The University of North Dakota scored two goals 91 seconds apart early in the first period and held on to upend the University of Minnesota Duluth 2-1 Saturday night to salvage a split in the weekend National Collegiate Hockey Conference series with host and No. 2-ranked Bulldogs.

The loss was just the second for UMD in its last 11 bouts with North Dakota and put the clamps on the No. 2 Bulldogs' nine-game home unbeaten streak that dated back to last March. UMD, which  throttled the No. 15 Fighting Hawks 5-0 on Friday night, fell to 10-3-1 overall and 4-2-0-0 in the NCHC.

Playing before a standing-room only AMSOIL Arena crowd of 6,880, North Dakota (8-6-1; 2-4-0-0) drew first blood on Jordan Kawaguchi's goal 3:10 into the first period and then struck again at 4:41. Midway through that same period, freshman left winger Tanner Laderoute cut the North Dakota lead in half when he was credited with his fifth goal of the season off a shot that appeared to deflect in off his body.

Both UMD junior Hunter Shepard and North Dakota's Adam Scheel shut things down the rest of the way. Shepard, making his 53rd consecutive start, finished with 28 saves and played an integral part in holding the Fighting Hawks scoreless on all seven of their power play opportunities. Scheels also had 28 stops.

"We weren't poor but they were better," said UMD Head Coach Scott Sandelin, whose Bulldogs went 0-for-2 with the man advantage. "We dug a hole and couldn't get out of it. Our penalty killers were outstanding and Hunter Shepard was outstanding. We had chances but we didn't bury them."

The Bulldogs will pay a visit to Western Michigan University for a pair of NCHC bouts next Friday and Saturday night.