HARTFORD, Conn. - UConn junior Zac Robbins (Glenview, Ill.) finished with a goal and an assist to help lead the Huskies to a 4-3 win Saturday afternoon over Miami University to earn a weekend sweep over the RedHawks at the XL Center.
The Huskies now 5-6-3 on the season, earn their first home weekend sweep since the season opening series in 2016 over Alabama Huntsville. Miami heads back home after falling to 4-8-3 on the year.
Robbins scored his first goal on the season and also set up classmate Brian Rigali (Libertyville, Ill.) for a third period goal. Senior Alexander Payusov (Montreal, Quebec) scored in the first period while freshman Yan Kuznetsov (Murmansk, Russia) provided what was the game-winner on the power play in the third period.
Senior Benjamin Freeman (Falmouth, Maine) and sophomore Jachym Kondelik (Budejovice, Czech Republic) each had a pair of assists.
The Huskies outshot the RedHawks again on Saturday, 35-27, while scoring on their only power play chance of the day. Sophomore goaltender Tomas Vomacka (Trutnov, Czech Republic) made 24 saves to earn the win.
Miami's John Sladic finished with a pair of goals in the loss while rookie goaltender Ben Kraws made 31 saves.
1st Period:
The Huskies and RedHawks traded goals in the frist period with Miami jumping out to a 1-0 lead at 11:27. Keeping possession in the Husky zone, the puck worked around to Alec Capstick at the high point, who fired on net. Sladic had position in the lost area and was able to get a stick on the shot, redirecting past Vomacka for his third on the season.
The Huskies had an answer at the 16:37 mark as Payusov scored his third of the season. Kondelik carried into the zone and shoveled a shot on Kraws at the right post. The goaltender made the stop while Kondelik fought his way around the back of the net, found the rebound and fired again into a sprawling Kraws. Payusov collected that rebound and buried it to tie it at 1-1.
2nd Period:
It looked like a scoreless, defensive period was in order in the second before the Huskies struck at 16:40 to jump up 2-1. Freshman Carter Berger (N. Vancouver, British Columbia) sent Freeman up through the neutral zone on a break out. Freeman fed a streaking Robbins who beat the defense up the right wing then goaltender Kraws at the right post, five-hole, for his first of the year.
3rd Period:
Miami responded out of the second break and pulled the game even at 2-2 just 3:10 into the third. Derek Daschke gather a rebound and fed Monte Graham in the slot for a one-timer, his third goal on the season.
The Huskies again got a boost from their offense in the third period to grab control. UConn scored back to back at 4:06 and 5:48 to go in front for good. On a break-out of their zone off a face-off, Robbins carried into the Miami zone and fed the puck back to a trailing Rigali who snapped a shot past Kraws for his fourth this year and a 3-2 lead.
UConn got their only power play chance at 4:37 and capitalize by getting the puck on net. Coming off a face-off in the Miami zone, the puck cycled to Kuznetsov at the high point and the freshman ripped a shot that missed just wide and off the back boards. The puck came back on Kraws, who just misplayed it and saw it deflect off his stick and in for a 4-2 UConn lead.
Miami got back within one at 13:15. Just as their power play chance expired, the RedHawks came up with a pretty tic-tac-toe goal. From just outside the left circle, Karch Bachman played it to the right circle to Chase Pletzke who one-touched to Sladic on the left dot who put it home on an empty net, his second of the night, to pull within 4-3.
Up Next:
The Huskies jump back into Hockey East play to close out the first half of the season next weekend as the Vermont Catamounts pay a visit to the XL Center for a weekend series.
