BELFAST, Northern Ireland — RIT entered the Friendship Four allowing just 2.0 goals per game.
Miami racked up four and gave up zero en route to an opening-round win.
The RedHawks beat RIT, 4-0 at SSE Arena on Friday, and advances to the championship game, in which they will play Union College at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
RECAP: Just 2:38 into the first period, Miami drew net to take the lead. Nicholas Mikan won a boards battle, fired a shot on net that was saved and Ethan Hay slid the rebound from the top of the crease back to Bradley Walker, who whipped a wrister home from the right faceoff circle.
Ilia Morozov put the RedHawks (9-4) ahead by two with 5:33 left in the opening frame, ripping a one-time feed by fellow Russian Vladislav Lukashevich past Tigers goalie Jakub Krbecek from nearly the same spot.
Matteo Giampa essentially sealed it with 3:04 remaining by lifting a shot the length of the ice and into the empty net.
Doug Grimes tipped home another ENG on a Casper Nassen shot with 1:15 left in regulation to cap the scoring.
STATS: Morozov took the top spot outright on Miami’s goal leaderboard with his seventh of the season. His 12 points are third-best on the team.
It was the second point and the second goal of Walker’s career. He missed six games earlier this season due to injury.
Giampa scored his sixth goal of the season and his third in four games.
Grimes’ goal was his fourth.
Mikan’s assist was his first career point. Hay, his linemate, also picked up a helper on the Walker goal, notched his second point in three games and his eighth of the season.
Lukashevich was credited with two assists and has six points in five games, including four assists. He leads all defensemen with 14 points. Deputy extended his team-best points streak to four games (2-4-6).
Nassen, Kocha Delic and Ryder Thompson also earned assists. Delic leads the RedHawks with 16 points.
Matteo Drobac stopped all 23 shots he faced to record his ninth win of the season and his second shutout.
— The last time the RedHawks won a neutral-site game was against Denver in The Pod on Dec. 17, 2020. MU blanked the Pioneers, 3-0 in that contest.
Miami last won a tournament game on Oct. 13, 2018 in the consolation game of the Ice Breaker in Erie, Pa. That score was also 3-0.
The last time Miami won above the 54th parallel? Also a shutout, 4-0 at Alaska on Dec. 1, 2012.
ANALYSIS: Miami was a little sloppy at times in the first period, especially early, but still controlled play and buried its chances.
The RedHawks continued to take the game to RIT for the majority of the middle frame.
Miami dodged a major surge late in the second period, when RIT dominated a power play and had the puck whiz past the Miami net several times, but it never found twine.
That seemed to rejuvenate the Tigers, who carried that momentum into the closing minutes of the stanza and drew another minor.
But the RedHawks created an excellent shorthanded chance late and carried their two-goal lead into the final stanza.
Miami took the first 10 shots of that period but RIT generated nine of the final 10.
The game was pretty even in the first portion of the third period. The Tigers were fully engaged during that period and had several quality chances to cut into their deficit but could not find the net.
— What. A. Blast. By. Morozov. Holy cow.
Very few players in college hockey are capable of scoring on an uzi like that. And if we haven’t mentioned it recently, Morozov is 17 years old.
— Drobac played one of his best games of the season. Zero rebounds allowed. Always in the right position.
One of, if not the, best game he has played all season, and he’s played every minute in net for the RedHawks thus far in 2025-26.
— Loved the jump from the fourth line and the improvement by Mikan, who had four shots on goal last Saturday and was rewarded with his first career point in this game.
LINEUP CHANGES: Just one: Thompson returned to the lineup after missing the last two games with an LBI. He placed Nick Donato, who was scratched for the first time this season.
STANDINGS: Miami improved to 7-0 in non-conference play this season. The RedHawks jumped from No. 29 to No. 19 in the NPI as of 10 p.m. EST.
FINAL THOUGHTS: With six early non-conference wins against an independent and two teams in the lowest 10th percentile of the NCAA, Miami is still struggling to earn respect, but this decisive performance should assuage doubts about the RedHawks Version 2025-26.
And this was a complete team performance — all four lines, all seven defensemen and obviously Drobac contributed to the win.
But a 20th-ranked Union team that slaughtered Sacred Heart, 8-1 in the other opening-round game stands in Miami’s way, setting up quite a final.
A win for the RedHawks means a long-sought addition to the Goggin trophy shelf and almost certainty of a national ranking. A loss means some doubts will likely continue as to whether this team is deserving of a ranking in the Division I polls.
View From the Glass 