Author Archives: John Lachmann (@rednblackhawks)
Photos: RPI at Miami
Images from the RPI-Miami series played at Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio, on Jan. 2-3, 2016. All photos by Cathy Lachmann.
Analysis: Win critical for Miami
OXFORD, Ohio – A limited few have put the puck in the net regularly for Miami this season.
But on Saturday. when the RedHawks broke the three-goal threshold for the first time in 2015-16, none of their markers came from their normal sources.
Miami beat RPI, 4-2 at Cady Arena on Sunday to salvage a series split, with scoring from Andrew Schmit, Justin Greenberg, Alex Gacek and Chris Joyaux.
That foursome had combined for five prior goals this season and despite all four being seniors and regulars on the RedHawks’ lineup card the past four years – except for Schmit, who is a transfer – this group had a total of 22 career goals entering this game.
Good for them, and better for the team.
Anyone who has watched a game or followed the team this season knows Jack Roslovic can score, as he leads the team with nine tallies.
Josh Melnick has no problem finding the net, nor does Anthony Louis, and Sean Kuraly certainly should score more than two goals the rest of this season.
That’s five players who have a track record of netting goals regularly, and one is more of a projection.
All season this team has struggled with scoring depth, and it got it when it needed it most.
Winning was important, as Miami had gone 0-6-1 in its previous seven, and reaching the four-goal mark was important, even though it was on an empty-netter.
If ever a team needed a spark, it was the RedHawks, who had not won in two months, and league play resumes for Miami next weekend.
Other thoughts…
– Good offensive zone time in this game. Miami had several shifts in which it controlled the puck in its offensive zone for a minute-plus. The RedHawks absolutely dominated in the first few minutes and for the majority of the third period.
– Jay Williams won his first game of the year in net. The senior may be the most enthusiastic player on the team, and that can only help the team this point. He didn’t dominate but at least deserves more playing time.
– The officials were pretty inconsistent over the weekend and totally missed Roslovic getting hammered as he tried to return to the Miami bench in the third period. It was clear Roslovic was being run, and this would’ve been a great opportunity to assess one of those new interference major penalties.
– The third line of Zach LaValle, Justin Greenberg and Kiefer Sherwood was the team’s best, especially in the third period when it generated tons of scoring chances, including Greenberg’s goal.
– One negative: This power play is awful right now. Too many players stand still. Miami has not scored a PPG in six games, going 0-for-13 since. And oh yeah, RPI picked up shorthanded goals both nights, sending the RedHawks’ net goal differential on the power play to minus-2 in its last five.
– Not a fan of the Saturday-Sunday thing. Most importantly, it gives less time for someone who writes about the team in his or her leisure to put up stories and photos. And the Sunday attendance was listed as barely 1,500.
GRADES
FORWARDS: A-. This was one of the best games this corps has played all season. Anthony Louis was outstanding all weekend, and Sean Kuraly had several good looks at the net. But it was Greenberg and Gacek coming up with the crucial third-period goals, both from the side of the net. As mentioned above, the Greenberg-Sherwood-LaValle line was this team’s best on this night, and all three figured in Greenberg’s clutch goal.
DEFENSEMEN: A. RPI managed just 19 shots and two good scoring chances. Unfortunately for Miami, the Engineers buried both attempts. Scott Dornbrock had an above-average game, and Joyaux knocked home the clinching tally from three-quarters ice. A rare turnover by Matthew Caito led to RPI’s first goal, as he had a rare off game overall.
GOALTENDING: B. Williams was only called on for 19 shots. He made a couple of solid saves, but the two top scoring chances he faced both went in the net. No one could say that he was outplayed by teammate Ryan McKay, so he may have earned another start next weekend.
LINEUP CHANGES: Forwards Michael Mooney and Conor Lemirande were out from Saturday’s lineup and Devin Loe and Ryan Siroky were in. Defenseman Louie Belpedio remained out, as he is playing for Team USA in the World Juniors in Finland. Williams replaced McKay, who had started the previous nine games.
Miami ends winless streak at 7
OXFORD, Ohio – Thanks to a three-goal, third-period outburst, Miami’s seven-game winless streak is over.
