UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA — Even though the University of North Dakota did not get the win on Saturday night, Captain Riese Gaber was still proud of the resilience the team showed.
“We probably deserved better,” he said. “I’m proud of the group and we stuck with it and never quit and obviously ended up tied up in third or third and overtime, just unfortunately couldn’t get that result.”
Gaber scored his 100th point in Saturday’s shootout loss to Minnesota State Mankato. The University of North Dakota fell 3-2 with a final shot count of 39-25 in favor of UND.
Mankato came out hot, starting the first period with an immediate push.
“They came out hard and you know we expected that,” Gaber said, “But they took it to us early.”
Despite the early push from Mankato, UND would open scoring with Gaber scoring on the powerplay to give UND the early lead. Mankato would answer back with William Hillman shooting top corner and in to tie it for Mankato. The Mavericks scored again but the goal was disallowed for a high stick, shortly after Sam Morton got back the second goal. It was 2-1 Mankato at the end of the first with a shot count of 12-8 in the Mavericks favor.
The second period was a stalemate with both teams struggling to get sustained zone time or pressure. Both teams registered only 6 shots on the net and no goals in that period.
In the third, UND took it up a notch and made a push. Hunter Johannes scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game. It was a breakaway opportunity off a play by Garrett Pyke who had five points in the two-game series against Mankato.
Johannes was thrilled to have scored the goal and channeled the emotion into his celebration and into taunting the Mankato bench.
“I was pretty happy,” Johannes said. “Glad we could get that one and stay in the game because I thought if we got one, we’d be able to get another.”
After Johannes’s goal, UND continued to build momentum putting up 17 shots but could not get the game winner. The game went into overtime.
In overtime, UND was given a power play. They played four forwards to start opting out of having a defenseman to start the manned advantage. The power play couldn’t capitalize, and the game went to the shootout.
“We got to go out there and capitalize and like I said, we didn’t get that done,” Gaber said. “But… we’ll get better and that’s just unfortunate.”
UND had Jayden Perron, Jackson Blake, and Owen McLaughlin shoot in the shootout, but none were successful. Mankato’s Morton would score the lone shootout goal to give Mankato the win. In the handshake line, there was a scrum, with one of the Mankato players being kicked from the Handshake line.
“I don’t even know honestly,” Johannes said. “Somebody came after Riese and then somebody grabbed me from behind. Just saying a few things. But for me, I like that stuff. I can play with emotion and play with grit. So other teams, they fire me up when they do that.”
The shootout loss to Mankato was the last game of the UND homestand before they go to take on Boston University in Boston and in Duluth to open NCHC play with a contest against Minnesota-Duluth. Gaber and the team are ready, leaving the Ralph with a 4-1-1 record.
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Gaber said. “We’re a confident group and there’s a lot of belief inside that locker room. Guys love each other, guys love playing for each other. And… we’re just excited. Very excited to keep moving as a team.”
Maeve Hushman is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
