MADISON, Wis. -- After an offense-heavy game one of their non-conference series, the No. 3-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team could not solve No. 17 Wisconsin's defense as the Bulldogets fell 3-1 to suffer a series sweep against the Badgers at the Kohl Center on Saturday night.

After a four-goal first period on Friday night, the two teams played tighter defensively in a scoreless first in game two. No. 17 Wisconsin (3-1-0) got on the board first, scoring the first of three goals in a span of 9:21. Alex Turcotte put the Badgers up as they made good on a power play opportunity at 5:04, adding to that lead 7:05 later when Ty Pelton-Byce found the back of the net to give Wisconsin a 2-0 lead.

No. 3 UMD (1-3-0) quickly had an answer as Noah Cates cut the lead in half, assisted by Justin Richards and Hunter Lellig, as he powered a score through the defense from the slot at 14:25 of the second. Defenses once again took control from there, with the Badgers taking the 2-1 lead to the locker room after two. 

Unlike Friday night, the Bulldogs held the advantage in shots on goal, with 32 compared to Wisconsin's 21 on the evening. Neither team could get any offense going in the third period. UMD pulled netminder Hunter Shepard in the final minute, but the Badgers put the game on ice as Sean Dhooghe scored an empty netter with 36 seconds remaining.

NOTABLE
Shepard (1-2-0) looked sharper, and had more help from his defense, as he stopped 19 shots on the day, while Daniel Lebedeff (3-1-0) made 31 saves against the Bulldog offense … UMD finished 0-for-5 on the power play while its penalty kill held the Badgers to a 1-for-4 night.

UP NEXT
UMD continues on the road next Friday night to start a home-and-home series with Minnesota (3-1-0).  Puck drop is set for just after 7 p.m. broadcasting live on Fox Sports North Plus. The game can also be heard locally on KDAL 610 AM/103.9 FM and streaming live on kdal610.com. Tickets remain available for game two of the series, emanating from AMSOIL Arena on Saturday night.

Follow UMD Athletics all season long by connecting with the Bulldogs on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribing to the Bulldog Productions channel on YouTube. Tickets for all Bulldog home contests are available by accessing your My Bulldog Account, or clicking here.