DULUTH, Minn. -- Western Michigan rallied from a three-goal deficit but ended up falling, 4-3, at Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday night at AMSOIL Arena.

Josh Pitt tallied two straight goals and Justin Kovacs tied the game 3-3 after a brilliant individual effort but Alex Iafallo's power play goal at 9:36 in the third period proved to be the deciding goal.

The Broncos had a six-on-three advantage after two UMD penalties and pulling Lukas Hafner for the extra attacker with 36 seconds left in the game but were unable to capitalize as Aaron Crandall made a key save with five seconds left to hold on.

Minnesota-Duluth took a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game on Kyle Osterberg's second goal of the weekend. Osterberg was skating down the left side of the night and threw the puck on net and it just trickled past WMU goalie Frank Slubowski.

The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead at 17:57 on a goal by Cal Decowski. A turnover at center ice led to an odd-man rush and Decowski took it himself and beat Slubowski high.

Just under two minutes later at 19:32 Justin Crandall had a shot hit a Bronco skate and end up in the net for a power play goal to give UMD a 3-0 lead.

Pitt got one back for the Broncos at 18:07 in the second period. Dennis Brown fired a shot from the right point and Pitt picked up the puck from the bottom of the right circle, wheeled around and skated into the slot before firing it high glove-side past Aaron Crandall for his fifth of the season. Brown and Oesterle both tallied their sixth assists of the season on the goal.

The junior forward bagged his second goal of the night at 6:51 in the third period to cut the score to 3-2. Oesterle fired a shot that hit Pitt and he settled the puck and fired it into the net for his sixth goal of the season. Oesterle tallied his second point on the night and seventh assist of the season.

Kovacs tied the game up at 6:51 after a UMD skater fell down and he swooped in to pick up the puck and then split two defenders to get a breakaway and finish for his eighth goal of the season.

Iafallo netted his sixth of the season minutes later added the game-winner on the power play during a rush up the ice.

Western Michigan outshot Minnesota-Duluth 29-22 but went scoreless on five power plays. Lukas Hafner made 13 saves after stepping in for Slubowski at the end of the first period.

Next up for Western Michigan is the Great Lakes Invitational outdoors at Comerica Park on Dec. 27 against Michigan at 7 p.m.