For the first time since the 1997-98 campaign Miami scored 10-plus goals as it dominated its first-round game at the Lefty McFadden Invitational 12-1 against the Air Force Falcons. The RedHawks test their strength tomorrow night in the championship against CCHA foe Bowling Green.
The loss was the worst for Air Force since the 1996 Denver Cup when the Falcons lost to Maine, 12-5. It was also the worst loss in head coach Frank Serratore’s history.
Miami started its onslaught of goals early in the first period when senior Nick Jardine stole the puck in the neutral zone and moved in untouched for his first goal of the season at 6:33. No more than two minutes later at 8:08 but junior Mike Kompon ran the RedHawks lead up to 2-0 with his first goal of the season.
On its third power play, Miami struck when junior Greg Hogeboom ripped a shot over the shoulder of Air Force’s Mike Polidor at 14:38. Sophomore Todd Grant added one more goal, of the power-play sort, to the RedHawks’ cause before the end of the period when he tallied his second career goal with only 54 seconds on the clock.
Already looking up at a four-goal deficit entering the second period, Air Force wiped out the shutout when sophomore Ross Miller scored with a slapshot through traffic at 8:51. The goal was only Miller’s second of his career.
Miami renewed its four-goal lead when freshman Chris Michael netted his first career goal at 10:08. He scored after the puck came loose in front of the net, and wristed the puck into the upper corner of the net for his milestone goal. Vince Pulera netted his first career goal only 16 seconds later when junior Ben Tharp found him wide open on a 3-on-1.
The barrage continued in the third period as the RedHawks tacked on six more goals to come away with a final victory of 12-1. Tallying goals in the third frame for the Redhawks were Kompon, Jardine, Pulera, senior Matt Medvecz and freshman Pat Levendusky. Levendusky netted his first career goal at 7:01 in the third period, and became the RedHawks fourth player in the game to score two goals when he capped off the scoring with Miami’s 12th goal at 19:48.
Stopping 13 Air Force shots in net for the RedHawks was senior goalie David Burleigh. The victory is Burleigh’s 41st career win and gives him the title of all-time winningest goalkeeper at Miami.
The win moves the RedHawks into the championship game of the Lefty McFadden Invitational against Bowling Green.
