The University of Minnesota Duluth will engage in its first Western Collegiate Hockey Association road assignments in nearly two months this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 15-16) when the Bulldogs invade Mankato, Minn. for a pair of confrontations with Minnesota State University-Mankato. Opening faceoff is set for 7:37 Friday and 7:07 p.m. the following night at the Verizon Wireless Center (4,832 capacity).
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THE RECORDS: The defending WCHA playoff champion Bulldogs are currently 14-7-1 overall and 10-5-1 in league play (second place) while Minnesota State sports an even 11-11-2 mark in all games and holds down eighth place in the WCHA standings at 5-10-1.
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Minnesota State stack up in the latest uscho.com/CBS College Sports and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls as well as the uscho.com PairWise rankings:
uscho.com USA Today PairWise
UMD 10th 10th 4th(t)
MSU RV NR 23rd
ON THE AIR: This weekend's series will be carried locally on 1490 The Fan (KQDS-AM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play assignment. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 in Grand Rapids/Hibbing and KQ 106.7 in Ely/Virginia as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and can be accessed on the internet at: www.fan1490.com.
The two Bulldog-Maverick clashes will also be televised live by Charter Communications and its state-wide system of networks, including the Duluth-Superior (Channel 15), Brainerd, Bemidji, St. Cloud, Rochester, Mankato, and Albert Lea/Austin markets. Mediacom cable, which serves the Cloquet/Hermantown/Esko/Proctor (Channel 10), Moose Lake (Channel 13), North Shore (Channel 5), Iron Range (Channel 22) and Mankato (Channel 10) areas, as well as Comcast Cable in the Twin Cities, will air those same games.
In addition, both clashes will be webstreamed live and be available on a pay-per-view basis through B2Networks 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 in his 10th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 158-180-46 overall record -- including a 36-20-9 mark the past two seasons. His Bulldogs have advanced to four of the past seven WCHA Final Five tournaments and, last March, became the first play-in game participant to win it all in the 17-year history of that event. UMD also strung together a school-record six-game postseason winning streak in 2008-09 until it fell to Miami University 2-1 in the NCAA West Regional final. Six years ago, Sandelin, 45, turned UMD into a NCAA Frozen Four participant for the first time in nearly a generation, marshaling 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 that winter. 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 deployment 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 National Hockey League, 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.
Troy Jutting (Minnesota State, 1987), the 2002-03 WCHA Coach of the Year, is also in his 10th season of head coaching duty at Minnesota State and has 153-173-46 record to show for it (including a 12-15-5 mark against UMD). Jutting, who directed the Mavericks to their only NCAA Division I post-season berth seven years ago, was named Minnesota State's head coach on March 27, 2000 (four days before Scott Sandelin officially accepted the head coaching job at UMD) following a 10-season tenure as a Maverick assistant. He was a four-time hockey letterman with the Mavericks (1982-86) and attained All-Northern Collegiate Hockey Association honors as a senior.
THE RIVALRY: UMD and the Mavericks have met on 36 previous occasions. The Bulldogs hold a 17-14-5 lead in the all-time series, which began on Oct. 17, 1997 in Duluth.
LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs returned to WCHA warfare and proceeded to sweep then No. 3 Colorado College at the DECC. Buoyed by a pair of goals from junior right winger Justin Fontaine and sophomore left winger Mike Connolly's three-point night, the Bulldogs skated to a 5-2 victory Friday and then won the rematch 4-1 the following evening as sophomore center Jack Connolly scored twice. Sophomore goalie Kenny Reiter picked up both wins for the Bulldogs, who are now unbeaten in seven of their last eight matchups with Colorado College (6-1-1). UMD held the Tigers to just 38 shots on goal on the weekend and one goal in 12 opportunities with the man advantage. (Colorado College came into the weekend owning the WCHA's most proficient power play.)
Minnesota State was ambushed twice (4-1 and 3-2) by WCHA rival North Dakota on Friday and Saturday in Grand Forks, N.D. and never led during the entire series.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: Senior center Drew Akins has been entrusted with team captaincy responsibilities for the 2009-10 Bulldogs while senior left winger Jordan Fulton and junior defenseman Mike Montgomery are serving as alternate captains.
THEY'VE HAD THEIR NUMBER: UMD is 5-0-1 in its last six meetings with Minnesota State (all of which have been contested in Duluth) -- the Bulldogs' longest current unbeaten streak against any WCHA club. Minnesota, at 3-0-0, is next.
A QUARTET SOME MIGHT FIND OFFENSIVE: The Bulldogs will head to Mankato armed with four of the WCHA's top seven overall scorers in sophomore center Jack Connolly (first with 33 points), junior right winger Justin Fontaine (second with 31 points) junior left winger Rob Bordson (fourth with 28 points) and sophomore left winger Mike Connolly (seventh with 24 points).
HOW SWEEP IT IS: UMD has already posted four sweeps (Minnesota State on Oct. 16-17, Clarkson University on Oct. 30-31, the University of Minnesota on Nov. 20-21 and Colorado College last weekend) this winter -- its most since the 2003-04 regular season (8). That was also the last time the Bulldogs swept a four-game regular season series with any opponent (they did it against Colorado College and Minnesota that season).
