A new chapter in University of Minnesota Duluth hockey history will be added this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 18-19) when the Bulldogs square off with Colorado College in their first-ever National Collegiate Hockey Conference series. The puck drops at 8:37 p.m. (CST) on Friday and 8:07 p.m. the following evening at the Colorado Springs World Arena (7,380).

Complete Release (pdf)

THE RECORDS: UMD, which posted a 14-19-5 overall record one year ago and went 10-13-5 in WCHA play (ninth place) is off to 1-0-1 start while Colorado College, which makes its 2013-14 debuts this weekend, was 18-19-5 in all games and finished eighth in the WCHA standings at 11-13-4.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Colorado College stacked up in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls:

        USCHO.com    USA Today    
UMD        20th    RV
CC        RV    RV

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Colorado College bouts will be carried locally on 94X (94.1/104.3 FM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play. 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 Sports Radio Network and is available on the internet at: 94xrocks.com.

Friday's opener will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Eric Frede and Jim Paradise serving as the on-air talent.

In addition, both ends of the series will be videostreammed and can be viewed for a fee at: cctigers.com/showcase

THE COACHES: The runnerup for the 2010-11 Spencer Penrose Award (American Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coach of the Year) and recipient of that honor in 2003-04, Scott Sandelin is in his 14th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 232-229-64 overall record -- including a 110-69-27 mark (for a .599 winning percentage) since the 2008-08 opener. Besides capturing the school's first NCAA championship three years ago, his Bulldogs have won 22 or more games in four of the last five seasons while advancing to four NCAA tournaments (2004, 2009, 2011 and 2012), two Frozen Fours (2004 and 2011) and seven of the past 11 WCHA Final Five playoff events. He has also helped produce a pair of Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners (Jack Connolly in 2011-12 and Junior Lessard in 2003-04), six NCAA All-Americans and 17 different All-WCHA selections. Sandelin has also seen 16 of his UMD pupils go on to do time in the National Hockey League, with the latest being winger Justin Fontaine earlier this month (Minnesota Wild). During the course of the 2011-12 season, the Bulldogs set a club record by going unbeaten in 17 straight games and were ranked first in both major weekly polls (USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine for a program-best nine consecutive weeks. In March 2009, UMD became the first play-in game participant to ever claim the Final Five title and, later that spring, strung together a school-record six-game postseason winning streak before it fell to Miami University 2-1 in the NCAA West Regional final. Nine years ago, Sandelin, 49, 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) since 1992-93. 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 charges 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 member 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 with the Bulldogs on March 31, 2000 following six years of assistant coaching deployment at North Dakota (which won two NCAA titles during his tenure). Prior to that, 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 active National Collegiate Hockey Conference 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, directing that club to a fourth-place finish, and was an assistant coach for the U.S. entry at that same event in 2011-12.

The all-time winningest coach in Colorado College hockey history, Scott Owens (Colorado College, 1979) is in his 15th year with the Tigers and has a 317-204-48 record -- 21-19-4 versus UMD -- to show for it. He's also directed the Tigers to a three WCHA regular season championships (2007-08, 2004-05 and 2002-03) and seven NCAA post-season appearances (2010-11, 2007-08, 2005-06, 2004-05, 2002-03, 2001-02 and 2000-01). A four-time letterwinner as a Tiger goaltender, Owens was a member of the Colorado College coaching staff from 1991-95 and served as the Tigers' associate head coach for the final two years of that stay. He left Colorado Springs in 1991 to take on the head coaching and general manager duties of the United States Hockey League's Des Moines Buccaneers and in his four winters with that club, Owens posted an overall record of 179-76-9 for a .695 winning percentage. In 1998-99, his Buccaneers racked up a record-setting 62-12-1 mark and skated off with the USHL's regular-season and playoff titles. They also took runnerup honors at the national Junior A championships after winning that crown the previous year. A native of Madison, Wis., Owens spent six years (1984-90) as the general manager of the USHL's Madison Capitols, doubling as the team's head coach his last four seasons.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Colorado College have collided on 172 previous occasions in a rivalry which began on Jan. 4, 1961 at the old Duluth Curling Club. The Tigers hold a somewhat slim 85-82-7 lead in the all-time series, but are winless in eight of their last 11 bouts with the Bulldogs (3-7-1). The two clubs split their only two meetings one year ago in Colorado Springs with UMD taking the opener, 3-2, on Jan. 18 and the Tigers prevailing, 5-1, in the rematch.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs ushered in their 70th year of intercollegiate hockey by going unbeaten in a two-game home set with long-time rival Michigan Tech University. UMD bested the Huskies 2-1 Friday before settling for a 1-1 deadlock the following night. Sophomore center Tony Cameranesi and junior  right winger Justin Crandall scored for Bulldogs on Friday while senior right winger and team co-captain Joe Basaraba accounted for the lone UMD goal (on the power play) in the 1-1 tie. Eight different Bulldog marked in the points column over the weekend, including Basaraba, who was credited with an assist in the Friday's triumph. Sophomore goaltender Matt McNeely turned aside 40 of 42 shots in the series and helped UMD up its unbeaten streak over Michigan Tech to six games (4-0-2).

