Monthly Archives: October 2018
Photos: Colgate at Miami
Images from the series played between Miami and Colgate at Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio, on Oct. 26-27, 2018. All photos by Cathy Lachmann/BoB.
Miami shuts out, sweeps Colgate
OXFORD, Ohio – Ryan Larkin had one shutout in his freshman season and one more as a sophomore.
Ryan Larkin (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).
Six starts into 2018-19, the Miami junior has already blanked more opponents than in his first two years combined.
On Saturday, he recorded his third clean sheet of 2018-19, a 30-save effort in a 6-0 win over Colgate at Cady Arena that wrapped up a weekend sweep for the RedHawks.
It was the fourth straight win for Miami in the all-time series, as the RedHawks have outscored the Raiders, 18-2 during their winning streak vs. CU and 40-17 overall.
MU wrapped up its four-game homestand with three consecutive victories and is 5-1 on its home ice this season.
RECAP: Just 2:48 into the first period, Josh Melnick backhanded a pass to Gordie Green at the blue line, and Grant Hutton received a drop pass from Green, skated into the high slot and wired one home on the stick side on a 4-on-4.
It remained 1-0 until the 7:49 mark of the middle frame, when Green fed a pass to Melnick from the point to the side of the cage, where Melnick rammed in a bad-angle one-timer on the power play.
With 3:14 left in that period, a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle by Alec Mahalak handcuffed goalie Andrew Farrier, and Scott Corbett was there to knock in the rebound on the opposite side for his first career goal, making it 3-0.
Melnick and Green connected again, as Melnick threaded a pass through two defenders from the inside edge of the faceoff circle to a wide-open Green, who fired it into the vacant half of the net with five seconds left in a second period that saw MU score three times.
Midway through the final stanza, Casey Gilling fed a one-time pass to River Rymsha, who was crossing the blue line, and Rymsha found the top corner of the net as he stepped into a slap shot.
Hutton wrapped up the scoring as he eluded three defenders while carrying the puck from the blue line to the slot before backhanding one in to the stick side with 5:03 left in regulation.
STATS: Larkin leads all of Division I in shutouts with three. His save percentage of .966 is second in the NCAA and he is third in goals-against average (0.83).
His five career clean slates moves Larkin into a tie with Dan Kodatsky for seventh all-time on the Miami leaderboard.
Green finished with a goal and three assists for four points, the second-highest total of his career only to his five-point effort vs. Maine on Oct. 20, 2017.
It was his second three-assist game as a RedHawk.
Hutton ended the night with two goals and a helper, becoming the first skater to score twice or more in a game this season. It was his fifth career multi-goal game and the fourth time he has picked up three points.
Melnick also notched three points – the third time he has done so in a Miami sweater – on a goal and two assists.
Green has seven points in his last three games including six this weekend and Melnick picked up five points this series.
It was the third career multi-point game for Mahalak, who tallied two assists and wrapped up the series with three points.
Miami scored in all six periods this weekend and has goals in seven consecutive frames overall.
THOUGHTS: Miami played with maximum effort from the opening faceoff to the final horn, as the RedHawks were still bombarding the offensive zone in the closing minutes trying to add another score.
Too many times for too many years Miami has had trouble closing out wins, but at least for the first month of this season, the RedHawks have wielded a killer instinct late in games.
Colgate didn’t play poorly on Friday but fell behind early in this one and sort of threw in the proverbial towel the final 20-25 minutes on Saturday, and rather than sit back and play not to lose, Miami absolutely took it to the Raiders in the sixth period of the weekend, punishing them physically and on the scoreboard.
At this point, the RedHawks are better than Colgate. They aren’t 6-0 better though, but both teams got the outcomes they deserved: Miami didn’t let up the entire game and the Raiders did.
And good teams take advantage when that happens. That’s the difference between the first eight games of 2018-19 and their 110 contests the previous three seasons.
And that’s what makes this such a big win heading into NCHC play.
— Corbett returned to the Green-Melnick line and all three ended up finding the net. They combined for eight points (Green 1-3-4, Melnick 1-2-3, Corbett 1-0-1).
We heaped praise on this line for its play on Friday but it was even better in this game at both ends.
