MANCHESTER, N.H. ? New Hampshire junior forward Josh LaBlanc scored 45 seconds into overtime to give the third-seeded Wildcats a 6-5 victory over the second-seeded Fighting Sioux this afternoon at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

LaBlanc's goal completed UNH's rally from two goals down in the third period and ended UND's bid for a fifth straight regional championship and NCAA Frozen Four appearance. UND finishes the season 24-15-4 while the Wildcats advances to Sunday's Northeast Region title game against the winner of tonight's Boston University-Ohio State semifinal.

UNH's Jerry Pollastrone led a Wildcat 2-on-1 in the UND zone and slid a perfect pass to LaBlanc in the high slot, and LaBlanc blasted a one-timer past the outstretched glove hand of Sioux goalie Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta). It was LaBlanc's second goal of the game and 14^th of the season.

The UNH win was made possible only after the Wildcats forced overtime in a most improbable fashion.

With UND leading 5-4 and the faceoff to the left of Eidsness with 5.7 seconds remaining in the third period, UNH pulled goalie Brian Foster for an extra attacker. UNH center Thomas Fortney won the draw with enough time for the Wildcats to get a point shot off. The shot ricocheted off the end boards behind the Sioux goal and bounced out the far side to Fortney, who was stationed on top of the crease and poked the puck in with one-tenth of a second showing on the arena clock.

The Sioux looked to be in position to extend their season for at least one more day after back-to-back goals by Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) had staked UND to a 5-3 lead midway through the third period.

The junior forward broke a 3-3 tie with 2:54 remaining in the second period, converting a Matt Frattin (So., Edmonton, Alberta) goal-mouth feed, then gave the Sioux a two-goal lead with a brilliant individual effort at 9:08 of the third frame. VandeVelde took a Frattin pass in stride at the UNH blueline and blew past defenseman Damon Kipp to the outside before going forehand-to-backhand for his career-high 18^th goal of the season.

The wild final 30 minutes of regulation encapsulated a game that featured six different lead changes and 79 shots on goal, 45 by the Sioux.

UNH opened the scoring with a power-play goal just 2:34 into the game as Mike Sislo tapped home a James van Riemsdyk feed from across the creased, staking the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead.

But UND responded exactly two minutes later when freshman Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba) won a faceoff to the right of Foster, spun, found the puck and whistled a wrist shot to the glove side for his 12^th goal of the season.

UND grabbed its first lead of the game at 13:55 of the opening period on a dazzling goal by sophomore forward Brad Malone. Working on the forecheck below the UNH goal line, Malone backhanded the puck through the legs of a Wildcat defender, eluded a check to regain the puck in front of the crease and beat Foster between the legs for his fifth goal of the year.

Malone's goal sent the Sioux into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.

UNH briefly regained the lead with goals by Jerry Pollastrone and LeBlanc three minutes apart in the second period, but Duncan would pull the Sioux back even at the 9:47 mark.

Gregoire lugged the puck up the far boards into the UNH zone, circled the net and through the puck in front to Brett Hextall (Fr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.). Hextall's shot was stopped by Foster, but Duncan followed up with the tap-in to collect his 20^th goal of the season.

Eidsness finished with 28 saves for the Sioux while Foster turned aside 40 shots.

UND went 0-for-4 on the power-play while the Wildcats went 1-for-5.

Notes: Duncan played in his 175^th consecutive game, tying the NCAA record held by former teammate Chris Porter (2003-07) ... Duncan's goal was the 85^th of his career, tying him with Cary Eades (1978-82) for ninth all-time at UND ... Duncan was one of eight seniors appearing in a Sioux uniform for the final time, including Andrew Kozek (Sicamous, British Columbia), Matt Watkins (Aylesbury, Saskatchewan), Ryan Martens (Selkirk, Manitoba), Joe Finley (Edina, Minn.), Zach Jones (Lisle, Ill.), Brad Miller (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Aaron Walski (Fargo, N.D.) ... Watkins and Jones graduated tied for third on UND's all-time games played list with 168, while Kozek graduates tied for fifth with 167 ... Eidsness made his 41^st appearance of the season, one short of the UND single-season record set last year by Jean-Philippe Lamoureux.