THAT'S A FACT, JACK: Sizzling sophomore center Jack Connolly is currently tied for second in the NCAA points race with a career-high 15 goals and 18 assists. A team-leading 25 of Connolly's 33 points this season have been registered at home and 29 have contributed to Bulldog wins. He'll take a personal-best five-game scoring streak (5-5=10) into this weekend's series with the Mavericks, a club which he has amassed 10 points against in just four career games.
THREE IS STILL A CHARM: The Bulldogs have yet to lose when scoring three or more times this season (14-0-1) and are winless when they've failed to do so (0-7-0).
ONE FONT-ASTIC FORWARD: Junior right winger and 2008-09 All-WCHA second team pick Justin Fontaine continues to lead the nation in power play goals with 11 and is one of seven skaters who has potted an NCAA-best four game winners thus far. In addition, Fontaine's 1.48 points per game average is fifth among NCAA pucksters while his 15 goals are bettered by only four other players. The Bonnyville, Alberta, native is expected to skate in his 100th collegiate game Friday when UMD and Minnesota State lock horns.
MONEY IN THE BANK: The Bulldogs are 34-0-3 when they've held a lead heading into the third period since falling 3-2 at St. Cloud State University in three overtimes in the 2007 WCHA playoffs (March 11).
OH, WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Junior Rob Bordson has racked up five goals and a WCHA-leading 23 assists (the second most in the country) in 22 outings this season after coming into year having scored just seven points in 42 career engagements. He also has 16 power play points to his credit thus far, which trails only Jack Connolly (18), in that department among WCHA combatants. Bordson paces the 2009-10 Bulldogs in road scoring with two goals and seven assists for nine points.
GOT TO LOVE THAT FREE HOCKEY: UMD is now unbeaten in its last 13 overtime games (4-0-9) and has lost just one of the last 23 contests which have required an extra session (6-1-16). The lone setback during that stretch was inflicted by North Dakota on March 2, 2008 at the DECC (2-1). The Bulldogs have not been defeated in overtime away from home since March 11, 2006 (3-2 in three OTs to St. Cloud State in the WCHA playoffs). Their last regular season road overtime loss occurred almost seven years ago (2-1 at the University of Wisconsin on Jan. 17, 2003).
EASY REITER: Sophomore netminder Kenny Reiter made his first back-to-back weekend starts as a Bulldog against the Tigers and wound up turning aside 35 of 38 shots in the two-game sweep. Reiter, who was redshirted two years ago and did not see any intercollegiate action last winter, currently ranks fifth in the WCHA in goals against average. In his last three appearances -- all in 2010 -- the Pittsburgh, Pa., native has allowed just three goals while going 3-0-0 with one shut out and a .953 saves percentage.
SAY GOOD NIGHT, DECC: This marks the final full season the Bulldogs will call the DECC home as they will move to a new $70 million, 6,800-seat facility a few hundred feet away next December.
JUST LIKE MIKE: After collecting five points in last weekend's convincing sweep of Colorado College, sophomore left winger Mike Connolly was aptly bestowed with WCHA Co-Offensive Player of the Week recognition. Connolly, who shared the honor with University of North Dakota forward Jason Gregoire, is currently tied for the WCHA scoring lead (league games only) -- with teammates Jack Connolly and a-- and remains the only current Bulldog who is averaging a point a game or better for his career (66 points in 63 outings).
POWER TO SPARE: The Bulldogs held the Tigers to just one goal in 12 opportunities with the man advantage last weekend (Colorado College had come into the series sporting the WCHA's most effective power play) while going 5-of-11 themselves. UMD has now cashed in on 24.2 percent of its power play attempts -- the fifth best average in NCAA I hockey.
BULLDOG BITS: Junior left winger Kyle Schmidt has scored in seven of his last nine outings and now has 10 goals on the season. That's the third most of any Bulldog and six more goals than he potted his first two years at UMD combined ... UMD has outscored the opposition 30-18 in the third period this winter. Those 30 goals leads all WCHA clubs ... Sophomore Brady Lamb, one of six Bulldogs who has skated in all 22 games to date, ranks seventh among WCHA defensemen in scoring with 12 points on six goals and six assists while Dylan Olsen has amassed the second highest scoring yield (nine points -- all assists) of any league rookie blueliner ... The Bulldogs handed Colorado College its two most-lopsided losses (5-2 and 4-1) of the season last Friday and Saturday en route to posting their first home sweep over the Tigers in six years ... UMD head coach Scott Sandelin has accumulated a better lifetime winning percentage against Minnesota State (.547 off a 15-12-5 record) than any other WCHA foe ... The Bulldogs have come back from a two-goal deficit to post wins four times already this winter. They turned the trick twice during their series sweep at Minnesota (4-3 and 3-2 on Nov. 20-21), against North Dakota (3-2 in OT on Dec. 5) and Minnesota State (3-2 on Oct. 17) ... Going back to the opening of the 2009 postseason, UMD is 20-8-1.
UP NEXT: UMD will take on intrastate rival Bemidji State University in a non-conference home-and-home series next Friday (in Bemidji) and Saturday (at the DECC).