The RedHawks beat RPI, 4-2 at Cady Arena in the series finale on Sunday, giving the team its highest offense output of the season and its first win since Nov. 7.
Like Saturday, Miami took an early lead but managed to fall behind.
RedHawks senior forward Andrew Schmit banged home a loose puck at the top of the crease for his second goal of the season at the 2:01 mark.
A turnover by senior defenseman Matthew Caito led to a breakaway by RPI’s Jesper Ohrvall, who buried a shot on the glove side of Miami senior goalie Jay Williams, tying the score with 9:20 left in the opening stanza.
The Engineers went ahead when Jake Wood ripped a shot past Williams on a shorthanded chance after a stretch pass by Jimmy DeVito with 6:52 left in the second frame.
But after failing to score in their previous five third periods, the RedHawks dominated the final stanza.
Alex Gacek taps home the tying goal on Sunday (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
A shot by senior center Sean Kuraly was deflected to the side of the net, where senior forward Alex Gacek banged it home to tie the score at two.
Junior center Justin Greenberg puts Miami ahead for good with this one-timer (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
Just 1:43 later, freshman forward Zach LaValle sent a pass through the top of the crease to junior center Justin Greenberg, who buried the tip-in for his first goal of the season.
Senior defenseman Chris Joyaux fired a shot into the empty net from his own faceoff circle with 25 seconds left to cap off the scoring.
With the win, Miami moved up three places in the PairWise rankings to 28th. Fourteen of the RedHawks’ final 16 regular seasons games will be against NCHC opponents, including next weekend’s home series vs. Minnesota-Duluth.
Analysis: Turnaround needed soon
OXFORD, Ohio – Miami improved to 3-1-1 after a 1-0 win at St. Lawrence on Oct. 23.
The RedHawks have recorded two victories since, posting a 2-9-1 mark in the past 71 days, including a 3-2 loss to RPI at Cady Arena on Saturday that extended the team’s winless streak to seven games.
Although this weekend’s games are non-conference, Miami’s situation gets more dire with each loss. Now 5-10-2, the RedHawks’ PairWise ranking is 31st, a long way away from any kind of consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
On Saturday, Miami actually played pretty well. The team dominated the first few shifts, culminating in an early goal. The RedHawks were very good for large stretches of the second period as well.
They hit at least four posts.
It was the type of loss that, if Miami had played well overall the first three months, could be written off. Even the best college hockey teams don’t win every night.
But teams that are four games below .500 don’t have that luxury. Because of the deep hole the RedHawks have dug themselves, every game from here through March is paramount.
The tough schedule will give Miami leeway, but the team still has to win often against that tough schedule. The RedHawks play 14 conference games plus Sunday’s game against RPI (tied for 15th in the PairWise) and a home-and-home vs. Bowling Green (ranked 18th).
And losing repeatedly in dramatic fashion can’t help this team’s psyche.
Miami needs to finally score more than three goals, something it has yet to accomplish this season. Or win a game in the last minute.
Or get in a galvanizing skirmish. Nothing that would warrant mass suspensions, mind you, just something, ANYTHING, to help boost confidence and get this team on track.
The RedHawks lack offensive fire power this season, no doubt, but they don’t lack talent, and there’s no reason for them to have wins in fewer than one-third of their games thus far.
Other thoughts…
– Miami’s 6-on-5 in the closing minutes was disappointing. Once the players got set up in the offensive zone they stood there and passed the puck among themselves repeatedly. No movement anywhere. And then they wondered why there were no open shooting lanes.
– It’s frustrating to see RPI come in boasting one 10-goal scorer and have him net for the Engineers’ first two goals. It’s no secret Riley Bourbonnais is the team’s best offensive weapon, and Miami was unable to slow him down. One could say the same about RPI vs. Jack Roslovic, who scored once and set up the other Miami goal.
– Bourbonnais’ first goal came shorthanded and was a momentum killer for the RedHawks. Miami was up, 1-0 late in the first period with a chance to extend its lead via the power play, but Bourbonnais’ breakaway goal tied it and the RedHawks never led again.
Miami’s Anthony Louis (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
– On a positive note, this was one of the best games Anthony Louis has played all season. His pass to Jack Roslovic for Miami’s slam-dunk second goal was a thing of beauty. Louis was better in the second half of both his freshman and sophomore seasons, and Miami needs his offense now more than ever.
