The plot thickened Saturday in the race for the CCHA title, as No. 10 Miami (19-11-4, 16-7-3 CCHA) improved its unbeaten streak at Goggin Ice Arena to eight games with a 5-2 win over Western Michigan (16-15-4, 12-12-3).
With No. 5 Michigan getting swept on the road at Notre Dame, the RedHawks are within two points of the Wolverines heading into the final two games of the regular season.
Similar to the first game of the series, the RedHawks got on the board first with a power-play goal at 8:23 in the first period. Senior Greg Hogeboom ripped a shot from the point that was stopped by WMU goalie Scott Foster, but sophomore Matt Davis was there to pound home the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.
The Broncos evened the score, 1-1, with a power-play goal of their own at 10:16 off the stick of Paul Szczechura. Both Ryan Mahrle and Jeremy Cheyne assisted on the goal that was Szczechura’s ninth of the season.
Senior Derek Edwardson put the RedHawks back on top, 2-1, with a power-play goal at 4:48 in the second frame. Assisting on Edwardson’s 17th goal of the season were senior Mike Kompon and sophomore Andy Greene.
The trading of goals continued when Mike Jarmuth scored the game’s fourth power-play goal at 8:34 to draw Western Michigan even with the RedHawks, 2-2. Jarmuth scored on a laser from the point after Vince Bellissimo fed him a cross-ice pass. Also assisting on the goal was Dana Lattery.
Miami got a jumpstart heading into the second intermission when Kompon gave his team a 3-2 lead with his 10th goal of the season at 11:27. Kompon, with the puck on his backhand side, slipped through several defenders and managed to flip the puck into the top shelf as he was being tripped in front of the net. Hogeboom assisted on the Kompon marker.
The goal must have been just what Miami needed as Hogeboom padded the lead, 4-2, with his 16th goal of the season only 1:13 into the final period. Hogeboom was on the receiving end of a beautiful pass from freshman Andy Nelson, who slipped the puck to his linemate on a 2-on-1 break. Assisting for his fourth point of the night was Kompon.
Miami’s fifth goal, which never actually went in the net, was credited to freshman Matt Christie at 18:17 in the third stanza. With Western Michigan’s net empty, Christie broke through the neutral zone with an open shot on goal.
WMU’s Bellissimo tripped him at the blueline and instead of being awarded a penalty shot, the referee awarded Christie the empty-net goal instead. Credited with assists on Christie’s team-leading 19th goal of the season were Edwardson and freshman Marty Guerin.
The RedHawks dominated much of the game, holding a 16-1 shot advantage in the first period and a final tally of 39-20. Freshman Brandon Crawford-West earned his 17th win between the pipes by stopping 18 shots, while Foster suffered the loss for the Broncos with 34 saves.
