OMAHA, Neb. – No. 14 Minnesota Duluth used a four-goal third period to pull away for a 6-3 win over the No. 18 Omaha hockey team on Friday night.
Both Noah Cates and Cole Koepke scored twice for the two-time defending national champions while
Joey Abate got credit for a goal and an assist for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks are now 6-5-2 overall and 1-3-1-0/0 in the NCHC, putting them in seventh place. UMD improved to 8-6-1 overall and 5-1-1-0/0 in the conference, good for second.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third, the Mavericks benefitted from an own goal at 4:09. Off a faceoff, UMD's Dylan Samberg went to clear the puck around the wall and instead fired it into his own net. Abate got credit as the last Maverick to touch the puck.
But a little more than two minutes later, Nick Swaney poked home a loose puck to make it 3-2.
Cole Koepke scored unassisted at 8:07 to stretch UMD's lead to 4-2, but the Mavericks countered when Abate set up
Dean Stewart for a blast from the slot at 8:35.
Twenty seconds later, the two-goal lead was restored when Koepke netted his second, and Louie Roehl added the final tally on a long slap shot at 14:02.
Isaiah Saville took the loss, making 25 saves while Hunter Shepard stopped 21 for UMD.
The loss extended the Mavericks' winless streak to a season-high three games (0-2-1).
UMD opened the scoring halfway through the first period when Noah Cates lifted a sharp angle shot over the shoulder of Saville at 10:51.
The Mavericks knotted the game on a power play at 15:18. Just as the man advantage was expiring,
Teemu Pulkkinen tipped home a pass from
Kevin Conley for his second goal of the year.
The Bulldogs retook the lead at 8:20 of the second period when Noah Cates punched home a rebound for his team-leading ninth goal of the year.
The series finishes on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy as the Mavericks host the U.S. Marine Corps in the annual Sheila Leahy Memorial Toys For Tots drive at Baxter Arena.
GAME NOTES:
- Abate was originally given credit for Stewart's goal but the scoring was changed due to a post-game review. The goal was Stewart's first of the season.
- The Mavericks have now lost six straight to UMD dating back to the 2017-18 season.
- The six goals allowed by the Mavericks were a season high.
Three stars: 1. Noah Cates/UMD (2-1-3); 2. Cole Koepke/UMD (2-0-2); Nick Swaney/UMD (1-1-2)