DULUTH, Minn. -- The Fighting Sioux men's hockey team scored five second-period goals to overcome a 2-0 first period deficit and defeat Minnesota Duluth, 7-4, on Saturday.
The win completed a weekend sweep of the Bulldogs for 10th-ranked North Dakota, which raised its record to 7-4-1 overall and 3-3 in the WCHA. UMD fell to 2-6-2 overall and 2-2-2 in the WCHA.
UND's five-goal outburst was its largest output in a single period since Feb. 21, 2004, when the Sioux tallied five in the third period of a 10-1 win at Minnesota State.
Twenty seconds into the second period, the Sioux lost their second player of the game to a game misconduct call when Sioux forward Drew Stafford (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) received a five-minute major for checking from behind.
Sioux captain Matt Smaby (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.) was ejected for the same penalty at 5:37 of the first period.
Trailing 2-0 after one period, UND got on the board at 3:53 of the second when Travis Zajac (So., Winnipeg, Manitoba) picked up a loose puck in front during a 4-on-4 and fired it past Bulldogs' goalie Isaac Reichmuth.
UND tied it, 2-2, just over a minute later when Rastislav Spirko (So., Vrutky, Slovakia) one-timed a pass from T.J. Oshie (Fr., Warroad, Minn.) past Reichmuth while the Sioux were on the power play.
Zajac gave the Sioux the lead at 9:24 when he fired a wrist shot that beat Reichmuth top shelf over the right shoulder.
After UMD tied it, 3-3, on a power play goal by Josh Meyers, the Sioux answered less than two minutes later on a power play goal by Jonathan Toews (Fr., Winnipeg, Manitoba), who knocked home a pass from Oshie from right out in front.
Oshie made it 5-3 at 18:37 when he converted a pass from Chris Porter (Jr., Thunder Bay, Ontario) for UND's third power play goal of the night.
Sioux rookie Ryan Duncan (Fr., Calgary, Alberta) sandwiched a pair of third period goals around a UMD goal by Tim Stapleton to wrap up the scoring.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one period on two power play goals.
With UND already a man short for two many men on the ice in the game's opening minutes, Smaby received his major penalty, giving the Bulldogs a 5-on-3 that resulted in a goal by Stapleton at 6:47.
Three minutes later, UMD freshman Mason Raymond made it 2-0 with another power play goal.
The Bulldogs outshot the Sioux,18-5, in the period, but UND came back to outshoot Duluth, 15-9, in the second. UMD turned the tables in the third period, with a 15-6 lead in shots, but UND goalie Jordan Parise (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) made a number of big saves among his 39 for the game.
The Sioux finished the game 3-of-6 on the power play, while Minnesota Duluth was 3-of-7.
UND will travel to St. Cloud next weekend to take on St. Cloud State in a Friday-Saturday series.
NOTES: A number of Sioux posted multiple-point games, led by Spirko, who picked up his first four points of the year (1 goal, 3 assists). Zajac had three points (2g, 1a), as did defenseman Brian Lee (Fr., Moorhead, Minn.) (3a) and Oshie (1g, 2a). Duncan had two goals and Porter had two assists in the game.
