Five different goalscorers helped the No. 7 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs to a 5-1 victory over the No. 16 Omaha Mavericks on Friday evening in Omaha, Neb. The win gives the Bulldogs a 10-0-1 record against the Mavericks in their last eleven meetings, and elevates UMD to third-place in the NCHC standings.
On the night,
Blake Biondi,
Quinn Olson,
Luke Loheit,
Carter Loney, and
Dominic James all tallied goals for the Bulldogs. Biondi finished the night with a goal and two assists for three points, while captain
Noah Cates, Loheit, and James all posted two points each during Friday evening's victory.
Ryan Fanti secured his 12th victory of the season after making 24 saves off 25 Maverick shots. Omaha outshot the Bulldogs 25-24 in the game.
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the board in this one. Just over four minutes into the first period, James beat Omaha netminder Isaiah Saville from a sharp angle to put UMD ahead 1-0. The goal for James is his third on the season, with an assist coming from Biondi. Following the goal, the Mavericks would get their first power-play opportunity of the night. Omaha noted two shots during the power-play, including a one-timer opportunity from the nation's leading power-play scorer, Taylor Ward. Fanti and the Bulldogs would successfully kill-off the penalty and would quickly find themselves with a power-play chance. With the man-advantage, Olson would bury a snapshot over the blocker of Saville to extend UMD's lead to 2-0. Assists on the power-play tally going to James and Biondi. With just 20 seconds remaining in the period, Omaha appeared to beat Fanti to cut the lead to 2-1. However, after a successful UMD coaches' challenge, the goal was taken off the board for too many skaters on the ice. The Bulldogs would take the 2-0 lead into the second.
Omaha opened the second period with multiple power-play chances. Midway through their second man-advantage of the period, Loheit took a feed from Cates and buried a wrist shot high blocker side on Saville. The shorthanded goal came just over six minutes into the second period and extended UMD's lead to 3-0. A few moments later, the Fanti would make a tremendous backdoor save off a Kevin Conley one-timer opportunity, keeping Omaha off the board in the second. Despite being outshot 18-15 through two periods, the Bulldogs took a 3-0 advantage into the third period.
The Mavericks pressed throughout the first half of period three. Six minutes into the frame, UNO defenseman Brandon Scanlin would ring iron from the top of the zone, and the score remained 3-0 UMD. A few moments later,
Owen Gallatin was assessed a two-minute penalty for interference, giving Omaha their sixth power-play opportunity of the night. With the man-advantage, Scanlin's shot from the top of the zone would be deflected by Jack Randl over the glove of Fanti. The goal game at 10:16 of the period and cut the Bulldogs lead to 3-1. UMD would shut the door following the Mavericks tally and add to their lead. With just under three minutes to play, Biondi would bury a rebound in the UNO slot to put the Bulldogs ahead 4-1. With under a minute to play, Loney would beat Saville on the blocker side to secure a 5-1 road victory in game one.
Up Next
The Bulldogs and Mavericks will rematch tomorrow evening in Omaha. Puck drop is set for 7:07 PM from Baxter Arena.
