Trent Vogelhuber notches one of his two goals for the Red and White in their game against Northern Michigan University Oct. 23. (MICHAEL GRIGGS | The Miami Student)
The fact that the Miami University hockey team swept the Northern Michigan University (NMU) Wildcats to start CCHA play is almost an afterthought following Saturday's action-packed contest between the two teams.
Miami scored nine times in Saturday's game, 9-1 the final, outscoring the Wildcats 13-1 on the weekend. Friday, the 'Hawks blanked the Wildcats 4-0.
Additionally, Miami defenseman Will Weber suffered a dangerous injury in the first period when a NMU player's skate sliced his neck. He was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati. The cut caused excessive bleeding, requiring a premature intermission to cut the ice. Weber was alert and in stable condition following the incident.
Friday's game got the series off to a good start with a beautiful display of goals from the Red and White. In the first period, senior captain Carter Camper found the back of the net for the seventh time this season, giving Miami an early 1-0 lead.
In the second period, Chris Wideman fed a pass to Andy Miele in the slot. In a swift Alexander Ovechkin-esque move, Miele dangled through the Wildcat defense and, while falling to the ice, slid the puck behind his back and past the NMU goaltender, putting the 'Hawks up by two.
In the third, the RedHawk scoring continued. Both Pat Cannone and Cameron Schilling found the back of the net to give the 'Hawks a 4-0 final.
Miami net minder Cody Reichard had 18 saves on the night to blank the Wildcats and the shutout was the eighth of Reichard's career.
Saturday, the RedHawks' scoring started early once again. Miami jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal from Vincent LoVerde just three minutes into the contest. Five minutes later, in a quick tic-tac-toe play, Miele found Camper in the slot. Camper hit Reilly Smith with a saucer pass and Smith tapped in his first goal of the night to put the RedHawks up by two.
In a scary moment with 2:59 remaining in the first period, Weber's neck was cut by the blade of a Wildcat skate in the RedHawks' defensive zone.
"We were worried about (Weber) coming into the locker room, but then we found out that he was alright," Miele said. "We told everyone to just stay focused and stick to the game plan. We came out right away and scored, so that definitely put a dagger in the other team."
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
The teams returned to play after the intermission and Cannone quickly buried a shot from the point. This gave the RedHawks a 3-0 lead and Cannone notched his 100th career point.
The second period started after a short two-minute break following the delayed conclusion of the first. Eighteen seconds into the second, Trent Vogelhuber, who also scored a second goal later in the contest, received a pass in the high slot from Justin Vaive, stick-handled through the Wildcat defense and beat NMU goaltender Jared Coreau glove side to put the 'Hawks up 4-0. Smith added his second tally of the night, the first short-handed goal of his career, to make it a 5-1 game. The third period was all RedHawks. Smith found the net for the third time in the game, scoring his first career hat trick and increasing the 'Hawks' lead to five.
"It's pretty exciting," Smith said. "I didn't think it was going to happen tonight, but I guess playing with veteran forwards like Andy Miele and Carter Camper you never know when stuff like that is going to happen."
Miele had four assists and a goal in the game, tallying his 100th career point and breaking his career-high for points in a game with five. Camper notched his fifth assist of the night on Miele's goal, reaching his career-high for points in a game as well. Camper now leads the nation in points, with 17 through only six games.
With three minutes left in the third, Miami net minder Ben Saksa entered the game for the first time in his career, receiving a warm welcome from the fans.
The RedHawks return to the ice Oct. 29 and 30 when they host Lake Superior State University.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.