The University of Minnesota Duluth will launch its 64th season of intercollegiate hockey Friday and Saturday (Oct. 12-13) when the Bulldogs host Northern Michigan University and Lake Superior State University as part of the first-ever Superior Showcase. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both nights at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (5,294).

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UMD Hockey Notes vs. LSSU/NMU


THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs closed out 2006-07 with a 13-21-5 overall record and placed ninth in the final WCHA standings at 8-16-4. Lake Superior State went 21-19-3 in all games and 11-14-3 in Central Collegiate Hockey Association play (8th place) last winter while Northern Michigan, which is at Michigan Tech University for its 2007-08 opener Friday, sported a 15-24-2 overall record and a 10-17-1 CCHA mark (10th place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan stack up in the latest uscho.com/CSTV and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls:



uscho.com USA Today

UMD NR NR

LSSU NR NR

NMU NR NR

ON THE AIR: All UMD games during the 2007-08 season are being carried by KDAL-Radio (610 AM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play. The Duluth-based station is in its 48th consecutive year of airing the Bulldogs (which is believed to be the longest streak of its kind in college hockey). The broadcast can be heard as well via the internet at: www.umdbulldogs.com.

Each regular season Bulldog home game will also be video streamed live by B2 Networks on a pay-per-view basis at: www.b2livetv.com

THE COACHES: The 2003-04 American Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coach of the Year (Spencer Penrose Award), Scott Sandelin is beginning his eighth year at UMD where he has compiled a 109-143-31 overall record in addition to taking the Bulldogs to three of the last five WCHA Final Five tournaments. Four years ago, Sandelin, 43, 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) in 11 seasons. 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 guided 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 signed on as 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 as a senior, 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 Montreal Canadiens’ second round pick in the 1982 NHL draft (40th choice overall). He served as Team USA’s head coach at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships and directed that club to a fourth-place finish.

Walt Kyle is in his sixth season as Northern Michigan’s head hockey coach and has a 102-84-17 record to show for it, including an 0-2-0 mark against UMD. Kyle, who has led the ’Cats to four 20-win seasons and four CCHA Championship Tournament appearances during the past five winters, succeeded Scott Sandelin as the head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. (His 2006 club placed fourth at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship). Prior to signing on at Northern Michigan, Kyle was an assistant coach with the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers for two years (2000-02) after serving as the coach of the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 1998-2000. Kyle’s professional coaching resume also includes stints with the NHL’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1992-94), the AHL’s Baltimore Bandits (1995-96), the International Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls (1994-95) and the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds (1992-94). Kyle was a two-time Northern Michigan letterman after transferring from Boston College and captained the 1980 and 1981 Wildcat teams that advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four.

Jim Roque took over the Lake Superior State head coaching duties in June 2005 and has since compiled a 36-33-10 record. One year ago, his Lakers advanced to the semifinal round of the CCHA playoffs for the first time in 11 years before bowing out to the University of Notre Dame. Prior to being appointed to his current post, Roque had been an assistant coach at Lake Superior State (2001-05) and Clarkson University (1995-2001).

THE SERIES: UMD and Lake Superior State have met 11 times previously, the last coming back on March 27, 1993 in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA I playoffs at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena (a 4-3 Laker win). The two clubs haven’t squared off during the regular season since Dec. 28, 1983 when Lake Superior also prevailed 4-3 at the now-defunct UMD Holiday Classic. UMD is 6-3-2 lifetime against the Lakers.

Saurday night’s game will mark the 67th meeting ever between UMD and Northern Michigan. The Wildcats hold a slim 32-30-4 lead in the all-time series, which started on Nov. 27, 1981 in Marquette, Mich. The Bulldogs’ swept Northern Michigan in a “home-and-home” series last year, winning 6-4 in Marquette on Nov. 15 and 4-2 on Jan. 24 at the DECC.

A STACKED DECC: Saturday clash with Northern Michigan will be the Bulldogs’ 800th lifetime outing at the DECC. UMD has rolled up a 422-333-43 record (for a .556 winning percentage) in 798 regular/post season games since the downtown facility opened its doors in November 1966.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN, REPORTING FOR DUTY, AGAIN: For the first time in 29 years and only the seventh time in school history, the Bulldogs will have the same team captain as they did the previous season. Senior Matt McKnight will be doing the honors this winter while senior defenseman Travis Gawryletz and junior left wing Andrew Carroll are serving as alternate team captains.

FEARLESS FORECASTS: The Bulldogs were picked to place eighth in the Grand Forks Herald WCHA Coaches Poll while Lake Superior State was projected for a seventh place finish in he CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll, one slot ahead of Northern Michigan.



BULLDOG NOTES: The Bulldogs concluded the 2006-07 regular season by killing off 32 straight power play opportunities ... UMD welcomes back some 17 lettermen from a year ago, including juniors Josh Meyers, who topped all WCHA defensemen in goals last season (11) and all NCAA blueliners in power play scores (9), and center MacGregor Sharp, the top returning point getter (a career-high 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists) ... The Bulldogs are winless in their last five season openers, having gone 0-2-3 since besting the University of Nebraska-Omaha 5-2 in the first round of the Maverick Stampede in Omaha ... Sophomore defenseman Trent Palm, the co-recipient of the Mike Sertich Award for 2006-07 (Most Improved Player) collected his lone goal to date when the Bulldogs paid a visit to Northern Michigan one year ago ... UMD is unbeaten in all but seven of its 30 lifetime home engagements with the Wildcats (21-7-2) ... Sophomore center Jordan Fulton generated nine of his 10 points last season at the DECC ... A school-record tying 11 of UMD’s 39 games one year ago went into overtime ... The 25-player 2007-08 Bulldog roster consists of only four seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores and eight freshmen ... Sophomore center Drew Akins topped all 2006-07 Bulldog rookies in goals with seven, but failed to tally in his final 21 games of the years since picking up UMD’s lone score in a 3-1 loss at Minnesota State University-Mankato ... Sophomore goaltender Alex Stalock, a member of the WCHA All-Rookie Team one year ago, made his last appearance of 2006-07 on Feb. 2 at the University of Denver ... UMD posted an even 8-8-2 record at the DECC last winter ... Senior defenseman Travis Gawryletz has appeared in more career games (104) while senior center Matt McKnight has racked up more points (53) than any current Bulldog .. UMD is 1-44-2 the last 47 games it’s trailed heading into the final period of play. The lone win during that stretch came at the expense of Michigan Tech on Jan. 6, 2007 (5-3 at the DECC).

ON TAP: The Bulldogs will remain at the DECC to host intrastate rival St. Cloud State University in their 2007-08 WCHA debuts.