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Frozen Four notebook: RedHawks speed, strength neutralize Beavers

Miami's Kevin Roeder checks Bemidji State's Ryan Cramer during Thursday's Division I hockey semifinal at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

The Associated Press Miami's Kevin Roeder checks Bemidji State's Ryan Cramer during Thursday's Division I hockey semifinal at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 10:35 PM Thursday, April 9, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yes, the Bemidji State Beavers rolled past Notre Dame and Cornell, beating them by a combined score of 9-2 in the NCAA Midwest Regionals.

And yes, the media and fans had taken notice of the little-known program that could, giving them a large — if temporary — fan base inside the Verizon Center at the Frozen Four.

But as it turned out, there were two things the Beavers could not overcome.

Miami’s speed. Miami’s strength.

“You know what? We got beat by a better team tonight,” Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore said following the RedHawks’ 4-1 victory in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals. “They were strong, they were quick.

“We didn’t have the puck pursuit,” he said. “We didn’t play relentless. But you’ve got to give Miami credit. They played great and they really out-muscled us. We never could get going.”

Not-so-neutral zone

One of the keys to Miami’s defensive domination, according to the Beavers, was the way they controlled the neutral zone, especially after the RedHawks took a 3-1 lead.

“They just kind of started setting one guy back at the end and plugged up the neutral zone,” BSU senior defenseman Cody Bostock said.

He added that the Beavers could do nothing despite “throwing the kitchen sink at them.”

“They did a good job of taking away our speed through the neutral zone,” agreed one of Bostock’s teammates, senior forward Tyler Scofield.

Lending an assist

Five different RedHawk players had assists in Thursday’s game, one apiece by Matt Tomassoni, Andy Miele, Tommy Wingels, Carter Camper and Will Weber.

Good goaltending

Freshman Cody Reichard did it again, chalking up his third straight NCAA tournament win.

Reichard, who has allowed only four goals in those three games, made 24 saves, including 12 in the first period. After that, Miami’s domination started to take hold.

This and that

The RedHawks have killed 15-of-17 penaties in NCAA play this month. ... Alden Hirschfeld’s second-period goal was his first game-winning goal of the season. ... There must something about Miami scoring four goals against Bemidji State. In the two previous meetings between the teams, the RedHawks swept a two-game series at Bemidji State, winning both contests 4-2.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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