Staff photo by Steve Muscatello New Ulm’s Kyle Tauer (20) up ends Luverne’s Nick Harder (9) during the first period Thursday at the New Ulm Civic Center. For more photos of this event go to cu.nujournal.com

NEW ULM — When New Ulm’s Kyle Tauer scored on a power play at 7:21 of the second period, it gave the Eagles some momentum as they cut the Luverne lead to 2-1.

But any lift that the Eagles had gotten from Tauer’s score was erased two minutes later.

Luverne took advantage of two breakdowns by the Eagles in their defensive zone to score twice in a span of 10 seconds to regain momentum and skated to a 5-2 win over New Ulm Thursday night in a Big South Conference game at the New Ulm Civic Center.

Tauer and Max Heiderscheidt scored the goals for New Ulm, both on the power play as the Eagles fell to 4-2 in the conference and 6-7 overall. Heiderscheidt, Josh Seidl and Landon Strong each had an assist.

Declan Beers scored twice for Luverne with Colby Crabtree, Nick Harder and Tyler Reisdorfer adding goals.

New Ulm goalie Jack Raymond ended with 27 saves while Cardinals’ goalie Daniel Tofteland stopped 14 of New Ulm’s 16 shots on goal.

“I just got done telling the guys that Luverne (9-3, 9-0) is a beatable team,” Eagles coach Ryan Neuman said. “We just have to want it more. We need to get pucks to the net and not stand still and let them breakout. We have to forecheck better.”

Luverne had taken a 1-0 lead after the first period when the first of three breakdowns in the Eagles defensive end let Crabtree alone for a rebound goal at Raymond’s stick side just 42 seconds into the game.

Beers’ first goal of the game at the 7:08 mark of the second period lifted Luverne to a 2-0 lead.

But with the Eagles on a power play, Tauer cut the lead in half just 13 seconds after Beers’ score and gave New Ulm some life on just its sixth shot on goal of the game.

However, Luverne used miscues by the Eagles defense to net two scores.

First, Harder scored when New Ulm could not clear the puck at the 9:38 mark for a 3-1 lead before Beers got his second goal of the game 10 seconds later to put the Cardinals up 4-1.

“The (second) goal off of the face-off really hurt,” Neuman said. “Our defenseman made a bad play and gave up a 2-on-1 in a bad spot. Mistakes are going to happen.”

Heiderscheidt’s power play tally at the 13:44 mark pulled the Eagles to within 4-2 at the end of the second period.

But Reisdorfer’s slap shot from the high slot on the power play gave Luverne a 5-2 lead at the 7:58 mark.

New Ulm plays at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Dodge County.