— This is as locked in as Larkin has been since coming to Oxford. In his last four starts he is 4-0 with a .981 save percentage, stopping 104 of 106 shots.
He’s second in the NCAA in save percentage at .966 only to a Lake Superior goalie whose last name is Mitens (how do you compete with that)?
And that’s been a big difference in Miami’s start: It’s virtually impossible to have a successful season when your team save percentage is .883 and your starter finishes at .886, which was the case in 2017-18.
Quality goaltending can help a decent team become a great one, and while there’s no way Larkin maintains his current save rate, he has the ability to steal wins for the RedHawks.
GRADES
FORWARDS: A. The passing by this corps was so much crisper than in any other game this season. Yeah, Green and Melnick were studs, but their supporting cast was strong as well. Karch Bachman continues to generate chances with his speed. Gilling keeps winning key draws and impressing with his defense, plus he set up Rymsha’s goal. Sophs Ben Lown and Phil Knies continue to play above their size. Zach LaValle is earning playing time by stepping up. Corbett scored his first career goal and plays a high-energy, physical style. Etc., etc.
DEFENSEMEN: A. Hutton, Mahalak and Rymsha were the standouts among this group. This was Hutton’s best game at both ends, and probably the same could be said for Mahalak, who picked up two assists and earned some power play time. Rymsha’s goal was an absolute blast with pinpoint accuracy.
GOALTENDING: A+. About as perfect of a game as a goalie could play. He turned 30 shots aside and faced some Grade-A chances. He seemed more comfortable going side to side this weekend and gave up almost zero second chances.
LINEUP CHANGES: Corbett replaced Johnson, both on the first line and in the lineup, as Johnson was a scratch.
Defenseman Andrew Sinard dressed for the second time this season as Christian Mohs sat out.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Percentagewise, this equals Miami’s best start through eight games since 2010-11.
The locker room is much more unified than in recent seasons.
Goaltending has been phenomenal. Defense has been solid. The RedHawks are starting to score goals.
Even those in the stands are having a lot more fun, and hopefully more will show up as we enter the cold-weather months and super-skilled league opponents come to town.
Miami has a lot going for it, but the RedHawks also haven’t played a true road game yet, suiting up for six at home and two on neutral ice. They also haven’t started league play.
MU will tackle both of those obstacles next week in its NCHC-opening series at Omaha.
Maybe Miami, picked to finish last in the conference, ends up being the biggest surprise in the NCAA. Maybe the RedHawks do struggle in league play as was predicted.
But if they keep up the kind of effort they put forth this weekend, the dividends will eventually come for this program.
At least by playing the game the right way the foundation is now being laid for future success.
Larkin stays hot as Miami tops Colgate
OXFORD, Ohio – Ryan Larkin extended his personal winning streak to three games for the third time in his career, and he stopped 12 shots in the third period – including several high-percentage chances – to preserve the win.
He finished with 28 saves as Miami beat Colgate, 4-1 at Cady Arena on Friday. In his last three outings, Larkin has turned aside 74 of 76 shots or 97.4 percent.
The RedHawks (5-2) improved to three games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2015 season.
Miami scored twice before the Raiders generated their first marker, and the RedHawks closed the win out with two more unanswered goals.
MU has won three straight meetings vs. Colgate (2-2) – all at Cady Arena – outscoring the Raiders, 12-2 in that span.
RECAP: Fourteen minutes into the first period, Derek Daschke centered a pass to Gordie Green, who juked before whipping a shot home on the forehand from the slot to open the scoring for the RedHawks.
Miami extended its lead to two when Phil Knies snuck home a short-side wrist shot from the left wing 96 seconds into the middle stanza.
Colgate’s Josh McKechney netted his first goal of the season with 7:35 left in the second period with one second left on a Raiders power play, cutting their deficit to one.
But Miami reestablished a two-goal lead six minutes later when Alec Mahalak sprung Josh Melnick loose up the middle, and Melnick eluded two defenders, penetrated the zone and ripped one over Mitch Benson’s blocker from the high slot.
Zach LaValle capped off the scoring for the RedHawks, as he corralled a puck on the left faceoff dot, maneuvered it to the sweet spot and wired one top shelf just inside the near crossbar with 6:19 left in regulation.
