In the biggest series the Miami RedHawks have played since 2015, they earned their biggest win in a long time on Friday night. Miami rallied from two deficits to defeat the defending champion Western Michigan Broncos 3-2 in extra time at a standing-room-only Goggin Ice Center, improved to 17-8-2 and now 5-0-2 in overtime.
David Deputy scored twice, including the extra-time winner, while Kocha Delic opened the scoring in the first period. Matteo Drobac was outstanding again, stopping 30 of 32 shots and keeping the RedHawks alive during long stretches where the Broncos absolutely dominated the offensive zone.
Related: Miami’s Ilia Morozov Climbs the 2026 NHL Draft Boards
Western Michigan defeated Miami by a wide margin (32-16 margin) for most of the night, but when the RedHawks tied the game in the third period, they reversed the momentum. Miami dominated the neutral zone, maintained an extended offensive zone time and nearly won the game in regulation before Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky forced overtime on a late push by the RedHawks.
The Broncos will look back on this knowing they should have had this. They gave up two odd-man rush goals in regular regulation, followed by the two-on-one that ended the game in overtime. For a team that usually closes out games when they take the lead too late, this was uncharacteristic of them.
Miami, meanwhile, found itself in uncharted territory. The RedHawks haven’t trailed late in the third period since the Arizona State Series. Their response showed how far this group has come.
RedHawks kept pushing
Offensively, the RedHawks generated very little for most of the night, but once they tied the game in the third, they at least looked like a team capable of beating a national contender.
Miami head coach Anthony Noreen explained how the group grew in the moment.
“Yeah, I definitely thought we got better as we went along. I think the game settled down a little bit. There are nerves. You walk out, and it’s that atmosphere, and you’re playing against the defending champions. I think it’s really healthy for our group to feel these moments and feel what those games are like and feel what that atmosphere is like. Not many people have been in that before. The program hasn’t been in that for a long time.”
He added that his team’s best hockey came in the third period.
“In the second period, when we started to get some of the 50-50s and create some second and third chances, there was some confidence now. By far the best hockey we played was in the third period. You get a 2-2 tie and we’ve been looking really good. They keep coming. They’ve got skill from top to bottom, speed from top to bottom. We play a very similar game to each other. It’s a battle of wills; who’s going to break first.”
True depth tested
Miami’s depth has been a strength all season, but Friday early was even more so than usual. The RedHawks lost defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich for the entire third period and forward Ethan Hay late in the second.
Noreen emphasized how great these losses were and how well the group responded in both groups.
“Yeah, obviously it’s two big pieces for us. As big as it can be. We’re hoping for the best for both of them. Some guys have stepped up. Blake Mesenburg played a big role tonight in the center role. At the back, there’s a couple of guys you can point to.”
I thought Shaun McEwen was his best game by far. He actually stepped up and ate a lot of minutes when Vladdy went outside. Nick Donato, you could go up and down. All six of those D. Vladdy play for us 25 to 30 minutes a night, so when he goes out, those guys go out too. I thought they did a really good job with those minutes. Hopefully we get both guys back.”
One of the standout performances came from McEwen, who provided a perfect assist for Deputy’s four-on-four goal to level the match, playing his most physical yet disciplined game of the season.
“Drafted him when he was 15. Played for us (Tri-City) when he was 17. He was a seventh or eighth defenseman on a really good team, and every time he came in, he did everything we asked him to do. Ate pucks, stepped up, fought and earned his way into the lineup. The next year he was a captain. draw, you’re going to do it with guys like that.
The deputy also praised McEwen.
“Yeah, I mean, Q is one of my best friends. The way he played tonight and the last few games, you can see why he is the player he is. It was a four-on-four. Ilia was playing really hard outside the zone. It was a two-on-one, and I just thought, ‘I have to go to the back post here.’ He put it straight to me on my cassette tape. Pretty easy goal.”
Deputy bounces back
The alternate’s night could have unraveled after a costly mistake late in the first period. However, he didn’t let it determine the rest of the match.
Midway through the game, Deputy committed a 10-minute misconduct after knocking the puck out of play in frustration following an offside whistle. Noreen acknowledged the mistake but praised the reaction of his dynamic freshman forward.
“Yeah, he owed one more. And after the first one I said, ‘Okay, you owe one more.’ Big players play a big role at big moments. He came behind them in the first. He had a couple looks there in the third. Really good response. Things are going to happen. How do you respond? He wasn’t happy about that. Obviously we need him on the bench, but to come back and complete that at the end, I’ll probably never forget that.”
The substitute acknowledged his mistake after the match.
“Yeah, that punishment is just not me. That’s not the player I want to be. Emotions were running high and I had a bit of a mental lapse. To be honest, I wasn’t really trying to shoot him out of the rink. It got an edge. But still, that can’t happen. I’m just glad I was able to bounce back and help the team win because I felt pretty bad about what happened, but it obviously ended on a good note.”
The substitute also ended the overtime winner, who was once again the odd one out after an excellent backcheck. It was his thirteenth goal of the season and he leads the team in that category.
“To be honest, I was more worried about them scoring. We had a two-on-one going the other way, and I got a pretty lucky stick on it. I looked up and it was me and Delic, and that’s a pretty good player on the other side of me. I really thought about passing him, but I didn’t let a shot go by and it went in.”
With Friday’s win, Miami set us up for an even bigger Saturday night, with the RedHawks now ranked 18th in the NPI and remaining fifth in the NCHC standings. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 PM EST at Goggin Ice Center.
#Takeaways #Miamis #Win #Western #Michigan #Hockey #Writers #NCHC #Latest #News #Analysis