GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Whether they came through breath-taking design or by luck, the Miami University RedHawks had no defense for North Dakota's dazzling display of offense tonight.

North Dakota scored a season-best six goals in routing the RedHawks 6-2 in front of a sellout of 11,662 at Ralph Engelstad, keeping UND (3-0-0 NCHC, 8-1-2 overall) tied for first place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with Denver and St. Cloud State, all at 3-0.

Sophomore center Nick Schmaltz's first goal of the season to cap a personal college high with a 4-point game wrapped up the scoring at 13:52 of the third period and left the fans and players buzzing. One fan commented after the that it had been years since he saw a better goal than the tic-tac-toe play to set up Schmaltz for his uncontested goal-mouth tap-in. Schmalz actually started the play, bringing the puck through the center zone. Before you could say Drake Caggiula three times fast, the puck moved from the sticks of Schmaltz to Brock Boeser to Caggiula, to defenseman Troy Stecher, and back to Boeser, who found Schmaltz cutting in front of the net for a tap-in past befuddled Miami goalie Jay Williams.

"I don't know how many passes were made,'' Schmaltz said, "but it was a nice play by everyone.''

Schmaltz and teammates on the ice with him said they didn't realize the beauty of the goal until they got to the bench. That's when they heard the "wows'' from teammates. It was the first goal in 11 games for Schmaltz, noted more as a playmaker.

"Just to see one go in, maybe it kind of breaks a barrier and hopefully pop a few more,'' Schmaltz said.

For pure beauty, that one surely topped a goal by Bryn Chyzyk late in the first period in which UND outshot Miami 13-4 and outscored it 3-0. Chyzyk attempted to cut to his right with the puck in the high slot, to bring the puck to his backhand. As Miami starting goalie Ryan McKay (10 saves, 3 goals in one period he played) started to slide across to his left to follow Chyzk, Chyzk lost control of the puck off his stick blade. McKay had no way to recover and the puck slid through his legs for the sixth of the season for Chyzk.

It was that kind of night for UND, and Miami, down 5-0 in the third period before a pair of power-play goals made the scoreboard more respectable.

North Dakota overwhelmed the RedHawks early. Defenseman Paul LaDue scored his first goal of the season on a right point shot at 3:26, just six seconds into a power play. It was the first power-play goal given up by Miami in nine games, which had killed 29 straight opposing power plays.

If that wasn't a stunner, what followed was. Rookie Boeser wheeled and fired a wrist shot past McKay just 20 seconds later at 3:46, staking UND to a 2-0 lead. The goal by Chyzyk closed a dynamite first period for UND.

Caggiula scored from in tight six minutes into the second period to make it 4-0, and rookie Rhett Gardner tipped a point shot by Stecher home at 19:43 of the period to make it 5-0. The goal was Gardner's second.

Rookie standouts Jack Roslovic and Josh Melnick scored on power plays for the RedHawks to ruin a shutout bid by UND goalie Matt Hrynkiw (19 saves), the former third-string goalie who ran his record as a starting goalie to 7-1-1. He played very well, his highlight stopping Miami ace Sean Kuraly on a second-period breakaway.

UND, ranked 3/4 the national polls, faced a ranked team (Miami, No. 17 in one) for the first time this season.

"I think our guys were ready to go tonight,'' UND coach Brad Berry said. "They knew what was in front of them. The intensity of the NCHC, how tough a league it is. They prepared themselves the right way all week. It was nice to see them get rewarded early in the game.''

Schmaltz wasn't the only UND player with a big scoring night. Like Schmaltz, Boeser recorded his career-best four-point game with a goal and three assists as well. Schmaltz, Boeser and Caggiula were named the game's three stars by the media, in that order.

UND Notes: "Those are special,'' Berry said of the bench reaction to the Schmaltz goal. "Those are things you like to see, that hockey purists like to see. How tight our game is in the NCHC, the Rhett Gardner goal (tip-in of point shot), those are most common goals you see.'' ... Miami was 2-of-5 on the power play with 7 shots, UND 1 of 4 with 5 shots ... Stecher, Gardner and Chyzyk led UND in shots on net with 4 apiece ... Schmaltz was UND's only plus-4 player in the plus/minus ratings ... UND won the faceoff battle 36-29, led by Schmaltz (12 of 19). His faceoff win set up LaDue's opening goal.

Virg Foss reported on UND hockey for 35 seasons for the Grand Forks Herald until his retirement. He's now in his 11th season of reporting on UND home games exclusively for UNDsports.com.