STATS: Green and Melnick finished with a goal and an assist each. It was the second tally of the season for both.
Knies’ goal was also No. 2 of this campaign, and it was the first for LaValle, his first since March 10, 2017.
Daschke picked up a career-high two helpers. He and River Rymsha ended the night a team-best plus-2.
THOUGHTS: Miami actually started the night a little soft on defense, allowing multiple quality chances early, but overall the team played well all night.
The final score is a tribute to the RedHawks’ effort and execution, as Colgate was better than 4-1 indicates.
Fortunately for Miami, Larkin was on form from the opening whistle, as he had to turn aside five shots in the first few minutes.
Even when Colgate pulled to within one, it never felt like the game was in doubt, and Melnick’s pure-effort goal made it 3-1 and really seemed to deflate the Raiders.
— This was Green’s best game of the early season, and he and Melnick showed off their chemistry in this one.
And they did so with Carter Johnson as their third, as he moved onto that line with Scott Corbett scratched.
Miami’s early-season success had come without huge offensive contributions from the Melnick-Green tandem, but they were a force in this win.
— Derek Daschke has seemed to get better every game. His first assist was on a high-precision feed to Green in the slot, and he also picked up a secondary helper on Knies’ marker.
— Monte Graham’s faceoff percentage is north of .700 – which is insanely high – and he won a draw in the third period that went right to LaValle, who loaded up for Miami’s fourth goal.
Graham was 4-0 in the circle.
GRADES
FORWARDS: B+. Melnick and Green (Grelnick?) were stars 1 and 1a among this corps. Knies and LaValle both found the net on well-located shots. Brian Hawkinson played his grinder role and provided energy. Ryan Siroky was his physical self and played solid defensively. Christian Mohs – limited to nine games last season after knee surgery the previous year – looked a step better than in previous games, especially early.
DEFENSEMEN: B-. A little sloppy early but solid enough overall. Daschke was the standout in this group, both with his passing and his shut-down play as his stock continues to rise. Rourke Russell also seems to be in a constant state of improvement as he seems to be gaining confidence every night. River Rymsha has been a pleasant surprise as he impresses with his two-way play and hockey IQ.
GOALTENDING: A. Couldn’t see the Colgate goal live and there is no clear replay, so no idea if Larkin had a chance on it, but either way he made some excellent stops early and turned 28 shots aside overall. A strength of his as a freshman was his rebound control, and once again in 2018-19 opponents are rarely getting second chances vs. Miami with him on net. The Raiders created quality chances throughout but Larkin was having no part of it.
LINEUP CHANGES: Corbett was a head-scratching scratch up front, as Johnson was not only back on the lineup card but moved to the top line with Green and Melnick. The move didn’t seem to affect the duo, as each went 1-1-2.
Mohs was also back in the lineup, dressing for the fourth time this season.
Grant Frederic did not play after skating in the finale vs. UMass-Lowell.
FINAL THOUGHTS: True, Miami hasn’t played an NCHC contest yet, and this hasn’t been as a brutal of a non-conference schedule as in 2017-18 but considering the RedHawks’ off-season, 5-2 is a solid start.
Miami should’ve beaten Colgate and it did. Same with Alabama-Huntsville, same with Mercyhurst.
Sounds axiomatic, but at times in recent seasons the RedHawks have underachieved against lesser-skilled opponents.
And this is another example of Miami not only getting into the win column but leaving little doubt late.
In this game plus the three others vs. UAH and Mercyhurst, the RedHawks have scored five times in the third period. MU’s lead after 40 minutes has been at least two in all four of those contests.
That means Miami is establishing the lead in the opening two periods and pulling away late.
Will the RedHawks be able to keep that MO against its league foes, all of which will be better than Colgate?
We’ll see, but winning these October non-conference games in decisive fashion has to give the RedHawks confidence heading into NCHC play.
Preview: Colgate at Miami
WHO: Colgate Raiders (2-1) at Miami RedHawks (4-2).
WHEN: Friday – 7:35 p.m.; Saturday – 5 p.m.
WHERE: Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Miami leads, 4-2.
COLGATE RADIO: Both nights – WKXZ-FM (93.9), Hamilton, N.Y.
