MANDAN, ND – Playing in front of a sold out crowd on opening night, the University of Mary hockey team treated their fans to a dominant 5-2 win over North Dakota State University. The Marauders took command of the contest in the second period, scoring three times to pull away from the Bison in ACHA Division II hockey.
 
Following a formula that earned UMary 39 wins last year in their inaugural season, the Marauders kept attacking in waves while slowly building their advantage. The Marauders scored once in the opening period on a power play goal by Andrew Huber halfway thru the first stanza before seeing the Bison counter early in the second and knot the score at one apiece.
 
Continuing to grind, the Marauders posted a trio of goals in short order. Nine minutes into the second period, Zach Garrett broke the tie before Logan Kraft doubled the Marauders lead just 59 seconds later. The onslaught continued when Phillip Silveria found the net at the 14:24 mark to give UMary a 4-1 advantage entering the second intermission.
 
Bookending the Marauders scoring, Huber struck for his second goal of the game at the midpoint of the third period to push the Marauders advantage to four and seal the opening night UMary victory. NDSU tallied once late in the game to pull within three but was unable to creep any closer.
 
The Marauders pelted Bison goaltender Jordan Elliot with an astonishing 60 shots in the game. UMary netminder Lance Knudson had a much quieter of a night, stopping 14 of the 16 shots he faced in the game. The second goal allowed came on a Bison power play. Knudson had now earned 19 wins in two seasons and has yet to be tagged with a loss.
 
Huber finished the game with two goals – both on power plays - and an assist. Garrett and Silveria posted one goal and two assists. Alexander Horner chipped in two assists.
 
The Marauders and the Bison conclude a two-game weekend series on Sunday, Sept. 15. The puck drops at 2 pm on the Schwan Cadillac Rink in the Starion Sports Complex.
 
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