GRAND FORKS, N.D. --It didn't take long Friday night for Miami University hockey coach Chris Bergeron to know his Redhawks were in trouble.
 
University of North Dakota senior center Collin Adams finished a 2-on-1 break with linemate Jordan Kawaguchi just 14 seconds into the game with his backhand goal to ignite the fire in UND's 6-2 victory over Miami in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoff quarterfinals at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
The early goal by Adams, the fastest by UND this season, triggered a flurry of three goals in the opening five minutes, 36 seconds as league champion North Dakota (19-5-1) eliminated last-place Miami (5-18-2) and advanced the Fighting Hawks into the semifinals on Monday. Adams finished with his first career 5-point game (2 goals, 3 assists) and the first by a UND player since Mark MacMillan had 5 points on Oct. 18, 2014 at Colorado College.
 
"One of the things we wanted to do was have a quick start,'' UND coach Brad Berry said. "Our guys came out and got a goal right of the hop there.''
 
It proved to be an omen. UND is now 18-0-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the game. "This league is so tough, you have to try to play with the lead,'' Berry said. "It's so tough to chase the game. One of the keys we wanted to do was get off to a quick start. I thought we did.''
 
Kawaguchi had a big night himself. The Fighting Hawks' captain had a four-assist game, the most since Mark Senden had four assists in a game at Denver earlier this season.
 
Goals by freshman Louis Jamernik (first of his career) and another from Adams just nine seconds apart at 5:27 and 5:36 of the opening period proved to be too much for Miami to overcome.
 
"They know what to do when they see a team reeling,'' Bergeron said of North Dakota's lightning fast strike. "They started the way a championship team starts. They meant business.''
 
UND, winners of four of the eight NCHC Penrose Cups as regular-season champion, took the first step in pursuit of winning its first league post-season league title since 2011-12, then as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
 
Freshman Riese Gaber broke his string of 12 games without a goal with his 9th of the year as UND scored four goals on 10 shots in the opening period to build a 4-1 lead after one period.
 
Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker scored his third goal in the second period and freshman Brendan Budy his fourth in the last period to close out UND's big offensive night. Rourke Russell and Phil Kneis had the Miami goals.
 
Adams picked a good night to have an explosive offensive game. "Good for Collin. His career has been a up and down a little here,'' Berry said. "This year especially he's really elevated his play.''
 
Adams seemed happy to be in the playoffs after last year's playoffs were canceled due to the pandemic, with North Dakota carrying the No. 1 national ranking when the season was shut down nationally.
 
"Missing last year, it feels great to finally get to playoffs,'' Adams said. "You hear us saying 'unfinished business' all the time, so it feels good to finally get that going.''
 
UND outshot Miami 46-28 and went 0-4 on the power play. Miami was 0-2 with the man advantage.
 
NOTES
*ND won the faceoffs 39-26, led by Shane Pinto (16 of 25) and Jasper Weatherby (11 of 15).
*Gavin Hain and Adams had 5 shots on goal to pace UND while Kawaguchi and Pinto had 4 apiece.
*The goal 14 seconds into the game by Adams was 8 seconds short of the fastest UND goal ever to start a game, that being by Lee Davidson 6 seconds after the start of the game against Alabama-Huntsville in 1989.
*Though Pinto was a unanimous choice as Player of the Year in the NCHC earlier this week. he now ranks third on his own team in scoring with 28 points. Kawaguchi has 31, Adams 29.
*UND won all three meetings with Miami this season by scores of 2-0, 6-2 and 6-2. 
*Miami's Ludvig Persson had not allowed four goals in a period or more than five goals in a game until tonight.