A point is a point in the ultra-competitive National Collegiate Hockey Conference and right now the University of Minnesota Duluth needs all the points it can get as it tries to make up ground in the 2015-16 conference title race.

The Bulldogs managed to skate away with one point in its 1-1 overtime deadlock with visiting St. Cloud State University, but it was the Huskies who collared the extra league point by prevailing in the 3-on-3 overtime as Patrick Russell scored with just 33.6 seconds to go in the five-minute session. UMD, which fell 3-1 to the Huskies on Friday night, outshot their intrastate rivals in each period and overtime and finished with a 39-22 shots advantage.

Junior Dominic Toninato gave the No. 17 Bulldogs (8-8-5 overall; 5-6-3-1 NCHC) a 1-0 8:45 into the opening period when he skated down the right side, made cut to the middle and then beat St. Cloud State netminder Charlie Lindgren with a shot from high slot. The unassisted goal was Toninato's eighth of the season, which ranks second on the club.  At 10:28 of the second period, Joey Benik got the equalizer on a redirect for the No. 5 and NCHC-leading Huskies (19-5-0; 10-3-0-0), who hadn't played an overtime game heading into the night (while the Bulldogs had been in four, going 0-0-4).

UMD went scoreless in its lone power play opportunity of the night and is 0-for-22 with the man advantage over the past six outings.  Sophomore Kasimir Kaskisuo, who has patrolled the UMD crease for all but one period of the entire 2015-16 season, made 21 saves.

"I thought our kids deserved a better fate," said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. "I thought we played a real good hockey game and had everyone involved -- unlike last night. But the difference was their goalie. He made some key saves tonight and all weekend."

The Bulldogs will be on the road the next two weekends, beginning with a two-game NCHC series at the University of Denver on Jan. 22-23.