Miami Stun Top-Seeded UMass in Overtime for a Ninth Straight MAC Title
Nine in a row. Miami just don’t lose MAC finals.
The RedHawks beat top-seeded UMass 2-1 in overtime in Oxford, Ohio on Saturday, winning a ninth consecutive MAC Tournament title. UMass came in as the regular-season champions and the favourites. Miami didn’t care.
It was Miami’s 11th straight appearance in the MAC final, and they’ve now won all nine of those title games in a row. That’s the kind of streak that stops being a run and starts being a fact of life in the conference.
UMass had earned their place the hard way, beating Kent State 4-1 in Thursday’s semifinal. Miami got past James Madison 1-0 in theirs. But finals are their own thing, and Miami have made a habit of winning them.
The win takes Miami into the NCAA Tournament, with the bracket revealed on Sunday night. UMass will have to wait on an at-large pick, and on their season they’d deserve one. But the auto bid belongs to Miami, again.
For our money, Miami are the team nobody wants to draw in the first round. A side that wins nine straight conference finals doesn’t blink in knockout hockey.
