Miami holds off Buckeyes  in CCHA quarterfinal

RedHawks will head to Detroit to play No. 7 Michigan on Friday night in the semifinals.

Miami University's Curtis McKenzie (left) camps out in front of Ohio State goaltender Dustin Carlson on Sunday night, March 14, at Steve Cady Arena in Oxford. The host RedHawks won the game and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament series 2-1. Contributed photo by Robert Leifheit

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By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer Updated 7:34 AM Monday, March 15, 2010

OXFORD — The road leads north for Miami University’s hockey team.

The RedHawks fought off visiting Ohio State on Sunday night, March 14, then were able to turn their eyes toward “The Joe,” otherwise known as Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Connor Knapp collected 22 saves in goal as MU edged the Buckeyes 2-1 at Steve Cady Arena, winning the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament quarterfinal series by the same margin.

“It means a lot,” said Miami coach Enrico Blasi, whose top-seeded squad will meet No. 7 Michigan in the CCHA semifinals Friday (likely at 8:05 p.m.) in Detroit. “The last five years, we’ve had the most wins in the country, and we’ve only been to Joe Louis once. That’s how hard it is to get there.”

Cameron Schilling and Alden Hirschfeld both scored to give the RedHawks (26-6-7) a two-goal cushion against eighth-seeded Ohio State (15-18-6), yet the Buckeyes refused to go away.

C.J. Severyn cut the gap to 2-1 with 5:40 remaining, and Miami weathered a furious OSU storm down the stretch.

“It wasn’t to be, but it wasn’t for lack of trying,” Ohio State coach John Markell said. “It was really a game of cat and mouse. We knew they were going to come out and push. We figured the longer it would go being tight and we lived through it, we’d give ourselves a chance.”

Blasi said the Ohio rivalry affair was what he expected.

“It’s do or die, Game 7 if you will, and I thought both teams played their hearts out,” Blasi said. “I don’t know if you can ask anything more of either team. We just happened to get one more bounce than they did.”

Cody Reichard has been 1A and Knapp 1B on the RedHawks’ goaltending list all year, though Blasi said Knapp is making the coaches think about that order.

Knapp watched Reichard go the distance Friday and Saturday, then took his turn in the spotlight Sunday.

“Coach told me to stay ready,” Knapp said. “I go about my day the same no matter if I’m playing or not, so it wasn’t that hard going in there.”

The sophomore from York, N.Y., said he expected OSU’s late surge. He praised Miami’s execution at crunch time.

“I think we can execute with confidence even when it’s getting a little crazy out there,” Knapp said. “I think our preparation was a big part of our win tonight.”

Dustin Carlson totaled 22 saves in goal for the Buckeyes. MU had a 24-23 edge in shots, with Ohio State earning a 21-14 advantage in the last two periods.

Tommy Wingels notched two assists for the RedHawks, who were 5-1-1 against OSU this season. Vincent LoVerde and Schilling added one assist apiece.

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