Miami freshman forward has goal, assist

Curtis McKenzie has hand in both scores of RedHawks’ win.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 2:06 AM Sunday, March 28, 2010

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Miami University hockey team won without Curtis McKenzie a week ago, but it’s doubtful they could have done it again when they took the ice Saturday, March 27, against Alabama-Huntsville.

The freshman forward from Golden, British Columbia, Canada, tallied his sixth goal 10:24 into the first period to give Miami a 1-0 lead and then chalked up his 19th assist on Cameron Schilling’s goal in the second period.

Obviously, both plays were huge in Miami’s 2-1 victory in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Especially the first, according to Rico Blasi.

“We needed to get a goal right off the bat and calm our team down a little bit,” the Miami coach said.

“I’m not a big believer in statistics,” added Blasi, who apparently wasn’t bothered by the 2-1 score when his team outshot UAH 38-17. “What I care about are timely goals.”

McKenzie sat out Miami’s third-place game in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament last week when Blasi decided to shake things up. The RedHawks had lost to the Michigan Wolverines 5-2 the night before.

“Curtis is a very gifted player,” Blasi said, “a very hard-nosed player, and when he plays physical, he’s very successful. When you work hard and you’re focused, good things happen, and that’s what happened with Curtis.”

Ravenous Wolverines

The hottest team in college hockey? It’s got to be the Wolverines.

Michigan, which will play Miami in tonight’s regional final, has won seven straight while outscoring the opposition 33-10. The Wolverines have scored at least five goals in six of those games, including a 5-1 romp over second-seeded Bemidji State on Saturday night.

Junior forward Carl Hagelin, Michigan’s leading scorer, reached the 50-point mark with two goals and an assist against the Beavers, and Louie Caporusso scored a team-best 21st goal.

Senior Jarod Palmer leads Miami in both goals (18) and total points (45).

Ice not so nice

Both Miami and Alabama-Huntsville had a bumpy ride on the ice of Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

“There were a lot of bad bounces, a lot of plays that were there that we couldn’t make because we were worried about the ice,” Blasi said.

“The ice wasn’t the best we’ve had, that’s for sure,” McKenzie agreed. “It wasn’t an advantage for either team, and it’s something you can’t control. You just have to play through it.”

Numbers of note

Schilling’s goal was his fourth this year and the first game-winner of his career ... McKenzie had not scored a goal in his last seven games and had only one in his last 28 games ... Before McKenzie tallied his first-period goal, Miami had failed to score on 11 consecutive power plays.

Early exit for Denver

Denver’s 2-1 upset loss to fourth-seeded RIT in the East Regional on Friday, March 26, capped a rough finish for former Miami coach George Gwozdecky, whose Pioneers had battled the RedHawks for national supremacy in the polls for most of the season.

Denver had entered the semifinals of its Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament as the nation’s top-ranked team, only to lose three straight games.

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

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