NOTES: After this weekend, Miami will have faced off against two of the most tenured coaches in Division I.
Don Vaughn is in his 26th season at Colgate’s helm, and last season he became the 24th coach in NCAA hockey history to win 400 games.
Rick Gotkin is in season 31 behind the bench for Mercyhurst.
Colgate’s apex in recent history was the middle part of this decade, when the Raiders ran off 20-plus wins in 2013-14 and 2014-15, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2014.
But each of past three seasons, Colgate has failed to finish above .500 or advance past the quarterfinal round of the ECAC Tournament.
The Raiders won their first two games of 2018-19 – home victories over New Hampshire – by identical 2-1 scores.
Colgate struggled in its lone road contest vs. RIT last weekend, falling 6-1.
Forwards Bobby McMann, Tyler Jeanson and Adam Dauda all have a goal and an assist to tie for the team lead at two points. McMann and Dauda were 1-2 in scoring for the Raiders last season with 30 and 19 points, respectively.
Jared Cockrell and Tyler Penner have both found the net for Colgate among the forward corps.
The Raiders are hoping for more output from this group, as the team has scored just five times or 1.67 goals per contest, and the defensemen have contributed just three points, all on assists.
Defenseman Jacob Panetta has a pair of assists and Trevor Cosgrove has picked up one helper. Cosgrove finished with five goals and 12 assists in 2017-18.
Nick Austin led Colgate in defenseman points with 18 last season but he has not played in any of the first three games.
Goalie Mitch Benson has started all three games for the Raiders, but he was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots last week vs. RIT.
Despite being pulled after two periods in that outing, he is 2-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
All three Colgate netminders are freshmen.
Andrew Farrier stopped turned aside six shots and allowed one goal in relief of Benson last weekend in his collegiate debut. Will Friend is the third goalie for the Raiders.
The RedHawks have struggled offensively as well, as they have scored just five times in their last four games.
Miami is ranked No. 46 on the power play at 9.7 percent but sixth on the penalty kill (90.5 percent).
These teams last met at Cady Arena in 2012, a series in which the RedHawks outscored Colgate, 8-1 in a weekend sweep.
Photos: UMass-Lowell at Miami
Images from the series between UMass-Lowell and Miami University played at Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio, on Oct. 19-20, 2018. All photos by Cathy Lachmann/BoB.
Miami rallies late to beat Lowell
OXFORD, Ohio – Miami saw its scoreless streak reach 120 minutes after two periods on Saturday.
But the RedHawks finally broke through early in the third period, completely swinging the momentum their way as they eventually won, 2-1 over UMass-Lowell at Cady Arena.
Ben Lown scored the tying goal 1:05 into the final stanza of the weekend after Miami (4-2) had been shut out the first five periods.
Derek Daschke found the net for the game winner less than eight minutes later and the RedHawks survived a late Riverhawks surge.
RECAP: Both teams managed just five shots in a scoreless first period.
Miami’s Ben Lown (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).
UMass-Lowell (2-2) finally broke through with 5:49 left in the middle frame when a Miami pass hit a teammate’s skate and was intercepted by Connor Wilson, who skated in and fired one past RedHawks goalie Ryan Larkin from the high slot.
Miami tied it when Ben Lown roofed a backhander after Karch Bachman surged into the zone and handcuffed goalie with a point-blank wrister 65 seconds into the third period.
On a 4-on-3, Daschke’s initial shot was blocked, but he corralled his own rebound and swept it just inside the far post with 11:02 remaining.
Ryan Larkin shut down a wide-open, point-blank chance by diving across his crease, and another high-quality chance hit the post down the stretch as Miami preserved the win.
STATS: Daschke is the first RedHawks defenseman to record his second goal this season, and Lown snapped an 11-goal skid without a marker.
Bachman remains tops on the team in points with five as he earned one in this game with an assist.
Larkin has allowed just four goals in four starts this season as he lowered his goals-against average to 1.00 and raised his save percentage to .956.
Miami snapped an 0-for-20 power play slump with Daschke’s game winner in the third period. The RedHawks scored on their last chance in their season opener vs. UAH and had not tallied a PPG since.
