Latest:

MiHockey

Your Hockey – Our Hockey – MiHockey

College For Fans Slideshow 

Czarnik’s three assists lead RedHawks to win

MiHockey Staff
Washington, Mich. native Austin Czarnik's three assists led the RedHawks to a 4-1 win Saturday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena. (Dave Reginek/DRW)

By Brian Kalisher –

DETROIT – Pride and a chance for third place in the CCHA tournament were on the line for two Ohio squads that made their presence known throughout the postseason. Yet it was a Michigan native who made the difference in the contest.

The Miami RedHawks topped the Bowling Green Falcons 4-1 to earn third place in the CCHA playoff standings Saturday afternoon at JLA.  Washington, Mich., native and RedHawks freshman Austin Czarnik had three assists, while Reilly Smith had a goal and two assists to extend his point streak to ten games. Ilitch Humanitarian award winner Cody Reichard had 21 saves to lead Enrico Blasi’s team to victory.

“I thought we were opportunistic in our chances tonight,” Blasi said.  “Obviously, when you have [Czarnik] who can change the momentum of the game, it’s a big thing to have on our team.”

Smith said that the biggest change the RedHawks had to make since their loss last night was to the mental part of their game.

“Obviously, we kind of just had a different mindset today,” junior captain Reilly Smith said.  “We really focused on slowing the puck down and letting Bowling Green come to us and then feeding off of that and finding the open man.

Now the RedHawks will focus their attention toward the NCAA tournament.

“Yesterday we were kind of forcing the puck too much, so we’re happy with the result today and hopefully we get a pretty good seed,” Smith said.

The RedHawks jumped out ahead first when freshman Alex Wideman beat BGSU goaltender Andrew Hammond, compliments of junior Steven Spinell and New Jersey Devils’ property Blake Coleman at 6:51.

The game was nearly tied up with four minutes to go in the first when a Miami breakout pass was intercepted and senior goaltender Reichard was forced to bear down and make a quick save.

The single tally looked to be all the RedHawks could muster in the first frame until junior Joe Hartman netted a buzzer-beater, and his first goal of the year, at 19:59 to put his team up by two heading into the intermission.  Smith curled around the net and fed it out front to Hartman, who tapped it home.  Czarnik also assisted on the play.

Miami took the 2-0 lead into the dressing room after doubling up BGSU in shots 12-6.

The lone goal in the second frame also belonged to Miami.  Senior Chris Wideman bolstered his club’s lead with a power play goal when he fired a slap shot from the point that beat Hammond.  Smith and Czarnik assisted.

To pour salt into the wound, BGSU’s Marc Rodriguez was the recipient of a heavy, open-ice check put on by 6-foot-2-inch, 208-pound Spinell.

The Falcons biggest scoring chance came with four and a half minutes left in the second when a 2-on-1 opportunity went awry, as the puck missed its destination on a Falcon stick and floated into the corner.

Miami took their 3-0 lead into the second intermission, outshooting BGSU 25-11, and killing off the first minute of Brighton native Garrett Kennedy’s elbowing minor.

BGSU couldn’t capitalize on the remaining power play opportunity, while Hammond was forced to make two outstanding saves within the first two minutes of the third.

Things got chippy at 4:30 when Falcons netminder Reichard took exception to a BGSU player in his crease and gave him a whack on the shin pad for good measure.

BGSU wouldn’t finish the game empty-handed.  At 9:14, a centering pass deflected off a Miami player’s helmet and landed in front of senior Cameron Sinclair for the goal.  Freshman Connor Kucera and Trenton native Camden Wojtala assisted.

Miami struck back at 13:54 when a Spinell point shot resulted in a Smith tip-in.  Czarnik also assisted, earning his third helper of the afternoon, and making it 4-1 for the RedHawks.

That would be how the game would end, giving Miami a 13-0-1 record against BGSU in their last 14 meetings.

Blasi feels that playing tough competition in the CCHA has prepared his squad for a successful postseason run in the CCHA tournament.

“I think we’re ready,” Blasi said.  “I think we’re ready for the challenge, we’ll obviously see, a lot of things have to happen, but I think we’re ready to play.  We’ll take the week to study our opponent, prepare ourselves mentally and physically, and then we’ll see what happens.”