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Earning its 28th victory of the year by a 2-1 margin over Ohio State University gave the Redhawks more wins than any other team in school history. Both the 1992-93 and 1996-97 teams held the previous mark at 27.
Miami now trails the University of Michigan by just one point for the top spot in the CCHA.
"For the most part, I thought we did a good job keeping them to the outside," said junior goaltender Jeff Zatkoff. "Ohio State likes to shoot from everywhere, but we contained them and eliminated their chances."
The victory was Zatkoff's 23rd of the year, setting a new record for the most victories by a Miami goalie in a single season. He is now tied with Michigan's Billy Sauer for the most wins by a goaltender in the country.
Ohio State came out firing on all cylinders and lit the lamp just 59 seconds into the game to grab a quick 1-0 lead. The early deficit was all too familiar for the 'Hawks, who, prior to their most recent series against Western Michigan University, fell victim to a string of slow starts.
During their four-game winless streak against Michigan and Ferris State University, Miami allowed its opponent to score first each time they took the ice. This streak included two first periods in which the 'Hawks were outscored 4-0 by the Wolverines and 3-0 by the Bulldogs.
This time, however, Miami was able to overcome its early game woes.
"They were able to score early but we didn't focus on that," said senior forward Alexandre Lacombe. "We knew there was no need to panic; there was still 59 minutes of hockey left."
One factor that allowed the RedHawks to recover from their disastrous start was the mental toughness of their goaltender.
"We let it slide off and put their goal behind us," Zatkoff said. "For me, I just tried to forget about it and shut the door from there on out."
Zatkoff did just that, closing the door of Miami's cage by turning away 31 of the 32 shots he faced all night.
Lacombe knotted the affair at 1-1 with just over four minutes remaining in the first period. Junior defenseman Kevin Roeder began the play, wrapping the puck around the Buckeyes net to freshman Justin Vaive. Vaive's initial shot deflected off of OSU goaltender Joseph Palmer right to Lacombe, who slammed home the equalizer.
"Roeder and Vaive are animals in the corners," Lacombe said. "They protect the puck so well; I was just able to finish it off."
Miami junior Brian Kaufman appeared to have given the 'Hawks took a 2-1 lead with just 58 seconds remaining in the second stanza, shooting the puck past OSU's outstretched goalie. The goal was waved off, however, as referee Kevin Hall booked Miami senior captain Ryan Jones for goalie interference.
Five minutes into the third period, freshman Andy Miele stole the puck from Ohio State's Jason DeSantis and passed it out to sophomore Jarod Palmer who was waiting in the crease. Palmer netted his eighth goal of the season just under the Ohio State crossbar to finish the scoring on the evening.
"We played a disciplined game tonight," Lacombe said. "Guys were blocking shots, we kept things simple and tried to work them down-low. It obviously wasn't a high-scoring game but that's the type of hockey we'll be seeing down the road."
Down the road for the Red and White are the CCHA playoffs. The 'Hawks are intensely preparing for the battles that lay ahead of them during the postseason.
"In playoff hockey, you have to be ready to play 60 minutes," said Miami Head Coach Enrico Blasi. "You also have to be ready to go through some adversity. Every game will be tight and the team that responds best to situations usually has success."
The RedHawks have proven to be a team that responds well to adversity, rallying back from a 5-3 deficit late in the third period against the University of Michigan Feb. 9 to tie the game.
Miami has now won three games in a row since their daunting four-game winless streak.
Before they can look toward the postseason, however, the RedHawks have to take care of business Friday at Steve Cady Arena as they close out the regular season with the completion of a home-and-home series against Ohio State.
A win would keep Miami's hopes for a regular season conference title alive; the 'Hawks need two Michigan losses to Ferris State in addition to a victory of their own to capture the CCHA crown.
