The University of Minnesota Duluth will put its five-game unbeaten streak on the line Friday (March 11) when the Bulldogs travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to face the University of North Dakota in the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs. Opening faceoff time for the best-of-three series is set for 7:37 p.m. Friday and Saturday and (if necessary) 7:07 p.m. Sunday at Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,406) on the North Dakota campus.

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Bulldog Hockey Notes vs. North Dakota

THE RECORDS: UMD, which is unbeaten in its last five outings (4-0-1), is 15-15-6 overall and placed sixth in the final WCHA standings with an 11-13-4 mark. North Dakota sports an 18-13-5 record in all games and was 13-12-3 in WCHA play (fifth place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and the Fighting Sioux stack up in this week’s USCHO.com/CSTV and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls as well as the most recent PairWise Rankings:



Team USCHO.com USA Today PairWise

UMD RV NR 18th(t)

UND 14th 15th 8th(t)

ON THE AIR: This weekend’s entire playoff series will be televised by WDIO-TV (Channels 10 and 13) with Steve Jezierski and former Bulldog left wing Kraig Karakas providing the on-air talent for the ABC-TV affiliate. The broadcast can also be obtained on the internet at umd.tv on a pay-per-view basis.

All Bulldogs games during the 2004-05 season are being carried live by KDAL-Radio (610 AM). Veteran play-by-play announcer Kerry Rodd and color analyst Mike Sylvester will handle the broadcast responsibilities for the Duluth-based station, which is in its 45th consecutive year of airing UMD hockey. The broadcast can be heard as well via the internet at: www.umdbulldogs.com.

THE COACHES: The 2003-04 American Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coach of the Year (Spencer Penrose Award), Scott Sandelin is in his fifth year at UMD where has compiled an 85-95-22 overall record -- including a 65-43-15 mark (for a .598 winning percentage) since the start of the 2002-03 season. Last winter, Sandelin, 40, turned UMD into a NCAA Frozen Four participant for the first time in nearly a generation while directing his troops to their most victories (they were 28-13-4 overall) and highest WCHA finish (second place on a 19-7-2 mark) since the 1992-93 season. For his efforts, the Hibbing, Minn., native was chosen the WCHA Coach of the Year as well as the national coach of the year by both insidecollegehockey.com and uscho.com. In 2002-03, Sandelin's Bulldogs went 22-15-5 overall and captured fifth place in the WCHA with a 14-10-4 mark while experiencing the greatest one-season turnaround of any league club. One year earlier, he directed UMD to a 13-24-1 record in all games-- nearly doubling the number of victories from the previous season (7-28-4). 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 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. He 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 choice overall). He served as Team USA’s head coach at the recent World Junior Hockey Championships in Grand Forks, N.D., where he directed that club to a fourth-place finish.

Dave Hakstol (North Dakota, 1996), who succeeded Scott Sandelin as a Fighting Sioux assistant coach in the summer of 2000, was elevated to the head coaching position on July 9, 2004. Hakstol patrolled the blueline for 250 games during a four-year career at North Dakota (1989-92) and captained the club as a senior. He went on to skate for a pair of seasons each with the Indianapolis Ice (1992-94) and the Minnesota Moose (1994-96) of the now-defunct International Hockey League before being appointed head coach of the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers. Hakstol spent four seasons with that franchise and landed the USHL’s Coach of the Year award in 1997-98.

THE SERIES: UMD and the Fighting Sioux have met on 193 occasions previously, including 12 times in WCHA postseason play. North Dakota holds a 120-67-6 lead in the rivalry, which began back on Nov. 26, 1954. Earlier this year (Dec. 10-11), the two clubs traded wins in Duluth with North Dakota taking the series opener, 5-1, before the Bulldogs rebounded with 4-3 triumph the next night to snap a six-game losing skid to North Dakota.

LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs completed their 2004-05 regular season on a high note by besting the University of Wisconsin 4-3 on Saturday after the two clubs had battled to a 2-2 overtime tie one night earlier. Senior left wing Marco Peluso, who missed Friday’s clash with the flu, scored twice in the 4-3 triumph while senior right wing Luke Stauffacher added a pair of assists for his first career points against Wisconsin. The Bulldogs also got goals from junior center Tim Stapleton and freshman defenseman Travis Gawryletz, his second in as many nights, in posting just their second home win over the Badgers in their last 14 tries. Junior Isaac Reichmuth was UMD’s goaltender of record both nights, finishing with 36 saves in Game 1 and 28 stops on Saturday.

