OXFORD, Ohio - Freshman defenseman Joe Hartman scored on a shorthanded blast from the blue line, and sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard made it stand up as No. 1 Miami edged No. 15 Notre Dame, 1-0 on Friday.
Hartman scored the game's lone goal with 1:18 remaining in the first period. He leads all Miami defensemen in goals with four, and that was his second shorthanded goal of the season.
Reichard stopped 24 shots to earn his second shutout of the season, both coming in his last three starts.
Junior captain Tommy Wingels received a checking from behind penalty and a game misconduct at the end of the first period. Miami (10-2-5) finished with 47 penalty minutes for the game.
It was the first home win for Miami since Oct. 23 vs. Michigan State, breaking a three-game home winless streak (0-1-2).
BOTTOM LINE: The game was well played by both teams, and much more entertaining than the score indicated. The pace was also quicker than one would surmise from the goal total.
Miami started slowly, getting outshot 8-1 early in the first period, but the RedHawks outplayed Notre Dame (7-6-4) the rest of the game.
The lack of scoring, especially at home, remains a concern, although Miami had several good scoring chances and Irish freshman goalie Mike Johnson played a strong game.
GRADES
FORWARDS: D-. No goals on 21 shots and 25 minutes in penalties. The power play looked better than it did in Miami's last home series, and Notre Dame's goaltending was excellent, but the lack of scoring continues to be a concern, especially at home.
DEFENSEMEN: A-. Hartman scored the lone goal, and Notre Dame only had 24 shots. Notre Dame had a few odd-man chances, but good teams will find a way to make that happen during the course of a game. Reichard has made Miami's defensemen look better all season.
GOALTENDING: A+. This might have been Reichard's best game ever in a Miami uniform. He shut down every odd-man chance Notre Dame had, helped kill off eight penalties and did not give up any juicy rebounds, all while getting run into by Irish players several times. His puckhandling skills were even exceptional.
Notre Dame took three penalties for running into Reichard, which was obviously part of the Irish game plan, and Reichard took one of his own for roughing.
LINEUP CHANGES: Senior forward Gary Steffes was back in the lineup after being benched for the last three straight games. Senior Brandon Smith sat after playing last Saturday, and senior Dane Hetland was not dressed for the second straight game.
GOALTENDING CAROUSEL: Reichard continues to make coach Enrico Blasi's job of deciding on a goalie difficult.
Sophomore Connor Knapp allowed five goals last Saturday vs. North Dakota, and with Reichard coming off his fourth career shutout, his decision about who to start on Saturday has been made even tougher.
I'm guessing Knapp starts the series finale, but if he struggles, Reichard could start eating into Knapp's playing time.
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