Box Score GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Jake Guentzel had a four-point night, and Austin Ortega scored his NCAA-leading seventh game-winning goal as the No. 9 Omaha hockey team beat No. 1/2 North Dakota 4-3 in overtime on Friday night.

Freshman goaltender Alex Blankenburg earned his first collegiate win in his first career start as the Mavericks ended UND's NCAA-best eight-game winning streak.  UNO improved to 15-5-1 overall and 5-5-1-0/0 in the NCHC, putting them in fifth place.  The Fighting Hawks dipped to 18-3-2 overall and 9-2-0-0/0 and dropped to second in the conference behind St. Cloud State which also won on Friday.

The Mavericks held a 3-2 lead entering the third period, but North Dakota tied it when Brock Boeser snapped home a shot on a power play at 13:24.  

In overtime, Guentzel led an odd-man rush down the right wing, feeding Jake Randolph.  Randolph then dropped the puck to Ortega who was coming late, and he fired home his NCHC-leading 17th goal at 2:29.

The win marked the first for the Mavericks this season when allowing the first goal of the game (1-5-0).

North Dakota seized the first lead of the game thanks to a power play.  Just eight seconds into the advantage, Rhett Gardner got loose in front and roofed a shot over Blankenburg for his fifth goal of the year.

The Mavericks tied the game at 15:31 of the period.  Ortega stole a pass and fed Randolph.  His shot from the right wing was stopped by goalie Cam Johnson, but Guentzel pounced on the puck and fired it home for his 11th goal of the year.

Ian Brady gave the Mavericks their first lead of the night just 1:56 into the second period.  His shot from the top of the slot beat Johnson who was screened by a large crowd in front.  It was Brady's second goal of the season.

UNO held the lead until late in the period. With the two teams playing four-on-four, defenseman Troy Stecher carried the puck from his own zone up the left wing into the UNO end.  He cut around a UNO defender and threw a shot on goal.  Blankenburg made the save, but Stecher slid across the crease, knocked the puck free and tucked it home.  The goal stood after a video review.

But as the final 10 seconds winked down in the period, Guentzel sped down the right wing and dropped a pass to Randolph.  He wired a shot past Johnson with .8 seconds remaining to put UNO up 3-2.

Randolph finished the night with three points (one goal, two assists) while Ortega had a two-point game.  

Blankenburg turned aside 26 shots in the victory while UND's Johnson, the NCAA leader in goals-against average and save percentage heading into the night, stopped 19 shots as the Fighting Hawks outshot the Mavericks, 29-23.

The two teams play again on Saturday at 7:07 p.m.

NOTES:
Ortega has 19 career game-winning goals and is now just four from tying Colorado College's Brett Sterling for the NCAA career record for game winners (23).  He has scored 18 game winning goals in his last 59 games.

Guentzel moved into the NCHC scoring lead with 31 points, two more than UND's Drake Caggiula.

With the win, the Mavericks become just the fourth active D-I team to post a .500 or better record against UND in Grand Forks.  Omaha is 4-4-1 all-time at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Ten of the 17 all-time meetings between the two schools have been decided by one goal including four straight.  The two teams have played into overtime in three straight games dating back to last year and in four of the last five.