Connor Knapp made 22 saves Sunday as #2 Miami held on to defeat Ohio State, 2-1. Facing little action in the opening stanza, the 6'5 Knapp was excellent in the final 40-minutes, making 20 of his saves while allowing a single Buckeye marker off a quick feed to a wide open C.J. Severyn. The York, NY native was particularly stout against a flurry in the closing minutes to earn the game's #1 star.
The win sends the RedHawks to Detroit next weekend for a CCHA semifinal match-up against surging Michigan. With Knapp stepping up after Cody Reichard's poor performance on Saturday, it would behoove Miami bench boss Enrico Blasi to, at the very least, extend his regular season logic of the Friday/Saturday rotation. Last year, Knapp and Reichard split duties before Blasi tabbed Reichard as the lead man for their run to the NCAA final.
In the WCHA, Brad Eidsness made 18 saves as North Dakota ended Minnesota's season with a 4-1 win in game three of the first round series. Backing a strong two-way effort by the Sioux, Eidsness shut the door after getting beaten early by a 30-footer through traffic to notch his 21st win of the year. North Dakota moves on to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul where they'll face Minnesota-Duluth in Thursday's 4/5 play-in. Corey Fienhage is expected to remain as the Sioux's #7 defenseman.
In Durham, Drew MacKenzie chipped in three shots on goal as Vermont stunned New Hampshire in overtime, 1-0. The sophomore defenseman had a good look in the final minute of regulation but was stopped by UNH netminder Brian Foster. Entering the Hockey East tourney as the #8 seed, the Catamounts grinded out back-to-back shutouts to knock out the top-seeded Wildcats and skate into Boston for Friday's semifinal match-up against Boston College.
Justin Jokinen did not play as Minnesota State saw their season end with a 3-2 overtime loss to St. Cloud State.
In the QMJHL, Luke Adam fired six shots on net but could not connect for goal #50 as Cape Breton closed the regular season with a 4-2 win over Bathurst. The big center, who missed a yawning net with four minutes left and another long attempt with the empty net as time expired, did earn an assist in the victory to finish with a career-best 90 points.
Jacob Lagacé opened scoring on the power play when he one-timed his 35th goal of the season past Titan netminder Francois Lacerte, while Maxime Legault took the Sunday day of rest as the confident Eagles completed a four-game winning streak to end the regular season. Finishing third in the Atlantic Division and seventh overall, Cape Breton will open the playoffs Friday in Moncton.
Elsewhere in the Q, Jordon Southorn was even with a fighting major as PEI defeated Halifax, 3-2 in overtime. Meaningless in terms of playoff implications, the chippy affair featured a total of five fights. The Rocket now face the tall task of winning a seven-game playoff series against the potent Saint John Sea Dogs.
In the OHL, Marcus Foligno was even as Sudbury lost to Ottawa, 3-2. The 6'3 grinder ends the regular season with career highs in goals (14), points (39), and PIM (156). Ryan Martindale ('10) posted three assists to lead the 67's. The Wolves move on to the playoffs where they'll face Nick Crawford and the CHL's #1 ranked Barrie Colts in the first round.
In the USHL, Mark Adams was +2 with an assist as Chicago downed Indiana, 5-4.
