OXFORD, Ohio — It might have taken a third game, but No. 5 Miami was able to outlast rival Western Michigan in an NCHC quarterfinal series, winning 4-0 on Sunday.
The victory sent the RedHawks to Minneapolis next weekend to compete in the NCHC’s Frozen Faceoff.
“The things that happened this week were exactly what we planned for: a tough series, one that could go three games,” Miami coach Enrico Blasi said. “It was a tight series. [Western Michigan] played hard, they played physical.”
The RedHawks (23-13-1, 15-9-1-1 NCHC) drew blood first at 10:30 of the first period from the stick of Scott Dornbrock, who blasted a 40-foot laser past a screened Frank Slubowski. Alex Gacek and Alex Wideman assisted on the goal.
As had been the norm all weekend, the Broncos (14-18-5, 6-14-5-4 NCHC) bounced right back with a tally of their own from Justin Kovacs, but it was quickly disallowed by referee Jarrod Ragusin and company, as it was deemed goaltender Jay Williams had been interfered with.
Miami scored two goals in the first three minutes and change of the second period. Riley Barber ripped a glove-side shot that beat Slubowski low and clean. Austin Czarnik added a goal of his own — his eighth of the season — at 3:12 of the frame.
The rebound strike was enough to oust Slubowski, and Lukas Hafner came to his aid for the second time in as many games.
Although the junior stayed perfect for the duration of his stint in Western’s crease, the offense never quite found its footing.
Kovacs had a second goal taken away for the Broncos at 9:01 of the third period. This time, the score was reversed because a kicking motion propelled the puck across the line, and it effectively took the Broncos out of the game.
“The referees looked at the calls and deemed them to be non-goals,” Broncos coach Andy Murray said. “There’s not much you can do about it, though I know the first one they called off was real, real close. But credit to Miami; they’re a great program with great players and they came to play.”
With well over five minutes left to play, the Broncos pulled Hafner in hopes of chipping away at the RedHawks lead. Instead, a turnover in the neutral zone led to Blake Coleman’s eighth point of the weekend. The senior punched one in the empty net and punched Miami’s ticket to Minnesota next weekend to participate in the NCHC championship weekend.
“As I told the guys in the locker room, I’m proud of them,” Blasi said. “Our whole coaching staff is proud of them. It’s not easy to play Game 3 in a deciding game. I thought they played hard. My hat goes off to Western Michigan, too. They played hard, but we’re happy to go back to the Target Center.”
Jay Williams played a significant role in securing the rubber match victory, as he turned aside all 35 shots to earn his fifth shutout of the season.
“The most important thing is we got the win,” Williams said. “We have an opportunity to play next week for a championship, so that’s what the focus is on. Shutouts are tough to come by; you’ve got to get a few lucky breaks. But I think more than anything it’s a testament to the team defense. The guys were unbelievable, blocking shots in front of me. The shutout’s nice, but the win is more important.”
The Broncos season is over, but Murray said he couldn’t be prouder of the way his team competed. Despite finishing seventh of eight teams in the conference and sporting a losing record, the Broncos proved to be a competitive, young squad all year.
“With two minutes to go, we took a timeout and I called my team over,” Murray said. “I said, ‘Guys, this one is probably out of reach. I want you to play it the right way the last four minutes.’ I’m real proud of this team. We played hard right to the end.”
The RedHawks will play Denver in Friday’s NCHA semifinals.
