St. Cloud State University took its first lead of the night 6:33 into the third period and made it hold up en route to a 5-3 victory over the University of Minnesota Duluth Friday in the 2017-18 National Collegiate Hockey Conference opener for both clubs.

The No. 8 Bulldogs and No. 2 Huskies went into the second intermission deadlocked at 2-2, but goals by Kevin Fitzgerald and Easton Brodzinski less than two minutes apart helped keep St. Cloud State unbeaten (6-0-0) while snapping a six-game home losing streak to their intrastate rivals.

Following a scoreless first period, UMD (4-3-2 overall), which was without the services of four of its regulars -- forwards Joey Anderson, Avery Peterson and Nick Swaney and defenseman Jarod Hilderman -- due to injury, struck first on senior Karson Kuhlman's wrap around shorthanded goal 2:29 into the second period. Seventeen seconds later on that same power play, Jacob Benson knotted the game at 1-1, but UMD again went up on top with 2:49 to go in that same period when rookie defenseman Matt Anderson sniped in a power play shot from bottom of the left face off circle for his first collegiate goal. It took the Huskies 1:41 to answer with Ryan Poehling doing the honors.

Senior center Sammy Spurrell scored off an odd angle shot near the extended goal line late in the third period to cut Husky lead to 4-3, but St. Cloud State sealed the win and put the clamps the Bulldogs' five-game unbeaten streak with Jimmy Schuldt's empty netter in the final minute of play.

Sophomore Hunter Shepard, the reigning NCHC Goalie of the Week, finished with a 2017-18 UMD single-game high 29 saves while Jeff Smith made 25 stops for St. Cloud State, which became the first team this year to outshoot the Bulldogs.

"They capitalized on a couple of opportunities, but our guys fought hard," said UMD Head Coach Scott Sandelin. "Hunter gave us a chance to win the game and the guys battled. That's all you can ask for."

The two clubs will close out the two-game series on Saturday afternoon.

NOTES: The Bulldogs got one point each from eight different players, including rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich, who picked up his team-leading sixth assist of the season ... UMD went 1-for-4 on the power play while St. Cloud State cashed in on two of its seven opportunities with the man advantage ... Hunter Shephard' had gone 93:33 without allowing a goal before Jacob Benson scored in the second period ... UMD is now 13-2-1 in its last 16 games on Olympic-sized sheets.