After losing to Michigan in a CCHA semifinal on Friday, No. 2 Miami made a change in net and several alterations to its lineup.
The moves worked to perfection as the RedHawks won, 2-1 in the conference consolation game on Saturday.
"We have a couple of seniors that we wanted to put in the lineup," Miami coach Enrico Blasi said in the postgame interview. "We knew we were going to be hurting for a little bit of energy this afternoon after playing the late game last night so we tried to get some of the guys that didn't play to give us a boost."
Freshman forward Steve Mason played just his sixth collegiate game, and scored his first goal in a Miami uniform to open the scoring at 4:44 of the second period.
Senior forward Dane Hetland also made a rare start, and he recorded an assist.
Sophomore goaltender Connor Knapp started after relieving sophomore Cody Reichard on Friday, and stopped 12 shots to earn the win.
Knapp has allowed just two goals in his last three starts, which including a five-minute overtime. He also stopped all four shots he faced in half a period on Friday.
"I don't put a lot of pressure on myself," Knapp said. "Last year I kind of did that and it didn't turn out too well for me. I'm just taking it one shot at a time and do what works for me. So far I've seen good results with it so I'll stick with it."
Ferris State (21-13-6) tied the score on a tip-in goal by senior forward Casey Haines with five minutes remaining in the middle stanza.
But Miami senior Jarod Palmer, who has been clutch all season, fired a shot home off a pass from sophomore defenseman Chris Wideman with four minutes left in regulation to put the RedHawks up for good.
It was Palmer's team-best 18th goal of the season, and he also leads all RedHawks with six game winners.
The NCAA Tournament selection show will air at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, during which Miami (27-7-7) will learn where and when it will play its first two tournament games.
ANALYSIS: I give coach Enrico Blasi an A+ for benching several players - like freshman Curtis McKenzie - for the game.
The win was great for team morale, but it meant little else. What's more important is the message Blasi said by filling out his lineup card: I'll bench anyone who isn't performing or whose play is hurting the team.
I love McKenzie and as I said earlier, he is and will be a very good player, but his last in a string of bad penalties was costly on Friday and Blasi made the right move by sitting him.
As a side note, I think it's important that fans realize that while every coach in every sport withholds information from the media, Blasi is more guarded than most.
Blasi is protecting his players by saying that he wanted to get players in the lineup, but make no mistake: He was making a statement on Saturday.
It's also important to note that Blasi downplayed his disappointment level with team after Friday's game (when asked what he said to his team after that loss he said "everything happens for a reason"), yet miraculously Miami allows a season-low 13 shots the next day.
It's more likely his postgame rant on Friday would've made Andrew "Dice" Clay blush, and the players figured beating Ferris State was preferable to walking south on I-75 to get back to Oxford for Monday classes.
The lesson here is: Pay more attention to Blasi's actions than his words at this stage of the season.
And yes, I realize Knapp only faced 13 shots, and yes, I know it was Ferris State while Reichard had to deal with a red-hot Michigan team. But FSU needed this win to enhance its tournament resume, and it was one of the best teams in the conference all season.
Palmer's amazing season continues, which is bittersweet because while it's been incredible to watch him develop, each goal is a reminder of how hard it will be to see him leave and makes it even less likely he'll be at Miami's Night of Celebration next month.
And congratulations to Mason and Hetland. Their goal was a moment I'm sure neither will ever forget, and for Mason it's just the first of many in a Miami uniform.
GRADES
FORWARDS: C+. Miami got 22 shots from its 12 forwards, who accounted for both goals and two assists.
Blasi's replacements notched one of each.
DEFENSEMEN: A. The binary defense returns.
Sophomore Chris Wideman assisted on both goals, and Ferris State managed just 13 shots, the lowest total allowed by Miami this season.
The RedHawks needed this kind of a defensive stand heading into the NCAA Tournament, especially after its defensive performance against Michigan on Friday.
GOALTENDING: A. Knapp was typically solid, and the only goal he allowed could've been waived off because of a kick. Knapp has put up a binary number in three straight starts, and has given up just two goals in nearly 200 minutes dating back to his 0-0 shutout vs. Ohio State to end the regular season.
There's no doubt Blasi will go with Knapp to start the NCAA Tournament. Blasi gave Reichard every chance to rejuvenate his game, and Knapp has been the much better goalie since before the postseason started.
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