Oxford, Ohio — It has been said that there’s no substitute for experience and, while that phrase doesn’t always hold true, it seemed that the Miami RedHawks took the old adage quite literally on Saturday. Despite having 14 freshman on the roster this season, it was the elder statesmen of Oxford that made the biggest impact in a win over the University of Maine.
Senior forward Anthony Louis notched his third goal of the weekend to start the scoring, then added an assist on the first of captain Louie Belpedio’s two power-play goals en route to the 5-0 victory.
“The first one was a little lucky, I think,” Belpedio said through a chuckle. “But we had two good screens. [Josh Melnick] and [Carson Meyer] were in front of the net on each of those.”
Belpedio’s two goals were remarkably similar. Both came from the high slot on the man-advantage and occurred just minutes apart from each other. Thanks in large part to those entries from the experienced portion of the RedHawks roster, the home squad was able to break the game open with five goals in a 27-minute span through the middle of the contest.
“It’s always important when your leadership is leading the way and everybody else seems to follow,” Miami head coach Enrico Blasi said of his upperclassmen. “I thought they did a great job all weekend.”
Belpedio boasts a 3-3-6 line through five games, while Louis has one less goal for a total of five points, good for second and third in team scoring, respectively. But that’s not to say the fresh faces on Miami’s roster didn’t contribute – first year players like Gordie Green and Jared Brandt were frequently featured on special teams units and Meyer registered three assists on the evening.
“I thought our younger guys did a great job of knowing their role,” Blasi added. “We had a number of chances that were the result of their hard work.”
Goaltender Ryan Larkin put in a solid effort, too. The freshman from Clarkston, Mich., turned aside all 33 shots he saw Saturday, including a sprawling pad-save in the waning seconds of the game that sealed the win and his first collegiate shutout.
“Oh, we hung him out to dry with just 10 seconds left,” Belpedio exclaimed. “Fortunately, he was able to make the save and get his first shutout.”
Larkin acknowledged the fault with a smile, but was quick to give the guys in front of him credit for the win.
“I was giving the guys a hard time about that one,” the freshman said. “But Grant Hutton made a good play there on the 3-on-1, and our defense was huge in front of me [all game]. They did a really good job tonight.”
The RedHawks (2-1-2) extend their unbeaten streak to four games with the win, and will continue their homestand next weekend when Bowling Green comes to town. The Black Bears (3-2-1) will travel to Hamilton, N.Y., to take on Colgate University in a two-game series.
NCHC results
Colorado College 4, New Hampshire 3
Nick Halloran’s second goal of the game, a power play goal at 4:33 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie and gave Colorado College the win at New Hampshire on Saturday evening.
No. 6 Denver 3, Michigan State 1
Denver, ranked No. 6 in the latest USCHO poll, completed a weekend sweep of Michigan State with a 3-1 win in East Lansing, Mich. Junior goalie Tanner Jaillet’s .950 save percentage was the difference in Saturday’s contest.
No. 1 North Dakota 5, No. 18 Bemidji State 4
Top-ranked North Dakota built a 5-1 lead, but had to survive a three-goal onslaught from No. 18 Bemidji State to hold on for the 5-4 victory. Five players registered two-point games as the Fighting Hawks completed the sweep at home.
