Recap: Miami hockey splits first NCHC series against St. Thomas Tommies

The Miami University hockey team took the ice for game one in the first weekend of National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) play against the conference newcomer, the St. Thomas Tommies, Oct. 30-31.

Underneath the surface-level importance of the first conference matchup of the season was the return of former RedHawks head coach, Enrico Blasi.

Before the starting lineups were announced for Miami, fans at Goggin Ice Center gave a standing ovation for the man who helped build “The Brotherhood” into what it’s known to be today. During the first media timeout, Blasi was honored with a video tribute. 

But outside the festivities, a tight-checking game and a late goal gave the RedHawks a win 2-1. 

The puck was dropped to begin Halloween weekend, and just 36 seconds into the period, freshman defenseman Timofei Runtso scored his first collegiate goal.

A shot from the center of the blue line hit a defender who was following senior forward Matteo Giampa across the netfront, and the puck bounced in. Sophomore forward Kocha Delic and freshman forward Matouš Kucharcík registered the assists on the play. This marked each of their respective sixth and seventh points in seven games.

Runtso’s tally was Miami’s first opening-minute goal since Justin Stupka scored 16 seconds in against Ferris State University on Oct. 4, 2025.

The RedHawks gathered a few chances before St. Thomas’ first shot on goal after a turnover from Miami freshman defenseman Branko Vukas. Junior goaltender Matteo Drobac was forced to make a flashy glove save to keep the game in favor of the home squad. 

St. Thomas and Miami went back and forth until Delic took a holding penalty with 8:07 remaining in the period, giving them their first power play of the game. Halfway through the man advantage, Miami sophomore forward Bradley Walker tripped a Tommie in the middle of the ice, drawing a call from the referees and sending Miami to a 5-on-3 penalty kill.

With three seconds remaining in the first penalty to Delic, Tommies senior defenseman and co-captain Chase Cheslock received a pass in the left circle of the offensive zone. A fake shot sent Miami sophomore forward Ethan Hay spinning, and a couple of short strides into the middle of the ice gave him an opportunity. Drobac, who was screened in front, wasn’t able to react in time, and St. Thomas tied the game 1-1 with their first NCHC goal.

Neither team connected through the final six minutes of the first period, leaving the game tied 1-1 as they went into the locker rooms. 

As the second period began, St. Thomas drove the puck by the Miami forwards and defense after the opening face-off. Miami freshman defenseman Cal Huston tried to get the puck away, but he missed and hit Altrichter’s legs, sending him to the box for tripping just seven seconds in.

Right as the penalty expired, fifth-year forward Quinn Rudrud took a hack at Drobac as he froze the puck. Runtso took exception and cross-checked him up high. The two were both sent to the box just 2:10 into the period, and the teams played 4-on-4 until they were sent back on the ice. 

Sophomore defenseman Bauer Berry received a holding penalty with 5:37 left in the period, but the Tommies responded by not allowing the RedHawks any quality looks at the net on their first power play of the game. 

Both teams entered the final period 1-1, with shots 22-12 in favor of the RedHawks. 

With 1:26 gone in the final period, Runtso added another penalty to his tally. St. Thomas freshman forward Andrew O’Neill gathered speed up the wing and beat the freshman defenseman outright. A swing of Runtso’s stick at an angle missed everything but O’Neill’s legs, putting Miami back to the penalty kill.

The RedHawks killed the penalty, which featured a huge block by sophomore defenseman Ryder Thompson in the dying seconds that kickstarted a puck recovery and breakout. 

Morozov skated the puck up the ice and was badgered from behind by Van Vliet, who, after a couple of hacks, received a penalty for hooking.

With 7:16 remaining, St. Thomas sophomore forward Nathan Pilling was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding on Miami sophomore forward David Deputy.

Miami worked through the first minute and a half of the extended power play with a few shot attempts, but nothing notable on net. Then, a puck fell behind Ingemann and rolled toward the goal line. St. Thomas senior defenseman Mason Poolman with 5:40 remaining in the game and 3:25 remaining in the power play found it and made a goal line save to keep the game tied. 

However, just over two minutes later, Grimes slammed home a rebound for his first goal of the season and a 2-1 Miami lead.

“It just feels good to just help the team out and get a win,” Grimes said. “All these games at NCHC are super important. So to come away with three (total) points and not let it get to (overtime) is huge for us. Every point matters.”

The Tommies didn’t let up, especially with the extra attacker, but a couple of saves by Drobac, a clearance by Loomer and a last-ditch defensive zone puck pin along the wall by freshman defenseman Cal Huston sealed the win for the RedHawks.

Grimes was awarded first star of the game with the game-winning goal, while Kucharcík followed him with two assists as second star. The Tommies’ goaltender Ingemann finished as the third star with 32 saves on 34 shots. 

The RedHawks only allowed 16 shots, a strong mark for the defense. A 15-save performance from Drobac, where he saw only four shots on goal in the third period (following two timely saves late in the second period on only six shots), can be more challenging than meets the eye.

“In a game where there weren’t a lot of massive chances, those aren’t the easiest games because sometimes you’re going a lot,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “Those were as big moments of the game as any from him.”

Despite a scoreless second period that was a dogfight between two highly competitive and highly physical teams, the RedHawks weren’t deterred.

Instead, they used it as fuel. With a locker room that became familiar with what NCHC play brings to the table, a close, tight-checking game was just one of many to come moving forward through the season.

