The only non-ENG was a Denver shot that deflected off a Miami skate and under the crossbar.
That was all the offense the No. 7 Pioneers needed, as they tacked on a pair of empty netters to seal a 3-0 win over the RedHawks in Game 1 of a best-of-3 series in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff quarterfinals at Magness Arena on Friday.
Matteo Drobac stopped 33 of 34 shots for Miami, which has lost seven of its last eight games, with six of those defeats coming against top-10 teams.
Game 2 is at 8:07 p.m. on Saturday.
RECAP: Denver netted its critical goal at the 9:21 mark of the first period, as Cale Ashcraft whipped a pass from the left point to the right faceoff dot for Clarke Caswell, who settled it momentarily and had his shot partially deflected by the blade of Kyle Aucoin’s stick and over the shoulder of Drobac.
Miami’s best chance to tie it came late in the third period on a one-timer by Kocha Delic, but DU goalie Johnny Hicks slid across his crease to deny it with his pad.
Rieger Lorenz tacked on an empty netter from center ice with 1:29 remaining, and Eric Jamieson sealed with another ENG — this one from the side of his own net — to cap the scoring.
STATS: Drobac stopped 33 of 34 shots, raising his save percentage to .914. He has played all 15 of Miami’s games this calendar year and has a save percentage of .936 in that span.
— The RedHawks only took one penalty and were 1-for-1 on the penalty kill, their second straight perfect game on the PK.
— It was Miami’s 11th straight loss in postseason play, with five of those L’s coming in this building. The RedHawks were swept by the Pioneers in the quarterfinal round in both 2022 and 2023.
— Want some good news? The last time Miami (18-15-2) was shut out in the playoffs was in Game 1 of a best-of-3 quarterfinal series against Michigan State in the final season of the CCHA (prior to its reincarnation) on March 15, 2013.
The RedHawks rallied to win the final two games that year and ultimately advanced to the NCAA regional finals.
ANALYSIS: The opening minutes were painfully choppy, but long whistle-less stretches were a regular theme most of the night.
It was a solid first period for Miami. MU took an early penalty but had a quality kill and carried the momentum into the next couple shifts.
Denver (22-11-3) controlled much of the second half of the frame, but the RedHawks finished with a strong shift and nearly tied it in the closing seconds.
The second period was pretty evenly played, with Miami struggling mightily on its only power play and Denver seemingly feeding off of that, but the RedHawks finished the stanza strong.
It felt like MU was actually the better, fresher team in the final 20 minutes (shots were 9-9) and spent as much time in the offensive zone as the first two periods combined, but the RedHawks just couldn’t get a shot through.
Open ice was hard to come by all 60 minutes, as both teams were excellent defensively overall.
Which meant…
— There really weren’t a ton of quality chances by either team the entire game.
Both Drobac and Hicks were very good, but neither faced a ton of Grade-A chances, a testament to the defensive effort of their respective teammates.
— I’m good with the officials only calling two penalties all game, and none in the final 30 minutes. A probably would-be call against both teams was let go in the third period.
It was a physical game with lots of clean, quality hits, but certainly not a particularly contentious one, so I thought they did a fantastic job letting the teams play.
— In terms of individual play, Delic seemed to have the puck on a string all game. He finished with three shots on goal.
Bradley Walker took the early penalty but dished out at least four big hits.
Could say this most nights, but loved the game by Ethan Hay, who may need the entire off-season for his bruises to heal.
LINEUP CHANGES: Only one. Justin Stupka dressed up front in place of Nicholas Mikan, who reaggravated an LBI.
STANDINGS: Miami is down to its final lifeline. The RedHawks’ next loss will end their season, and they need to win back-to-back nights in Denver just to advance to the next round, which would likely require a return trip to Grand Forks.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a playoff game that felt like a playoff game.
Lots of back-and-forth action, long stretches between whistles, great puck movement and lots of hitting.
Denver deserves a ton of credit. The Pioneers are more talented and controlled play the majority of the game, and while DU may have gotten lucky on its go-ahead goal, it held Miami to maybe three quality chances all night.
This is a tough loss for MU, but RedHawks Hockey Nation should be proud of the effort by this group.
The RedHawks hung with a Denver team that has won two of the last four national titles and racked up 52 points in 24 conference games this season.
If Miami maintains the same energy the rest of the weekend, they still have a chance to sneak out of Denver with the series win.
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