In the biggest series the Miami RedHawks have played since 2015, they delivered the biggest win in quite a long time on Friday night. Miami clawed back from two deficits to defeat the defending national champion Western Michigan Broncos 3-2 in overtime at a standing-room-only Goggin Ice Center, improving to 17-8-2 and now 5-0-2 in extra time.
David Deputy scored twice, including the overtime winner, while Kocha Delic opened the scoring in the first period. Matteo Drobac was outstanding again, stopping 30 of 32 shots and keeping the RedHawks alive during long stretches where the Broncos absolutely dominated the offensive zone.
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Western Michigan outshot Miami by a wide margin for most of the night (32-16 margin), but once the RedHawks tied the game in the third period, they flipped the momentum. Miami dominated the neutral zone, held extended offensive zone time, and nearly won the game in regulation before the Broncos’ goaltender, Hampton Slukynsky, forced overtime after a late push from the RedHawks.
The Broncos will look back at this one knowing it is one they should’ve had. They surrendered two odd-man rush goals in regulation, then the two-on-one that ended the game in overtime. For a team that usually closes out games when leading late, this was uncharacteristic of them.
Miami, meanwhile, found itself in unfamiliar territory. The RedHawks had not trailed late in the third period since the Arizona State series. Their response showed how far this group has come.
RedHawks Kept Pushing
Offensively, the RedHawks generated very little most of the night, but once they tied it up in the third, they looked every bit like a team capable of beating a national contender.
Miami head coach Anthony Noreen explained how the group grew into the moment.
“Yeah, I thought we got better as it went for sure. I think the game kind of settled in a little bit. There are nerves. You walk out, and it is that atmosphere, and you are playing the defending national champion. I think it is really healthy for our group to feel these moments and feel what those games are like and feel what that atmosphere is like. Not many have been in that before. The program has not been in that in a long time.”
He added that his team’s best hockey came in the third period.
“In the second period, when we started winning some of the 50/50s and creating some second and third chances, now there was some confidence going. By far the best hockey we played was down the stretch in the third. You get it tied 2-2, and we had some really good looks. They keep coming. They have skill from top to bottom, speed from top to bottom. We play a very similar game as each other. It is a battle of wills; who is going to break first.”
True Depth Tested
Miami’s depth has been a strength all season, but Friday demanded even more than usual. The RedHawks lost defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich for the entire third period and forward Ethan Hay late in the second.
Noreen emphasized how significant those losses were and how well the group responded in both groups.
“Yeah, obviously two huge pieces for us. As big as it gets. We are hoping for the best for both of them. Some guys stepped up. Blake Mesenburg stepped up big time tonight in the center role. On the back end, there are a bunch of guys you could point to.
I thought Shaun McEwen, that was his best game by far. He really stepped up and ate a lot of minutes when Vladdy went out. Nick Donato, you could go up and down. All six of those D. Vladdy plays 25 to 30 minutes a night for us, so when he goes out, those guys go. I thought they did a really good job with those minutes. Hopefully, we get both those guys back.”
One of the standout performances came from McEwen, who delivered a perfect assist on Deputy’s four-on-four goal to tie the game and played his most physical yet disciplined game of the season.
“Drafted him when he was 15. Played for us (Tri-City) when he was 17. He was a seventh or eighth defenseman on a really good team, and every time he came in, he did whatever we asked him to do. Ate pucks, stepped up, fought, and earned his way into the lineup. He was a captain the next year. A captain the following year. That is a kid who is going to give you every single bit of everything he has every single night. If you are going to go down, win, lose, draw, you are going to do it with guys like that.”
Deputy praised McEwen as well.
“Yeah, I mean, Q is one of my best friends. The way he played tonight and the last few games, you see why he is the player he is. It was a four-on-four. Ilia made a really hard play out of the zone. It was a two-on-one, and I just thought, ‘I have to get to the back post here.’ He put it right to me, right on my tape. Pretty easy goal.”
Deputy Bounces Back
Deputy’s night could have unraveled after a costly mistake late in the first period. However, he didn’t let it dictate the rest of the game whatsoever.
Midway through the game, Deputy took a 10-minute misconduct after flipping the puck out of play in frustration following an offsides whistle. Noreen acknowledged the mistake but praised the response from his dynamic freshman forward.
“Yeah, he owed one. And then after the first one, I said, ‘Okay, you owe another one.’ Big-time players make big-time plays in big moments. He got behind them in the first. He had a couple of looks there in the third. Really good response. Things are going to happen. How do you respond? He was not happy with that. Obviously, we need him on the bench, but to come back and do that and finish that one at the end, that is one I will probably never forget.”
Deputy owned his mistake postgame.
“Yeah, that penalty is just not me. That is not the player I want to be. Emotions were running high, and I kind of had a mental lapse. Honestly, I was not really trying to shoot it out of the rink. It kind of caught an edge. But nevertheless, that cannot happen. I am just glad I was able to bounce back and help the team win because I felt pretty bad about what happened, but obviously it ended on a good note.”
Deputy also broke down the overtime winner, which came on another odd-man rush after an outstanding backcheck. It was his 13th goal of the season, and he leads the team in that category.
“Honestly, I was more worried about them scoring. We had a two-on-one going back the other way, and I got a pretty lucky stick on it. I looked up, and it was me and Delic, and that is a pretty good player on the other side of me. I was really thinking about passing it, but I did not pass up a shot, and it went in.”
With Friday’s win, Miami has set us up for an even bigger one Saturday night, with the RedHawks now up to 18th in the NPI and remaining fifth in the NCHC standings. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 PM EST at Goggin Ice Center.
