Box Score
David Lundbohm |
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—UND freshman Brady Murray’s apparent game-tying goal with 14.4 seconds remaining was disallowed, allowing fifth-ranked Minnesota to stun the No. 1-ranked North Dakota men’s hockey team, 2-1, at Mariucci Arena on Saturday.
The loss snapped a 14-game North Dakota unbeaten streak (12-0-2) – the third-longest in school history – and also prevented the Sioux from sweeping Minnesota in Minneapolis for the first time since Feb. 15-16, 1980.
The Gophers led 2-1 after two periods and had held UND to just two shots on goal in the first 19 minutes of the third period.
With less than a minute to play, North Dakota pulled goalie Jordan Parise, and with the Sioux applying pressure in Minnesota’s end, UND defenseman Andy Schneider fired a high wrist shot from the left point toward the Gophers’ net.
UND center Zach Parise batted the puck out of the air with his stick and after it deflected off a Gophers’ defenseman, Murray picked up the loose puck out front and fired a wrist shot past Minnesota goalie Kellen Briggs that appeared to tie the score, 2-2.
The goal was disallowed, however, because Parise was ruled to have played the puck with his stick above the chest, while the Minnesota player never gained control, which would have been necessary to nullify Parise’s high stick.
It was the first loss for the Sioux since losing 2-1 to St. Cloud State on Nov. 14. UND fell to 18-3-2 overall and 12-2-2 in the WCHA. Minnesota raised its record to 14-9-3 overall and 9-8-1 in the WCHA.
UND opened the scoring on a goal by David Lundbohm at 10:05 of the first period. On the play, Murray fired a pass from the left boards to a breaking Lundbohm, who skated in and deked Briggs before beating him high to the glove side.
It was Lundbohm’s sixth goal of the season and ninth in 17 career games against Minnesota.
The Gophers tied it, 1-1, at 3:08 of the second period on Danny Irmen’s sixth goal of the season. Minnesota then took a 2-1 lead at 16:36 of the second period when Troy Riddle fired a pass from behind the net to Matt Koalska, who shot while falling down and beat a sprawling Jordan Parise up high for his ninth goal of the season.
North Dakota was held to a season-low 14 shots on goal, but Briggs made key saves on several excellent Sioux scoring chances.
Minnesota had 28 shots on goal, with Jordan Parise making 26 saves. Parise’s 11-game (9-0-2) unbeaten streak came to an end four games short of the school-record 15-game unbeaten streak by a UND goalie at the start of a career. Darren Jensen set that record in 1979-80 and 1980-81.
The loss to Minnesota made this the fourth season in a row that UND has won the first game of a series in Minneapolis only to lose the following night. Since last sweeping Minnesota in Minneapolis, it was the 11th time UND has missed on an opportunity to sweep the Gophers after winning the first game of a series.
With their overall unbeaten streak snapped, the Sioux will look to extend their seven-game (6-0-1) home unbeaten streak next weekend against Denver. Game times are 7:35 p.m. on Friday and 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.
NOTES: Attendance Saturday was 10,308. The series attendance of 20,365 was a Mariucci Arena record.
