Max Plante had a hat trick, including a pair of 5-on-3 goals, to lead 4^th-ranked Minnesota Duluth past Colorado College, 4-2, Friday night at Ed Robson Arena.
 
Gavin Lindberg and Connor Hvidston scored for CC, which fell to 6-6-1 overall and 1-5-1 in league play, while the Bulldogs improved to 12-3-0 overall and 5-2-0 in the NCHC..
 
Lindberg opened the scoring at the 10:17 mark of the first period. He took a pass from Klavs Veinbergs in the CC end, passed to himself off the left boards and moved the puck from his backhand to his forehand to beat UMD goalie Adam Gajan (18 saves) from in front.
 
Kyler Kovich evened the score at the 13:07 mark of the opening frame. He forced a turnover in the offensive zone, then Ryan Zaremba found him and he poked the puck past CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko (26 saves).
 
Hvidston gave CC the lead back with his first career goal with 3:20 remaining in the first. He took a pass from Ryan Alexander at center ice, moved down the right side then fired a wrister past Gajan just inside the far post from the top of the right circle.
 
The Tigers had a great opportunity to increase the lead to two when Plante was whistled for a 5-minute boarding penalty with 2:40 remaining in the first period.
 
However, the Bulldogs killed off the major and Plante, the NCHC's leading scorer, notched the only goal of the second period, a 5-on-3 tally at the 8:32 mark to once again tie the game.
 
Plante then scored both goals in the third, including another 5-on-3 goal after Ryan Koering was called for interference and the Tiger bench earned un unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the same time. Plante took a drop pass from his brother, Zam, and beat Mbereko with a wrister from the right circle.
 
Max Plante then cemented the hat trick with an empty-net goal with just under 32 seconds remaining in the game.
 
The Bulldogs, who outshot the Tigers, 30-20, were 2-for-4 on the power play and killed off all four of CC's man advantage opportunities.
 
The teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Robson Arena, beginning at 6 p.m.