UND doomed by missed chances

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Senior goalie Kent Patterson notched another shutout Friday, leading Minnesota to a 2-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association win over North Dakota.

Patterson entered his senior season without a shutout to his credit. But he’s been nearly unbeatable with five shutouts in nine games.

Patterson had 24 stops to tie the school record for single-season shutouts. He shares the mark with Robb Stauber, who turned the trick in 1987-88.

“You just have to keep playing,” Patterson said. “It’s great that we’ve got five shutouts. But we’ve got a whole lot of chances left, hopefully we can get some more.”

Nick Bjugstad and Tom Serratorre scored for the WCHA-leading Gophers (8-1-0, 5-0-0), who are off to their best start since 2006-07.

“We knew we would get North Dakota’s best shot tonight,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said.

Minnesota dominated the offensive zone, outshooting the Fighting Sioux 32-24.

North Dakota was 0-for-7 on the power play. The Sioux did not score on a five-minute power play in the second period.

“That was a pivotal point in the game. We did a nice job of not giving them momentum,” Lucia said.

Bjugstad scored on the power play at 12:44 of the second period, but the Gophers let six other chances get away.

Serratorre added an insurance goal midway through the third period. He received a pass after a faceoff in the UND end and beat Aaron Dell on a breakaway.

Dell had 30 saves for North Dakota (3-5-1, 1-4-0). The Sioux are 7-4-3 in their last 14 games against Minnesota.

Tags: sports, sioux, hockey