As the last quarter of regular season play approaches, it’s crunch time for the Fighting Hawks men’s hockey team. Facing off against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Ralph Engelstad Arena, it was a big series for the home squad after getting swept against Western Michigan.

When these two teams meet, it’s balls to the wall, hard-nosed and physical playoff type hockey. Duluth sits in the sixth seed and the Hawks are hot on their tails in seventh, a series sweep for the Hawks would send them flying into sixth.

It was a sold-out crowd, and the Nest was rocking for game one. Students looked like cattle as they lined up for blocks outside the stadium, some waiting over two hour to graze on stadium snacks and beer.

Golden boy and fan favorite Riese Gaber opened the scoring early in the first period with a tic-tac-toe power play goal bringing the whole arena to their feet. Good goaltending and defensive play seemed to be the Hawks’ focus after the previous weeks shootout against Western Michigan. Keeping the score at 1-0 through the first, it was Gavin Hain who struck gold next for the Hawks, lifting them to a 2-0 lead with the sneaky Russian and leaving the Bulldogs goalies head on a swivel.

Before the fans could quiet down, Kyle Bettens for the Bulldogs did it for them, making the game 2-1 entering the third period. Puck dropped and the third period was live. Less than a minute into play, Louis Jamernik hit twine and put the Hawks up by two. Bulldogs’ Kyle Bettens made the game interesting with under 10 minutes of play, putting in the individual effort of a lion to give his dogs hope and hammer his own rebound home. It looked as if there might be another overtime, the Hawks put six men in net and ate pucks for dinner against the Bulldogs extra attacker. Sealing the deal and putting the frosting on the cake was Jackson Blake sending the puck the length of the ice into an empty Bulldogs net giving the Hawks a 4-2 win.

Fans knew what was in store with the sixth seed on the line and a long time rivalry that was sure not to disappoint in game two. It was a scoreless first period thanks to both goaltenders looking like Marty Border and Patrick Roy. Hawks goaltender Drew DeRidder had his work cut out for him, the Bulldogs were stomping on the Hawks with their speed and strength in the first period putting up thirteen shots and limiting the Hawks to three in the first period.

Dumping the puck and a hard, physical forecheck was working for the Bulldogs and it finally paid off in the second period. A defensive breakdown left Bulldogs Isaac Howard alone out front putting the Hawks down 0-1. Coming out with a fire beneath them after the goal, the Hawks knew a win wasn’t going to come easy. They needed someone to step up and it was Mark Senden who answered the call, sending a piss missile past the glove of Bulldogs' goaltender Zach Stejskal tying the game at one. It was a back and forth hockey game after the first period making the fans forget it was just a 1-1.

There was less than five minutes left of play in the third period and the teams were leaving it all on the ice, taking the hit to make a play and sacrificing your body were taken to a whole new level. After a defensive breakdown for the Hawks, Bulldogs’ Luke Loheit capitalized giving them the lead 2-1 late in the third period. It was a heart aching defeat for the Hawks and their fans watch the sixth seed slip away as the end of the season approaches. Next series provides the Hawks with a great opportunity to keep pressure on the Bulldogs in the NCHC standings as they travel to Miami Ohio to face off with the eighth-ranked Redhawks.