10-goal outburst carries RedHawks past Falcons

Miami enjoys offensive eruption a night after clinching CCHA title.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 2:05 AM Sunday, February 14, 2010

BOWLING GREEN — The message from the Miami University hockey team was loud and clear.

Don’t mess with us.

While both teams piled up the penalties, the top-ranked RedHawks piled up the goals as they socked it to the Bowling Green Falcons 10-2 on Saturday, Feb. 13, at BGSU Ice Arena.

It was the second time in the last three games that Miami had erupted for 10 goals.

“When we’re on our game, sometimes we’re capable of that,” said Miami coach Enrico Blasi, whose team soared to 22-4-6 overall, 19-1-4-2 in the CCHA.

Miami senior Brandon Smith, one of eight RedHawks to score at least one goal, said it was just a matter of time before the team had a serious outburst on offense.

“It’s been piling up for a while,” Smith said. “And it’s not just one or two guys out there. There are guys up and down the lines who can make things happen. This is a special team.”

The RedHawks had beaten Lake Superior State 10-4 last Saturday, Feb. 6, the night after they had learned of the tragic death of team manager Brendan Burke in an auto accident.

In Friday’s first contest at Bowling Green they won 3-2, clinching the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season championship for the third time in school history.

The second game at Bowling Green was interrupted 18 times by almost 200 minutes of penalties, and more than an hour after the game the statisticians were still counting.

In the final minute of the second period, after Miami had scored five goals to take a 6-1 lead, everything seemed to get away from the officials. A melee broke out near Miami goalie Connor Knapp, and after a moment of calm it flared up again.

That melee alone resulted in 117 minutes of penalties and three players being disqualified — Bowling Green’s Max Grover and James Perkin and Miami’s Alden Hirschfeld.

“We’re not trying to be cheap,” Smith said, “but if anyone is going to go after our goalie, we’re going to take care of our goalie.”

“The penalties just killed them,” added Miami freshman Reilly Smith, who scored two goals. “We kept our composure and they didn’t. At the same time, you have to protect your team.”

In the third period Blasi had seen enough and was ejected from the game after stepping onto the ice and making an elaborate bow to the referee. “Apparently he didn’t like what I had to say,” the Miami coach said.

Chris Wideman totaled two goals and an assist for Miami, Andy Miele had four assists, and Pat Cannone had a goal and two assists.

Other RedHawk goal scorers were Trent Vogelhuber, Curtis McKenzie, Jarod Palmer and Joe Hartman.