North Dakota skated off with three points in its two-game WCHA set at St. Cloud State University. The Fighting Sioux followed up Friday’s 2-2 overtime tie with a 2-0 whitewashing of the Huskies 24 hours later as netminder Jordan Parise rejected all 28 St. Cloud State shots

PLAYOFF HISTORY: In 97 lifetime WCHA playoff games, the Bulldogs are 30-63-4, which includes a 12-54-2 mark away from Duluth. Twelve of those league postseason affairs have been contested against North Dakota, the last coming in the opening round of the 2003 WCHA Final Five tournament -- a 2-1 UMD victory. The Fighting Sioux are 7-4-1 in WCHA playoff engagements with UMD (5-1-0 in Grand Forks). In head coach Scott Sandelin’s inaugural year at the UMD helm (2000-01), the visiting Bulldogs shocked the WCHA regular season champion Fighting Sioux 3-2 to open their best-of-three WCHA playoff series, but fell the ensuing two nights (6-2 and 4-0).

STILL THE LEAD ‘DOG: Senior center and Bulldog team captain Evan Schwabe, who was held pointless over the past weekend by Wisconsin, finished among the 2004-05 WCHA leaders in a host of offensive categories including: scoring (4th; 34 points), goals (7th-tie; 14), assists (7th; 20), power play points (3rd; 20), power play goals (5th-tie; 8), and game-winning goals (1st-tie; 3). The 2003-04 All-WCHA second team pick continues to occupy the top spot on the Bulldog scoring charts with a career-high 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points. Schwabe, who will skate in his 101st consecutive game -- the longest such streak of any Bulldog -- when UMD and the Fighting Sioux clash this Friday, has accumulated more points over the past two seasons (101) than any other WCHA skater. In addition, he has produced the best back-to-back seasons by a Bulldog in 11 years. Nationally, Schwabe ranks 13th in scoring and 10th in power play goals among his NCAA brethren.

FIT TO BE TIED: The Bulldogs skated to their sixth, and final, tie of the season last Friday night against Wisconsin. That’s just one deadlock shy of the club record set in 1990-91.

THEIR TIME IS WINDING DOWN: Two losses this weekend will mean the end of the line for a school-record 11 UMD seniors -- wings Nick Anderson, Tyler Brosz, Brett Hammond, Josh Miskovich, Marco Peluso, and Luke Stauffacher centers T.J. Caig and Evan Schwabe, and defensemen Tim Hambly, Neil Petruic and Todd Smith.

THE FIRST GOAL’S A BIGGIE:They may not draw first blood often, but when the Bulldogs do, good things usually follow. Indeed, UMD has taken a 1-0 lead in only 11 of its 36 games thus far, but has been defeated only twice when it has done so (7-2-2).

THE ‘REICH’ STUFF:Junior goaltender Isaac Reichmuth, who turned asided 64 of 68 shots Wisconsin sent his way last weekend, already ranks fourth among Bulldogs in all-time victories (he’s 50-30-10 in 97 games) and owns the school’s best lifetime goals against average (2.70) and saves percentage (.906) figures. In addition, his .610 career winning percentage is second only to the .753 mark two-time All-American Rick Kosti registered from 1983-85. During UMD’s current five-game unbeaten streak, the two-time All-WCHA honoree has manned the nets for all 305 minutes and has a 2.17 goals against average and a .935 saves percentage to show for it. Included in that stretch are wins over WCHA regular season co-champion Denver and College Hockey America regular season titleholder Bemidji State University.

FOR THE RECORD: The Bulldogs have assembled a better record on the road (8-7-2) than they have at home (7-8-4) thus far in 2004-05. In the 11 games UMD has failed to win at the DECC this season, opposing goalies have compiled a 2.02 goals against average and a .949 saves percentage figure while facing an average of 41.1 shots per night.

RIGHT ON THE MARC-O: Unheralded senior left wing Marco Peluso has picked up at least one point in all but four of 24 games since he sat out the Nov. 20 home clash with Brown University as a healthy scratch. Peluso placed fifth in the 2004-05 WCHA scoring race (31 points) and was second in goals (18) and tied for fourth in power play points (19). He is one of six Bulldog veterans (joining senior defenseman Todd Smith, senior wings Brett Hammond and Josh Miskovich, junior defenseman Steve Czech and sophomore right wing Bryan McGregor) who has equalled or established a career-high for scoring this season.