“We liked our game,” Noreen said. “We’ve got to get used to being in these tight games and trust everything we do since the second we’ve been here, that at some point you have to make them break.”

Game two

The puck dropped on Halloween night for game two between the RedHawks and Tommies, and within the first 19 seconds, Miami went to the power play. However, St. Thomas extinguished any threat, thanks to a couple of blocks high in the offensive zone.

With 12:30 left in the period, a turnover behind the net from Runtso gave the Tommies a grade-A chance in front, but Drobac extended his right pad twice for two important saves early in the game.

Just two and a half minutes later, the Miami fourth line created a couple of chances with loose pucks in front of the Tommies net. Sophomore forward Ethan Hay and freshman forward Layne Loomer used their chemistry to create a couple of chances. 

St. Thomas defenders lifted sticks, and sophomore goaltender Will Ingemann slapped away the loose pucks to thwart any second- or third-chance opportunities. 

One minute later, Miami collected one of its closest scoring chances, as a puck that hit bodies in front dribbled just past the unoccupied far post and wide of the net.

The Tommies received their first power play of the game with three minutes remaining in the first period. A too-many-men call put Miami down a man after the early offensive onslaught. 

With 1:35 left in the opening frame and 33 seconds on the penalty kill, Tommies sophomore forward Nathan Pilling found open space on the right side of the ice and slapped home a one-timer by Drobac. Just 48 seconds later, Pilling added on his second goal of the game, skating down the left side of the ice and firing a snipe past the short side shoulder of Drobac to put the Tommies up 2-0 before the end of the first. Hawkins and Kipkie gathered assists again.

Fewer than two minutes into the second frame, Miami junior forward Ryan Smith took a two-minute penalty for slashing. And with 16 seconds remaining on the man advantage, Pilling scored his third goal of the game, giving him a hat trick and the Tommies a 3-0 lead.

With 6:54 left in the period, Van Vliet received a pass up the middle from Cheslock, putting him on a breakaway. Instead of trying to stickhandle around Drobac, the sophomore forward just let the puck slide forward with his stick above it. Drobac slid with Van Vliet as the puck traveled under his left pad and into the net for a 4-0 lead. 

Through those first 15 minutes of the second period, Miami was under siege. The shot counter went from 21-9 in favor of the RedHawks to 25-21 Miami with just under three minutes remaining. 

St. Thomas skated to the locker room with a commanding 4-0 lead, and the RedHawks did the same with lots of work to do in a handful of departments. 

The home squad wasn’t scoring due to a lack of shot attempts or shots on net. Through two periods, Miami posted 53 shots attempts and 25 shots on goal, while St. Thomas threw 25 looks at the net and 21 shots made it on goal. 

The Tommies registered 14 blocked shots through 40 minutes, while Miami tallied just two. St. Thomas had 11 through the full 60 minutes of play in Friday night’s contests. 

With five and a half minutes gone in the third period, Miami had one of its closest chances of the night. Helledy fired a wrist shot from the blue line and it flew by the glove hand of Ingemann, glancing the outside of the post and echoing through Steve “Coach” Cady Arena. 

With 8:50 left in the game, Morozov tried to stop abruptly in the neutral zone with plenty of space, but he caught an edge in the process and fell over. He lost the puck in the process, and the Tommies took advantage, creating a shot off a 2-on-1 rush that required a miraculous save from Drobac to keep the game 4-0.

Van Vliet took a penalty for cross-checking on Delic with just over eight minutes left in the period, and Delic responded on the power play with 6:51 left in the period with a one-timer from the right side. The assists on the play went to Helledy and Giampa.

Lukashevich went to the box with 2:24 remaining for an interference penalty, and Miami pushed even shorthanded down three goals in the final five minutes, but Ingemann stood strong in goal and the Tommies came away with the program’s first win in the NCHC.

“I thought there were long stretches where we didn't let them over the red line, and we were on the attack,” Noreen said. “There was some good (through the game), but again, the game comes down in our league to moments, and there were moments that we broke or were undisciplined or lost our way, and they made us pay for it.”

The loss was the first since Miami’s first game of the season against Northern Michigan University. The team’s five-win streak was the longest in the nation.

And the loss wasn’t due to a lack of effort. The RedHawks posted 36 shots on goal and 72 shot attempts, including 11 shots on goal in the third period. 

“I think there were a lot of chances that didn't even hit the net,” Delic said. “I think honestly, a lot of our chances were of good quality. I think we just missed the net a little bit too much on our grade-A chances.”

Miami posted 70 shots across the two games, and Ingemann denied 68 of them for a save percentage of .971. As for Drobac, he allowed five goals on 39 shots for a save percentage of .871. And for him, the second game is an anomaly, despite the shots that hit the back of the net being almost impossible to stop for even the best goalies. 

For the players in the locker room, picking up their goalie after a tough night is the priority heading into their second conference matchup. They will continue to have faith in the player who has been nothing but a rock on the ice and a wall in the net.

“(Drobac) was our best player all of last year,” Delic said. “He's our best player on our team every single night. Maybe he wished he had a couple of those (goals) back, but like I said, he's been the best player through our first eight games. So, (we) just remind him that he's our guy, and he's going to keep kicking.”

The RedHawks hit the road to play the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs at 8:07 and 7:07 p.m. ET on Nov. 6-7, respectively, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minnesota.