– The listed attendance was 1,809 with the students out for the J-term, and that seems pretty generous. Unfortunately Miami has a lot of home games this month and won’t have a student section behind it. That figure could drop substantially on Sunday, going against the final week of the NFL’s regular season.
GRADES
FORWARDS: B-. Louis and Roslovic were Miami’s best forwards and freshman Josh Melnick wasn’t far behind. This unit was very good at times and ineffective others. Same problem this team has faced all season: Miami has been unable to generate offense from its deeper lines.
DEFENSEMEN: A. RPI manged just 17 shots. Colin Sullivan has been the odd man out a lot this season, but he was very solid on D. Bad year overall for Miami or not, senior Matthew Caito has saved his best season for last, although he ended up in the penalty box twice. And this unit was without sophomore standout Louie Belpedio, who is at the World Juniors in Finland.
GOALTENDING: C-. Senior Ryan McKay just didn’t look like he seeing the puck that well all night. He made one spectacular save, stacking the pads on a point-blank shot, but he stopped just 14 of 17 overall. The first goal was a good shot on a shorthanded breakaway, but he still got beat. The second goal was pretty soft, hitting his glove and popping in, and the third he had no chance on.
LINEUP CHANGES: Freshman Zach LaValle was back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 13 with his upper-body injury. Freshman Ryan Siroky and junior Devin Loe were scratched, and Belpedio was obviously the missing D-man. Belpedio will miss Sunday’s game, and the smart money is on him being available next weekend.
Miami loses by 1 goal again
OXFORD, Ohio – Having gone winless in its final six games of 2015, Miami had to welcome the new calendar year.
Unfortunately for the RedHawks, 2016 started the way last year ended.
RPI edged Miami, 3-2 at Cady Arena on Saturday, handing the RedHawks their fourth straight loss, with all of them coming by one goal. Miami’s last five losses overall have been by that margin.
The start was promising enough for the RedHawks (5-10-2), as freshman forward Josh Melnick buried a shot from the slot off a feed from freshman Jack Roslovic at the 1:20 mark of the first period.
But the Engineers’ Riley Bourbonnais went in alone on a shorthanded breakaway and buried a shot top shelf to tie it with 1:24 left in the opening period.
Bourbonnais scored again with 14:47 left in the middle frame when a shot from the left side of the net deflected off the glove of Miami senior goalie Ryan McKay and into the net, giving RPI a 2-1 lead.
Miami tied it later in the stanza as junior forward Anthony Louis slid a pass across the slot to Roslovic, who ripped it home with 7:07 left.
RPI took the lead for good when Kenny Gillespie banged home a loose puck from the side of the net just 2:19 later.
Bourbonnais is the Engineers’ top goal scorer, as his two markers in this game gave him 12 for the season.
Miami’s Jack Roslovic (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
Roslovic finished with a goal and an assist, as he leads the RedHawks in tallies with nine and is tied with Louis in assists with a Miami-best nine for 18 points.
The RedHawks are 56th out of 60 teams in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 2.06 goals per game. They have yet to net more than three goals in any game.
With Miami’s current 0-5-2 skid, the team has not won since Nov. 7.
The teams wrap up the weekend series at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Miami opens 2016 with pair vs. RPI
WHO: RPI Engineers (10-6-3) at Miami RedHawks (5-9-2).
WHERE: Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio.
WHEN: Saturday–7:05 p.m. Sunday–5:05 p.m.
RPI RADIO: WRPI (FM) 93.1, Troy, N.Y.
MIAMI RADIO: WKBV-AM (1490), Richmond, Ind.; WMOH-AM (1450), Hamilton, Ohio.
NOTES: After a 27-day layoff, Miami opens the second half of its season today as it hopes to snap a 56-day winless streak.
The RedHawks are burdened with a six-game winless streak entering 2016, and they will host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in an unusual Saturday-Sunday weekend series at Cady Arena.
RPI is also coming off an extended layoff of three weeks after sweeping Arizona State to improve to 10-6-3.
