OXFORD — The now 6-2-0 Miami RedHawks fought to a series split against the Rico Blasi-led St. Thomas Tommies this past weekend.
Miami won a hard-fought 2-1 battle Friday but suffered a 4-1 loss Saturday after Nathan Pilling scored a first-period natural hat trick.
The RedHawks took a hit in the NPI, which determines NCAA Tournament bids, following the home loss, dropping to 31st. Home results carry significant weight in the formula, with a home loss valued at minus-1.20 compared to plus-0.80 for a home win. Miami finished the weekend with a negative impact on its NPI.
Simply put, the RedHawks need to get the puck in the back of the net more consistently, and there is plenty to clean up.
Although Miami won 2-1 Friday, it was a stressful victory considering how much the RedHawks controlled the chances. They should have scored earlier, but Doug Grimes eventually cashed in late in regulation to secure all three points.
Saturday was another example of Miami generating plenty of Grade A looks, but this time the Tommies took advantage of their scoring chances.
Matteo Giampa leads the team with nine points through eight games, while Ilia Morozov leads the RedHawks with five goals. Miami’s top scorers need to continue producing as NCHC play progresses. If the RedHawks want to push for an NCAA Tournament bid, that production in NCHC play is a must.
“There are things to clean up, and the league is unforgiving. I think our guys found that out tonight. There are a lot of guys who probably really liked a lot of what they did and maybe didn’t find the back of the net or maybe were a play or a shot away,” Miami coach Anthony Noreen said Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from Miami’s weekend series against St. Thomas:
- Plenty of looks, not enough finishing
Miami scored just three goals across the two-game series despite generating plenty of opportunities to score more. The RedHawks struggled to get the puck past St. Thomas goaltender William Ingemann, who had an excellent weekend between the pipes.
Miami outshot the Tommies 70-40 across the weekend and led in expected goals both nights, 3.8-1.5 on Friday and 3.1-1.7 on Saturday. Despite those advantages, the RedHawks came away with a 4-1 loss Saturday and an overall negative impact on their NPI.
Sophomore forward Kocha Delic acknowledged that Miami had plenty of quality chances but needed to do a better job finishing.
“I think there were a lot of chances that didn’t even hit the net. I know personally in the second period I missed one high that I wish I could have back,” Delic said. “Honestly, I think a lot of our chances were good quality. I think we just missed the net a little bit too much on our top, Grade A scoring chances.”
Noreen also recognized the need to find solutions for his team’s offensive struggles.
“It’s your job as a coach in these situations, where guys are maybe goal scorers or are around it a lot, to give them some solutions,” Noreen said. “That’s what we’ll get to work on starting tonight and into tomorrow. We’ll have a really good plan for the guys on Monday, and we’ll just get right back to it like we always do.”
Much of the time, it was a wide or whiffed shot, while some attempts even went off the post.
The power play also needs to become more consistent. Miami went 2 for 8 over the weekend, and despite generating opportunities, the unit has struggled to consistently turn those chances into goals throughout this season.
The RedHawks occasionally got too cute with their passing and moved away from the north-south game that has helped them find success.
“When we get uncharacteristic and start going east-west up through the neutral zone, that’s just not us. That’s not our game,” Noreen said.
- Undisciplined RedHawks get caught up
Miami cannot go to the well at this rate in the NCHC and expect its penalty kill to remain perfect. Quite frankly, with the level of offensive talent throughout the conference, that is nearly impossible.
The RedHawks went 4 for 7 on the penalty kill over the weekend, allowing three power-play goals across the two games. Miami now sits at 79.3% on the penalty kill this season through 29 opportunities.
The RedHawks took eight penalties over the weekend: holding, three tripping penalties, cross-checking, too many men on the ice, roughing and interference.
Several of those penalties killed Miami’s momentum and gave St. Thomas opportunities to take advantage. The two power-play goals Saturday were particularly costly.
Noreen was blunt about the mistakes following Saturday’s loss.
