Box Score Nick Swaney knows a thing or two about overtime goals so when the University of Minnesota Duluth found itself deep in sudden death Saturday night, he was guy who delivered.

The sophomore left winger backhanded in a shot 4:51 into the second overtime to lift the University of Minnesota Duluth to a 3-2 victory over No. 1 St. Cloud State University and skated off with its second National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff championship in three years. It marked the third time Swaney, who upped his team-leading goal total to 15, has scored in overtime this season

St. Cloud State, which came into the night riding a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1) came storming out of the gates, outshooting the No. 4 Bulldogs 15-6 in the opening period, but yet the two intrastate rivals entered the first intermission deadlocked at 1-1. Three minutes after the Huskies had taken a 1-0 lead,  Mikey Anderson got the equalizer by taking a cross ice pass from fellow sophomore defenseman Scott Perunovich, skated into the high slot and ripped a slapper that beat St. Cloud State goaltender David Hrenak high to the glove side. After a scoreless second period, the Huskies went back on top just 28 seconds into the third on Patrick Newell's power play goal. On St. Cloud State's next man advantage opportunity -- its final one of the night -- senior right winger Billy Exell struck for the first shorthanded tally of his collegiate career. That came after freshman right winger Tanner Laderoute jumped on a Husky turnover and shuffled a pass over to Exell, who wristed in a shot from between the two faceoff circles with 4:41 to go in regulation. It was Laderoute's second assist of the night. 

Both clubs put seven shots on target in the first overtime, but could put nothing by Hrenak or UMD's Hunter Shepard. Shepard, making his school-record 77th consecutive start, finished with a season-high 37 saves en route to being named the NCHC Frozen Faceoff's Most Valuable Player. He joined Mikey Anderson on the six-member All-Tournament team. Shepard also played a big part in holding St. Cloud State (30-5-3) to just one power play in six chances. UMD was 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

"I'm really really proud of our guys tonight," said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. "It's exciting to win this championship again against a great team. It didn't look so good early on, but our guys stuck with it, grinded through it and they found a way to get it done."

The Bulldogs will learn of their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday (March 24) when the 16-team field is officially announced at 6 p.m. (CT) Sunday on ESPNU. UMD has advanced to the NCAA postseason in seven of the past ten years, including the last four in a row. No Bulldog team has ever competed in five straight NCAA tournaments.