The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team took on Western Michigan University tonight, for the second time this weekend. WMU came away with a 5-2 win, including two empty net goals, and the teams split the weekend.
Despite an early two goal lead, UMD was unable to repeat yesterday's high-scoring performance. The Broncos doubled them in shots (42-21) through the final whistle.
The Bulldogs' penalty kill streak continued in this game, adding five successful kills for a total of 17 consecutively. UMD scored on two out of four power play opportunities, both coming in the first period.
Five seconds after an interference call, Ben Steeves got the puck at the top of the circle and sent it through traffic and in. For the second night in a row, UMD opened the scoring.
Then, after WMU was called for a five minute major on top of a bench minor, Blake Biondi scored the Bulldogs' second goal of the game. With 2.3 seconds left in the period, Biondi received a cross-crease pass from Connor McMenamin. With the Bronco goaltender overextended, Biondi had a wide open shot.
WMU turned around the game flow in the second period, fueled by killing off the rest of the major penalty. They scored twice within 1:04, the first coming off of a double deflection. The Broncos' second goal was reviewed for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood.
UMD wasn't quite as lucky. They thought Kyler Kleven had scored for the lead but after an extensive review, the zone entry was determined to be offsides. The teams stayed tied.
The Bulldogs struggled to regain their offensive energy. Matthew Thiessen played a major role in keeping his team in the game. He matched his save total from last night (37) with a little over three minutes still left in the game.
Right after, WMU broke the stalemate. They won the faceoff back and sent it immediately on net to make it 3-2. UMD pulled Thiessen, but the Broncos scored two insurance empty net goals.
The Bulldogs return to Duluth next weekend for this season's second series against Miami University on Friday, January 26 and Saturday, January 27 at 7:07 p.m.