Also on special teams, this was the fourth time Miami did not allow a power play goal as its penalty killing rate improved to 90.5 percent. The RedHawks were 4-for-4 on Saturday.
THOUGHTS: It’s amazing that coaches and players can put in thousands of hours of recruiting, game planning, practices and workouts in preparation for games and yet Miami was pretty much flat all weekend until that tying goal.
Then, somehow, it clicked for the RedHawks and they were a completely different team.
They played with tons of energy and controlled play, ultimately leading to UML goalie Tyler Wall tripped Josh Melnick on a 4-on-4, setting up a Miami power play and Daschke’s decisive goal.
Then the RedHawks were really tested: A quality Hockey East team trailing by one threw all it had at Miami in an attempt to tie it.
Running out the clock was facilitated by a pair of undisciplined Riverhawks penalties in the final minutes.
MU didn’t play perfect hockey during UML’s surge but was good enough to survive its first close game of the season. And that experience is invaluable as the RedHawks – with 11 new members – form a cohesive unit.
No disrespect intended to Alabama-Huntsville or Mercyhurst, but Miami went 3-0 against those teams and should’ve gone 3-0 against those teams.
On multiple levels, this was the first quality win of the season for the RedHawks. Hopefully many more will follow.
– Miami kept its head during some rather chippy moments. If UML’s goal was to bait the RedHawks into penalties, it backfired because the Riverhawks spent most of the final five minutes in the box as they tried to tie the score.
– Bachman gave an example of what speed can bring to the game when he surged through the UML defense and fired a shot that resulted in Lown’s rebound goal. Brayden Crowder deserves credit for his outlet pass on that play as well.
– On that note, the Bachman-Lown-Casey Gilling line played well together. Like the chemistry of those three with their collective skills.
GRADES:
FORWARDS – C. Didn’t do a whole lot the first two periods and obviously this corps was much better in the third. Lown scored at a tough angle and Bachman made it happen with his speed. Melnick stood out and was 16-6 on faceoffs.
DEFENSEMEN – B. Again, this corps kept the Grade-A chances by opponents below that of the past couple of seasons. Daschke scored the winning goal and Grant Hutton picked up an assist on it.
GOALTENDING – B+. Larkin probably conceded a little more ground on the stick side than he should have on the UML goal, but it was an absolute snipe so it might not have mattered. He juggled a very easy chance in the first period but for the most part was extremely solid all night.
LINEUP CHANGES: After Jordan Uhelski started in net on Friday, it was Larkin between the pipes in this one. Larkin has now played in four games, Uhelski two.
Defenseman Grant Frederic dressed for the first time and was slotted in that “flex” spot, so every skater on the Miami roster has now played in at least one game. Forward Zach LaValle was also back on the ice.
Out were Fs Christian Mohs and Carter Johnson.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Can’t emphasize how big this split is.
As it stood through two periods, Miami was looking at a 3-3 record having played zero true road games with an 0-3 record against teams in the top 70 percentile of the NCAA if that score held.
This win showed Miami can not only play with good teams but can beat them.
A similar mid-range team in Colgate heads to Oxford next weekend, giving the RedHawks another chance to step forward.
Miami blanked by UML
OXFORD, Ohio – Through four games, Miami had been on either the giving or receiving end of a shutout three times.
On Friday, the RedHawks made that 4-for-5, and unfortunately for them they came out on the losing end, 3-0 vs. UMass-Lowell at Cady Arena.
Miami has held two opponents off the scoresheet and has been blanked twice this season. All of its 2018-19 contests have been decided by at least three goals.
RECAP: UMass-Lowell could not score on a 28-second 5-on-3, but after Miami returned one to the ice, Sam Knoblauch slipped a shot through the five hole of RedHawks goalie Jordan Uhelski with 2:20 left in the first period.
The Riverhawks extended their lead to two when Connor Wilson backhanded a shot just inside the far post on a 3-on-1 with 5:05 remaining in the middle stanza.
UMass-Lowell capped off the scoring when Connor Sodergren stole the puck from Uhelski behind the Miami net and fed Kenny Hausinger for a shorthanded tap-in.
STATS: Despite the lopsided loss, the RedHawks outshot UML, 36-22.
