Box Score Mired in its longest losing skid in almost two years (three games) and with a 20-day Holiday break on the horizon, the University of Minnesota Duluth was in search of a much-needed victory Saturday-- and a much-needed victory it got.

The No. 17 Bulldogs got a pair of goals from Riley Tufte and three-point nights from sophomore right winger Joey Anderson, junior center Peter Krieger and rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich while toppling the University of Nebraska Omaha 6-2 at Baxter Arena in Omaha. Sophomore goaltender Hunter Shepard's 32-save performance also helped key UMD's National Collegiate Hockey Conference weekend series split with the Mavericks, who prevailed 7-5 on Friday.
 
UMD (8-9-2 overall; 3-7-0-0 NCHC) and Omaha (7-8-1; 2-6-0-0) traded first-period goals, with Joey Anderson doing the honors for the Bulldogs 6:12 after the opening faceoff and the Mavericks' Steve Spinner answering 10 minutes later. Anderson's tally -- his fourth of the season and second in as many nights -- came on the power play, which snapped UMD's 0-for-15 drought with the man advantage. The Bulldogs, who entered the evening winless in games in which they either trailed (0-1-1) or were tied (0-6-1) at the first intermission this season, took the lead for good 53 seconds into the second period when senior right winger Karson Kuhlman went top shelf off a breakaway.  Senior left winger Blake Young and Tufte each tacked on a goal later that period and Perunovich and Tufte added some more insurance in the third.

"I really liked the way we closed out the game in the third period and I thought it was a really good team effort tonight," said UMD Head Coach Scott Sandelin following his 700th game behind the Bulldog bench.  "There was a higher compete level and we got rewarded with a win."

Omaha outshot the Bulldogs for the second straight night -- something no club has done this season -- finishing with a 34-26 advantage (18-7 in the first period alone). Both teams went 1-for-3 on the power play.

UMD will return to the ice on Dec. 29 to face Dartmouth College in the Ledyard Classic in Hanover, N.H.