OXFORD, Ohio - After 130 minutes of hockey over two nights, neither Miami nor Ferris State was able to win a game.
Junior forward Andy Miele scored at the 5:28 mark of the third period, and sophomore Connor Knapp stopped 32 of 33 shots as Miami played to a 1-1 tie vs. Ferris State on Saturday.
The Bulldogs earned the extra point by winning the shootout in the 11th round with a goal by sophomore defenseman Chad Billins. Both teams were 1-for-10 on penalty shots entering that round.
After a scoreless first period, senior center Aaron Lewicki notched a power play goal halfway through the second stanza to give Ferris State a 1-0 lead.
Miele finally evened the score with a wrister from just inside the blueline.
It was the second straight night these teams tied, and also the second consecutive game Ferris State earned the extra point by winning the shootout.
BOTTOM LINE: I expected a bit of a letdown on Friday after the big series win at Michigan, but to manage two points in two games at home against this team is flat-out embarrassing.
Ferris State had good goaltending and played solid, defensive (read here: boring) hockey, but the top team in the country scored three goals in a weekend. At home.
All three Miami goals came on outside shots. Not once in 130 minutes of hockey this weekend were the RedHawks able to generate a goal inside the faceoff circles against a smaller, slower, less skilled team.
GRADES
FORWARDS: D. One goal in 65 minutes at home. Unacceptable. Miami did have 40 shots, but far too many were right at the Bulldog logo from the blueline. Forwards were even 1 of 9 on penalty shots.
DEFENSEMEN: B-. Ferris State shouldn't generate 33 shots against Miami, but few of theirs were quality scoring chances. The only goal the Bulldogs scored was during one of their seven power play chances.
GOALTENDING: A. Knapp's performance was the only bright spot of the weekend, other than the fact Miami's homestand is over and the team is going back on the road for two weekends. Knapp was 32-for-33 and made a sprawling save in the final minute to help preserve the tie.
Knapp had struggled his last two times out, and wasn't good down the stretch last season, so it was great to see him playing at the level everyone knows he can. His positioning was excellent all night, he controlled rebounds very well, and he deserved a better fate than a tie.
LINEUP CHANGES: Coach Enrico Blasi again shuffled up his starting 18. Up front, freshman Devin Mantha dressed, senior Gary Steffes and Brandon Smith were again in uniform, and sophomore Trent Vogelhuber and senior Dane Hetland were not.
Smith has played nine straight games, and Steffes two. Steffes had four shots, Smith three and Mantha one. None had a point. Smith did score Miami's lone shootout goal.
On defense, freshman Steve Spinell sat and sophomore Matt Tomassoni was dressed after missing the last three games.
This was Knapp's first game in net since Oct. 24, when he suffered a home loss vs. Michigan State.
SPECIAL-NEEDS TEAMS: Miami did not score a power play goal for the second straight game, and the lone goal the RedHawks surrendered was on the man-advantage.
Miami dropped to ninth in the CCHA on the power play (16.4 percent), but did move up to fifth on the pee kay (87.0 percent).
THE "EXCITEMENT" OF THE SHOOTOUT: This was easily the most boring game I've sat through all season, and having the shootout - or glorified coin flip - extend the overall game time to 2:45 didn't help.
I'm obviously anti-shootout (as is Blasi, I've heard), but I don't see how anyone could support this special teams contest - especially at the college level - after watching 19 out of 22 skaters miss breakaways last night.
Plus I think Miami fans got savvy after Friday about how little relevance the shootout has (although someone should tell the new PA guy, who yelled "Ferris State wins the game" after the final shootout goal). With 84 points possible in league play (28 games x 3), it's unlikely those two points will ultimately make a difference in the standings.
The best argument pro-shootout people can make about it is "fans love it". Great. Fans love fighting too. Let's let the toughest guys on both teams drop the gloves at center ice after overtime and the last one standing's team wins.
I understand hockey is trying to attract new fans, but did any of the 3,400-plus at Cady Arena last night honestly show up because of the possibility of watching 86 percent of skaters fail in a shootout?
If the league truly wanted to do something to generate fan interest, ban Ferris State's stall hockey system. Prohibit teams from having more than two skaters in the neutral zone. Or prevent them from having all five in their own attack zone on defense.
One of those two tactics might not get fans in the seats, but no one in attendance will have doubts about returning for another 1-1 tie with minimal scoring opportunities.
RANKINGS? Although Miami probably deserves to drop out of the top spot in the polls, I doubt that will happen. North Dakota split at home vs. St. Cloud State, and Denver was idle. Cornell split with Yale.
Leave a comment