The University of Minnesota-Duluth will put the wraps on its 2003-04 regular season Friday and Saturday (March 5-6) when the Bulldogs travel to Madison, WI, for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series with the University of Wisconsin. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. both nights at the Kohl Center (15,237) on the Wisconsin campus.

THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs, who are unbeaten in 14 of their last 16 games (13-2-1), are 22-10-3 overall and 18-7-1 in WCHA play (second place). Wisconsin, which hasn’t lost in its last six outings (5-0-1), is 20-9-7 in all games and occupies third place in the WCHA standings with a 14-6-6 mark.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Here is how UMD and the Badgers stack up in this week’s USCHO.com and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine polls, as well as the Pairwise Rankings:



Team USCHO.com USA Today Pairwise

UMD 5th 5th 4th

UW 4th 4th 8th-T



ON THE AIR: For the 44th consecutive year, all Bulldog home and away games are being carried live by KDAL-Radio (610 AM). Kerry Rodd handles the station's play-by-play duties with Rik Jordan providing color commentary. The broadcast can also be heard via the internet at: www.umdbulldogs.com.

Saturday’s UMD-Wisconsin clash this weekend will be televised live by WDIO-TV (Channels 10 and 13). Veteran WDIO-TV sports anchor Steve LePage and former Bulldog All-American wing and 1984-85 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Bill Watson will provide the on-air talent for the ABC-TV affiliate, which is slated to broadcast 12 Bulldog regular season games this year.

THE COACHES: Scott Sandelin (University of North Dakota, 1987) is in his fourth year at UMD where has compiled a 64-77-15 record -- including a 44-25-7 mark (for a .625 winning percentage) since the start of the 2002-03 season. He is 2-8-0 in his career confrontations with Wisconsin. Last winter, Sandelin's Bulldogs racked up their best overall mark (22-15-5) and WCHA finish (fifth place on a 14-10-4 record) in a decade while experiencing the greatest one-season turnaround of any WCHA club. One year earlier, he directed the Bulldogs to a 13-24-1 record in all games-- nearly doubling the number of victories from the previous season (7-28-4) -- while going 6-19-3 in the WCHA. Sandelin officially became a member of the Bulldog staff on March 31, 2000 after six years of assistant coaching duty at North Dakota. Prior to joining the Fighting Sioux (who won two NCAA titles during his tenure), Sandelin, 39, spent the 1993-94 season as the head coach of the Fargo-Moorhead Junior Kings of the Junior Elite Hockey League after working in that same capacity (and doubling as general manager) the previous winter with the American Hockey Association's Fargo-Moorhead Express. A native of Hibbing, MN, Sandelin capped off his four-year playing career at North Dakota in 1985-86 by being named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. An All-WCHA first team pick and an All-American second team selection, Sandelin went on to play seven years of professional hockey, which included National Hockey League stints with the Montreal Canadiens (1986-88), Philadelphia Flyers (1990-91) and Minnesota North Stars (1991-92). Sandelin, one of just two current WCHA coaches to do time in the NHL, was the second round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1982 NHL draft (40th selection overall).

Mike Eaves (Wisconsin, 1978), who starred at Wisconsin during the mid-1970s and remains the school’s all-time scoring leader, is winding down his second season behind the Badger bench and has a 33-32-11 record to show for it, including an even 2-2-0 mark versus UMD. Eaves, a two-time All-American forward during his final two years with the Badgers, (1976-77 and 1977-78), spent a pair of seasons (2000-02) as the head coach with the U.S. National Team Development Program prior to his appointment in Madison. His resume also includes head coaching stints in the Helsinki Finnish Elite League (1996-97), at Shattuck-St. Mary’s High School (1994-96), with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears (1991-93) and at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1986-87) where he posted a 9-19-0 mark. He also did time as an assistant coach with the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames, and at St. Cloud State University.

