The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team returned from winter break for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, a four-team tournament in Milwaukee, Wisc. The Bulldogs opened the tournament against Northeastern and despite an early lead, UMD fell in overtime, 4-3. 

The first period belonged to the Bulldogs. In the final five minutes, UMD created a 2-0 lead. Team-leading scorer Ben Steeves broke through first, redirecting freshman Aaron Pionk's shot from the point. Then, with 13 seconds left in the period and the man advantage, Blake Biondi sent in a similar tip off Luke Bast's shot. 

The middle frame brought things closer. NU sophomore Jack Williams scored just under a minute and a half in and then again on the power play. 

The Bulldogs were quick to answer the Huskies, with defenseman Owen Gallatin taking advantage of net-front traffic on the power play. His top-of-the-circle goal got UMD's lead back. That is, until Northeastern scored with a little over six minutes left in the second period. The team's were back to tied. The Bulldogs couldn't answer before intermission. 

Neither team was able to pull ahead in the third period, despite some dominant offensive-zone possession and scoring chances from UMD. They led in shots 11-2. 

The Bulldogs outshot the Huskies 36-23 in total, but only managed one shot on goal in overtime before the Huskies closed in. In overtime, NU sealed it with Williams' third of the night.

Through the first semester, head-to-head shots versus opponents largely determined UMD's success. This afternoon, however, faceoff losses and a hot streak from an opposing scorer made the difference. 

Tomorrow, the team returns to Fiserv Forum for the second day of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off. The Bulldogs will take on either the Air Force Falcons at 4 p.m. or Wisconsin Badgers at 7:30 p.m., depending on the results of tonight's game. 

For updates on UMD's game schedule and opponents, make sure to follow @UMDMensHockey.