OMAHA, Neb. – No. 14 Minnesota Duluth showed its mettle as a two-time defending national champion, holding off a furious rally by the No. 18 Omaha hockey team to earn a 4-3 win on Saturday night at Baxter Arena.

The win gave the Bulldogs the series sweep, improving their record to 9-6-1 overall and 6-1-1-0/0, good for second place in the NCHC.  The Mavericks are now 6-6-2 overall and 1-4-1-0/0 in the conference, putting them eighth.

Trailing 3-1 after two, the Mavericks came out strong and got to within one just 1:39 into the third when Zach Jordan tipped a loose puck over the shoulder of UMD goalie Hunter Shepard for his sixth goal of the year.

Jackson Cates restored the two-goal advantage for the Bulldogs when he fired a shot in off the crossbar at 11:32.

The Mavericks got a late power play and pulled goalie Austin Roden for an extra attacker.  The ploy worked when Taylor Ward deposited a pass from Kevin Conley for his team-leading seventh goal of the year at 19:23.

But the Bulldogs bled the rest of the clock, keeping the Mavericks from another good scoring chance.  UNO outshot UMD 14-3 in the final period.

It was a sour end to a game that started well for the Mavericks.  They opened the scoring at 10:06 of the first period when Joey Abate tipped home a shot by Kirby Proctor for his sixth goal of the season.

The Bulldogs countered with two unassisted goals to take the lead.  Cole Koepke got his third of the weekend at 14:20, and Justin Richards scored shorthanded less than three minutes later to make it 2-1 UMD at the break.

UMD added to its lead at 5:59 of the second when Kobe Roth got free for a power play goal that chased UNO starter Isaiah Saville.  He finished with 13 saves.

Roden finished the period, making 13 saves and benefiting from a video review that washed out an apparent goal that was played with a high stick.  He eventually took the loss as the only goal he allowed was Jackson Cates' game winner in the third.

The Mavericks are back on the road next weekend, visiting St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14.

GAME NOTES:

• With an assist in the game, Conley set a new career high with his 14th point of the season, a team best.
• Omaha's penalty killers were a bright spot for the weekend, stopping seven of eight UMD power plays.  The Bulldogs came in with the nation's fourth-best power play unit.
• Both teams finished 1-for-5 on the power play with nine shots each.
• The Mavericks are now winless in their last four games (0-3-1), their longest winless streak of the season.

Three stars:  1. Jackson Cates/UMD (Game-winning goal); 2. Nick Swaney/UMD (0-2-2); 3. Tyler Weiss/UNO (0-1-1)