Like Miami, the Engineers have had one primary scorer and a secondary sniper, and the rest of the team has struggled to find the net. Riley Bourbonnais has 10 goals and seven assists for a team-best 17 points.
Jake Wood is second in goals (6) and points (11), and Mark Miller and Milos Bubela have netted four goals each.
After taking over in net, senior and Buffalo Sabres draftee Jason Kasdorf is 4-4-1, 2.04 with a .939 save percentage, and barring a blow up should be between the pipes both nights this weekend.
Miami won both games in 2014-15 in a series played at RPI.
The RedHawks are in seventh place in the NCHC, and while these games won’t help Miami get back into its league race, they can do wonders for the team’s PairWise status.
After a pair of losses at then second-last ranked Colorado College, the RedHawks’ ranking plummeted and is currently 27th.
Wins in these games certainly won’t correct Miami’s dismal start in NCHC play but they can certainly boost the RedHawks’ status both internally and in the PairWise.
The RedHawks will be without sophomore defenseman Louie Belpedio, who is playing in the World Juniors in Finland. That leaves Miami with just seven defensemen on its roster, including F/D Michael Mooney.
Scouting FutureHawks: Joey Keane
PLYMOUTH, Mich. – As a 16 year old, Joey Keane has played in 24 of 25 games in his first USHL season with Dubuque.
The Dubuque Fighting Saints defenseman, who is committed to play at Miami, put up 11 points in 26 games with the Under-16 Chicago Mission last season and is feeling his way out at the next level, posting two assists in 2015-16.
Another Chicago-area product, Keane is projected to join the RedHawks in the fall of 2017 by Elite Prospects.
At this point we give the obligatory disclaimer that when writing about FutureHawks, opinions are only based on this game, and that typically does not provide a completely accurate representation of the player’s abilities. However, combined with stats at this and previous levels, a decent idea can be had about a player’s strengths and weaknesses at this point.
With that in mind, Blog Of Brotherhood visited the Team USA facility last weekend and took a look at Keane:
JOEY KEANE
Height: 6-0. Weight: 180. DOB: 7/2/1999. From: Homer Glen, Ill.
Games: 24. Goals: 0. Assists: 2. Points: 2. Plus-minus: 1. PIM: 18.
GAME NIGHT: Keane was on the second defense pairing to the right of 19 year old Carson Vance. He entered play with just one assist, but he would pick up his second of the season a night later against Team USA.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The first thought that comes to mind when seeing Keane is: This kid’s really 16? He displays veteran coolness on defense that makes one think the 1999 listed for his birthyear is a typo. By contrast, he is still a bit cautious, which is completely understandable and probably welcomed by the coaching staff considering he has logged all of two dozen games in this league – he rarely takes chances. Keane has a number of means by which to clear the puck out of danger, from pitch-forking it away to poke checking to whacking it up the boards, and all appear to be highly developed for his age. Again, this was just one game, but he appears to be a student of the game with his positioning and well-coached style of play. His passing is also excellent, good enough to vault him onto the top power play unit, where he logged a number of minutes due to ample Team USA minor penalties. There’s a lot to like in Keane.
FIRST PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS: Made a good pass to help get the puck out of the defensive zone…was on the ice for a Team USA goal, which was scored on a weak wrister from the blue line which was not at all a result of his play…on the power play, moved the puck well from the blue line but Dubuque did not generate a shot…made a solid offensive zone pass that resulted in a good shot on goal that was stopped…took a quality bad-angle shot in deep off a loose puck, and later that shift cleared the puck along the boards nicely in his own zone with a forward bearing down.
SECOND PERIOD HIGHIGHTS: Pitch-forked a puck to his partner from behind his own net…shot on goal off a dump in that was saved…excellent hold-in at the blue line with his skate on the power play…fanned on a PP shot in the slot…settled another tough clearing attempt at the blue line, ultimately resulting in a Dubuque goal.
THIRD PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS: Had a wrist shot blocked, and a subsequent lateral pass to his partner was picked off cleanly…blasted a puck all the way down the ice on the penalty kill, ending a scoring threat…logged tons of ice time in the final five minutes in this close game.
