No. 5 UND topples No. 1 Minnesota, 2-1, to earn series split

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND ATHLETICS)– No. 5 North Dakota notched a pair of goals from its freshman to collect a 2-1 victory over top-ranked Minnesota and salvage a series split on Saturday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.  

After failing to crack the scoreboard last night, UND (3-1-0) finally broke through early in the second period on a Jayden Perron deflection off a Garrett Pyke shot that found its way past goaltender Justen Close to give the Fighting Hawks a 1-0 lead less than six minutes into the stanza.  

NoDak controlled the play for a majority of the opening 40 minutes, holding a 24-12 shot advantage through the second intermission, but once again felt a bit unlucky that the lead was only 1-0 entering the final frame.  

That changed just 59 seconds into the third, as Jake Livanavage fired a puck from an awkward angle into the crease that found its way into the net to increase the advantage to 2-0 and give the Phoenix, Ariz., native his first-career goal.  

Minnesota (3-1-0) clawed back into the contest with a deflection goal of its own by Jaxon Nelson at the 8:04 mark of the third, but UND did not let the Golden Gophers get any closer and closed out the 2-1 victory.  

Ludvig Persson was strong between the pipes once again for the hosts, finishing with 21 saves on 22 attempts to improve to 3-1-0 on the season. He also received plenty of help from the group in front of him, as the Fighting Hawks blocked 16 shots to record double-digit blocks for the third straight game.  

North Dakota closes out its month-long homestand to begin the season with another old conference foe, Minnesota State, beginning Friday night at 7:07 p.m. from the Ralph. Fans can watch all the action on Midco Sports or NCHC.tv as well as listen on the Home of Economy Radio Network.  

Postgame Notes  

1. UND improves to 136-143-16 all-time against Minnesota and 73-58-8 in Grand Forks  
2. NoDak has also won five straight Saturday meetings between the two teams  
3. Jake Livanavage tallied his first-career goal, with it eventually being the game winner 
4. The Hawks finished with a 34-22 shot advantage, with Owen McLaughlin firing seven  
5. Ludvig Persson has now allowed two-or-fewer goals in three of his first four starts at UND 
6. Faceoffs were even at 24-24, with Cameron Berg leading all skaters with 10 victories  
7. Carson Albrecht blocked a trio of shots to pace UND  
8. Jayden Perron, Persson and Livanavage were named the game’s three stars, in that order  
9. Griffin Ness made his season debut in the win  
10. UND improves to 8-7-2 against No. 1 teams since 2014 
11. The Hawks went 0-for-6 with the power play while Minnesota was 0-for-2 

How It Happened 
First Period                                                     
No scoring 

Second Period 
05:48 | UND – Jayden Perron tips home a Garrett Pyke shot from the point to give UND a 1-0 lead

Third Period 
00:59 | UND – Jake Livanavage sneaks a shot under the pad of the goaltender to increase the advantage to 2-0
08:04 | UM – Jaxon Nelson cuts into the lead with a deflection in front