GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- What happens to the No. 1-ranked college hockey team when it falls behind a team ranked last nationally among the 60 NCAA Division I men's teams just 18 seconds into the game?

Let North Dakota junior left wing Grant Mismash answer that.

"It's a wake-up call for sure,'' he said.

The wake-up alarm rang early after a goal-mouth deflection by Alabama-Huntsville's Christian Rajic 18 seconds into the contest got the attention of the Fighting Hawks, losers of just one game (15-1-2) this season.

The top line of Mismash, Jordan Kawaguchi and Collin Adams combined for four goals and seven points to lead UND to a 5-2 win over the one-win (1-15-3) Chargers in the non-conference contest in front of a paid attendance of 11,214 fans at Ralph Engelstad Arena Friday night.

Kawaguchi, one of the nation's leading scorers, joined Mismash wth a pair of goals while Adams chipped in with three assists.

"It was a funky game,'' Mismash said. 

UND was off its game in several key areas that usually are solid. The Fighting Hawks won just 33 of 63 faceoffs and didn't convert on four power-play chances, mustering just three total shots against Huntsville's aggressive penalty kill.

"I felt like we had a lot of good chances,'' Mismash said. "We just missed the nets. Tomorrow I think they'll be going in and we'll be playing with a lot more urgency.''

UND did outshoot the Chargers 36-15 and limit them to four shots total over the final two periods. Huntsville did have three power plays in the final period, including a 5-on-3 for 27 seconds.

Mismash's second goal of the game midway through the second period put UND ahead to stay at 3-2 after he came into the game with just one goal in his previous 11 games.

The second of the night and team-leading ninth of the year by Kawaguchi at 17:24 of the third period and an empty netter by Cole Smith at 18:16 unplugged the Chargers for good  The Fighting Hawks ran their unbeaten streak to an NCAA-leading 14 games and home ice winning streak to 12 games.

"We knew we didn't play our best,'' UND coach Brad Berry said. "Our players know we didn't play our best. We'll be better tomorrow.''

The lineup could be better as well. Freshman Shane Pinto, second on the team with eight goals, could return to the lineup after the United States was eliminated from the World Junior Championship in Europe.

Pinto is scheduled to be back in Grand Forks in time for the game. Berry said the decision on whether he plays in the Saturday's rematch will be made after he has a talk with Pinto on how he feels physically and mentally after playing four games in that tournament and enduring a long trip back.

With rust showing throughout UND's play, that the first line centered by Adams had a huge game was key, Berry said.

"They have the ability to do that,'' Berry said. "They're all good players. They were the difference tonight as far as making some plays to get the win for us. They can be better, and I think the rest of our team can be better tomorrow.''

Adams agreed. "We struggled a little bit,'' he said. "We need to watch some film and hopefully clean up our mistakes for tomorrow.''
 
Saturday's game is set for a 7:07 p.m. Central puck drop on MidcoSN, nchc.tv and the Home of Economy Fighting Hawks Sports Radio Network.

Game notes: The 2000 NCAA championship team from UND will be honored on ice at Saturday's game ... Mismash led UND in shots on goal with 7, while freshman defenseman Ethan Frisch followed with 5 ... Mismash, Kawaguchi and Adams were named the game's three stars, in that order, by the media ... UAH goalie Mark Sinclair, a teammate of Kawaguchi in Canadian junior hockey, was solid with 31 saves, while Adam Scheel stopped 13 of 15 shots for UND to get his nation-leading 15th win ... Scheel also picked up his second assist of the season with a long pass to Mismash for his first goal.
 
Virg Foss is in his 15th season of reporting on UND home games exclusively for UNDsports.com. He covered UND hockey for 35 seasons for the Grand Forks Herald until his retirement from newspapers. This is his 50th season of covering UND hockey.