Last night was an evening for a Miami war party as they clinched the MCHL
regular season title. But tonight, the Indiana Hoosiers were fighting
back to try to nab second place in the conference (go Dayton!) and get a
bye in next weekend's MCHL tournament.
They did so in fine fashion, toppling Miami 4-3 in a hard-fought game
that went right down to the wire.
It was another goalie show, as IU's Alex Kyrias stopped 37 shots in
getting the win, and Miami's Brian Frierchs made 24 saves in the loss.
IU finishes the regular season 14-6, and 7-3 in the conference. Miami
concludes 9-1 in MCHL play.
Didn't see much of the early part of the game...broadcast disasters...our
control board flaked out and after a long sprint to a hardware store for
a new phone line, we thought we were back on the air right before the
game. But we realized the board was the problem, so we weren't...12
minutes later I was calling play-by-play through a telephone reciever.
More on the b-cast later.
When I did finally get on the air and start watching the game, the
Hoosiers looked like an inspired team...much more into the game than the
sluggish team we saw on Friday.
But Frierchs kept making the big saves, until IU defenseman Doug
Schliebner got free at the top of the left faceoff circle and fired a
hummer into the top shelf and IU led 1-0 13:11 into the game.
IU went ahead 2-0 early in the second period when Ryan McMahon created a
Miami turnover in the slot and then fired a blast on goal, which Frierchs
stopped. But the rebound came right to Gary LaBarge at the top of the
crease, who slid it under Frierchs for his 7th goal of the year (in 10
games).
Then things got interesting. With 4:29 left in the second period, Miami
tried a routine dump-in and line change. But IU intercepted the dump-in
on the far side from the benches and Geoff Heddle fed Bryan Lore, who had
the entire Miami defense beaten. So did Jim Viscardi, who darted to the
net and tapped Lore's pass in...3-0 IU.
The 3-goal cushion got precarious really quick, as MU's Andy Loughnane
scored :15 later, and then Steve Williamson scored a goal early in the
third to make it 3-2 IU.
IU held the lead until they got a powerplay early in the third, which
they took advantage of on Gary LaBarge's second goal of the game...a
tuck-in which I really didn't have a good view on.
Miami got a power play shortly thereafter and apparently had scored a
goal of their own, but it was ruled kicked in, so the 4-2 IU lead stood.
But the lead only stood for 47 seconds, when Loughnane flipped the puck
over Kyrias' right shoulder to make the score 4-3. MU buzzed the net for
most of the rest of the third period, but IU's defense kept the play in
the corners and in the Miami end...and held on for a 4-3 win.
Both teams will next be in action next weekend at the MCHL tournament in
Bloomington...along with Ohio State, Dayton, Bowling Green, and Purdue.
Times and pairings will be posted as soon as they are announced.
No boxscore tonight...just the lines
Miami Redskins 0 1 2 --3
Indiana Hoosiers 1 2 1 --4
Shots on goal...Miami 40, Indiana 28
BTW, for those of you who didn't listen...the first-ever IU hockey radio
broadcast was a diaster...our board didn't work and we did the game via
phone. Let me rephrase that...I did the game solo over a phone reciever.
And with a vantage point that allowed me to see little going on to the
left of the goal in the opposite end. But it wasn't bad...considering
the circumstances. It'll be a while before I become voice of the Bruins,
though :->.
------------Go IU Hoosiers-----------------------Go Boston Bruins----------
Andrew Smith Ph--812-857-1658 [log in to unmask]
IHL Mailing List back on-line! Email for details
----Support IU Hockey--going to ACHA nat'ls (14-6)--MCHL Trny this wknd----
Outside of the killings, (DC) has one of the lowest crime rates in the US.
--Marion Barry
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