No. 6 Denver extended its unbeaten streak against Miami to 20 games, but not without a fight by the RedHawks.
The Pioneers scored the final three goals en route to a sweep of No. 19 MU, 5-2 in the series finale at Magness Arena on Saturday.
Miami (10-6) hosts Colorado College next weekend.
RECAP: Like Friday, Denver (11-5-1) took the lead before the four-minute mark.
The Pioneers’ Hagen Burrows carried the puck from the left point into the slot and whipped it inside the stick side post just 3:02 into the contest.
But with 7:06 left in the opening frame, Miami’s Owen Lalonde carried the puck from his own goal line into the offensive zone and dropped a pass to trailer Matteo Giampa, who snuck a laser from the top of the right faceoff circle inside the far post to tie the score.
Denver (11-5-1) regained the lead on a one-time blast by Eric Jamieson that beat Miami goalie Matteo Drobac blocker side 5:16 into the second period.
Miami again tied it when a loose puck pinballed through the crease and ended up on the stick of Max Helgeson, who fired it home on his forehand from the left side of the net with 8:30 left in the middle stanza.
The Pioneers went ahead for the third time, 3-2, on a shorthanded spin-a-rama short-side shot from the right faceoff circle by Brendan McMorrow with 3:26 left in that frame.
Twice Denver had potential fourth goals waved off, one for goalie interference and the other because there was no clear view of the puck crossing the goal line.
But Kyle Chyzowski finally put the Pioneers ahead by two for good with a power play goal that hit a Miami defender at the top of the crease with 3:42 left in regulation, and Sam Harris sealed it with an empty netter 68 seconds later.
STATS: Giampa leads the RedHawks with nine goals, including six in his last six games.
He has scored more times than any Miami skater all of last season (Colby Ambrosio led the team with seven tallies).
Helgeson snapped a seven-game goal drought after scoring six times in the first eight games of the season.
Casper Nassen earned the primary assist on that goal, his sixth point in his last seven contests, and Shaun McEwen picked up the secondary helper, his third collegiate point.
Lalonde was scratched the first 11 games but has dressed for the last five and picked up his second assist on Giampa’s snipe.
ANALYSIS: Denver came out sticks-a-blazin to start this game and took the lead early, but the Pioneers were awarded a power play soon after and Miami killed it, which seemed to take away DU’s momentum.
The RedHawks played very well the second half of that frame and went into intermission tied at one.
Miami was solid in the second period, and the teams traded goals early, but when the RedHawks finally earned their first full two-minute power play, not only did they do bupkis offensively, they allowed a shorthanded goal that gave Denver the lead.
MU hung with DU during most of the third period, but a Ryan Smith cross-checking penalty gave the Pioneers a power play with four minutes left, resulting in the fourth Denver goal.
LINEUP CHANGES: None. This is the fourth straight game Miami has dressed the same 19 skaters and two goalies.
STANDINGS: Miami dropped to 2-6 in the NCHC and remain in last place with five points, two behind eighth-place Colorado College.
As of midnight EST, the RedHawks had dropped to No. 21 in the NPI rankings, the replacement for the PairWise.
FINAL THOUGHTS: While Miami is much better overall defensively than last year, this young team still makes its share of egregious unforced errors. And that’s not limited to the defensemen.
The RedHawks got away with their share in Belfast, but teams like Denver take advantage more often, and teams like Denver also are a lot harder to come back against when you’re chasing the game, as Miami was all weekend.
More to come late Sunday…
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