Colorado College got a pair of goals from sophomore Cody Bradley and struck five time in second period in en route to an 8-4 exhibition game win over the U.S. National Under-18 Team Saturday night at home.

NCHC FORECAST: In the inaugural NCHC Preseason Media Poll, UMD was projected for a sixth-place finish in the upstart league this winter while Mia--mi University received top billing among the conference's eight schools with 115 points and seven first-place votes. The RedHawks were followed by the North Dakota (109 pts., and five first-place votes), St. Cloud State University (99 and the remaining four first-place votes) the University of Denver (66 pts.), Western Michigan University (61 pts), UMD (43), Colorado College (42 pts.) and Nebraska-Omaha (41 pts.).

AYE, AYE CAPTAIN: Both senior right winger Joe Basaraba and junior right winger Adam Krause will share team captaincy responsibilities. Krause is the first non-senior to serve as a UMD team captain since 2006-07.

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING: The last time UMD and the Tigers collided outside of WCHA regular season or postseason play was in 1964-65 when the Bulldogs,, then in their final year as a NCAA Division I independent, swept Colorado College (4-3 in overtime and 5-3) in their opening road series of the year.

ROAD WOES: Since skating off with a 3-2 victory over Colorado College last January, the Bulldogs are winless on the road, going 0-4-2.

FREE HOCKEY: • UMD is unbeaten in 42 of its last 48 overtime games (15-6-27; 0-1-5 in 2012-13 and 0-0-1 this season) dating back to the 2008-09 season opener, but hasn't won an extra session outing since the 2012 WCHA playoffs against Minnesota State-Mankato (3-2 in double overtime on March 10 in Duluth). No current Bulldog has an overtime goal to his collegiate credit.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: When freshman center Dominic Toninato hit the ice for his first shift last Friday night against Michigan Tech, he completed UMD's 10th father-son playing combination. Dominic's dad, Jim Toninato, was a four-year winger/center (1982-86) with the Bulldogs.  Junior defenseman Derik Johnson's father, Jim Johnson, is also a UMD hockey alumnus (1981-85).

SEASONED SOPHOMORES: UMD's seven freshmen forwards and defensemen closed out last season with 37 goals and 61 assists for 98 points, making them the sixth highest-scoring rookie class in the country. Left winger Austin Farley and center Tony Cameranesi, who shared the team scoring lead with senior Mike Seidel, ranked fourth among all NCAA newcomers in points with 34. Cameranesi's seven power play goals were bettered by only one other newcomer in all of college hockey (Boston University's Danny O'Regan). He and Andy Welinski, who turned in the second highest scoring harvest (18 points) by a first-year UMD blueliner since the 1998-99 season, were both members of the WCHA All-Rookie Team.

BULLDOG BITS: All seven members of UMD's freshmen class made their collegiate debuts against Michigan Tech and one of those rookies -- left winger Kyle Osterberg -- picked up his first point as a Bulldog (an assist in Friday's 2-1 victory).

