OXFORD, Ohio (AP) Goalie Zane McIntyre made 43 saves as top-ranked North Dakota clinched the Penrose Cup and the top seed for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament with a 2-1 win over Miami of Ohio on Friday.
North Dakota needed only one point in the series against fifth-ranked Miami to clinch the conference regular season title. Connor Gaarder earned that point for top-ranked UND with his third straight game-winning goal.
UND was playing its first game without leading scorer Mark MacMillan, who was injured against St. Cloud State and will miss the rest of the season, including next week's tournament series against Colorado College.
McIntyre has allowed three or fewer goals in 33 straight games.
UND improved to 12-1-1 in its last 14 games and to 11-3-0 on the road.
The teams will play one more game on Saturday, with Miami playing now for home ice.