Whew, that was not what anybody expected to start this season. Miami opened the 2026-27 season with a 3-0 loss to Northern Michigan on Friday night in Marquette.

Three players scored their first collegiate goals: freshman Coster Dunn (SH), freshman Darik Olson (PP), and sophomore Ian Engel (EN).

By far the best player on the ice was Northern Michigan goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, who stopped all 30 shots he faced. The RedHawks peppered him with 11 shots in the third period alone, but they could not solve him.

Miami actually finished with a higher expected goals total than Northern Michigan, 2.5 to 1.4, but Auyeung-Ashton, known as “OAA,” was the difference-maker.

“It was kind of a choppy game where it never really felt like we got into much of a rhythm until the third period,” said head coach Anthony Noreen.

According to College Hockey News metrics, Auyeung-Ashton faced 13 shots from the CLOSE range area, meaning Miami generated several quality chances but failed to capitalize, especially in the third.

“They do a really good job protecting the interior, and that’s what really good hockey teams do. They’re a big, physical team. I thought they did a great job blocking shots (20), and they did a really good job not allowing many second chances because either their goalie made the first save or they were able to get a body on it,” said Noreen.

Power Play Woes

The RedHawks went 0-for-6 on the power play, and the issue wasn’t simply that they failed to score. They also struggled to generate quality chances for much of the first two periods.

Most disappointing was a seven-minute power play that carried over into the second period. Instead of Miami capitalizing, Northern Michigan broke through first. Near the end of the extended advantage, Coster Dunn scored his first collegiate goal shorthanded to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

“We’ve got to find a way, at the very minimum, to generate momentum on our bench. That seven-minute power play wasn’t just about not scoring. Those guys have to turn the page quickly, and the guys who aren’t on the ice have to stay engaged through that long stretch,” said Noreen.

“We’ve got to execute better and get to the interior more. Those are huge moments in the game. When you’re on the power play, you’ve got your five best players on the ice. They’ve got to find a way to break the other team down, execute, and make a play.”

Even without David Deputy, Vladislav Lukashevich, and Timmy Runtso in the lineup, there are no excuses for an 0-for-6 performance on the power play. It has to be better on Saturday. Keep drawing penalties and make it happen.

Undisciplined Play

This is where I’m most disappointed. Every time Miami seemed ready to build momentum in the third period, an unnecessary penalty halted it. This has got to be cleaned up.

Ilia Morozov’s boarding penalty, Matous Kucharcik’s game misconduct for fighting/grabbing the facemask, and Bradley Walker’s contact-to-the-head penalty were all undisciplined plays. When you’re trying to erase a two-goal deficit late in the game, those mistakes are killers.

Injury Updates

Timmy Runtso is out with an undisclosed injury and has not skated recently in practice. David Deputy is dealing with an upper-body injury, according to Jeff Middleton.

Additionally, according to Miami radio broadcaster Greg Waddell, Vladislav Lukashevich was a late scratch after an issue occurred during pregame stretching before the team hit the ice.