DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque men's hockey team once again scored first, but gave up three unanswered goals in a 3-1 loss on Saturday at ImOn Arena. UD's Makism Lakic put the Spartans on the board with a goal at 2:55 of the first period off an assist by Justin Kingery.

The Spartans finished the afternoon tied in total shots with Concordia University 28-28. Gavin Lissebeck led the Spartans with five shots, all in the second period. Nikita Borodayenko added a pair of shots in the first period and one in the second period. UD won 23 faceoffs with Nolan Underwood leading the team with nine faceoff wins. Justin Kingery and teammate Nikita Borodayenko each won four faceoffs.

Ryan Piros played 59:22 in goal and made 12 saves in the first period, six in the second period and seven saves in the final 20 minutes. The two teams each were called for seven penalties on Saturday. UD will enjoy a finals break and a Christmas break before returning to the ice in the new year when they play host to the Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties on Jan 2-3, 2025 at ImOn Arena. UD will begin at 7:00 p.m. Jan. 2 and on Jan. 3 the puck drops at 2:00 p.m. The Spartans will have a five game home stretch to start 2025.