DULUTH, Minn.?Minnesota Duluth's Evan Schwabe scored two third period goals, including the game winner with 32 seconds remaining to give UMD a 4-3 win over the ninth-ranked North Dakota men's hockey team on Saturday.
The win snapped North Dakota's six-game winning streak over Minnesota Duluth and marked UMD's first win over the Sioux in Duluth since Feb. 22, 2002.
Minnesota Duluth raised its record to 8-8-2 overall and 6-6-0 in the WCHA. North Dakota fell to 11-7-2 overall and 9-6-1 in the WCHA, and dropped to second place in the WCHA, one point behind Wisconsin.
UMD and UND were tied, 1-1, after two periods.
Minnesota Duluth made it 2-1 on a goal by Tim Stapleton at 1:21 of the third period. On the play, Stapleton took a pass from Todd Smith near the red line, carried into the Sioux zone and skated between the two UND defensemen before rifling a wrist shot that beat Sioux goalie Philippe Lamoureux (Fr., Grand Forks, N.D.) up high to Lamoureux's blocker pad side.
UND's Mike Prpich (Jr., Kenaston, Saskatchewan) tied it, 2-2, at 5:24 of the third period with his second goal of the game. The goal came after Quinn Fylling (Sr., Minot, N.D.) won a battle for the puck along the right boards in the Bulldogs' zone and kicked the puck ahead to Colby Genoway (Sr., Morden, Manitoba), who fed Prpich with a pass that Prpich fired high past Reichmuth.
The Sioux were whistled for two penalties with 7:41 to play in the game, giving Minnesota Duluth a 5-on-3 power play. It took the Bulldogs just 17 seconds to score, as Schwabe got his first goal of the game.
UMD was called for a penalty with 5:24 to play, and the Sioux's Drew Stafford (So., Faribault, Minn.) tied the score, 3-3, with a power play goal with 3:37 to play.
It appeared the game might go into overtime before Schwabe's goal with 32 seconds left in the game.
The only goal in the first period came when Prpich scored a shorthanded goal at 5:26 of the first period. Prpich stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated in and deked Bulldogs' goalie Isaac Reichmuth before firing it past the sprawling UMD netminder.
It was Prpich's fourth goal of the season and second career shorthanded goal.
There were 10 penalties called in the first period, resulting in three power plays for the Bulldogs and five for the Sioux, including a 5-on-3 that came as a result of UMD penalties at 19:11 and 19:37 of the period.
The Sioux did not score during the first 23 seconds of the two-man advantage situation to end the first period and entered the second period with 1:10 left in the 5-on-3.
UMD killed it off, however, and later tied the score, 1-1, on Marco Peluso's 11th goal of the season. Peluso's goal, at 9:30 of the second period, came after Peluso fired a shot wide left but picked up the puck behind the Sioux net and reached around the other side of the net to tuck in a shot past Lamoureux.
The Sioux had a 15-second 5-on-3 in the final minutes of the second period, but UMD killed it off.
Through two periods, UND was 0-8 on the power play, while UMD was 0-5. The Sioux finished the game 1-9 on the power play, while the Bulldogs finished 1-7.
Minnesota Duluth outshot the Sioux, 40-29. Lamoureux made a career-high 36 saves. Reichmuth made 26 saves.
UND will return to action next weekend with a Friday-Saturday home non-conference series against Canisius and a Sunday exhibition game against the USA World Junior team.
GAME NOTES: Attendance was announced as a capacity crowd of 5,375...Prpich's shorthanded goal was the first allowed by Minnesota Duluth this season.
