OXFORD, Ohio -- North Dakota sophomore forward
Jordan Kawaguchi scored his first two goals of the season but it wasn't enough as the Fighting Hawks fell 3-2 at Miami on Saturday night, giving UND a split of their first NCHC series of the weekend.
The loss also halted UND's 5-game winning streak, dropping the 11th-ranked Fighting Hawks to 5-3-1 overall and 1-1-0-0 in conference play.
Miami held a 1-0 lead through 40 minutes on a Josh Melnick power-play goal that came 13:59 into the opening period. The senior captain corralled a rebound in the left circle and one-timed it past UND goaltender
Adam Scheel, who was trying to get over from the far post after the initial shot.
That lone goal held up as the only scoring until the two teams traded a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes. Kawaguchi tied the game 3:38 into the third, taking a
Jasper Weatherby 2-on-1 pass in the high slot and going bar-down on Miami goaltender Ryan Larkin. It was Kawaguchi's first goal of the season and Weatherby's first collegiate point.
Miami's Casey Gilling gave the lead back to the RedHawks almost exactly six minutes after Kawaguchi's goal, deflecting a Derek Daschke point shot for his first goal of the season.Â
The RedHawks found what proved to be a critical insurance tally with 3:40 left in regulation. UND lost an offensive-zone faceoff and Miami's Karch Bachman led a 2-on-1 rush up ice. Bachman drove hard up the left wing snapped a shot the beat Scheel five-hole, putting the RedHawks up by two.Â
Bachman's goal ended up being the game-winner because Kawaguchi, with Scheel on the bench for an extra attacker, potted his second of the game when he banged home a rebound to pull North Dakota to within 3-2 with 23 seconds remaining.
UND kept Scheel on the bench for the ensuing faceoff, and a good look to tie it but
Grant Mismash's shot from the slot was turned aside by Larkin at the buzzer.
The Fighting Hawks outshot Miami 38-23 and held a sizeable 76-43 advantage in shot attempts. UND was scoreless on its only two power-play tries despite generating six shots on goal.
Scheeel made 20 saves in suffering his first loss in his last six appearances.
UND will return home to host Western Michigan and Alaska Anchorage over the next two weeks.