Box Score A bounce-back victory is what the University of Minnesota Duluth needed Saturday and a bounce-back victory is what it got.

One night after opening up their final National Collegiate Hockey Conference series of the season with a 7-4 setback to Western Michigan University, the No. 3 Bulldogs responded by taking down the No. 8 Broncos 6-3  in Kalamazoo, Mich. Sophomore center Adam Johnson scored twice and assisted on another goal for UMD, which concluded the regular season with a 21-6-5 overall record. That .721 regular season winning percentage was the second best ever compiled by a Bulldog club since the program was elevated to NCAA Division I status in 1961-62.

UMD, which was playing without both senior defenseman Carson Soucy (injury) and freshman right winger Riley Tufte (illness), took a 2-0 lead with consecutive power play goals from junior center Jared Thomas (his first tally in 70 games dating back to )ct. 17, 2015) and Johnson 2:16 apart late in the first period. After Western Michigan (20-9-5 overall; 13-9-2-1 NCHC) struck twice in the opening half of the second period, but Johnson's second goal of the evening and team-leading 17th tally of the season gave the Bulldogs the lead for good. Junior Avery Peterson  potted the eventual game-winner 1:53 into the third period off a wrist shot from the slot and rookie right winger Joey Anderson put then put the Bulldogs up 6-3 six minutes later with his eighth goal of the year. Western Michigan got one back at the 14:30 mark before senior left winger Alex Iafallo capped off the victory with an shorthanded, empty net goal with 56 seconds to go in regulation. That coupled with an earlier assist gave Iafallo a league-best 30 points in NCHC play and made him seventh Bulldog to reign as a conference scoring champion with the others being Jack Connolly (2011-12), Junior Lessard (2003-04), Chris Marinucci (1993-94), Derek Plante (1992-93), Bill Watson (1984-85 and 1983-84) and Keith "Huffer" Christiansen (1966-67), all of whom accomplished that feat while UMD was a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

UMD freshman netminder Hunter Miska, making his 28 consecutive start, finished with 28 saves while improving to 20-4-5 on the year. Ben Blacker, who was pulled after giving up Anderson's third-period goal, and Collin Olson combined to make 24 stops.

The Bulldogs, who finished second in the final NCHC standings at 15-5-4-3, will return to AMSOIL Arena on Friday night (March 10) to host Miami University in a best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal round playoff series.

NOTES:  Adam Johnson has now scored at least one goal in six of the past seven games, including the last four in a row ...  With Saturday's win, UMD did  something only two other Bulldogs teams had  ever done before in 56 years of competing at the NCAA I level -- go through an entire regular season without being swept. UMD also accomplished that feat in 2010-11 (when it won a national championship) and two years ago ... In just 17 games in a Bulldog uniform,  Avery Peterson has racked up seven goals -- a team-high five of which have been game-winners ... this marks the second year in a row that the Bulldogs will face Miami in Duluth for the NCHC playoffs after hosting the RedHawks in their regular season home finales as well ... UMD is 12-2-3 away from AMSOIL Arena this season ... Senior center Dominic Toninato, who had his career-high six-game scoring streak terminated in Friday's 7-4 setback to Western Michigan, was credited with two assists on Saturday as was junior right winger Karson Kuhlman.