Minnesota-Duluth’s third-period rally fell short as the North Dakota Fighting Sioux swept the Bulldogs with a 6-3 win Saturday night.
After being held without a point Friday for the first time in eight games, Brandon Bochenski got the Sioux on the board first with a goal at 6:51 of the first period. UMD freshman goalie Josh Johnson stopped Zach Parise’s point-blank shot, only to have Bochenski scoop up the loose puck and flip it in.
Bochenski picked up his second point of the game when Quinn Fylling spotted him alone in the left circle. Johnson stopped Bochenski’s shot, but Parise found the puck at the side of the net and punched it in, putting the Sioux up 2-0 at 11:35.
UND continued to generate more shots and scoring opportunities in the second period, outshooting the Bulldogs 18-7. With 29 seconds left in the period, the Sioux were finally rewarded for their efforts with a power-play goal.
Charging across the blue line, freshman forward Drew Stafford feathered a pass through the Bulldog defense that sent junior center Rory McMahon in alone on Johnson. He buried his shot glove side to give the Sioux a 3-0 lead at the end of the second period.
The Sioux took a four-goal lead just 1:13 into the third period. Freshman defenseman Matt Smaby fired a shot off a faceoff that deflected off Johnson’s glove and in. Smaby’s first goal as a UND player was also the game winner.
At 3:41, Duluth got on the board on the power play when sophomore forward Tim Stapleton faked a shot from high in the slot and then fired a wrister that went in under freshman goalie Jordan Parise’s right pad.
The Sioux answered with junior defenseman Nick Fuher’s goal at 4:44. He fired in a sharp-angle shot off center Colby Genoway’s feed from behind the net to give UND a 5-1 lead.
But just 14 seconds later, UMD sophomore forward Justin Williams shot in Junior Lessard’s pass to make it a 5-2 game. The Bulldogs then closed to within 5-3 at the 9:43 mark when Williams tipped in junior forward Evan Schwabe’s centering pass from along the boards.
With the lead suddenly cut in half, his team on its heels and half a period remaining, Sioux coach Dean Blais called a timeout. UND’s defense tightened up and the Bulldogs would not score again.
Johnson was pulled for an extra attacker with just under twp minutes left. Sioux freshman forward Brady Murray sealed the win an empty-net goal at 19:26.
UND improved to 11-2-0 overall and 7-1-0 in the WCHA. The Bulldogs are 9-8-2 overall and 7-5-0 in the WCHA.
