DULUTH, Minn. -- In a game that saw the ninth-ranked University of North Dakota without both its top forward and defenseman, it was the depth that rose to the occasion to help lead the Fighting Hawks to a 3-2 victory over No. 7 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday night from AMSOIL Arena.
With the win, UND (19-11-1, 14-5-1-0-1-1 NCHC) vaults back into first place of the NCHC standings and controls its own destiny in pursuit of a league-record third straight Penrose Cup.
After a series opener that saw four defensemen score for the Fighting Hawks, it was the forward group, specifically the bottom lines, that helped the visitors to the first sweep in Duluth since the 2015-16 season.
Goals from Carson Albrecht and Dane Montgomery, both their firsts of their careers, and a pair of points from Louis Jamernik (1g, 1a) paced the offense while Zach Driscoll finished with 33 saves on 35 shots to notch his second straight 30-plus save performance.
It was a bit of a similar start as Friday's opener, with Minnesota Duluth providing some early pressure and earning the game's first power play opportunity. This time, however, the Bulldogs cashed in on a Luke Mylymok tip in the crease to beat Driscoll and make it 1-0 for the hosts.
Nearing the final three minutes of the first, Albrecht picked a huge time to score his first as a collegian. Forcing a turnover along the wall, walking to the slot and tucking a puck around Zach Stejskal to tie the game at 1-1.
The theme of first-career goals continued into the second period for UND, taking the lead just 3:08 into the middle frame. Following a great shift from the third line to earn an offensive zone draw, Louis Jamernik won a puck cleanly back to Montgomery and the freshman fired in through the legs of Stejskal to make it 2-1 in favor of the visitors.
UND kept the pressure on through the middle portion of the second stanza, holding the Bulldogs in their own zone for multiple shifts and firing pucks towards goal, but could not build on the 2-1 lead.
It looked like Minnesota Duluth was gaining momentum late in the period, earning a power play chance after a few strong shifts. After a couple of strong stops by Driscoll and a clear, Jamernik took advantage of a misplay in the neutral zone and made a sweet move to tuck the backhand into the net to make it 3-1 UND on the shorthanded tally after two.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to one early in the third, when Kobe Roth scored his second goal of the weekend through the legs of Driscoll with just over 16 minutes to play. The hosts kept coming through the opening 10 minutes of the final frame, earning a power play with a chance to tie the contest. Driscoll and his mates held the fort, with the senior netminder making six saves to help UND get the kill.
Despite throwing 19 shots on goal in the final period, UND closed the door and secured the sweep with a 3-2 victory.
North Dakota returns home next weekend to close out the home slate against Western Michigan on Friday and Saturday from Ralph Engelstad Arena.
NOTES: Riese Gaber missed tonight's game due to an injury ...
Carson Albrecht scored his first-career goal in his 35
th career game ...
Dane Montgomery scored his first-career goal in his 11th career game ... Him and Montgomery become the fifth player to score his first-career goal in the last eight games and third in this series for UND (
Griffin Ness,
Brent Johnson,
Luke Bast, Montgomery and Albrecht) ... The shorthanded goal by
Louis Jamernik was the third of the season for UND (
Gavin Hain,
Judd Caulfield) ... It was also Jamernik's first goal since Dec. 11, 2021 at Colorado College when he scored two ... UND captures its first sweep at AMSOIL Arena since Dec. 11-12, 2015 ... The Fighting Hawks now have points in eight straight league games, a season best.
