OXFORD, Ohio — Miami placed two speedsters with an ultra-skilled first-round NHL pick on its second line, and the results were immediate.
David Deputy scored a shorthanded goal and added three assists for a career-high four points to key a newly-assembled line that combined for seven points as Miami downed Alaska-Anchorage, 5-1 at Cady Arena on Friday.
The RedHawks, who have won four straight games following an opening-night loss, wrap up their weekend series against the Seawolves at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.
RECAP: Miami (4-1) took the lead with 8:01 left in the first period shorthanded when David Deputy stole the puck at his own blue line and fed Ilia Morozov, who carried the puck into the zone, eluding a defender along the half wall to create a 2-on-1, and played give-and-go with Deputy, with Morozov slamming a one-timer home from the top of the crease.
The RedHawks extended their lead to two less than three minutes later, as Deputy skated the puck in for a 2-on-1 and fed Ryan Seelinger, whose shot was denied by sprawling goalie Joey Rocha, but the puck sat at the side of the cage and out of sight of everyone on the ice except Deputy, who skated in and poked it into the net.
Deputy and Seelinger combined to strip the puck at the blue line, and Seelinger skated in and lightly shoveled the puck over Rocha while being heavily defended just 44 seconds into the second period to make it 3-0.
With 2:53 left in the middle stanza, Deputy led a 2-on-2 into the offensive zone, pulled up and centered a pass to streaking trailer Shaun McEwen, who ripped a shot from the high slot that was stopped by Rocha, and Ethan Hay slammed in the rebound from the left side of the net to extend Miami’s lead to four.
David Helledy netted the RedHawks’ fifth goal with 10:59 left in regulation, roofing a wrister, high to the short side from the left faceoff dot.
Alaska-Anchorage (1-6) scored its lone goal with 5:09 remaining when Jacob Terpstra centered a pass from behind the Miami net to Drew Hockley, who settled the puck and buried a wrister from the inside edge of the right faceoff circle.
STATS: Deputy’s tied his career high of three points last week against Robert Morris, and he broke it tonight with a 1-3-4 line.
His goal was his first of the season, he leads the team in assists with six and is tied for tops on Miami’s points leaderboard with seven.
Seelinger finished with a goal and an assist, giving him four points in his first five collegiate games.
— Defenseman Cal Huston dished for a pair of helpers, the first two of his NCAA career.
— Morozov scored his fifth goal of the season. No other RedHawks has more than two markers.
— Hay’s goal was No. 2 on the campaign, and it came on his second shot of 2026-27, giving him a 100 percent shooting percentage.
— Matous Kucharcik picked up an assist, extending his points streak to a team-best four games. He is 1-4-5 in that span.
McEwen also recorded a helper, his first point of 2026-27 and the ninth of his career.
— Miami has generated at least 30 shots on goal in all five of its games and has allowed fewer than 25 in each of them.
— Goalie Matteo Drobac has allowed exactly one goal in all of his last three starts, stopping 59 of 62 shots (.952) in that stretch.
ANALYSIS: Overall, this was a well-played game by Miami against an overmatched opponent.
It took a few minutes for the RedHawks to settle in, but they stymied the Alaska-Anchorage offense, holding the Seawolves to two shots on goal in the opening period.
Miami was up by four after 40 minutes, and the RedHawks dropped their guard at times in the third period, allowing numerous high-percentage scoring chances (UAA cashed in on one, ruining a potential Drobac shutout) and 10 SOG overall, after the Seawolves were held to nine shots in the first two periods combined.
But MU finished the final few minutes strong and appeared the much fresher team the last few shifts.
— Montreal second-round pick Tim Runtso made his Miami debut on Friday, and the defenseman was immediately dropped into the quarterback role on the top power play unit. After fumbling puck at the blue line that resulted in a near breakaway, he was outstanding the rest of the night, creating offensive chances and defending well.
— Kucharcik has been the biggest surprise of 2026-27 so far. He’s big, he can skate, he can elude, he can definitely pass, he went 9-2 on the dot Friday and he has points in a team-best four games.
— Drobac was excellent overall, and he had an interesting third period. After stopping just two shots in the first period and seven more benign attempts in the middle frame, he lost the blade of his skate and had to make a save without the ability to stand, and he turned aside to more would-be goals after losing his stick a couple of minutes later.
He had no chance on his lone goal against, beaten on a quality shot by a skater left all alone in front of his crease.
— Impressed by how all of the newest defensemen — some of which are massive — skate well. Huston, Branko Vukas and Jack Hamilton all move well.
LINEUP CHANGES: Runtso dressed for the first time this season, and Michael Phelan was scratched.
It was the first game the sophomore has not played since coming to Oxford in the summer of 2025.
And Miami played Drobac over Yegor Yegorov, who stopped 20 of 22 shots at Robert Morris last Saturday.
It sounds like defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich could be ready to play soon.
STANDINGS: In the all-important and way-too-early NPI rankings, Miami was 16th after all Friday games were completed.
Conference play for the RedHawks begins next weekend.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Except for the first few shifts and a few lapses in the third period, this was an impressive effort by the RedHawks.
Miami suffered through some early injuries and ran into a hot goalie on opening night, but the RedHawks are finally healthy and are playing outstanding hockey.
