The Lakehead Thunderwolves closed out their NCAA weekend with a 5-1 loss to the UMD Bulldogs Sunday night at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minnesota.
A pair of players from Northwestern Ontario played key roles in the Bulldogs win, as Travis Oleksuk from Thunder Bay scored 2 goals and Joe Basaraba of Fort Frances added another for UMD.
Minnesota-Duluth opened the scoring at 8:46 of the first period when Jack Connolly beat Lakehead goaltender Jeff Bosch on the power play. Lakehead tied the game at 16:30 on a goal from freshman defenceman Mitch Fillman, but Basaraba replied with the game winner at the 19:08 mark.
Oleksuk put the Bulldogs up 3-1 at 17:30 of the second period on a 5-on-3 power play after Jake Carrick was given a major penalty and a game misconduct for a hit to the head.
UMD extended its lead to 4-1 at 4:12 of the third when Oleksuk notched his second power play goal of the game. Adam Krause rounded out the scoring at 5:27 to close out the Bulldogs 5-1 win.
Shots on goal were 28-9 in favour of Minnesota-Duluth for the game.
Lakehead returns home next weekend to begin the OUA regular season against the two-time defending league champion McGill Redmen.