MADISON, Wis. -- T.J. Oshie (Jr., Warroad, Minn.) scored the game-winning goal and added an assist and goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (Sr., Grand Forks, N.D.) made 21 saves to lead the UND men's hockey team to a 3-1 win over Wisconsin on Saturday.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Fighting Sioux, who raised their record to 5-3-1 overall and 3-3-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Wisconsin fell to 5-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the WCHA.
Lamoureux appeared to be en route to his fifth shutout of the season, but Wisconsin's Matthew Ford scored a power play goal with 2:19 to play that allowed the Badgers to avoid the shutout.
UND outshot Wisconsin handily for the second night in a row, but on this night found a way to solve Badgers goalie Shane Connelly. On Friday, North Dakota outshot the Badgers 43-24, but Connelly stopped all 43 UND shots in a 4-0 Wisconsin win.
In the series finale on Saturday, UND outshot Wisconsin 34-22 and scored three times on Connelly.
Sioux forward Chris VandeVelde (So., Moorhead, Minn.) gave UND a 1-0 lead with a power play goal at 10:21 of the first period. Six seconds after going on the power play, defenseman Robbie Bina (Sr., Grand Forks, N.D.) fired the puck from the right point toward the net, where VandeVelde collected it right in front, went to his backhand and lifted a shot over Connelly.
The goal snapped a string of 10 consecutive power play opportunities that UND had not scored on, and it also snapped UND's scoreless streak in the Kohl Center at over 130 minutes (130:21).
North Dakota made it 2-0 during a 4-on-4 when Oshie took a centering pass from Ryan Duncan (Jr., Calgary, Alberta) in the slot and fired a wrist shot past Connelly at 19:57 of the first period. It was Oshie's fifth goal of the season and the first of his career against Wisconsin in nine games against the Badgers.
It also was Oshie's third game-winning goal this season and the 14th of his career. He ranks third on UND's all-time list for game-winning goals behind school record holder Mark Taylor (18 from 1976-80) and Brandon Bochenski (15 from 2001-04).
The Sioux killed off four Wisconsin power plays in the first 13:26 of the second period and then upped their lead to 3-0 on Andrew Kozek's (Jr., Sicamous, B.C.) fifth goal of the year at 17:44. Bina knocked down a Wisconsin clearing attempt in the neutral zone and passed it to Kozek, who eluded a Badgers defenseman in the left circle before unleashing a high, hard wrist shot that left Connelly with virtually no time to react.
Kozek's goal helped quiet the home Wisconsin crowd, which was inspired just three minutes earlier after Connelly made the most spectacular play of the game. At 14:21 of the second period Connelly robbed UND forward Brad Miller (Jr., Alpharetta, Ga.) of what seemed a sure goal. A UND shot from Connelly's left deflected off the junior goalie, and Miller charged the net from Connelly's right side and one-timed a backhanded shot from the crease that looked like a sure goal. Connelly, however, spun around and batted the puck away in mid-air with his stick before his momentum caused him to flip over.
UND led 3-0 after two periods and held that three-goal lead until Ford's power play marker. The Badgers were awarded the power play that resulted in Ford's goal at 16:52 of the third period when Sioux captain Rylan Kaip (Sr., Radville, Saskatchewan) was called for charging.
Kaip was not the only player called for a penalty at 16:52. All 10 skaters on the ice received roughing penalties and game misconducts for their parts in a skirmish.
UND finished the game with 25 penalties for 90 minutes, while Wisconsin had 21 penalties for 82 minutes.
Wisconsin finished the game 1-of-8 on the power play, while UND was 1-of-4.
The Sioux will be off next weekend and return to action on Nov. 23-24 against Minnesota Duluth at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
