Second-ranked North Dakota scored four times in the first period and Peter Thome backed it up with 14 saves as the Fighting Hawks downed Colorado College, 8-1, Saturday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
Jordan Kawaguchi scored twice and Andrew Peski added three assists for UND, which improved to 21-3-3 overall and a league-leading 12-2-2-2 in the NCHC.
 
Cole Smith opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 4:57 mark of the opening frame. He gathered the puck along the right boards, sliced in front of the net and his shot caromed off CC goalie Matt Vernon's arm and into the net.
 
Collin Adams doubled the score less than two minutes later with a wrister from above the right circle that snuck past a screened Vernon. It was nearly 3-0 just a few minutes later, but Vernon made a sprawling kick save on Adams during a 2-on-0 shorthanded rush.
 
Jasper Weatherby scored UND's third goal at the 13:03 mark when the puck was sent in on Vernon, and while he tried to play it, Weatherby poked it through Vernon's legs. Grant Mismash then scored the Fighting Hawks' fourth goal just 50 seconds later after taking a cross-ice pass from Jordan Kawaguchi and hitting the open net from the bottom of the left circle.
 
Kawaguchi gave UND a 5-0 lead at the 4:11 mark of the second period when he took a pass at the left point, skated in and placed a wrister from the left circle between Vernon's legs. Mark Senden then scored his second of the weekend on a rebound with 4:34 remaining in the middle frame.
 
Kawaguchi and Shane Pinto scored in the first 5:02 of the third period with backup goalie Jon Flakne in the net, and it was 8-0, then Connor Mayer notched CC's first goal of the weekend and the second of his career with a wrister from the slot that beat Thome at the 9:12 mark of the final frame.
 
Vernon finished with 23 saves for the Tigers (8-15-1, 3-12-1 NCHC), while Flakne had four saves while playing the first 5:43 of the third period before Vernon returned to the net.
 
The Fighting Hawks outshot CC, 35-15, and were 1-2 on the power play. The Tigers, meanwhile, were 0-for-5 with a man advantage.
 
Colorado College returns home for a two-game series against St. Cloud State, Feb. 7-8, at the Broadmoor World Arena.