Strike first. Go into the third period with a lead. Score multiple times on the power play. Check the box on any of those three items and the University of Minnesota Duluth could all but guarantee itself a victory over the past several years.

That, however, was anything but the case Friday night in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The No. 4 Bulldogs drew first blood, were up 3-2 at the second intermission and connected on two of their four power play opportunities, but still came out on the short end of a 5-3 decision in their National Collegiate Hockey Conference series opener with Western Michigan University. The No. 19 Broncos sealed the victory -- their seventh straight at home -- by scoring three times in a span of 1:49 midway through the third period.

UMD, which came into the night having won 40 of the past 43 games in which it had taken a 1-0 lead, got on the scoreboard first 7:27 after the opening faceoff when a streaking junior defenseman Scott Perunovich took a pass from junior right winger Nick Swaney and redirected it over Bronco goaltender Brandon Bussi. After Western Michigan answered with two goals of its own for a 2-1 lead early in the second period, sophomore right winger Cole Koepke unleased a bomb on a one-timer from the left faceoff circle for his 13th goal of the year (tying him for the team lead). That power play goal at 8:28 of the second period was set up by Perunovich, who became the 59th Bulldog to reach the 100-point mark for a career and the first defenseman to do so in 35 years. The two-time All-American now has 19 goals and 81 assists in 110 lifetime games). Just under three minutes later, junior center Justin Richards struck with the man advantage, tucking in a backhand between the leg pads of Bussi and putting UMD ahead, 3-2.

Prior to this weekend, the Bulldogs (17-10-2 overall; 12-5-2-0 NCHC) were an amazing 89-1-3 when taking a lead into the third period (going back to March 13, 2015) and, oddly enough, that lone loss came at the hands of Western Michigan on Dec. 7, 2018 at the Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo. They were also 29-3-2 in games in which they scored multiple times on the power play (dating to Dec. Dec. 4, 2015.

The three Bronco third-period scores -- all even strength -- came at 7:22, 7:51 and 9:11.

UMD senior All-American goaltender Hunter Shepard, in his NCAA-record 110th consecutive start, finished with 27 saves while Bussi made 37 stops.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 6:07 p.m (CT).