| PLAYER OF THE WEEK |
ANDY MIELE
Miami
Sr. | F | Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.
His Statistics: 2 GP, 2-7–9, +6 rating
His Impact: Miele was among Miami’s offensive stars in a white-wash weekend sweep of Northen Michigan. The RedHawks won 4-0 Friday night as Miele factored on all four goals with a goal and three assists. In Saturday’s 9-1 win over the Wildcats, Miele assisted on all three Miami first-period goals and finished the night with a goal and four assists.
Miele wasn’t the only offensive star for Miami. Linemate Carter Camper had eight points on the weekend. It’s pretty telling about Miami’s top line that Miele had a nine-point weekend at this early stage of the season and still trails Camper by five points for the team’s point-scoring lead.
His Runners-Up: Sam Brittain, Denver; Brian Flynn, Maine; Brock Higgs, Rensselaer; Dan Morrison, Canisius
The INCH Player of the Week is brought to you by The INCH Shop.
| STICK SALUTE |
Let’s set the stage during the third period of Saturday’s game between Boston College and Notre Dame in South Bend. The Irish led 2-1, and were short-handed with about 13 minutes to play. BC’s only goal of the game came on the power play in the first period. Notre Dame’s Riley Sheahan stole the puck during the penalty kill and was hooked down by BC’s Tommy Cross, with 1:45 remaining in the original BC power play. The referees awarded a penalty shot to Sheahan, but Notre Dame’s coaching staff took advantage of a rules stipulation and turned down the potential penalty-shot opportunity in favor of having Cross serve the two-minute minor. That allowed the Irish to play even-strength, 4-on-4 hockey for the next 1:45 against the talented Eagles, and wiped out their power-play chance. Notre Dame held on for the 2-1 victory.
This week’s stick salute goes to the Notre Dame coaching staff, not just for being aware of that rule book opportunity and interpretation, but having the guts and savvy to make that call in that situation. Coaches can make game plans, in-game adjustments, and prepare teams every week to compete, but in-game results are primarily dictated by players. Notre Dame’s coaches gave their players the best opportunity to win in the last 13 minutes of Saturday’s game, and they defeated the nation’s top-ranked team.
| BENCH MINOR |
To inadvertent skate blades, specifically the one attached to a Northern Michigan player’s boot that nearly turned Miami defenseman Will Weber into a Pez dispenser Saturday during the first period of the RedHawks’ 9-1 over the visiting Wildcats. The wayward blade left Weber, who spent Saturday night in a Cincinnati hospital, with a nasty gash running from his chin to just below his ear that took 100 stitches and 15 staples to close. On Monday, teammate Justin Vaive tweeted a photo of Weber’s wound for the world to see.
| SAY WHAT? |
“It’s a ridiculous way to decide a game.”
That from Michigan State coach Rick Comley to the Lansing State Journal’s Neil Koepke following the Spartans’ 2-1 shootout loss (or 1-1 tie for the non-CCHA world) to Alaska Friday. Comley was enraged after referee Keith Sergott waved off a shootout goal scored by MSU’s Dean Chelios. Sergott, according to Comley, ruled that “[Chelios] stickhandled backwards … and once the puck stops going forward, it’s dead.”
That rules interpretation seems incongruous to just about every shootout we’ve seen, but we’re just a bunch of writers who never would have implemented the shootout in the first place.
| RANKINGS OUTRAGE |
At first glance, it’s not outrageous that Minnesota Duluth garnered a couple of first-place mentions in this week’s voter-driven polls—the Bulldogs are 5-0-1. We feel that UMD is among the country’s top teams, but the best in the land? Not so fast. The combined record for UMD’s first five opponents is an underwhelming 4-15-2. We’ll have a better gauge of the Bulldogs in about five weeks after they’ve played North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Denver.
| TWEET OF THE WEEK |
@MaineIceHockey Thank you fans for all the support this weekend!!! It made a huge difference. Our team REALLY appreciates it!!! The crowds were amazing!
Maine’s weekend sweep at home over North Dakota established the Black Bears as a legitimate top-10 team this season. From all reports out of Orono, the campus and community were particularly charged up for the visit by the Sioux, and Alfond Arena was rocking. If Maine keeps its momentum, Hockey East foes will once again fear their trips to face the Black Bears.