PRIMED FOR THE PLAYOFFS: Senior center Evan Schwabe’s 12 career WCHA playoff points leads all current Bulldogs. The top 10 list in that department is as follows:

Name GP G A TP

Evan Schwabe 13 5 7 12

Marco Peluso 8 3 7 10

Tim Stapleton 10 4 6 10

Brett Hammond 13 4* 6 10

Luke Stauffacher13 4 2 6

Justin Williams 5 3 1 4

Steve Czech 11 1 3 4

T.J. Caig 11 2 2 4

Nick Anderson 9 1 3 4

Neil Petruic 13 1 2 3

*includes two-shorthanded goals

THE ELUSIVE 40-40-40 CLUB: Tim Stapleton had his six-game scoring streak (the second longest by a Bulldog this season) snapped in Friday’s 2-2 tie with the Badgers, but came back the next evening to register the game-winning goal in a 4-3 triumph. The junior center, who has 10 multiple-point nights to his 2004-05 credit (only Evan Schwabe, with 13, has more), is looking to becoming only the second UMD player ever to start off his career with three consecutive 40-point seasons. Stapleton, the WCHA co-leader in shorthanded points this season (3), currently is third on the club in scoring with 17 goals and 19 assists.

WHOSE LINE IS IT, ANYWAY?: In its 36 outings to date, UMD has used 65 different forward line combinations and 16 different defensive pairings. The trio of senior left wing Marco Peluso, senior center Evan Schwabe and sophomore right wing Bryan McGregor have skated together a team-leading 13 times in 2004-05 while freshman Jay Rosehill and junior Steve Czech, have been paired more times (29) than any other Bulldog defensive tandem.

ON THE REBOUND: The Bulldogs posted a 11-6-1 record in the rematch game of their 18 regular season series this winter and are 7-2-0 on the road in that department.

WCHA HONORS: The Bulldogs have been bestowed with WCHA Offensive Player of the Week recognition on four different occasions this winter. Junior center Tim Stapleton received that honor two weeks ago (Feb. 21) while Senior center Evan Schwabe was the league's second award recipient of 2004-05 (Oct. 18). In addition, senior left wing Marco Peluso attained that distinction on two occasions (Oct. 25 and Jan. 31).

OOHHHHHHHHVERTIME: Since upending Minnesota State University-Mankato 5-4 on Nov. 29, 2003 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, the Bulldogs are winless in 11 overtime games (0-3-8, including an 0-2-6 mark this winter) and have produced victories in just three of their last 30 contests which have required an extra session (3-10-17).

BULLDOG BITS: The 5-1 licking North Dakota inflicted on the Bulldogs three months ago (Dec. 10) remains their most lopsided loss in the past 125 games ... Senior left wing Brett Hammond, one of just seven Bulldogs who has appeared in all 36 games to date, continues to top UMD this winter in plus-minus rating (+18). He has one goal and six assists over the past six outings to boost his season harvest to a personal-high 24 points. North Dakota remains the only WCHA club Hammond has yet to register either a goal or an assist against ... UMD averaged 4,991 spectators a night this season at the DECC -- 301 more per game than it did in 2003-04 and almost 1,000 than the Bulldogs averaged just two years ago ... The Bulldogs have given up at least one power play goal to the opposition in 12 of the last 13 outings ... After ending a 17-game pointless drought (the longest of his collegiate career) on Jan. 15, junior right wing Justin Williams has collected three goals and six assists in the 13 outings since. And, talk about a sparkplug: UMD is 9-2-1 this winter when Williams’ name has appeared on the scoring summary ... The last time a Bulldog club amassed more shorthanded goals than they have this winter (9) was in 1992-93 when UMD rang up a school-record 12 ... Senior center T.J. Caig broke a 14-game pointless funk -- the longest of his career -- by picking up an assist on UMD’s second goal Friday night against Wisconsin ... Over the last three seasons, UMD is a whopping 18-3-0 when fifth-year senior right wing Nick Anderson (the oldest player in the WCHA) scores a goal ... Nine of sophomore right wing Bryan McGregor’s career-high 10 points this winter have been registered during his last 13 games ... UMD has cashed in on nine of its 31 power play opportunities (29.0 percent) over the past six games ... This weekend marks the first time UMD has been on the road for a first-round WCHA playoff series since 2002 ... The Bulldogs have been shut out only once (by the University of Alaska Anchorage, 3-0 on Nov. 19, 2004) in their last 163 games.



TO THE VICTORS ... : The five, first-round playoff winners from this weekend will advance to the Red Baron WCHA Final Five Championships set for March 17-19 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.



THE SCOTT SANDELIN SHOW: The Scott Sandelin Show airs every Wednesday at 6 p.m. throughout the 2004-05 season on KDAL-Radio. Longtime UMD play-by-play announcer Kerry Rodd hosts the one-hour program.