After having last weekend off, the University of Minnesota Duluth returns to the ice this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 15-16) to take on the University of North Dakota in the first-ever National Collegiate Hockey Conference series between the two long-time rivals. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. Friday and 7:07 p.m. the following night at Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634) on the North Dakota campus.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 4-3-1 overall and 1-1-0 in National Collegiate Hockey Conference play this season while North Dakota sports a 3-4-1 overall record and a 2-4-0 NCHC mark.

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

        USCHO.com    USA Today  
 UMD        No. 20    NR
UND        No. 13    No. 14

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-North Dakota outings 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.

In addition, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) in Duluth is airing both ends of this weekend's series. Each game will be videostreammed as well and can be viewed for a fee at: undsports.com

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 235-232-64 overall record -- including a 113-72-27 mark (for a .597 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.

Dave Hakstol (North Dakota, 1996) is in his ninth season at North Dakota and has a 238-123-38 record to show for it, including a 19-7-3 career mark against UMD. Hakstol, who succeeded Scott Sandelin as a North Dakota assistant coach in the summer of 2000, has led his troops to five NCAA Frozen Four appearances (2005-08 and 2011), two WCHA regular season championships (2011 and 2009) and four WCHA Final Five tournament titles (2010-12 and 2006). Hakstol patrolled the blueline for 107 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 two seasons each with the Indianapolis Ice (1992-94) and the Minnesota Moose (1994-96) of the 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: This weekend's series will mark the 221st and 222nd meetings ever between UMD and North Dakota. North Dakota holds a 136-75-9 lead in the all-time series, which began on Nov. 26, 1954 at the old Duluth Curling Club, and is unbeaten in eight of its last 10 engagements with the Bulldogs (7-2-1). The two clubs squared off just twice one year ago -- on Nov. 16-17 in Grand Forks, where North Dakota took three of a possible four WCHA points. The Bulldogs rallied to earn a 4-4 tie in the opener before the hosts prevailed in the rematch, 4-3 (scoring with only 34 seconds remaining in the extra session).

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs have been idle since trading non-conference victories with Ohio State University on Nov. 1-2 (a 3-1 triumph followed by a 4-2 setback). UMD got goals from five different players on the weekend, including freshmen forwards Alex Iafallo and Dominic Toninato, who also each picked up an assist. Senior goaltender Aaron Crandall started both ends of the road series and stopped 53 of 57 Buckeye shots.

North Dakota clipped the University of Nebraska Omaha 3-2 Sunday night in Omaha to salvage a split in its two-game NCHC set with the Mavericks and snapped a four-game losing skid. Nebraska Omaha potted two unanswered goals in the third period and took the opener, 4-2, the previous evening, scoring

NCHC FORECAST: In the inaugural NCHC Preseason Media Poll, UMD was projected for a sixth-place finish in the upstart league this winter while Miami University received top billing among the conference's eight schools with 115 points and seven first-place votes. The RedHawks were followed by 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 the University of Nebraska-Omaha (41 pts.).

AYE, AYE CAPTAIN: Senior right winger Joe Basaraba and junior right winger Adam Krause have both been entrusted with team captaincy responsibilities for the Bulldogs in this, their 70th season of intercollegiate hockey. Krause is the first non-senior to serve as a UMD team captain since 2006-07.

LIKE AN OLD SHOE: During their 70-year history, the Bulldogs have faced off against North Dakota on more occasions (220) than all but one opponent -- Michigan Tech University (225). Minnesota shares that runnerup honor with North Dakota. This weekend will be the first time UMD and North Dakota will collide in a series not involving WCHA points since Feb. 12-13, 1965 when the Bulldogs were in their fourth, and final, year as a NCAA I independent.

ROOKIES ON THE RISE: UMD's seven-member freshmen class has collectively racked up 22 points this season -- the seventh best figure in the country. Of UMD's top six scoring leaders, four are rookies -- left wingers Alex Iafallo (three goals and three assists for six points) and Kyle Osterberg (3-2=5), center Dominic Toninato (2-2=4), and Carson Soucy (0-4=4). Iafallo, the NCHC's first-ever Rookie of the Week award recipient, and Toninato will both carry three-game scoring streaks into Friday night's clash at North Dakota.

THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE: The Bulldogs are allowing the third fewest goals per night (1.88) of any NCAA I club in the country and through eight games have been scored upon a scant 15 times (including one empty-netter). That's the lowest goal total any UMD team has ever given up in the opening eight outings of a season.

MONEY IN THE BANK: Going back to a 5-4 home loss to the University of Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten (31-0-4) when they've scored four or more goals. That includes a 9-0-2 mark last winter and a 2-0-0 record in 2013-14.

YOU'RE KILLING ME: The Bulldogs currently possess the nation's most effective penalty killing unit, having allowed just three goals to the opposition in 47 power play opportunities (93.6 percent). Conversely, UMD ranks 51st out of 59 NCAA I clubs in power play efficiency (9.8 percent).

THE PUCK STOPS HERE: The tandem of sophomore Matt McNeely (1.64) and senior Aaron Crandall (1.81) rank sixth and ninth, respectively, in goals against average among all NCAA goaltenders. Crandall, who has made a career-high five straight starts after McNeely manned the UMD crease the initial three outings of 2013-14.
 
AND DON'T FORGET TO WRITE: UMD hasn't played at home since Oct. 25-26 and won't return to AMSOIL Arena until Dec. 6. The Bulldogs still have series at North Dakota and the University of Minnesota (Nov. 22-23) along with a bye weekend (Nov. 29-30) before then.

GIVING IT THEIR BEST SHOT: UMD ranks fifth nationally in shot margin (+8.50), having put an average of 31.75 pucks on goal per night while surrendering 23.25 shots to the opposition. That's the second fewest in NCAA I hockey, taking a backseat only to Quinnipiac University (19.0 spg) and Union College (20.11 spg)..

TIME TO RALLY THE TROOPS: The last time the Bulldogs overcame a second-intermission deficit to win was on Nov. 10, 2010 when they erased a 2-1 Michigan Tech advantage by scoring four goals in the final 20 minutes to upend the Huskies 5-3 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. UMD is 0-29-3 since then (0-3-0 in 2013-14).

BULLDOG BITS: North Dakota has shut out the Bulldogs on more lifetime occasions (12) than any other foe,with three of those blankings coming since March 18, 2010.

• Senior defenseman Tim Smith leads all 2013-14 Bulldogs in career-plus minus rating at a +15 and is a team-leading +6 this season (he shares that honor with rookie blueliner Willie Raskob).

•UMD is winless in eight of its last 10 road outings, going 2-6-2 since Jan. 19, 2013. The lone two victories during that stretch came earlier this year -- 5-1 at Colorado College on Oct. 19 and 3-1 vs. Ohio State on Nov. 1.

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

• Despite being sidelined the past three games with an injury, junior right winger Justin Crandall still leads the Bulldogs in for goals with three  (he shares that billing with Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg), two of which have been game winners.

• 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 ever scored in overtime as a collegian. North Dakota inflicted UMD's last overtime loss -- a 4-3 decision in the most recent meeting between the two teams (Nov. 17, 2012).

• Rookie center Dominic Toninato is part of the 10th father-son combination to skate for the Bulldogs. Dominic's dad, Jim Toninato, was a four-year winger/center (1982-86) at UMD. Junior defenseman Derik Johnson's father, Jim Johnson, is also a UMD hockey alumnus (1981-85) and now an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks.

• The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 6-3 in the opening period of play this season.

• Both UMD head coach Scott Sandelin (1982-86) and third-year assistant coach Jason Herter (1988-89) are former North Dakota defensemen.

• Junior co-captain Adam Krause has now played in 62 consecutive games -- the top ironman streak on the club.

• Of the 25 active players on the 2013-14 Bulldog roster, only one -- Joe Basaraba -- has taken part in more than 85 career outings. The senior team co-captain is expected to make his 122th appearance as a Bulldog this Friday. Senior center Max Tardy is next on the list with 85 games.

• UMD has managed just one win in its last six visits to Ralph Engelstad Arena, going 1-4-1 since a 3-1 victory on Nov. 22, 2008.

• Senior center Max Tardy has not picked up an assist or goal in his last 10 outings going back to Jan. 12, 2013. That's the longest active pointless drought of any Bulldog.

ON DECK: The Bulldogs will remain on the road for a pair of non-conference confrontations with arch-rival Minnesota on Nov. 22-23.