Friday night was just what the University of Minnesota Duluth needed.

After mustering just one goal in a two-game series last weekend, the Bulldogs put the proverbial pedal to the medal offensively and took down the No. 2  University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks  7-4 before a sellout crowd of 7,016 at AMSOIL Arena.

Junior left winger Kobe Roth scored twice and added an assist while going a +4 for the No. 11 Bulldogs, who established a 2019-20 best for goals in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference series opener. The seven goals were the most racked up by a UMD club against the Fighting Hawks since Feb. 28, 1998 (a 7-0 triumph in Duluth).

UMD trailed 3-1 early in the second period before reeling off five straight goals, including three before the second intermission, to all but put the game away. Roth both opened and closed the scoring for the Bulldogs, getting his career-high 11th goal of the year off a breakaway with 4:22 to go in the third period. Junior rightwinger Nick Swaney (a goal and an assist), junior defenseman Dylan Samberg (two assists on this 21st birthday) and sophomore rightwinger Tanner Laderoute (a goal and an assist) all turned in two-point nights as UMD improved to 13-8-2 overall and 8-3-2-0 in the NCHC). Sophomore right winger Cole Koepke (shorthanded), freshman left winger Quinn Olson (power play) and sophomore left winger Noah Cates (his team-leading 12th goal of the season) also scored for the Bulldogs.

UMD All-American goaltender Hunter Shepard, making his NCAA record-tying 104th consecutive start finished with 30 saves, one stop less than his North Dakota counterpart, Adam Scheel.

The two longtime rivals will meet for the final time in the 2019-20 regular season on Saturday night in Duluth.

"Our second goal (Koepke's shortie) was a big and got us back in the game," said UMD Head Coach Scott Sandelin. "We finished with a pretty good third period and will now need  to follow that up tomorrow with three good periods."