ANCHORAGE, Alaska ? The 15th-ranked UND men's hockey team scored four third-period goals to come back from a 3-2 deficit after two periods to defeat Alaska Anchorage, 6-3, and snap a five-game WCHA losing streak on Friday.
It was the first time the Sioux came back from a second-period deficit to win this season. Prior to Friday, UND was 0-8-1 when trailing after two periods.
Six different players scored for UND, which raised its overall record to 16-12-3 and its WCHA mark to 11-11-1. The Sioux moved two points ahead of Minnesota-Duluth in the league standings in the race for the fifth place and home ice in the first round of the conference playoffs. Alaska Anchorage fell to 9-16-4 overall and 7-15-3 in the WCHA.
The Sioux extended their winning streak in Anchorage to 10 games.
Trailing 3-2, North Dakota tied it 1:10 into the third period when Drew Stafford (So., Faribault, Minn.) slid a shot between UAA goalie John DeCaro's legs while being dragged down by Seawolves' defenseman Chad Anderson.
Rastislav Spirko (Fr., Vrutky, Slovakia) gave the Sioux a 4-3 lead with a rebound goal while UND was on the power play at 3:02 of the third, and UND sealed the win on goals by Mike Prpich (Jr., Kenaston, Saskatchewan) and Brady Murray (So., Brandon, Manitoba).
Alaska Anchorage scored the only goal of the first period at 11:04 when Eric Walsky scored his third goal of the year on a rebound of his own shot. On the play, Walsky skated in from the circle to UND goalie Jordan Parise's right and fired a shot that Parise stopped before Walsky banged in the rebound. Brent McMann and Brandon Segal assisted on the goal.
Parise made the biggest save of the first period a few minutes later when he stopped Jim Dahl on a breakaway while UND was on the power play.
UND outshot the Seawolves, 10-5, in the first period.
The Sioux tied it, 1-1, on a power play goal by Rory McMahon (Sr., Perdue, Saskatchewan) at 2:24 of the second period. McMahon took a pass from Matt Jones (Sr., Lisle, Ill.) in the slot and stickhandled between the Seawolves' defense before beating DeCaro with his 11th goal of the season.
UND grabbed a 2-1 lead at 4:25 of the second on a goal by Colby Genoway (Sr., Morden, Manitoba), who was camped in front of the Seawolves' net and one-timed a Murray behind-the-net pass by DeCaro for his sixth goal of the season.
Alaska Anchorage tied it less than a minute later when Peter Cartright deflected a Justin Johnson pass over Parise's left shoulder.
The Seawolves took a 3-2 lead on a power play goal at 8:33 when a Shea Hamilton crossing pass from Parise's left was banged into an open net by Justin Bourne, who was stationed at the right edge of the goal. It was Bourne's 10th goal of the season.
UND outshot Alaska Anchorage, 12-7, in the second period.
The teams will conclude their series Saturday at 10:07 p.m. Central time.
