or even upper part of the standings. Miami beating them twice to open the season showed they handled a pretty good CCHA opponent on back-to-back nights, a good sign for this program
The RedHawks (2-0-0) now turn to the road, heading to Troy, New York, for a two-game set against RPI next weekend. They play Friday, Oct. 10, at 7:00 PM ET and Saturday, Oct. 11, at 6:00 PM ET.
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