FINAL GAME INFO: Keane finished with the one sharp-angle shot and went even, with one goal at even strength scored by both teams while he was on the ice. Dubuque also netted a power play maker with him on the ice.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Right now he’s an impressive defensive defenseman in this league at 16. The sky seems to be the limit for Keane, and based on his ice time on the power play, penalty kill and in the final minutes (he was out there on the final shift in a one-goal game), Dubuque’s coaches agree. He makes quality passes and could be a solid quarterback on the power play, especially since he has scored at previous levels. At 6-feet-0 and 180 pounds, he definitely needs to get stronger, as he can get muscled off the puck, but his skills helped him overcome that a couple of times in this game. He should still grow at least another inch, and that combined with strength conditioning will only make him better. Keane isn’t a sexy player at this point – not a fancy passer, doesn’t blast slap shots or lay out big hits – but if you like the defensive aspect of hockey, he’s a delight to watch and has a ton of upside.
WHERE HE FITS IN AT MIAMI: If the plan for Keane truly is 2017-18, only Scott Dornbrock and Grant Hutton would be back that season from Miami’s current crop of blueliners, so his primary competition would be other incoming D-men in the incoming classes of 2016 and 2017 at that point. He is a high school junior now, so he could come in later, but if he continues to improve the next 18 months he should be ready as a true freshman. With the stronger body and more development, he could be a top shut-down defenseman who can also contribute on offense and possibly run the power play. Yes, please.
GAME PHOTOS BY CATHY LACHMANN:
Scouting FutureHawks: Gordie Green
PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Gordie Green is in his second full season of USHL hockey with Dubuque, and he is expected to make Miami a better offensive team in 2016-17.
At 5-feet-8, he fits the physical profile of some of the most successful points-producing RedHawks in previous years. He has signed a National Letter of Intent earlier this season, meaning he will most likely move to Oxford this summer.
Green has not produced points en masse since joining Dubuque, but he should still be able to make a significant contribution to next season’s Miami team. In 85 career games with the Fighting Saints, he has 13 goals and 21 assists for 44 points, including 13 points in 25 games in 2015-16.
The Michigan native turns 19 in February and did play a game with the U.S. Under-17 team in 2013-14.
As always when writing about FutureHawks, it’s understood that the below opinions are based on the performance in one game, which typically does not provide a completely accurate representation of the player’s abilities but normally gives a good idea of what a player brings on game night.
With that in mind, Blog Of Brotherhood visited the Team USA facility last weekend to watch Dubuque take on the U.S. National Development Under-18 Team and took a look at Green:
GORDIE GREEN
Height: 5-8. Weight: 179. DOB: 2/24/1997. From: Detroit, Mich.
Games: 23. Goals: 4. Assists: 9. Points: 13. Plus-minus: 3. PIM: 25.
GAME NIGHT: Green was on the second line as a right wing with the Smith brothers – Mitchell and Evan – both Yale commits and significant offensive threats. Team USA’s Griffin Luce, an impressive player at 6-feet-3 and 214 pounds, spent much of the night covering Green and did not make his life easy.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Green has substantial muscle mass for his size, filling out at 179 pounds despite being just 5-8. Like many fitting that size profile, he tries to elude defenders and set up scoring chances. He loves to forecheck and is a pest in the offensive zone as he tries to force opponents into turnovers and uncomfortable passes as they bring the puck up the ice. Green sets up in front of the net and tries to redirect shots and knock home rebounds from the slot, which is somewhat unusual for a small forward.
FIRST PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS: Fired a shot just wide after a Team USA turnover in its defensive zone…tape-to-tape pass in the offensive zone ultimately led to a scoring chance…hammered a player along the boards…on the power play, he won a battle along the end boards and connected on two passes to keep a threat alive…outskated a USA defenseman to avoid icing…stole the puck in the offensive zone but lost it…laid out a hit during a battle in front of the USA net.
SECOND PERIOD HIGHIGHTS: Earned an assist when linemate Mitchell Smith scored a bad-angle goal…great outlet pass from the defensive zone along the boards to get his team out of trouble…cleanly stole the puck in the defensive zone…logged a lot of power play time.
THIRD PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS: Excellent pass from behind his own net to spring Dubuque loose…grabbed a loose puck in traffic for a shot but missed the net…buggy-whipped a low shot that was blocked by a defenseman…turned it over in the defensive zone but USA did not generate a scoring chance.
