Box Score

In 20 minutes of action at Mars Lakeview Arena on Friday night, the Saints gave No. 3 UW-River Falls all they could handle, heading to the locker rooms in the first intermission with a 3-2 lead over the highly ranked Falcons.

Even in the next 20 minute frame, River Falls only pulled even with the period's lone goal but the Saints had their own opportunities throughout a period that wasn't as crisp as the game's opening stanza.

The final 20 minutes were all UWRF as the Falcons (5-0-1, 1-0-0 NCHA) scored three more goals on seven shots while holding the Saints scoreless on five shots to take the conference opener for both teams with a 6-3 win.

The Falcons netted the first goal of the game five minute in as Pat Borgestad raced in on goalie Tyler Johnson (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks HS) on a breakaway, burying the puck behind the netminder with a backhand drag shot.

Jordan Baird (Port McNeill, British Columbia/Victoria (BCHL)) evened the score for the Saints, though, with a long slap shot through traffic on a power play in the game's 10th minute.

UWRF jumped ahead with a score in the 17th minute but A.J. Tucker and Joey Martini (Calgary, Alberta/Canmore (AJHL)) scored less than two minutes apart in the final 2:29 to give the Saints their first lead of the game.

Only one penalty was called in the second period and there were only 17 combined shots compared to 27 in the game's opening period, but Falls picked up a late goal in the 16th minute that left the game tied at 3-3 heading into the final frame.

Borgestad got his second of the evening for UWRF 7:38 into the third, then Tyler Czuba stretched the lead to two in the 13th minute. But it was Alex Lundbohm's first collegiate goal less than a minute later to give the visiting Falcons a 6-3 lead that broke the Saints' back.

Johnson stopped 22 of 28 shots in the loss while Tyler Owens had 25 saves on 28 shots to register the win for River Falls.

Box score