OMAHA, Neb. – The slim margin between gaining and losing points in the NCHC was front and center during tonight's clash between first-place Omaha and second-place North Dakota.

North Dakota, one point behind the Mavericks in the conference standings, was 33 seconds away from killing a 5-on-3 UNO power play in overtime and gaining at least one point by pushing the game to a shootout.

But UNO sophomore Austin Ortega converted a tap-in in front of UND goalie Zane McIntyre as the first UND penalty was about to expire, lifting the Mavericks to a 3-2 win in front of a raucous 11,168 fans at CenturyLink Center.

Ortega's goal also came two minutes after UND defenseman Troy Stecher had fired a shot off of the cross bar, his second hit post in his first game back from injury.

The goal by Ortega, his ninth game-winner of the season, erased a third-period rally by UND that saw the visitors erase a 2-0 deficit. It also highlighted an epic showdown between top-ranked UND and No. 5 Omaha.

Instead of moving into a first-place tie or lead in the NCHC, UND left the arena trailing the Mavericks by four points heading into series finale.

“It's a sour feeling right now,” said Stecher, who returned from an 8-game injury absence. “At the same time, you look at the positives; down 2-0 at the start of the third, we matured as a hockey team. We came out and executed (in the third).”

UND trailed after 40 minutes on a first-period goal by Tyler Vesel and a second-period tally by Avery Peterson. But UND sophomore Luke Johnson ignited the rally with a strange goal 3:23 into the final period.

With UNO goalie Ryan Massa down and out and a delayed penalty coming on the Mavericks' Grant Gallo, UND senior Brendan O'Donnell missed a wide open net from the top of the circle. The puck, however, caromed off the end boards to Johnson, who deposited his sixth goal of the year.

UND pushed for the equalizer throughout the third period, holding a 34-9 advantage in shot attempts and a 13-5 margin in shots on goal. But it wasn't until the final minute that the visitors were able to tie it.

With UND on a power play and McIntyre on the bench for an extra attacher, Drake Caggiula knocked home a loose puck in front to tie it 2-2 with just 48 seconds remaining.

Moments after Stecher hit the cross bar in overtime, Colten St. Clair was called for roughing at 2:26 and Mark MacMillan was penalized for cross-checking at 3:03, setting up Ortega's winning goal.

“That's something we can't really control,” Caggiula said of the penalties. “Whatever they call, they call and we've got to live with it. (UNO) got a little tap-in there…not much else we could do there. I thought the guys battled hard and it is what it is.”

UND finished with a 35-31 advantage in shots on goal and went 1-7 on the power play. The Mavericks went 1-5.

“We played hard for 65 minutes. That's what we do,” said Hakstol. “We didn't do anything out of the ordinary tonight. We played a good hockey game. We don't need to rebound. We need to come back and play (Saturday).”

A victory in Saturday's series finale would pull UND back to within one point of first-place Omaha with eight games remaining in the regular season.

“We've got to come back tomorrow and not hang our heads,” said Caggiula. “We learned a lot from tonight. We've got to come back tomorrow and get ready to play a full 60 minutes.”

Notes: Stecher was playing in his first game since suffering a lower body injury against Lake Superior State on Dec. 6. Said Hakstol, “I thought Troy was good. He had a little rust but he battled and competed. He did the things that make a difference in a game that Troy normally does. It was a good step for him.” … Ortega, Peterson and Caggiula were named the game's three stars … McIntyre finished with 28 saves while Massa stopped 33 ... It was the second time this season Caggiula has sent a game to overtime with an extra-attacker goal in the final minute of regulation. He also did it on Nov. 1 against Air Force in an eventual 3-2 overtime win.