ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Shorthanded and facing the nation's top team, Omaha somehow found a way.

Senior forward Taylor Ward scored on a breakaway 2:46 into the 3-on-3 overtime period to give the No. 11 Mavericks a 3-2 win over No. 1 St. Cloud State Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

With starting goaltender Isaiah Saville scratched from the lineup due to injury, Austin Roden made 43 saves as Omaha picked up two National Collegiate Hockey Conference points in its best win of the year.

The Mavericks (9-3) were already without some injured players on their first road trip of the season. Then they lost Saville and defenseman Jake Harrison from their lineup when the two were hurt Friday.

"We can't afford to lose any more players. We don't have enough as it is," Omaha coach Mike Gabinet said. "It's just another testimony to guys preparing properly. Everybody healthy is playing right now, and [Roden] was unbelievable tonight. He really played well, very composed. He was just a rock back there."

Roden gave the Mavericks a chance to win with the help of a penalty-kill unit that blanked the Huskies (9-3) on seven power-play opportunities. Omaha even killed off a five-minute major in the third period, for which captain Kevin Conley was handed a game misconduct for hitting an SCSU player from behind.

The Mavericks played the rest of the way without him, taking a 2-1 lead when Ty Mueller scored with 11:21 left in regulation. St. Cloud State pulled even, however, when Kevin Fitzgerald put in a rebound while the Huskies were shorthanded and attempting to kill off a five-minute major penalty of their own.

SCSU led 1-0 at the end of the first period thanks to an early score from Jack Peart. Nolan Krenzen's first career goal pulled Omaha even by the second intermission, setting the stage for the thrilling finish.

After the teams traded scores in the third, both had chances in overtime prior to Ward's game-winner.

Brannon McManus alertly chipped the puck ahead of the streaking Ward at the blue line. The nation's leading scorer did the rest from there, beating SCSU goalie David Hrenak to end a back-and-forth affair.

"I just gave every ounce I had of energy," McManus said. "I saw Ward out of the back of my right eye, and I kind of yanked it. It ended up being a great play, and Ward buried that. Right player to give it to."

Ward, the NCAA leader with 12 goals, was held without a point for the first time this season on Friday. He hadn't factored in the scoring for Saturday's finale either, then he beat the nation's top-ranked team.

"It was just a good effort play," he said. "We created a turnover, and [McManus] made a great play and hustled. He made a great play to me stretching. I was lucky it went in, but it was a good play all around."