OXFORD, Ohio — January has been a cruel month for Miami hockey.
The RedHawks’ offense sputtered in their first game of 2024, a 4-1 loss to No. 10 Western Michigan at Cady Arena on Friday.
Miami is winless in its last 21 January contests, going 0-19-2 since its last win vs. — of all teams — Western Michigan, on the road in early 2021.
Dylan Moulton scored the lone goal for the RedHawks, who wrap up the series at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.
RECAP: With 10:39 left in the first period, Sam Colangelo blasted a one-timer from just inside the top of the left faceoff circle past Miami goalie Logan Neaton stick side to give Western Michigan (14-4-1) the lead on the power play.
The score remained 1-0 until the Broncos’ Zak Galambos ripped a feed from behind the Miami net past Neaton on the short side from the right faceoff dot with 10:56 left in regulation.
MU (6-11-2) cut the deficit to one with 7:25 left when Matthew Barbolini whipped a pass from the right half wall that deflected in front of the crease to Moulton, who shoveled it in as he was streaking toward the left side of the net.
But Western Michigan made it 3-1 on the man advantage when Matteo Constantini slammed home a rebound in the slot off a slap shot from the point by Carter Berger.
Galambos buried an empty netter from his own goal line to cap the scoring.
STATS: Moulton’s goal was his second of the season and the first in 14 games for the shut-down defenseman.
Barbolini picked up the lone assist, giving him a team-high 20 points. It’s his third straight 20-point season with the RedHawks, and he’s on pace to obliterate his career-best 25-point season in 2022-23.
— Want another positive? Miami has scored in the third period in seven straight games, notching eight goals overall in that span. Now the rest…
— The RedHawks are winless in 17 straight January home games (0-15-2), and coach Chris Bergeron has never won a game at Cady Arena in the first month of the calendar year with Miami (0-10-2).
The last time the RedHawks won a home game in January was against Denver on Jan. 5, 2018. Their last January wins overall came in a sweep at these same Broncos at an empty Lawson Arena during the COVID season, Jan. 2-3, 2021.
— This was Miami’s sixth straight game without a power play goal. MU is 0-for-20 during its current drought and 3 of 46 (6.5 percent) in its last 14 contests.
At 11.9 percent for the season, the RedHawks’ man-advantage is ranked sixth-last in all of college hockey.
— Overall, MU has been limited to six goals in four games (1.50 average), with two coming on empty netters at Niagara.
ANALYSIS: It felt like when it was 1-0 — which was much of the night — Western Michigan was in complete control and there was little chance Miami would emerge with any points.
Yet the 4-1 final score that goes into the books isn’t really a fair indicator of how close this game was.
The RedHawks couldn’t generate any offense the 30 minutes, but at the end of their power play midway through the second period they looked like a team that had their ‘B’ buttons unstuck and were the better team for the balance of that frame and early in the third.
When Western Michigan extended the lead to two, Miami answered minutes later, but another WMU power play goal with 3:30 left completed deflated the RedHawks.
— Albin Nilsson made his RedHawks debut after suffering a preseason knee injury, and he definitely looked like he could help Miami up front. He’s physical, he plays defense and contribute offensively.
— Miami has averaged 1.5 goals in its last four games. Miami is 0-for-12 on the power play in that span. The man-advantage has to improve.
— I heard complaints about the late Rihards Simanovics holding penalty call that resulted in the WMU power play goal that sort of sealed it at 3-1. Sorry, I couldn’t tell from my angle and didn’t see anything definitive on NCHC.tv.
— Defenseman Michael Feenstra was injured early in the first period, as he skated off holding his right shoulder. He was seen on the concourse level later with a sling on his arm. That can’t be good.
— Kind of expected Bruno Bruveris to start this one after his shutout in Niagara, but Neaton kept Miami in the game.
LINEUP CHANGES: Spencer Cox was a healthy scratch on defense, sitting for the second time in five games. Forwards Artur Turansky and Teddy Lagerback also did not dress after playing in Miami’s Niagara final.
Turansky had not missed a game this season.
Feenstra and Robby Drazner returned to the lineup on the blueline after being rare scratches, as the RedHawks reverted to an eight-man defense corps. Nilsson was the addition up front.
GRADES
FORWARDS: D-. Not only did this corps not find the net (Barbolini picked up the lone point on an assist), it was outshot by the defensemen. Miami forwards combined for just 10 of the team’s 23 shots on goal. Nilsson’s line with Max Dukovac and Ryan Sullivan was probably the RedHawks’ best, and Thomas Daskas seemed to be all over the place on both ends. The Broncos’ defense corps deserves a lot of credit for stifling this group.
DEFENSEMEN: B. Moulton scored the lone Miami goal and the D-corps combined for 13 shots. Western Michigan ended the night with 39 SOG, but most were well-defended and/or from outside.
GOALTENDING: B-. Neaton stopped 36 of 39 shots (.923) and kept Miami in the game. He probably would’ve liked one of those three goals back, but none were soft, he controlled his rebounds well and he made a couple of excellent saves in the second period to hold the score at 1-0.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It wasn’t a blowout loss or a jam-an-icepick-through-your-eyeballs late blowup that we’ve seen too many times in recent years, but it was a field-separating loss.
Western Michigan was the better team and played like it. Miami was the lesser-talented team and played like it.
Puck luck certainly didn’t work in Miami’s favor when the RedHawks generated a number of high-percentage scoring chances late in the second period and early in the third, but after a sluggish first 30 minutes, MU didn’t do enough to earn any league points.
Miami dropped to 0-8-1 in NCHC play, and hopefully we don’t see that zero in the win column get into this team’s head. Because based on the RedHawks’ schedule the final eight weeks, beating a very good team will be the only way to earn its first league win.
View From the Glass 