A pair of late goals in both the first and third periods, including the game-clincher with 30.6 seconds to go in regulation, broke the University of Minnesota Duluth's proverbial back -- and its school-record eight-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference winning streak Friday.
Western Michigan University overcame a 3-1 first-period defiicit by scoring the night's final three goals and went on to defeat the top-ranked Bulldogs 4-3 at AMSOIL Arena. Broncos' center Colt Conrad did the majority of the comeback damage, striking with 3.1 seconds before the first intermission (which knotted the game at 3-3) and again with in the waning moments of the third. The Bulldogs, who had outscored the opposition 14-2 in the final 20 minutes of play coming into the weekend (with those two goals coming in its lone setback to that point -- a 3-1 home loss to Notre Dame on Oct. 15) dropped to 7-2-1 overall and 4-1-0-0 in the NCHC.
The Broncos (6-2-1; 3-2-0-0) jumped out to a 1-0 lead on its first power play opportunity of the evening 7:57 into the period before the Bulldogs tallied three times in a span of five minutes, starting with senior left winger
Alex Iafallo's team-leading seventh goal of the year at the 10:48 mark. Rookie right winger
Joey Anderson put a hard wrister from the left face off circle past Western Michigan goaltender Trevor Gorsuch for his fourth goal of the year (and in as many games) at 14:23 and, a little over a minute later, sophomore right winger
Parker Mackay's odd- angle shot from just outside the extended goal line found the back of the Bronco to make it 3-1 Bulldogs. Matheson Iacopelli cut the Bulldog lead in half with 3:10 left in the first and Conrad took it from there.
"They came out hard and defended hard so you have to give them some credit," said senior defenseman
Carson Soucy, who was credit with one assist to run his scoring streak to a personal-high five games. "We've got to stay in those battles more and we have to want to win those battles some more. Tonight, they just outworked us."
Freshman
Hunter Miska, who was the first Bulldog goaltender to ever open his career with a 6-0-0 record, made 19 saves while incurring his first collegiate loss. UMD held a slim 24-23 shot advantage with those 24 shots being a 2016-17 single-game low.
The two teams will meet again Saturday night in the Bulldogs' final home appearance until Dec. 16.
Ex-UMD winger and current U.S. Marine Joe Tamminen dropped the ceremonial first puck Friday
