By Virg Foss

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- If postseason play is all about tight checking, few scoring chances and rib-rocking hitting, then the University of North Dakota men's hockey team made a fine audition for it tonight.

The Sioux managed just 19 shots on goal -- one above their season low -- but rallied twice from one-goal deficits to salvage a 2-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association overtime tie with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in front of 11,651 fans at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Sophomore right wing Ryan Duncan (Calgary, Alberta), who leads the WCHA in points and goals, made a dazzling play 6:30 into the third period to bring about the tie.

Duncan came off right wing and walked around Bulldog forward Bryan McGregor, the last defender in his path. He then slipped his 23rd goal of the season through the legs of Duluth goalie Josh Johnson.

His goal came just 47 seconds after Duluth's MacGregor Sharp took a drop pass from behind the end line from Michael Gergen and beat Sioux junior goalie Philippe Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) with a wrist shot to the far corner.

Right after Duncan scored, the UND student section struck up a "Hobey Baker, Hobey Baker'' chant for Duncan, who has moved himself into contention for the award given to the best player in college hockey.

It was the second tie in the last seven days for the Sioux, who played to a 4-4 overtime tie against Minnesota State, Mankato in Grand Forks. last Saturday.

The tie stretched UND's unbeaten streak to 10 games (7-0-3), the longest in the nation. Michigan State, which had gone unbeaten in nine games like UND, was beaten 4-3 by Western Michigan tonight.

In a game featuring jarring hits and sluggish ice after a power outage on Wednesday at REA, scoring chances both ways were at a premium.

Duluth outshot the Sioux 22-19 overall, and the two teams, with two of the best power plays in the WCHA, combined to go 0-9 on the power play.

The Sioux, who had averaged six goals over their last five games, struggled for offense against the Bulldogs, now 1-12-1 against UND in their last 14 meetings.

Duncan said he heard the chant from the fans, but didn't pay much attention to it.

"That stuff really doesn't matter to me,'' Duncan said. "The most important thing is the team. but it definitely makes you feel good, I guess. Like I said before, take it with a grain of salt. I don't think I have much of a chance. There's lots of guys on our team who could be up for that award.''

Two of them -- linemmates T.J. Oshie (So., Warroad, Minn.) and Jonathan Toews (So., Winnipeg, Manitoba) -- drew assists on Duncan's goal.

The Sioux, 9-1-3 over their last 13 games, fell behind 1-0 at 1:48 of the second period when Andrew Curry's initial shot bounced off Lamoureux, then off the body of Duluth's Andrew Carroll and into the net.

That opening goal of the game came a minute after UND sophomore defenseman Brian Lee (Moorhead, Minn.) hit the post flush on a shot on Sioux power play. Just 14 seconds after the minor for goalie interference to Curry expired, he drew an assist on the game's first goal.

Sioux junior center Rylan Kaip (Radville, Saskatchewan) tied it at 6:58 of the second period.

He slammed in a rebound off a right point shot by Sioux defenseman Robbie Bina (Jr., Grand Forks, N.D.) for Kaip's second goal of the season.

Then less than a minute after Sharp gave Duluth its second lead of the game, Duncan answered for the Sioux to set up the overtime tie.

"I'm happy with our effort,'' UND coach Dave Hakstol said. "We worked out tails off. It was a hard-fought game. Nobody was cutting any corners out there. This is WCHA hockey down the stretch.''

It certainly featured two teams with different goals. The Sioux are trying to finish in the top five to earn home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The Bulldogs are trying to move out of the league cellar.

"These were two good teams fighting real hard trying to gain some points,'' Hakstol said.

Hakstol downplayed the ice conditions, which seemed to cause the puck to bounce alot and didn't add to the flow of the game.

"There was some bounces out there, no question,'' Hakstol said. "But you have to make plays and find a way to execute. It was the same for both teams.''

The teams combined for just 41 shots on goal, 22 of them by Duluth and 11 of them by the Bulldogs coming in the third period (9) and overtime.

"I don't think either team was lazy offensively,'' Hakstol said. "You saw two committed teams defensively. Maybe a fitting tie. I'm sure nobody's happy about that on either side.''

The Sioux mustered just four shots on goal in the first period, their lowest opening-period total of the year. "I thought we started slow,'' Hakstol said. "I didn't we had a great first period. We weren't sharp enough. We had a good second period, but not much in the third period. Maybe we need to get more pucks to the net, more bodies to the net.''

Lamoureux (20 saves) made the stop of the game when he stoned Duluth's leading goal scorer, Mason Raymond, on a clean breakaway from the neutral zone. Lamoureux sprawled on his side to stop Raymond, who leads the Bulldogs with 13 goals.

"Phil was awesome,'' Duncan said. "He's been tremendous for us since Christmas and he's given us a chance to win every night.''

Maybe that's why the tie stung Duncan a little.

"It's definitely disappointing,'' Duncan said. "We want to get those two points. Every point is crucial here down the stretch. It was a hard-fought game. Thankfully against these guys we have a chance to come back and hopefully get two points tomorrow night.''

Despite the tie, the Sioux gained ground in the WCHA race on two of the teams ahead of them, Denver and Colorado College.

Denver was idle, while the Tigers lost 3-2 at home to first place Minnesota.

The Sioux (10-9-4 in the WCHA) now have 24 points to 26 for fourth-place Colorado College and 27 for third-place Denver. Wisconsin (23 points), though, closed to within a point of the Sioux for fifth place with a win over second-place St. Cloud State (29 points) tonight.

The tie did move UND up two notches in USCHO's Pairwise Rankings. The Sioux entered Friday's game tied for ninth, but after the tie moved up two slots, into a tie for seventh with Maine.