Special teams were a killer for Miami, which was 0-for-5 on the power play and allowed a shorthanded goal. UMass-Lowell also scored once on three chances with the man-advantage.
THOUGHTS: No offense to Alabama-Huntsville and Mercyhurst, but the RedHawks are better than those teams and won all three games against them, as they should have.
Providence is a top-5 team and Miami fell short.
This was an opponent that would be a true litmus test for Miami, a mid-level Hockey East school, and this series is in Oxford.
At least in the opener, Miami fell well short of expectations. The RedHawks’ passing was sub-standard and communication seemed poor at times as passes were thrown to no one in particular or sometimes right at Riverhawks skaters.
And despite outshooting UML by a wide margin, many of those shots were from the outside with no traffic in front, making for easy saves. To be fair to Wall, he made several outstanding saves and was deserving of first-star status.
It was kind of mind-boggling that with the power play struggling, the RedHawks went with a stay-at-home defenseman in Bray Crowder at the point in their first chance, although Miami is obviously still experimenting with combinations and seeing what works and what doesn’t. And right now the man-advantage clearly doesn’t.
GRADES:
Miami’s Ben Lown (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).
FORWARDS – D-. Pass completion percentage among this corps was poor and the top players didn’t impress, although Josh Melnick did steal a puck and draw a penalty and Ben Lown skated with a lot of energy. Another positive is Monte Graham’s faceoff ability. He was 9-1 and is extremely innovative in earning draw wins.
DEFENSEMEN – B-. Grant Hutton was so-so and Rourke Russell lost the puck after pinching, which resulted in a 3-on-1 and the second UML goal. Other than that no one really stood out positively or negatively.
GOALTENDING – D. The first goal was on a nice power play shot through the five hole. The second was on a backhander to the far post. Uhelski probably should’ve come up with one of those two. He lost the puck behind his own net for an easy tap-in, which squarely falls on him. Uhelski made a couple of solid saves, flashing a quick pad to deny a shot in the first period and covering the post to prevent a goal.
LINEUP CHANGES: The biggest one was Uhelski is net for Larkin after Larkin had shut out Mercyhurst last Saturday, playing his best game in some time. Larkin did warm up and did not appear to be suffering from any injury. One of Uhelski’s roles is to push Larkin, so perhaps that’s why he got the start.
Carter Johnson returned after taking a devastating head shot in the season opener and was the extra skater.
On defense, River Rymsha was back on the ice after sitting vs. Mercyhurst. Andrew Sinard and Chaz Switzer were both a scratches.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s still a process of course, but at some point it will become a concern if Miami can’t score against mid- and high-level opponents. Against Providence and UML the RedHawks have zero goals in 120 minutes.
As for the power play, even though Miami has generated good chances during its drought — especially against Mercyhurst — lack of success may be getting into players’ heads.
Salvaging a split with a win on Saturday could be a real boost for this team, which seeks its first quality win of 2018-19.
Preview: UMass-Lowell at Miami
WHO: UMass-Lowell Riverhawks (1-1) at Miami RedHawks (3-1).
WHEN: Friday – 7:35 p.m.; Saturday – 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio.
ALL-TIME SERIES: UMass-Lowell leads, 1-0-1.
UMASS-LOWELL RADIO: Both nights – WCAP-AM (980), Lowell, Mass.
NOTES: Funny that this will be the first-ever meeting between these teams on one of their campuses.
They’ve met twice: Once in the Frontier Classic in Anchorage in the fall of 2003, a game that ended tied, 4-4, and again in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
The latter was a skate-to-the-throat 4-3 overtime loss that saw the RedHawks rally from three down to tie it only to surrender a goal in the extra session.
So in two all-time meetings, both games have gone past 60 minutes.
Miami might welcome a close contest, as each of its four games this season have been decided by three or four goals.
The RedHawks are coming off a third-place finish in the four-team Ice Breaker in Erie, Pa., that saw them drop a 4-0 decision to No. 5 Providence but handle host Mercyhurst, 3-0 in the consolation game.
The week before Miami swept an unimpressive Alabama-Huntsville team, outscoring the Chargers, 9-1.
