Feb. 26, 2010

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By Drew Davis

OXFORD, Ohio - A flurry of second-period action lit up the scoreboard as No. 2 Miami defeated Ohio State 6-2 in front of packed house for Senior Night in the final regular-season home game of the year.

Six different RedHawks scored in a game that defined balance with players from all four lines contributing to a goal. Jarod Palmer, Andy Miele and Vincent LoVerde each tallied a goal and an assist.

"Everybody contributed tonight," head coach Enrico Blasi said. "We have confidence in every line. All season it seems like somebody different stepped up or they all had it going at the same time. Tonight was one of those nights in the second period where everyone had it going at the same time."

Palmer, honored as a senior in pregame ceremonies, said the atmosphere from the spirited crowd gave the team more confidence.

"I don't know if I've ever been more excited for a game," he said. "You could feel the excitement in the air. The fans were even excited for warm-ups."

After a scoreless first period, Miele opened the floodgates in the second period with an unassisted goal at 1:21 of the second period. As Ohio State tried to clear the puck after a Miami attack, a Buckeye defender misplayed a pass and Miele turned back up the ice, making the steal right in front of the OSU net. Before Ohio State goaltender Dustin Carlson could corral loose puck, Miele flipped it up into the top of the net for the 1-0 lead.

Ohio State evened the score at 1-1 at 3:28 of the second period. Reichard initially made the save, but the rebound got away from him and Sergio Somma was able to bury it for the equalizer.

Miami regained the lead just 25 seconds later at 3:53 of the second when sophomore Trent Vogelhuber found the back of the net off a pass from junior Pat Cannone. Senior Dane Hetland earned the second assist on the play.

Juniors Justin Vaive and Tommy Wingels scored the next two goals for the RedHawks at 9:01 and 11:14, respectively, to push the Miami lead to 4-1.

Palmer, the leading point-scorer for the RedHawks, lit the lamp on a power play at 14:18 of the period for his 16th goal of the season. He topped the 40-point mark for the season when he assisted on LoVerde's goal just 17 seconds later, giving the Red and White a 6-1 lead.

"When we get going, we're hard to stop," Palmer said. "It's fun to be a part of that."

Ohio State concluded the scoring at 18:04 of the second stanza to make it 6-2, Miami.

Reichard stopped 33 shots, matching his career- and season-high for saves in a game. He improved his national-best winning percentage to .841 (17-2-3).

Vogelhuber emphasized the importance of continuing to stay focused as the season winds down.

"We need to go up and end the season on a win," he said about Saturday's regular-0season finale at Ohio State. "We want that Ft. Wayne regional. We have to keep the momentum going and carry it into the playoffs."

The RedHawks wrap up the regular season with a trip to Ohio State Saturday at 8 p.m.