Peter Thome got a little bit of redemption Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

The University of North Dakota sophomore goalie, making his first start since being pulled in 5-0 setback to the University of Minnesota Duluth back on Nov. 30, 2018, held those same No. 3 Bulldogs to just one first-period goal this time around and backstopped the Fighting Hawks to a 4-1 triumph in the opener of a two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series.

Sophomore right winger Nick Swaney was the lone Bulldog to get a puck past Thome, striking 1:25 after the opening faceoff and 41 seconds after North Dakota had taken a 1-0 lead.  Swaney's goal, his team leading 13th of the season, came off a shot from just north of the extended goal line. North Dakota's Hayden Shaw potted the eventual game-winner with a shorthanded goal at 12:11 of the first and Casey Johnson scored 70 seconds later to put the Fighting Hawks up 3-1. With UMD netminder Hunter Shepard pulled for an extra attacker, Cole Smith iced the win -- just North Dakota's third in its last 12 meetings with the Bulldogs -- found the back of an empty Bulldog net with 1:30 to go in regulation.

The two long-time rivals each finished with 22 shots and both went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Bulldogs hiked their NCAA-leading penalty kill efficiency mark to .922 (and .949 on the road).

"We knew they were going to come out right from the start and they did that on the first shift scoring the first goal," said ophomore center and UMD's top point-producer  Justin Richards.  "We responded well and got that one to tie it up but they kept shoving it down our throats. We just have to be more prepared tomorrow,  but they just wanted it more tonight,"

The series rematch is set for 7:07 p.m. Saturday.