FINAL GAME INFO: Green finished with an assist — his ninth of the season — a plus-1 rating for the Smith goal and four shots on goal.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Green’s passing ability is his most notable attribute, as he rarely misses a teammate’s stick and appears very confident in this aspect of his game, which will translate in the college game. As mentioned above, his forechecking is tenacious. Often defense is one of the last areas to develop for players in Green’s age group, and he is already ahead of the curve. While he held his own against bigger players, he didn’t thrive down low, which is probably a key reason his points total is not higher than 13. While Luce is bigger than most in the USHL, big, tough, physical forwards are what Green will face in the NCHC, so this was a good test for him. He almost seems miscast at right wing – he is more of a playmaker, as well as a solid defender, than a sniper or a net-crasher. But Dubuque is loaded up the middle, which is possibly why he’s playing on the right side. There’s also a lot to like about his compete level, his physicality and his hockey IQ – he is almost never out of position and always gets back on defense.
WHERE HE FITS IN AT MIAMI: Miami needs scoring, and Green certainly has a lot to offer in the offensive area, but the question that’s of immediate concern is: How often will he be able to put the puck in the net? He will be another guy that can move the puck on the power play and is responsible enough that he could be a fourth forward on one of the RedHawks’ units. Green may also play on the PK, although in this game Dubuque was only shorthanded once so the sample size was too small to evaluate. Again, just based on one game as well as his track record in the USHL, Green does not appear to be the next Carter Camper-Andy Miele-Austin Czarnik in terms of points, but he looks like he should generate more points than an Alex Gacek or an Alex Wideman. He is averaging a half point per game in 2015-16, which is a realistic expectation in Oxford and would put him in the 20-25 range. He seems to be an excellent fit for Miami coach Enrico Blasi’s system, which should help his transition in 2016-17. And Blasi expects all of his forwards to play defense, which Green will do, and that could earn him more ice time. He should be a solid addition in what looks to be a quality recruiting class.
GAME PHOTOS BY CATHY LACHMANN:
Analysis: Miami late losses mounting
In the you’ve-gotta-be-kidding-me department, Miami gave up two more late goals to turn a 1-0 lead into a loss to the second-worst team in college hockey – Colorado College.
The RedHawks lost, 2-1 to the Tigers at World Arena on Friday, giving away points for the fourth straight game and burying itself in an even deeper hole both at the NCAA level and in its conference.
Before we enter the sour grapes portion of this article – or are accused of it – the figurative hat needs to be tipped to CC. That team played better than MU, which may not be saying much lately, and deserved the win.
But seriously? Miami had to know what a hole it had dug itself in conference play, having earned eight of a possible 24 points in NCHC play. And this senior-laden team couldn’t possibly have forgotten 2013-14, when it sat home while the regional site it was guaranteed if it merely qualified for the NCAA Tournament was just 35 miles down the road, right?
How do you get outshot, 33-21 by a team that averaged fewer than 26 shots per game? Better question might be: How do you generate just 21 SOG vs. a Tigers team that had surrendered an average of more than 34?
And by the way, how do you score once against a freshman goalie that had given up at least three goals in each outing and entered play with a goals-against average well above 4.00?
How does CC score twice in the last 10 minutes after netting just 1.57 goals PER GAME in its first 14 tilts? And Colorado College had allowed 4.00 goals against per game entering Friday but the RedHawks were able to manage just one tally.
The Tigers were 59th out of 60 teams in NCAA in the all-important PairWise rankings entering Friday. Miami was 18th. Now it’s 27th.
The RedHawks deserve the substantial drop. A win on Saturday still guarantees a bad road trip and a disappointing first half of this season.
There is still time to turn it around, but it will be a difficult task.
Other thoughts:
Miami forward Kiefer Sherwood (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
– The lack of scoring by non-freshmen continues to be an issue. It was freshman forward Kiefer Sherwood finding the net for Miami in this game, giving RedHawks rookies 16 of their 31 goals. Defensemen have seven more tallies, meaning non-freshmen forwards have accounted for 25.8 percent of MU’s goals.