The Riverhawks split their season-opening series vs. RIT, with both of those games decided by a goal. They won the opener, 2-1 but lost 4-3 in the finale.
Senior forwards Ryan Dmowski and Connor Wilson both went 1-2-3 the opening weekend and lead the team in points. Dmowski went 11-11-22 in 2017-18, leading the team in goals.
Kenny Hausinger scored twice vs. RIT. He scored 10 goals and set up 10 more last season.
Tampa Bay selection Ryan Lohin is the returning team leader in assists (16) and points (25), and freshmen Sam Knoblauch and Reid Stefanson have both scored in the team’s first two games.
Mass.-Lowell had three defensemen total at least 17 points last season but all were seniors. Croix Evingson and freshman Seth Barton have dished for two assists each, and Mattias Goransson has one helper.
Evingson was drafted by Winnipeg and Barton was taken by Detroit.
In net, Christoffer Hernberg was a stud last year with a 2.07 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. Ty Wall struggled in 12 games as his backup.
But last weekend Wall – a New York Rangers draftee – was 25-for-26 in a win while Hernberg suffered the loss, allowing five goals on 30 shots.
ProHawks: 2 reach NHL milestones
Oct. 11 was a memorable night for Miami hockey alumni.
Reilly Smith (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).
On that date, a pair of former RedHawks reached NHL career milestones, as Las Vegas forward Reilly Smith scored career goal No. 100 and Los Angeles defenseman Alec Martinez dressed for his 500th game.
Smith found the net in the third period of a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh. It was his second goal in as many games and he is currently third on the Golden Knights in points with four.
Martinez entered the season with 496 games played, and in his fourth contest of 2018-19, he picked up an assist and went plus-3 in the Kings’ 3-0 win over Montréal.
BoB takes a look at past Miamians’ noteworthy achievements in the pro ranks early this season:
Miami’s Chris Wideman (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).
NHL: A torn hamstring ended Ottawa defenseman Chris Wideman’s 2017-18 season after just 16 games, but he scored twice including the game winner in a 5-1 win over Los Angeles on Oct. 13.
Miami forward Kiefer Sherwood (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
Wideman gave the Senators a 2-0 lead midway through the first period of that win, and he also sealed it by netting Ottawa’s final goal of the game with eight minutes remaining.
Kiefer Sherwood made the Anaheim Ducks out of training camp and has recorded a goal and two assists in his first six games. Sherwood left Miami this spring following his junior year and entered this season with just 11 games of AHL experience with San Diego late last season.
His first NHL goal came late in Dallas on Oct. 13. His tally made it 2-0 late in the first period but Anaheim would eventually lose, 5-3.
Forwards and former classmates Austin Czarnik and Blake Coleman are off to hot starts.
Austin Czarnik (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).
Czarnik has three points in five games for Calgary after spending the majority of 2017-18 in the AHL and playing just 10 games for Boston.
Coleman has racked up a pair of markers in four games with New Jersey. He finished with 13 goals and 12 assists last season.
AHL: Despite a monster playoff season that saw him record 20 postseason points on Texas’ Calder Cup finalist team, Curtis McKenzie did not make the Vegas Golden Knights’ roster to open this season.
But he is tearing up the AHL.
Playing for Chicago, McKenzie is tied for 10th-best in the league in points (7) and fifth in helpers (6) while playing just four games.
When McKenzie is called up, he will join former Reilly Smith, his Miami roommate and fellow Dallas Stars draftee.
Toronto defenseman Vincent LoVerde tallied his 100th AHL assist on Oct. 6. He picked up the helper on the Marlies’ fifth goal in the third period of a 7-5 loss at Binghamton as Toronto’s comeback attempt fell short.
LoVerde has played in 369 AHL games – not counting 65 playoff contests – scoring 42 goals and picking up 142 points.
Carter Camper is Miami’s reigning AHL ironman, as he has played 447 games in that league with eight different teams.
He already has a goal and an assist with Grand Rapids this season.
ECHL: Justin Vaive scored in his first game of the season with Cincinnati. Alex Wideman also made the Cyclones but did not dress for the opener.
Taylor Richart (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
Taylor Richart opened his third season with Utah by picking up an assist after going 17-24-41 with the Grizzlies in 2017-18.
