MANKATO, Minn. -- UND captain Chris Porter (Sr., Thunder Bay, Ontario) scored at 1:07 of the third period to break a 5-5 tie and lead the Sioux men's hockey team to an 8-5 win over Minnesota State on Saturday.
The Sioux held the Mavericks scoreless in the third period while tallying three goals of their own in the third to gain a series sweep and raise their record to 5-3-0 overall and 3-1-0 in the WCHA. Minnesota State fell to 2-4-0 overall and 1-3-0 in the WCHA.
After Porter scored on a tip-in to give UND a 6-5 lead, MSU had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:47 early in the third period, but UND killed it off.
The Sioux then padded their lead with goals by Brad Miller (So., Alpharetta, Ga.) at 15:12 and an empty netter by Matt Watkins (So., Aylesbury, Sask.) at 19:12.
For the second night in a row, North Dakota jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period, and for the second night in a row, the Sioux saw the three-goal lead disappear.
The teams combined for five power play goals in the second period and seven power play goals on the night.
Minnesota State's Mick Berge cut the Sioux lead to 3-1 with a power play goal at 3:48 of the second period. The Mavericks' Joel Hanson narrowed the score to 3-2 with an even-strength goal at 7:09 and MSU's Travis Morin tied it, 3-3, on a shorthanded breakaway goal at 9:46.
UND regained the lead 13 seconds later on Andrew Kozek's (So., Sicamous, B.C.) second goal of the game, a power play goal at 9:59.
MSU's second power play goal of the second period, scored by Kael Mouillierat at 12:27, tied it 4-4.
Each team would get one more power play goal before the second period ended, North Dakota's by Kyle Radke (Jr., Bashaw, Alberta) at 14:35 and MSU's by Berge at 16:40.
The Sioux got on the board 1:44 into the game when Kozek unleashed a wicked wrist shot from just inside the blue line that beat Mavericks goalie Dan Tormey high over the left shoulder.
North Dakota made it 2-0 just over a minute later when Ryan Duncan (So., Calgary, Alberta) scored on a power play. The goal came after Chay Genoway (Fr., Swan River, Manitoba) fired a shot that hit the post and caromed right to Duncan, who fired it into an open net.
Duncan scored his second power play goal of the game at 13:41 to make it 3-0. The power play goal gave UND six power play goals in nine attempts over three games.
North Dakota will return home next weekend to face St. Cloud State in a Friday-Saturday series.
NOTES: Sioux defenseman Brian Lee (So., Moorhead, Minn.) had a career-high four assists in the game.
Contact: Dan Benson
