GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- How would UND men's hockey team respond tonight to Friday's disheartening 4-3 loss to Colorado College on a last-minute goal?

The Fighting Sioux came back with one of their best performances of the season, pouring 17 shots on goal in the first period and scoring three times on their way to a 5-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association victory over the Tigers.

The 17 shots in one period by the Sioux is one shy of their season high and matched the total number of shots by the Tigers for the entire game. For the game, the Sioux outshot the Tigers 36-17.

Balance was the key for the Sioux as 12 players had at least one point and all four lines contributed at least one goal in UND's win in front of 10,498 fans at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The Sioux snapped a three-game WCHA losing streak and moved above .500 in both the WCHA (5-4-1) and overall (7-6-1).

"It takes an effort like tonight to maybe turn the tide a little,'' UND coach Dave Hakstol said.

The tide turned a minute after the Tigers had grabbed a 1-0 lead on Brandon Polich's goal at 8:16 of the first period.

Just over a minute later, CC goalie Matt Zaba collided with Tiger defenseman Nate Prosser when Zaba went behind the net to play the puck. The puck squirted free to Sioux freshman center Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba), who scored on a wraparound at 9:35 with Zaba out of position.

That play seemed to spark the Sioux. They came back with two goals 13 seconds apart just over four minutes later.

Freshman Chay Genoway (Swan River, Man.) flipped a backhander off a scramble past Zaba for his third goal of the season at 13:54 to give UND the lead for good.

Sophomore center Matt Watkins (Aylesbury, Sask.) followed up a blast by Sioux captain Chris Porter (Thunder Bay, Ont.) with a rebound goal to the short side at 14:07, shooting the Sioux into a 3-1 lead.

"That's something we haven't been able to do all year,'' Hakstol said of rapid fire goals. "It gives guys confidence.''

It might have been UND's most impressive game of the season. Not only did the Sioux flash great balance offensively, but the defensive play was one for the record books.

The 17 shots by CC is the fewest allowed by the Sioux in the last 78 games, going back to 14 shots allowed to Colorado College in a 1-0 road loss on Jan. 15, 2005.

"Tonight was a good 60-minute effort,'' Hakstol said. "Not only physically, but most important for this team, a good 60-minute mental effort. We weren't in and out of the game. We were in the game for 60 minutes.''

The Sioux stretched their lead with the only goal of the second period, coming just 32 seconds into the period. Sophomore wing Andrew Kozek (Sicamous, B.C.) picked off a lazy cross-ice Tiger pass in the Colorado College defensive zone, kicked the puck up from his right skate to his stick, then flipped his third goal of the season past Zaba on a backhander.

It was an acrobatic move by Kozek, who had to stretch out his right leg to knock down the puck before then quickly moving it to his backhand. "I thought I might pull a groin or something,'' Kozek joked of his play.

Sophomore defenseman Taylor Chorney (Hastings, Minn.) took a pass from sophomore forward T.J. Oshie (Warroad, Minn.) and rocketed a shot past Zaba just 10 seconds into a Sioux power play to push UND's lead to 5-1 midway through the final period.

UND's balanced effort was led by sophomore defenseman Brian Lee (Moorhead, Minn.) with two assists. Single assists went to Porter, Oshie, Ryan Duncan (Calgary, Alta.), Jonathan Toews (Winnnipeg, Man.), Michael Forney (Thief River Falls, Minn.), and Zach Jones (Lisle, Ill.)

"Look at the games where we've had success,'' Hakstol said. "A majority of those games, we've had guys chipping in with depth through our scoring.''

Zajac, who was out of the Sioux lineup Friday night, stepped back in impressively with his fourth goal of the season seeming to jump-start the Sioux offense.

"There was a lot of poise shown on that goal,'' Hakstol said. "There was no panic. He knew he had time, and he made the play. It was a very important goal for us, but most importantly was the way we followed it up.''

That would be with the goals by Genoway and Watkins 13 seconds apart that highlighted a dominating opening period by UND.

Kozek led all UND players with six shots on goal, two in each period.

The Tigers had no answer for UND's early offense. "They didn't have to work too hard for their first two goals, and that kind of got the building alive,'' CC coach Scott Owens said. "That gave them confidence, and all of a sudden they were a different team. They stormed us in the first, and set the tone for the rest of the game.''

Junior Philippe Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) was solid in goal for the Sioux with 15 saves. Lamoureux just returned to the lineup this weekend after missing the last six games with a leg injury.

The Sioux, with 15 freshmen or sophomores in the lineup Saturday, turned in a seasoned effort after Zajac's spirit-lifting goal to erase CC's only lead.

"They're a good team, and we let them get on a roll," Owens said. "They were physical, they were aggressive, and it wasn't necessarily the big-name guys who were doing it. It was their third and fourth lines who were playing aggressive and hard, and getting in there.''

CC dropped to 5-3 in the WCHA and 8-5-1 overall.

In its next action, UND will play host to the United States Under-18 Team from the U.S. National Development Team Program on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Virg Foss, who spent 35 years covering college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald before retiring in October 2005, can be reached at virgfoss@yahoo.com