• UMD held Michigan Tech scoreless on all 11 of its power play opportunities last weekend. Bulldog opponents are just 1-for-22 with the man advantage since the 2012-13 regular season finale.

•The NCHC is the fifth conference the Bulldogs have been aligned with in their seven decades of existence. The others include the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (1965-2013), the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1949-61), the City Senior League (1946-47) and the Head of the Lakes Scholastic League (1931-32). UMD competed as a NCAA I independent from 1961-65.

• Talk about some tough sledding. Of UMD's 12 regular season opponents, eight cracked the top 20 in the uscho.com preseason poll while the four others all received votes. No other school in the country can make that claim.

• Of the 25 active players on the 2013-14 Bulldog roster, only one -- Joe Basaraba -- has taken part in more than 83 career games. The senior team co-captain is expected to skate in his 116th outing as a Bulldog this Friday. Senior center Max Tardy is next on the list with 83 games.

• Sophomore goaltender Matt McNeely, is unbeaten in six of his last seven starts (4-1-2) going back to last season.One year ago, the U.S. National Under-18 Team product made 25 appearances -- the most by a UMD rookie since more Isaac Reichmuth was called on 32 times in 2002-03 on his way to being just the second freshman ever to be voted UMD's Most Valuable Player. His puckstopping comrade, current senior Aaron Crandall, posted back-to-back shutouts (something only two other Bulldogs had ever done before) in his final two regular season starts last winter. That included a 4-0 blanking of the University of Alabama-Huntsville on March 7 at AMSOIL Arena and a 6-0 victory over visiting Nebraska-Omaha one week later.

• Going back to a 5-4 home loss to the University of Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten (29-0-4) when they have scored four of more goals. That includes a 9-0-2 mark last season.

• The Bulldogs have collected just two shorthanded goals over the past two-plus seasons with both coming on the road at the expense of Michigan Tech (by Adam Krause on Nov. 30, 2012 -- his first tally as a collegian -- and by Keegan Flaherty on Dec. 2, 2011). During that same stretch, UMD has been scored on seven times while a man up, including once by Michigan Tech last Friday night. Krause is the only 2013-14 Bulldog  with a shorthanded goal to his collegiate credit.

• Junior co-captain Adam Krause has skated in 56 consecutive games -- the longest ironman streak on the club.

• UMD possessed the country's fourth most efficient power play one year ago (23.4 percent) and produced 62.1 percent of its goals (41 of 99) with the man advantage.

• Senior defenseman Tim Smith tops all 2013-14 Bulldogs in career-plus minus rating at a +9 while junior right winger Caleb Herbert is next (+3).

•  More current Bulldogs (six) have birthdays in October than any other month. Those include freshman center Sammy Spurrell (Oct. 5), junior goaltender Alex Fons (Oct. 10), junior right winger Caleb Herbert (Oct. 12), sophomore center Austyn Young (Oct. 16), senior center Max Tardy (Oct. 27) and sophomore left winger Charlie Sampair (Oct. 31).

• Left winger Austin Farley held the distinction of not only being both the first and last recipient of the WCHA Rookie of the Week Award for the 2012-13 regular season, but was the only freshman to claim the league's Offensive Player of the Week citation last winter (for his three-goal, two-assist weekend at Michigan Tech on Nov. 30-Dec. 1).

• This year marks the first time since 2009-10 UMD and Colorado College will engage in two regular season series. The Tigers will pay a visit to AMSOIL Arena on Feb. 7-8.

• With an average of 16.0 minutes of infraction time per night, the Bulldogs were the nation's third-most penalized team in 2012-13. Current junior defenseman Derik Johnson paced the 2012-13 Bulldogs in penalty minutes (83). His father, Jim Johnson, is now serving as an assistant coach with the NHL's San Jose Sharks and, as a UMD blueliner from 1981-85, accrued 402 minutes on 193 penalties (both program records).

ON DECK: The Bulldogs will take a break from NCHC warfare to host Notre Dame (No. 4 in this week's uscho.com poll) next Friday and Saturday night.