OMAHA, Neb. – The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team remains undefeated through the first five games of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Pod which extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games dating back to last season. The Bulldogs tied with No. 1 ranked North Dakota, but earned an extra NCHC point in the standings by winning 1-0 in a shootout.
 
"It was exactly what we expected, not a lot of room on the rink," said head coach Scott Sandelin. "Both teams I think had some sustained offensive zone and opportunities off of transition. It was a pretty solid hockey game."
 
UMD found their footing first in the top-3 matchup. Junior forward Jesse Jacques netted the first goal 7:03 into the first when a puck at the Bulldogs blueline jumped out to junior forward Cole Koepke. Koepke slid the puck over to Jacques who took it in and ripped a shot from the top of the slot, a shot which Fighting Hawks goalie Adam Scheel couldn't hold on to. The puck squeaked by and crossed the line for a 1-0 lead. UMD went into the locker room with a 15-9 advantage in shots.
 
UND fought their way back in the second, tying things up with 7:52 remaining. A pass was picked off at the redline by Fighting Hawks forward Jordan Kawaguchi and UND rushed down with a 3-2 odd man rush. Kawaguchi dished the puck to the middle to Riese Gaber who used senior defender Matt Anderson as a screen and shot the puck by sophomore goalie Ryan Fanti.
 
The Fighting Hawks struck first in the third to take the lead with 7:36 remaining in regulation. While on the power play, UND forward Shane Pinto was fed a one-timer from the top of the circle and snuck the puck past Fanti for a 2-1 lead. The Bulldogs struck back 1:09 later. Anderson pinched down to keep the puck in the zone and would chip the puck to the bottom of the circles. Koepke was in the right place at the right time when he would roof the puck past Scheel to bring things back to two apiece.
 
The score would stay at 2-2 through regulation and overtime.
 
Both goalies were stellar in the shootout, with senior Nick Swaney scoring the only goal in the three rounds. Swaney came down fast and snapped the puck over the glove side of Scheel.
 
"I just wanted to come in with speed. I think the whole time I knew I was going to shoot the puck and I was just waiting for an opening," said senior forward Nick Swaney." "He [Scheel] kind of went down and I saw a top corner and was fortunate to find the back of the net."
 
Fanti made both saves in the shootout and a poke check mixed in on Gaber, not allowing him a chance to shoot.
 
Fanti finished with 26 saves in the contest and is now 3-0-1 in his career. Koepke finished the night with two points (1g, 1a) along with a blocked shot. Jacques netted his first goal of the season and Anderson grabbed an assist. Senior forward Kobe Roth and freshman defenseman Darian Gotz each finished with two blocked shots.
 
UMD comes back for another top-10 matchup on Saturday, Dec. 12 against No. 9 Denver University at 12:05pm.