February 5, 2012 - 2:05am
Michigan hockey sweeps Miami (Ohio) with 3-0 shutout
BY DAILY HOCKEY BEAT
The Michigan penalty-kill unit was called upon four times in the first period to halt the Miami (Ohio) man advantage. It responded, not just by shutting down the RedHawks, but also by scoring a goal of its own.
At the 7:17 mark, junior forward Kevin Lynch burst up the ice to start an attack. He found senior captain Luke Glendening, who made a beautiful cross-ice pass to junior defenseman Lee Moffie. Moffie easily hammered it passed RedHawk goaltender Connor Knapp. The shorthanded tally put the Wolverines up 1-0, a score that would hold for the duration of the opening period.
Hunwick was “a rock,” as Michigan coach Red Berenson likes to say, saving 13 shots in the first frame alone.
Moffie’s good fortune carried over to the second period. Junior forward A.J. Treais, celebrating his 21st birthday Saturday, fed a centering pass right to Moffie’s awaiting stick. Knapp couldn’t catch up to Moffie’s sweet finish, and the Wolverines led 2-0.
The Michigan defense buckled down for the remainder of the period, allowing just five shots total — a far cry from the 13 given up in the first. At the other end, the Wolverines maintained consistent pressure on the RedHawk net, firing off ten shots.
The penalty-kill unit’s success became a theme throughout the evening as Michigan took bad penalty after bad penalty, only to kill off each in rapid succession. With sophomore defenseman Jon Merrill’s return to the lineup last month, the unit has been up the upswing, allowing very few power-play goals.
In the third period, a Miami shot from the crease crossed halfway over the goal line, only to be snatched from the graces of the goal by fifth-year senior netminder Shawn Hunwick.
After an extensive review that confirmed the no-goal, junior forward Chris Brown pushed the puck through a RedHawk defender’s legs and dazzled Knapp to make it 3-0, which would hold final.
With one minute to play, a fight broke out and Brown joined senior defenseman Greg Pateryn in the locker room with a game disqualification. The referees had to physically drag players to the sin bin, with tempers flaring all over the ice.
It was smooth sailing from then on, as Hunwick held on to earn his fifth shutout of the season. The sweep provided the Wolverines with six much-needed points, as they gained ground in the CCHA race as teams up the ladder faltered.
