ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team was back in action this evening, taking on another top-10 opponent in No. 6 St. Cloud State University. The contest did not disappoint, with the Bulldogs coming out on top in overtime, 4-3, and improving to 6-2-2 on the year. The Huskies fall to 6-4-0 on the season.
 
"It was a good battle again which we expected, two good teams," said head coach Scott Sandelin. "Our guys got down there in the second period after the penalties but found a way to get it back. I thought we played a really strong third period and carried that into the overtime."
 
UMD out shot SCSU on the evening 31-22. Sophomore goalie Ryan Fanti made 19 saves in the contest while Huskies goalie David Hrenak made 27. Special teams was the name of the game, with the Bulldogs going 2-4 and the SCSU going 3-6. Fanti now sits 5-2-2 on the year with a .912 save percentage and a 2.28 goals against average.
 
UMD struck early, with junior forward Tanner Laderoute scoring his second of the season 1:36 into the game. After the Bulldogs dumped the puck into the Huskies' zone, junior forward Jesse Jacques pressured SCSU's defense, with senior forward Koby Bender following to pick up the loose puck. Bender threw a backhanded dime to Laderoute, who made a nifty forehand to backhand move to beat Hrenak. The Huskies would make it even on the power play with 3:06 to go in the period when a cross ice pass was pounded home top shelf.
 
UMD regained the lead on the power play 2:12 into the second. Freshman defenseman Wyatt Kaiser dished the puck to junior forward Jackson Cates. J. Cates took a shot and senior forward Nick Swaney netted his fourth goal of the season on the rebound. SCSU would tie and take the lead on a five minute major, going to Laderoute. A shot that looked to be tipped in front, snuck past Fanti's leg pad to tie things with 9:03 remaining in the second. A little over a minute later, a shot from the point lead to a scramble and the Huskies ripped the puck top shelf past a sprawled Fanti to take a 3-2 lead with 7:48 left in the period.
 
The Bulldogs wouldn't give in, taking advantage of being a man up in the third. After a shot on goal, SCSU tried to clear the zone. J. Cates managed to snag it before it got out, and passed it down low to senior forward Kobe Roth, who one-timed it in the short side to tie the game at three a piece 4:33 into the third.
 
Senior forward Noah Cates finished the job, netting the overtime winner with 3:00 to go in the extra frame. After picking off a pass on a Huskies odd man rush, N. Cates skated the puck up the ice with Roth on his weak side. Roth charged towards the net, drawing an SCSU defenseman down and giving N. Cates enough room to rifle a shot far side.
 
"I just kind of cut to the middle," said junior captain Noah Cates. "Kobe did a great job driving to the net and pushing that defenseman back, and I just put it on net and luckily enough it went in."
 
N. Cates, Laderoute, Roth and Swaney all scored one goal on the evening with senior forward Koby Bender, Kaiser and Jacques each having one assist while J. Cates dished out two. Swaney finished with seven shots, J. Cates had five and junior forward Cole Koepke had four.
 
UMD is back in action tomorrow, Jan. 3 at 4:00 pm in St. Cloud, Minn. to take on the No. 6 Huskies again.