A 30-save effort from senior goaltender Ben Patt was not enough as the No. 1 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs dropped a 5-4 decision to the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Friday evening in Marquette, MI. The non-conference loss moves the Bulldogs to a 10-4-1 overall record on the season. 
 
Making his first-career start on Friday, Patt faced 35 Wildcat shots, making 30 saves on the night. Blake Biondi added to his team-lead in goals with his seventh of the year. Quinn Olson, Carter Loney, and Casey Gilling also found the back of the net for the Bulldogs. Dominic James posted the first three-point night of his career with three assists on the evening, while Noah Cates, Owen Gallatin, and Olson also noted assists in the loss.
 
Northern Michigan grabbed the lead early in the first period. Just 28 seconds into the game, Casey Gilling would be called for holding, giving the dangerous Wildcat power play the first opportunity of the night. Following a minute and a half on the man-advantage, Patt was called for cross-checking, making it a 5-on-3 for NMU. The Wildcats would cash in on a one-timer from the blueline, making it 1-0 just 2:12 into the game. It wouldn't take UMD long to respond. Just six minutes later, a hooking call on Bo Hanson gave the Bulldogs their first man-advantage of the evening. On the ensuing faceoff, James found Olson in the right-wing corner. In one motion, Olson hit Biondi in the slot for a wide open one-timer. Biondi beat Rico DiMatteo five-hole to tie the game at one. For Biondi, the goal was his team-leading seventh of the season. Just over nine minutes later, Cates would make a beautiful behind the back pass to Gilling in the NMU slot. Gilling snapped a shot high glove side to put Minnesota Duluth ahead 2-1 with just under three minutes to play in the first. The Bulldogs would outshoot the Wildcats 14-9 through the first frame and take a 2-1 lead into the second period.
 
The two teams would trade shots and zone time through the first portion of the second period. With 11:25 remaining in the second, Kobe Roth cycled the puck to a waiting Koby Bender behind the Wildcats net. Bender used his backhand to shuffle a pass to an open Jesse Jacques charging the Northern Michigan net. Jacques would get a quality scoring chance in the slot but would be stopped by DiMatteo. A few minutes later, a wrist shot from the left-wing would beat Patt high glove side to tie the game at 2-2 midway through the second. NMU would get a faceoff in the Bulldogs zone with just over two minutes left in the period. Off the faceoff, David Keefer would snap a shot past Patt give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead. Northern Michigan held a 27-19 shot advantage and a 3-2 lead heading into the third period of play. 
 
Needing a goal, the Bulldogs would strike early in the third. After a long shift in the Wildcats zone, James fed a pass into the slot to a wide open Olson. Olson toe-dragged and ripped a snapshot under the glove of DiMatteo to tie the game at 3-3 just 4:48 into period three. With eleven minutes remaining on the clock, a puck would slip behind Patt but would be swatted out of the crease by Owen Gallatin and away from danger. The teams traded chances deep into the third period. A Wildcats 2-on-1 opportunity was buried with just over three minutes to play, giving Northern Michigan a 4-3 lead. The Bulldogs would pull Patt with two minutes remaining. An empty net for NMU would make the score 5-3, but UMD would not go away. With 18 seconds remaining, James and Gallatin picked up assists on Loney's second career goal. UMD would pressure in the final seconds but would drop game one, 5-4 in Marquette. 
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs and Wildcats will rematch tomorrow evening in Marquette, MI. Puck drop is set for 5:37 PM CT in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.