Box Score OMAHA, Neb. –
Tanner Lane snapped a 2-2 tie midway through the third period, and the Omaha hockey team beat North Dakota, 4-2, on Saturday night in the opener of their two-game NCHC series.
The Mavericks won their third in a row to improve to 5-4-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the NCHC, putting them in a tie with St. Cloud State for first. North Dakota lost its fourth straight to dip to 2-4-1 overall and 1-4-0 in league play.
On the winning goal,
Brian Cooper held the puck at the left point and fed
Ryan Walters who carried it behind UND net before stuffing a blind pass back out to Lane at the left post. UND goalie Zane Gothberg was struggling to retrieve his stick and couldn't get into position before Lane fired home his second goal of the season.
Josh Archibald scored into an empty net with 55 seconds remaining to ice the game.
UNO goaltender
Ryan Massa made 28 saves to earn his second straight win. His best save of the game came late in the third with UNO up 3-2. He stuffed a two-on-one break, denying a shot from in tight by North Dakota's Conner Gaarder.
Gothberg made 27 saves in the loss.
The Mavericks opened the scoring just 3:05 into the game.
Aaron Pearce raced down the left wing and let go with a shot from the faceoff circle. Gothberg made the save, but the puck bounced out in front of the net and
James Polk pounced on it, ramming it into a half-empty net.
UNO stretched its lead early in the second period.
Dominic Zombo was being closely guarded in the right wing corner but was able to get off a shot from the seemingly impossible angle. The puck zipped over the shoulder of Gothberg to put the Mavs up, 2-0.
North Dakota battled back, finally getting on the board when Luke Johnson fired home a shot during a four-on-three power play at 11:50. For the son of former UNO assistant coach
Steve Johnson, it was his first collegiate goal.
Late in the period, UND tied the game when defenseman Jordan Schmaltz joined a rush up ice and fired a shot past Massa to make it 2-2.
Walters finished the game with two assists while Zombo had an assist to go with his goal.
The Mavericks' win snapped a three-game losing streak to North Dakota.
The two teams conclude the series on Sunday at 5:07 p.m.
