Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Miami
Hockey Falls To Miami (Ohio), 5-3
1/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 31, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State hockey team took a seven-game unbeaten streak into Friday night's game against the Miami (Ohio) at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich., but the squad could not extend its unbeaten streak to eight contests as Miami defeated MSU, 5-3.
MSU Head Coach Rick Comley felt his team's lack of energy led to the streak's end.
"We just did not work hard enough," said Comley "That is the first time in a long time if felt that way."
MSU was eight seconds away from overcoming an early penalty call on sophomore Kevin Estrada, but the Red Hawks didn't let them off the hook. As the penalty time ticked down, Miami forward Greg Hogeboom did what he does best when he notched his 14th power-play goal of the season at 3:44 of the first period. Hogeboom's goal came when he took a lead pass from Chris Michael and skated in alone on Miggliaccio. Migliaccio made a spectacular save on the initial shot, but when he couldn't locate the rebound the relentless Hogeboom effortlessly tapped the puck into a wide open net giving the RedHawks an early 1-0 lead.
Just 1:06 later, the resilient Spartans came right back with a power-play goal of their own at 4:52 of the opening stanza. Senior Brian Maloney was rewarded for his tough play in front of the net when he fired a loose puck past RedHawks netminder David Burleigh to tie the game 1-1. Maloney's seventh goal of the season was assisted on by seniors John-Michael Liles and Brad Fast.
Miami regained the lead at 15:57 of the first period when defensemen Stephen Dennis tallied his third goal of the season. Dennis' well-guided slap-shot found its way through a host of players and just past Migliaccio's outstretched left pad to put the Red Hawks ahead, 2-1.
Before MSU could tie the game again, RedHawks center Mike Kompon took a feed from Hogeboom at the top of the right face-off circle and blistered a slap-shot past Migliaccio to make it 3-1. The goal marked the second straight tally by Miami's top line of Hogeboom, Kompon and Pat Levendusky.
The Spartans had a slew of chances throughout the second period, but Burleigh had an answer for every one. However, MSU's power play proved to be too much for the RedHawks netminder to handle. The RedHawks were penalized for having too many men on the ice at 17:35 of the second and less than a minute later at 18:20 their two-goal lead shrunk to on when sophomore Brock Radunske notched his seventh goal of the year. The senior tandem of Liles and Fast set up the Radunske goal with a few tape-to-tape passes, the last of which found Radunske's stick. Standing just inside the left face-off circle Radunske blew a slap-shot past the motionless RedHawks netminder.
Cheers of "Lets-Go-Spartans" reverberated throughout Munn during the third period. As the cheers grew louder a Spartan goal seemed inevitable, but Miami dashed any hope of a comeback when Michigan native Andy Greene navigated his way through the Spartan defense and unloaded a wrist-shot into the right corner of the Spartan goal, giving his team a 4-2 lead at 11:05 of the third.
Comley thought his team was never really able to get their usual momentum going.
"We just never seemed to get into a rhythm," said Comley. "The game had a feel like you were fighting from the beginning."
Down 4-2 with 1:34 left in the game, Comley pulled Migliaccio, and the extra skater paid off. At 19:01 sophomore Mike Lalonde rejuvenated the complacent crowd when he flipped a back-hander over Burleigh's right shoulder and brought the Spartans within one again at 4-3. Radunske and freshman Colton Fretter were credited with assists on the score. However, the RedHawks turned back MSU one last time at 19:54 of the third when Mike Kompon slid the puck the length of the ice and into an empty net for his second goal of the night and a 5-3 RedHawks victory.
MSU (14-10-2, 10-7-1 CCHA) and Miami (15-11-2, 9-9-2 CCHA) will face-off again tomorrow evening (Feb. 1), at 7:05 p.m., at Munn Ice Arena.
"Miami outworked us tonight and that was the difference," said Radunske. "We need to come back tomorrow night with everything we got."
