Colorado College knocks off No. 1 North Dakota, 3-2, in overtime

December 8, 2023

Ryan Bowlin,

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND ATHLETICS)– Colorado College rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat No. 1 North Dakota, 3-2, in overtime on Friday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

Noah Laba buried the overtime winner just 35 seconds into the extra session to snap a 15-game unbeaten streak for the Tigers (8-6-1, 3-4-0 NCHC) against UND (12-4-1, 5-2-0 NCHC) and earn the extra point in the NCHC standings on his second goal of the evening.

The Fighting Hawks suffer their second straight loss in overtime and drop back-to-back games for the first time this season, but still remain unbeaten in regulation since Nov. 3, a stretch of 10 straight contests, to sit second in the league standings with 17 points.

Kaidan Mbereko was the top star of the night for both teams, stopping 32 of the 34 shots thrown his way in his first start at the Ralph. The sophomore was at his best in the final 20 minutes, as UND finished the frame with an 11-0 shot advantage, but the game remained tied at 2-2 to take the contest into overtime.

As has been the case all season, North Dakota started strong and jumped out to the early lead just 7:28 into the opening period. Dylan James took control of a loose puck in the neutral zone before racing by his defender and snapping a shot past Mbereko to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

James kept his strong play going in the middle stanza, winning another race to the puck and feathering a perfect pass to Louis Jamernik V for his fourth tally of the season and a 2-0 UND lead near the midway point of the game. CC started to climb back, however, with Laba trimming the deficit to 2-1 before Max Burkholder wired home a power play goal in the final minute of the period to send the teams to the locker room tied at 2-2 after two.

The third period was all UND, accounting for all 11 shots on goal, but Mbereko kept the game level with multiple saves on grade-A chances, including a breakaway chance from James and a near-late strike from Riese Gaber in the closing minutes to send the game to overtime.

UND won the initial draw in the OT period, but a turnover allowed for Laba to skate nearly coast-to-coast and tuck a shot through the arms of goaltender Ludvig Persson to secure the 3-2 win for the Tigers.

North Dakota will aim for its second straight four-point weekend on Saturday night at 6:07 p.m. from the Ralph. Fans can catch the action on Midco Sports, NCHC.tv or the Home of Economy Radio Network.

Postgame Notes

The win by CC snapped a 15-game unbeaten streak for UND over the Tigers since Mar. 1, 2019
CC’s victory was also the first in Grand Forks for the program since Feb. 9, 2018
UND finished with a 34-23 shot advantage
The Hawks drop to 11-3-1 when scoring first and 7-1-0 when taking a 2-0 lead this season
UND finished with 13 blocked shots while CC had 14
NoDak drops to 6-3-6 since 2022-23 in 3-on-3 overtime
The loss snaps a 4-0 mark in games following a defeat since Feb. 11, 2023
Dylan James recorded multiple points for the second time in the last three games
Jamernik V also has goals in two of his last three games
CC went 1-for-1 on the power play while UND was 0-for-1
UND had killed the previous 14 power plays prior to the CC goal
Garrett Pyke extended his point streak to four games, matching his career high
UND’s last three losses have come by a 3-2 score, with two happening in overtime
Faceoffs were even at 25-25, with Cameron Berg pacing UND at 8-6

How It Happened

First Period
07:28 | UND – Dylan James gets around his defender and roofs a shot to give UND a 1-0 lead

Second Period
08:13 | UND – Louis Jamernik V finishes off a nice feed from James to double the advantage
13:40 | CC – Noah Laba deflects home a shot from the point to cut the deficit to 2-1
19:39 | CC – Max Burkholder blasts home a one-timer on the power play to even the contest at 2-2

Third Period
No scoring