THE SERIES: This weekend’s series will mark the 138th and 139th meetings ever between UMD and Wisconsin. The Badgers hold a 78-51 lead (with eight ties) in the rivalry, which began on Jan. 6, 1968 in Madison. One year ago, the two clubs split both of their two-game series, first in Duluth (a 4-1 UMD win, which snapped a 10-game losing skid to Wisconsin at home, and 2-1 Badger triumph on Nov. 15-16) and then in Madison (a 2-1 Wisconsin victory in overtime and a 6-2 Bulldog win on Jan. 17-18.

LAST WEEKEND: UMD’s aspirations for capturing the 2003-04 WCHA regular season title were substantially dampened thanks to a pair of setbacks it suffered at the hands of the University of North Dakota. The host Bulldogs fell 4-1 to the No. 2 Fighting Sioux Friday, snapping UMD’s school-record 14-game unbeaten streak. Junior center Evan Schwabe furnished the lone score for the Bulldogs, who also lost for the first time in 12 home outings. The following evening, North Dakota completed the series sweep with a 2-1 win, despite being outshot 14-2 in the final period of play when UMD collected its only goal (by junior center T.J. Caig).

Wisconsin guaranteed itself of top three WCHA finish by posting back-to-back victories (3-0 and 3-1) at the University of Alaska Anchorage Friday and Saturday. Junior goaltender Bernd Bruckler stopped 48 of the 49 shots the Seawolves sent his way over the weekend.

LIGHTING ‘EM UP: The Bulldogs, despite scoring just twice last weekend against North Dakota, still hold the designation as the WCHA’s top offensive club (4.35 goals per game) and are second -- behind North Dakota -- in that same department among all NCAA I schools (4.14 gpg). UMD also continues to top both the nation (26.4 percent) and WCHA (28.3 percent) in power play efficiency as well. Over the last three weekends, the Bulldogs have cashed in on 11 of their 30 power play opportunities (36.7 percent) while holding their opponents to just two goals in 31 chances (6.4 percent) with the manpower advantage.

THIS JUNIOR IS QUITE THE SENIOR: Hobey Baker Memorial Award hopeful Junior Lessard will head into the final weekend of regular season play ranking first in goals (17) and second in both scoring (36 points) and power play tallies (6) among WCHA players. The last Bulldog to top the WCHA in either scoring or goals was All-American center and Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Chris Marinucci, who corralled both honors in 1993-94. Since his career-high 12-game scoring came to an end on Feb. 21 at Colorado College, Lessard has gone without a goal or an assist in three straight outings -- his longest pointless drought since the end of his sophomore season. A three-time recipient of the WCHA’s Offensive Player of the Week this winter, Lessard has racked up a personal-best 45 points this winter, which places him in a tie at the No. 4 position on the current NCAA scoring charts. The senior right wing and alternate team captain has two hat tricks (and five multiple-goal nights) to his 2003-04 credit. The last Bulldog to produce more than one three-goal game in a single year was Mike Peluso in 1995-96. Lessard is first among the 2003-04 Bulldogs in shots on goal (121) and second in plus-minus rating (+18).

BYPASSING ANY BLANKINGS: The Bulldogs haven’t been shut out in their last 117 outings -- their longest such streak in nearly 20 years (164 games from Jan. 10, 1981-Dec. 15, 1984) and the top active streak of any WCHA school. The last time UMD came up empty on the scoreboard was on March 11, 2001 (a 4-0 setback to none other than North Dakota in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs in Grand Forks).

THE “REICH” STUFF: Over the past 16 games, sophomore goaltender Isaac Reichmuth has rolled up a 13-2-1 record, a 1.93 goals against average, a .930 saves percentage and one shutout. Reichmuth, who has been bestowed with WCHA Defensive Player of the Week award on four occasions in 2003-04, maintains the second best winning percentage of any netminder against WCHA competition this winter (.833 off a 17-3-1 record). Overall, he is 19-6-3 in 2003-04 for a .732 winning percentage -- a figure currently surpassed by only six other NCAA puckstoppers. Those 19 victories are already the sixth most ever accumulated by a Bulldog in a single season. Last Friday night, Reichmuth was tagged with his first loss since a 3-1 setback at Bemidji State University on Nov. 14. He had sported a school-record 17-game unbeaten streak (15-0-2) prior to last weekend.