“We took a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. It just can’t happen at this level of hockey in this league. It can’t happen, and those wind up in the back of your net,” Noreen said.
He also pointed to the team’s inability to stay disciplined despite controlling stretches of play in the offensive zone.
“We were on them. We were around it. We won a lot of battles. We were physical, had the puck on our stick, and had opportunities. They did a really good job cleaning up some second chances in front of them,” Noreen said.
“We then take a stick penalty. There’s a reason we talk about that stuff Monday through Thursday and why it can’t happen, especially in the offensive zone. It winds up in the back of your net.”
The RedHawks have to clean up those mistakes. Eight minor penalties against an NCHC opponent in a two-game series is not going to cut it, especially when those mistakes directly lead to goals against.
- Defensive identity under Noreen
Despite the offensive struggles and Saturday’s four-goal performance from St. Thomas, Miami’s defensive game has been a positive through the first eight games and a clear improvement from last season.
The RedHawks are allowing just 1.9 goals per game and 20.8 shots per game, the fourth-best mark in college hockey in shots allowed.
Miami has done a much better job closing on opposing rushes, limiting opportunities and keeping teams from generating consistent offensive pressure.
That was evident for large stretches of the weekend. The RedHawks controlled possession and limited St. Thomas’ opportunities, particularly Friday night.
The “RedHawk” identity of laying the body out and blocking a shot was there once again, with a total of 25 blocks on the weekend.
Ryder Thompson was out Saturday after blocking a heavy shot Friday. He is a true underrated weapon on this team, leading the RedHawks with 13 blocked shots, seven more than the next players, David Helledy and Bradley Walker.
Saturday’s result was frustrating because Miami’s overall shot and expected-goal advantages suggested a much closer game. However, the Tommies capitalized on their opportunities, while the RedHawks could not find an answer.
Matteo Drobac has been outstanding on many nights this season, but Saturday was not his best performance.
- What’s next for the goalie tandem?
One storyline coming out of Saturday’s loss was the decision not to play freshman goaltender Yegor Yegorov.
During an equipment issue midway through the game, Yegorov could be seen doing jumping jacks on the bench while preparing to potentially enter the game. He never got his name called.
With Miami trailing and Drobac having allowed four goals — two weren’t his fault — I thought it would have been a good opportunity to get Yegorov some additional playing time, particularly after St. Thomas’ third goal or going into the third period.
Drobac has been lights out on plenty of nights, but he was not on his A-game Saturday. I was a little surprised Yegorov did not get the opportunity to enter.
The freshman has appeared in just one game this season, picking up a win against Robert Morris on the road. He looked a little shaky doing it at first but then buckled down.
If Miami wants to develop more of a tandem between the pipes, Yegorov needs opportunities to get acclimated to the collegiate level.
That remains something to watch moving forward. With the RedHawks heading to Minnesota Duluth, I would imagine Drobac gets the nod both nights based on how the coaching staff has handled the goaltending rotation so far.
- Respect for Rico
Although neither crowd was particularly large, with approximately 2,000 fans Friday and 1,500 Saturday, the respect for former 20-year Miami coach Rico Blasi was apparent throughout the weekend.
Blasi, now leading the St. Thomas program, returned to Oxford for the first time as an opposing head coach.
His impact on Miami hockey is evident, and the weekend provided an opportunity to recognize what he and his past staff did during his two decades with the RedHawks.
Following Saturday’s game, Noreen and Blasi exchanged handshakes, showing the mutual respect between the two coaches and their respective programs.
The two teams will meet again Feb. 5-6 in Minnesota.
Despite the disappointing Saturday result, Noreen emphasized that the program’s approach will not change heading into the next week of practice and a trip to Duluth.
“We like to believe that the way our program rolls is that we show up on Monday. Here’s the video, here’s the information, here’s what we liked, here’s what we didn’t, here’s the mission for today, and let’s accomplish the mission,” Noreen said.