Jimmy Mullin also returns to Kalamazoo for his second pro campaign. He scored 21 goals and set up 24 more in his rookie season with the K-Wings.
Europe: Matthew Caito is enjoying Europe so far, as he has notched seven goals and five assists in nine games with Graz of the Austrian League.
Several other former Miamians have jumped the pond to play in Europe, including Pat Cannone, Chris Joyaux, Kevin Morris, Colin Sullivan and Jeff Zatkoff.
Cannone is 1-6-7 with Inglestadt of the German League DEL. Zatkoff is also in the DEL, tending net with Straubing where he’s 7-2.
Joyaux and Morris are teammates with EIHL (English League) Coventry while Tyler Biggs is playing for league rival Nottingham.
Sullivan joined Chamonix-Morzine of the French League.
Will Weber (Fischtown – DEL) and Tommy Wingels (Geneva – Swiss A) also jumped the Atlantic this off-season and are rookies with their new European teams.
Andy Miele joined the Russian KHL this season, and he is already 5-5-10 in 16 contests.
Here are the current statistics for former RedHawks playing round around the world, and you can check them on our site at any time at this link: https://blogofbrotherhood.com/redhawks-in-the-pros/stats-for-miamians-in-the-pros/.
NHL
Skaters
| Player | Team | Pos. | GP | G | A | Pts. | +/– | PIM |
| Reilly Smith | Vegas Golden Knights | F | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Austin Czarnik | Calgary Flames | F | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Kiefer Sherwood | Anaheim Ducks | F | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Chris Wideman | Ottawa Senators | D | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 4 |
| Blake Coleman | New Jersey Devils | F | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Sean Kuraly | Boston Bruins | F | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Alec Martinez | Los Angeles Kings | D | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Jack Roslovic | Winnipeg Jets | F | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Andy Greene | New Jersey Devils | D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
AHL
Skaters
| Player | Team | Pos. | GP | G | A | Pts. | +/– | PIM |
| Curtis McKenzie | Texas | F | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Carter Camper | Grand Rapids | F | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Louie Belpedio | Iowa | F | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Riley Barber | Hershey | F | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Cameron Schilling | Manitoba | D | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 6 |
| Anthony Louis | Rockford | F | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Vincent LoVerde | Toronto | D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 2 |
| Trevor Hamilton | Grand Rapids | F | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 4 |
| Trent Vogelhuber | Cleveland | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ECHL
Skaters
Skaters
| Player | Team | Pos. | GP | G | A | Pts. | +/– | PIM |
| Justin Vaive | Cincinnati | F | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Taylor Richart | Utah | D | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| Jimmy Mullin | Kalamazoo | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
| Max Cook | Norfolk | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Schmit | Atlanta | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Wideman | Cincinnati | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Europe
Skaters
| Player | Team | Pos. | GP | G | A | Pts. | +/– | PIM |
| Matthew Caito | Graz (EBEL) | D | 9 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 4 |
| Andy Miele | Nizhny Novgorod (KHL) | F | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | -4 | 36 |
| Pat Cannone | Inglestadt (DEL) | F | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Marc Hagel | Esbjerg (Denmark) | F | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -4 | 4 |
| Tyler Biggs | Nottingham (EIHL) | F | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -5 | 28 |
| Kevin Morris | Coventry (EIHL) | F | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 20 |
| Will Weber | Fischtown (DEL) | D | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 36 | Chris Joyaux | Coventry (EIHL) | D | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Colin Sullivan | Chamonix-Morzine (France) | D | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Cody Murphy | Bjorkloven (Allsvenskan) | F | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 8 |
| Ryan Jones | Cologne (DEL) | F | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Matt Tomassoni | Bolzano (EBEL) | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Wingels | Geneva (Swiss-A) | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goalies
| Player | Team | GP | Min. | W | L | GAA | Sv% | SHO |
| Jeff Zatkoff | Straubing (DEL) | 9 | 540 | 7 | 2 | 2.00 | .900 | 1 |
Photos: Miami at Ice Breaker Tournament
Images from Miami’s games in the Ice Breaker Tournament played at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pa., on Oct. 12-13, 2018. All photos by Cathy Lachmann/BoB.
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