ROAD TESTED: The Bulldogs have not tasted defeat away from the DECC since Dec. 13 (6-3 at North Dakota) and their current road unbeaten streak (5-0-1 in the last six games) is the school’s longest in 18 years .

BEAU KNOWS HOCKEY: Senior team captain and All-American candidate Beau Geisler currently ranks third among all WCHA defensemen in points per game (0.89 ppg in league play) and is fourth nationally (0.83 ppg) in that statistical category. Geisler, who missed the final six engagements of 2003 with an injury, has scored six of his career-high eight goals this season while the Bulldogs have had the manpower advantage. Those six power play tallies are the fourth most produced by any NCAA blueliner this season. Geisler’s importance to the 2003-04 Bulldogs is evident in the fact that with him in the lineup this season, UMD is 19-7-3. Without him, it is a mere 3-3-0. Geisler holds down 10th place on UMD’s all-time scoring list for defensemen with 18 goals and 70 assists for 88 points in 149 games.

RANK AND FILE: UMD’s No. 5 standing in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine polls this week represents its highest ranking in any national poll since the 1992-93 season.

SCHWABE SHINES: Junior center Evan Schwabe, who earlier this season strung together a 14-game scoring streak -- the longest by a Bulldog in 11 years -- has now collected at least one point in all but three (vs. Michigan Tech University on Jan. 24, at Colorado College on Feb. 21 and against North Dakota last Saturday night) of the past 23 outings. One of three UMD skaters who has appeared in all 35 games thus far, Schwabe is second among Bulldogs in scoring with a career-high 39 points and holds down a share of No. 6 spot on the NCAA charts with his 26 overall assists. In WCHA play, Schwabe ranks fourth in scoring (31 points) and is tied for third (with linemate Tyler Brosz) in assists (20).

BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs, who can wind up anywhere between first and third place in the final WCHA standings, have captured the league’s regular season title on three previous occasions (1983-84, 1984-85 and 1992-93) but have placed higher than fourth only once (tied for third in 1978-79) other time in the 38 years they have been aligned with WCHA ... Junior left wing Tyler Brosz, who has marked in the scoring column in 19 of the last 25 outings, is seventh in the NCAA in assists per game (0.81) and first in the WCHA in power play points (15). He has now accumulated over half (15) of his entire WCHA scoring harvest (29 points) this season on the power play ... This winter, the Bulldogs are 0-4-0 against North Dakota in WCHA play (0-5-0 overall) and 0-2-0 versus St. Cloud State University, but 18-1-1 against the rest of the league ... Junior right wing Marco Peluso, who equalled a Bulldog single-game record with his three power plays goals at Colorado College on Feb. 21, and has now scored five times (all while the Bulldogs have had the manpower advantage) in the last five games ... UMD closed out the home portion of its 2003-04 regular season with four straight sellouts. That pushed the Bulldogs’ average attendance to 4,747 per game -- or just over 700 more spectators a night than what they drew a year ago ... Junior defenseman Tim Hambly, who tops the 2003-04 Bulldogs in plus-minus rating (+30), has established a career high for points this season (five goals and 18 assists). Almost two thirds of that output (15 points) has been registered in the past 16 contests. ... UMD has swept nine series, including three on the road, this season. The 1985-86 Bulldogs (also with nine) were the last UMD club to sweep that many opponents during the regular season ... The Bulldogs are now a perfect 19-0-0 when leading at the second intermission in 2003-04 and have not lost a regular season game in which it has led heading into the third period in almost two years (Feb. 23, 2002 vs. North Dakota at the DECC) ... Last Saturday night marked the fourth time this winter that the line of center Evan Schwabe, right wing Junior Lessard, and left wing Tyler Brosz/Justin Williams failed to mark in the scoring column ... The Bulldogs have scored first in 17 of their 22 wins thus far and are 15-1-0 when they have drawn first blood in WCHA play .... ... Although they’re unbeaten in overtime outings this season (2-0-3), the Bulldogs have still managed to win just three of their last 20 games (3-7-10) which have required an extra session. (Two of victories during that time have come at the expense of Minnesota -- 5-4 on Feb. 22, 2003 at the DECC and 4-3 on Oct. 24, 2003 in Minneapolis, MN -- while the other was turned in against Minnesota State University-Mankato on Nov. 29) ... Four of the WCHA’s top nine scorers coming into this weekend are Bulldogs -- Junior Lessard, Evan Schwabe, Tyler Brosz (tied for 6th) and sophomore center Tim Stapleton (tied for ninth) ... All but five of UMD’s 25 losses over the past two seasons have been by two or fewer goals ... UMD, which has amassed more first period goals in WCHA play than any other team (40), has outscored their league opponents 34-15 (and 47-26 vs. all foes) in the second period this winter ... Junior right wing and alternate team captain Luke Stauffacher, one of 10 Bulldog veterans who has set a personal high for points in 2003-04, paces UMD with a shooting percentage of .184 (12 goals on 65 shots on net) ... All but five of the Bulldogs’ 25 losses over the past two seasons have been by two or fewer goals . ... The Bulldogs have now clinched a home WCHA playoff berth for the second straight season. The last time UMD was at the DECC for a league postseason event in successive years was in 1984-85 and 1985-86 ... The 2003-04 Bulldogs are carrying their fewest number of freshmen (three) since they joined the NCAA I ranks in 1961-62 ... Only three Bulldogs -- Junior Lessard, Evan Schwabe and junior defenseman Neil Petruic -- have taken part in all 35 games to date ... UMD is 18-1-0 this season in games it’s led at the end of the first period.

UP NEXT: UMD will return to the DECC to host either Michigan Tech, MSU-Mankato, or the University of Alaska Anchorage in a first round WCHA playoff series beginning next Friday.

THE SCOTT SANDELIN SHOW: The Scott Sandelin Show airs every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. throughout the 2003-04 season on KDAL-Radio. Longtime Bulldog play-by-play announcer Kerry Rodd hosts the one-hour program.

HOW THEY'VE FARED AGAINST WISCONSIN

UMD's current career scoring and goaltending leaders versus the Badgers are:

Player GP G A TP P-PM PP SH GW

T.J. Caig 2 1 3 4 1-2 0 0 0

Tim Stapleton 4 1 3 4 1-2 0 0 0

Beau Geisler 10 1 3 4 2-4 1 0 0

Nick Anderson 7 1 2 3 1-2 0 0 0

Junior Lessard 9 3 0 3 2-4 1 0 0

Ryan Geris 4 2 0 2 2-4 0 0 0

Steve Czech 4 0 1 1 3-6 0 0 0

Marco Peluso 4 1 0 1 2-4 1 0 1

Neil Petruic 8 0 1 1 5-10 0 0 0

Tyler Brosz 8 1 0 1 3-14 0 0 1

Brett Hammond 8 0 0 0 7-17 0 0 0

Evan Schwabe 8 0 0 0 5-10 0 0 0

Todd Smith 8 0 0 0 2-4 0 0 0

Luke Stauffacher 6 0 0 0 7-25 0 0 0

JayHardwick 6 0 0 0 1-2 0 0 0

Tim Hambly 4 0 0 0 2-4 0 0 0

Josh Miskovich 3 0 0 0 1-2 0 0 0

Dan Kronick 3 0 0 0 2-15 0 0 0

Jesse Unklesbay 2 0 0 0 2-4 0 0 0

Justin Williams 1 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0

Goaltender GP GS W-L-T GA GAA SVS SVS% SO

Isaac Reichmuth 4 4 2-2-0 7 1.69 103 .936 0