Think about that: a quarter of this team’s goals have come by non-freshmen forwards. In 2014-15, freshmen forwards scored once in the entire 40-game campaign (Conor Lemirande).
Hey, if there’s any positive coming from that stat, it’s that this team is looking good beyond this season. But how long Jack Roslovic will stay is a huge question mark and it’s way too early to look beyond this season anyway.
– I’ve never heard Pat Micheletti do color, but he was spot on in his analysis with the upstart American Sports Network broadcast on Friday, which was carried by the Altitude Network. He said Miami had trouble getting that put-away goal. He said the freshman scoring for the RedHawks was great, but they need production from veterans to have success.
He also clued in fans that Andrew Schmit suffered an upper-body injury, which is why he was out for this contest.
Even more importantly, he tipped off Miami fans that senior forward Sean Kuraly had some of his captain duties had waned, as Blasi told him to emphasize just playing in an effort to rejuvenate his offensive game.
Micheletti is the brother of Olympics and national telecast announcer Joe Micheletti.
– Axiom of the season: A win Saturday is crucial.
– Insert two quick positives: Kiefer Sherwood gets better every game and is a joy to watch, and goalie Ryan McKay deserved a better fate than a 2-1 loss.
GRADES
FORWARDS: F. Generating 15 shots against this squad is embarrassing. Freshman Jack Roslovic was still able to make defenders look stupid but didn’t generate any major scoring chances, and same with classmate Josh Melnick. Sherwood was definitely the best forward on the team, and he seemed to be near or in possession of the puck every time he was on the ice. The Kuraly turnover really hurt, and the overall ineptness of this corps cost the RedHawks the game.
DEFENSEMEN: C-. Colorado College had at least three wide-open chances in the slot and a couple other good chances as the result of beating flat-footed blueliners. Again, this is a team that was 1-13 before Friday. Senior Matthew Caito crushed one of the Tigers early on but overall this group was not up to its standard.
Miami goalie Ryan McKay (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
GOALTENDING: A. Ahh, something positive to write about other than Sherwood. McKay absolutely deserved a better fate. He was very solid through two periods, making a stop on a 3-on-1, a 4-on-2 and another great look before the final 20 minutes. Patrick Roy couldn’t have stopped the tying goal and the final one was an open look that he had little chance on.
LINEUP CHANGES: As mention above, Micheletti said Schmit was out with an injury, and Mooney took over for him. With freshman Zach LaValle still injured, that leaves just Colin Sullivan as a healthy scratch. Unless he is somehow hurt as well, is there really no way this solid defender can get in the lineup with the team playing this poorly?
Miami winless streak continues vs. CC
A pair of late goals extended Miami’s winless streak to five games and its road losing streak to six.
Colorado College, which had won one game all season, rallied to edge the RedHawks, 2-1 at World Arena on Friday.
Miami, which started 3-1-1, has won just two of its last 10 games and none away from Oxford.
Miami forward Kiefer Sherwood (photo by Cathy Lachmann).
The game was scoreless after the first period, but RedHawks freshman forward Kiefer Sherwood ripped a shot past goalie Jacob Nehama from the high slot off a pass from junior forward Justin Greenberg with 9:11 left in the middle stanza to give Miami the lead.
It was the second marker in as many contests for Sherwood, whose goal was his third of the campaign.
That lead stood up until the Tigers’ Hunter Fejes stole the puck from RedHawks senior center Sean Kuraly and went in for a goal on a 2-on-0 with 9:55 to play in regulation.
Fejes netted the go-ahead and eventual game-winner as well with 2:46 to play, jumping in late to make it a 3-on-2 rush and beating Miami senior goalie Ryan McKay on the glove side to make it 2-1.
The RedHawks (5-8-2) were pinned in their own zone for much of the final two-plus minutes and were unable to pull McKay until 30 seconds remained and even then never generated a solid scoring chance.
Colorado College (2-13) had lost its first 13 games this season and had not won an NCHC game in 11 contests, dating back to last season.
The Tigers entered this game having scored just six goals in six league games and allowed 26, or an average of 4.33.
Miami remains in sixth place in the league with eight points but has played nine NCHC tilts, the most of any team in the league.
The series concludes at 9:05 p.m. on Saturday in the RedHawks’ final game of 2015.
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