KALAMAZOO, Michigan (KNFL/KFGO/UND Athletics) – No. 3 North Dakota fell, 4-3, in overtime in the series finale on Saturday night to No. 4 Western Michigan from Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.
UND ends the regular season with a 25-8-1 overall record and a 17-6-1 mark in NCHC play and will advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff as the No. 1 seed beginning next weekend. The opponent for next week’s quarterfinal round will be determined later tonight.
Ben Strinden and Keaton Verhoeff each tallied multiple points for the Fighting Hawks, with Strinden notching a goal and an assist and Verhoeff dishing out a pair of helpers. David Klee (3) and Cole Reschny (5) also each scored goals for the visitors in the loss.
Gibson Homer, making the start in his home state of Michigan, finished with 28 saves on 32 shots against but saw his five-game winning streak come to an end.
WMU started strong and jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening minutes, as a point shot was deflected past Homer to give the Broncos their first advantage of the series.
UND answered back less than three minutes later when Klee fluttered a puck that found the back of the net for a goal in his first game back from injury to even the score at 1-1 just over six minutes into the contest.
Homer and the NoDak penalty kill took over for the remainder of the period. Facing three kills, including a 5-on-3 for over 1:50, UND thwarted each WMU chance and surrendered only two shots on goal to keep the game even at 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.
After WMU took the lead back with an early goal in the second period, UND answered back following some big saves from Homer. Strinden’s centering pass deflected off a WMU defender and pinballed its way into the net for his 15th goal of the season and a 2-2 game after 40 minutes.
The Broncos took a 3-2 lead near the midway point of the third period, but the Fighting Hawks came roaring back again late in the frame. Just as a power play had expired, Reschny skated to the top of the circle and rifled home his fifth of the season to knot the game at 3-3 and send the contest to overtime.
UND had a couple of grade-A looks in the overtime session, but Western Michigan grabbed the winner in the final minute of the stanza to claim the extra point in the league standings.
North Dakota will open the NCHC Frozen Faceoff at home next weekend on Friday night at 7:07 p.m. on Midco Sports, NCHC.tv and the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- UND falls to 32-17-1 all-time against Western Michigan and 14-7-1 in Kalamazoo
- Jake Livanavage missed the first game of his career on Saturday – a stretch of 111 straight games
- Bennett Zmolek and Josh Zakreski were also held out of the series finale
- Gibson Homer made the start in his home state of Michigan
- David Klee returned from injury after missing the last nine games and scored his third goal of the season
- Ben Strinden scored his first goal since Jan. 24 at Arizona State
- Keaton Verhoeff dished out two assists for a multi-point game
- Sam Laurila has points in back-to-back games for the second time this season
- WMU was 0-for-4 on the power play while UND was 0-for-3
- Shots were 32-27 in favor of WMU
- Faceoffs were 33-25 in favor of WMU, with Josephson pacing UND at 9-7
How It Happened
First Period:
03:37 | WMU – Liam Valente (19) from Colby Woogk (4) and Grant Slukynsky (28)
06:20 | UND – David Klee (3) from Jack Kernan (7) and Sam Laurila (9)
Second Period:
02:42 | WMU – Sam Huck (4) from Alex Callbeck (3) and Garrett Szdlowski (6)
07:40 | UND – Ben Strinden (15) from Mac Swanson (16) and Keaton Verhoeff (13)
02:42 | WMU – Sam Huck (4) from Alex Callbeck (3) and Garrett Szdlowski (6)
07:40 | UND – Ben Strinden (15) from Mac Swanson (16) and Keaton Verhoeff (13)
Third Period:
08:56 | WMU – William Whitelaw (18) from Slukynsky (29) and Zach Bookman (11)
16:35 | UND – Cole Reschny (5) from Verhoeff (14) and Strinden (18)
08:56 | WMU – William Whitelaw (18) from Slukynsky (29) and Zach Bookman (11)
16:35 | UND – Cole Reschny (5) from Verhoeff (14) and Strinden (18)
Overtime:
04:14 | WMU – Valente (20) from Owen Michaels (14) and Samuel Sjolund (17)
04:14 | WMU – Valente (20) from Owen Michaels (14) and Samuel Sjolund (17)
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