Brad Miller dumped the puck, skated to the bench, sat down and didn't even see Minnesota-Duluth score his second goal of the season.
That's what kind of night it was for the UND men's hockey team.
Eight players scored even-strength goals as UND beat Duluth 8-3 Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
By far, UND's strangest goal came off the stick of Miller.
With the Sioux ahead 2-0 midway through the first period, Miller fired the puck down the ice along the right-side boards and went for a change. Duluth goaltender Alex Stalock skated way out to the boards to play the puck, but defenseman Jay Cascalenda picked it up and circled in the slot. His defensive partner, Chase Ryan, unknowingly skated backwards into Cascalenda and as the two collided, the puck squirted behind them and into the net.
ADVERTISEMENT
Miller already was sitting on the bench when the goal went in and didn't see it. Teammate Ryan Duncan turned to him and told him that he just scored.
"I had one on YouTube last week with (Wisconsin goalie Shane) Connelly saving me," Miller said. "Now, maybe I'll have another one."
It was a small part of a wild night that saw the Sioux build a 3-0 lead and have it wiped away by the Bulldogs before putting it away with five consecutive tallies to end the game.
The Sioux improved to 6-3-1 overall and 4-3 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Duluth entered the game having given up only four goals in its last three games. But by the end of the game, Stalock was sitting on the bench for the first time this season, giving way to Grand Forks Red River product Nate Ziegelmann.
"We've had a couple of nights where we played extremely well and came up empty-handed," UND coach Dave Hakstol said. "Tonight, we certainly took advantage of our opportunities. We didn't generate a whole lot, but we took advantage of the opportunities we did have."
Matt Watkins, Derrick LaPoint and Miller scored in a span of 73 seconds in the first to give the Sioux a big lead, but Nick Kemp's power-play tally with 2.6 seconds left in the frame started Duluth's comeback.
The Bulldogs got two more in the opening five minutes of the second to tie it.
ADVERTISEMENT
But five minutes later, rookie forward Evan Trupp scored the key goal to get the Sioux back on track. After fighting off two checks while bringing the puck in the zone, Trupp regained control behind the net and buried a wraparound with his backhand to make it 4-3.
In the third, Chris VandeVelde, Matt Frattin, T.J. Oshie and Rylan Kaip added goals for UND.
"If I had a timeout in the third period, I would have called it after the first three shifts," said Duluth coach Scott Sandelin, whose team hasn't allowed eight goals since a playoff series against the Sioux in 2005. "They came out (in the third) and they were the better team and we weren't doing anything. Then they got the fifth goal. And you know what? When teams like that smell blood . . . they put it away. I'm not going to lie - I'm embarrassed about the third period."
Stalock entered the weekend with a 1.97 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. His numbers Friday were 7.05 and .760.
"The momentum shifted our way," Frattin said. "Once we got one, maybe they lost some confidence."
