Miami’s ninth game of the season was its first true road contest, but the No. 20 RedHawks kept up their MO of winning by wide margins.

Miami’s Gordie Green (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).

Gordie Green found the net twice as MU scored the final three goals in a 4-1 win vs. Nebraska-Omaha at Baxter Arena on Friday, extending its winning streak to four games.

This was also the NCHC opener for the RedHawks (7-2), who played six of their first eight games this season in Oxford and the other two in Erie, Pa., in the Ice Breaker Tournament.

During their recent hot spell, the RedHawks have surrendered just three goals and none in the third period.

Forward Jonathan Gruden (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).

Miami goalie Ryan Larkin won his fifth straight game, stopping 19 of 20.

RECAP: Jonathan Gruden scored his first career goal when he skated behind the UNO net and shot it off the back of goalie Evan Weninger on the power play just 79 seconds into the game.

The Mavericks (0-6-1) tied it with a Taylor Ward goal on a tic-tac-toe passing play as he swept in a pass from the top of the crease with 2:53 remaining in the first period. That tally was also scored on the man advantage

Miami regained the lead 66 seconds later on a blue line blast by Grant Hutton that was deflected in by Brian Hawkinson for his first career goal.

With 5:27 left in the middle stanza, Gordie Green jarred the puck from an UNO defender in the Miami zone, and Scott Corbett seized it and fired a shot off the crossbar. The puck skipped through the top of the crease and Green batted it out of the air as it dribbled into the back of the cage.

Green picked up his second marker of the night with an emphatic rip into the empty net from the outside edge of the faceoff circle with 22 seconds to play after controlling a Josh Melnick two-line outlet pass.

STATS: The Green-Melnick combo on Miami’s top line continues to dominate, as Green extended his multi-point game streak to four and Melnick picked up multiple points for the third consecutive contest.

Miami’s Brian Hawkinson (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).

Green has scored in three straight games and is 4-5-9 during his points streak. Melnick has scored twice and earned five assists in his last three.

— Hawkinson also has points in three straight, including his first career goal in this one.

— Larkin has allowed just three goals during his five-game win streak and has stopped 123 of 126 shots in that span (.976).

— This was the fourth straight game in which Miami did not allow a third-period goal, and the RedHawks have given up just three in nine contests this season.

In 2017-18 they surrendered 46 tallies in 37 games after the second intermission, including a pair in overtime.

THOUGHTS: Miami, once again, played a full 60 minutes against a team they were supposed to beat, and the RedHawks won for the seventh time, with six of those wins coming by three or more goals.

In other words, they’re beating teams they should beat and doing so in decisive fashion.

This was both the first true road game and the inaugural league contest for Miami, which passed both tests with high grades.

And UNO may be winless but it is not a bad team, or at least the Mavericks didn’t play that poorly. Their shot total of 20 is somewhat deceiving because they generated a lot of chances.

A road win in this league, regardless of the opponent’s status, is a major accomplishment, and in this game Miami pulled out the victory on hostile ice and looked good doing so.

— Great job answering the tying UNO goal late in the first period goal by regaining the lead before intermission. That was the Hawkinson deflection on the Hutton blast and eventual game winner.

Miami’s Derek Daschke (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).

— Can’t say enough about how well Green is playing. He has nine points in four games and his defense is as good as his offense. He made his first goal happen with his forechecking, as he knocked the puck loose and scored on the rebound from Corbett’s ensuing shot.

— I’d been to all of the first eight games and this was the first one I’d seen on TV, but Derek Daschke looked even better on the tube than live. Twice a last-second desperation play prevented a slam-dunk goal, and he picked up two assists, giving him five points in his last four.

Daschke was probably even more amped to play against the school he was formerly committed to. Mentioned this last weekend but he continues to better every game.

— Prior to this game, only four Miami forwards had played every game but had not scored, and Hawkinson and Gruden both took their names off that list.

Gruden had been snakebitten, as the Ottawa Senators’ fourth rounder was expected to contribute right away.

Yet Hawkinson played three full USHL seasons – 164 games – and only scored 10 times with just 16 assists. Despite his lack of scoring in juniors Hawkinson has a 1-5-6 line in nine games with Miami.

Gruden has tons of raw talent and it should be fun to watch him develop, and Hawkinson has taken complete advantage of his opportunity in Miami’s lineup and has already become a regular on the penalty kill.

— Karch Bachman hit a post early and then a crossbar-and-post later in the game. He had three goals in the first four games this season and continues to get better in other aspects.

He is scoreless in five straight but has been pretty unlucky recently and it feels like he’s going to break out again soon.

— This game was broadcast nationally on one of the regional Fox Sports Channels, and UNO announcers Dave Ahlers and David Brisson did a fabulous job.

Both are very fair in their announcing – regularly complimenting Miami players for their play – and extremely knowledgeable.

Ahlers is a former AHL announcer and Brisson played briefly in the pros after graduating from UNO.

GRADES

FORWARDS: A-. A well-played game by this entire corps, up and down the lines. Green was the standout with Melnick not far behind. Gruden still makes too many high-risk passes but hopefully this goal will vault his game another level.

Rourke Russell (photo by Cathy Lachmann/BoB).

DEFENSEMEN: B+. Especially liked Daschke’s play although he did turn one over for a near-goal. Rourke Russell also stood out, and watching from a higher vantagepoint it was easier to appreciate his geometrical smarts in his usage of the boards on defensive-zone passes.

GOALTENDING: A. The goal against was on a magnificent passing play that was basically a 2-on-oh at the top of the crease. Larkin is a key reason for Miami’s hot start and his rebound control is as good as it’s ever been since he came to Oxford.

LINEUP CHANGES: Only one: Up front, Carter Johnson was back in the lineup after sitting last Saturday. He has now played three straight series openers but has sat in consecutive finales.

He replaced Andrew Sinard, who was the seventh defenseman in Game 2 vs. Colgate last weekend.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Winless or not, UNO played pretty well and Miami was better.

The Mavericks hurt themselves with undisciplined penalties early and the RedHawks took advantage with a power play goal.

Omaha is obviously in a down year but this was still a quality win for Miami.