The University of Minnesota Duluth will draw the curtain on 2013 this Friday and Saturday night (Dec. 13-14) when the Bulldogs host Western MIchigan University in the first two National Collegiate Hockey Conference confrontations ever between the two clubs. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. on Friday and one minute later the following evening at AMSOIL Arena (6,756 capacity) in downtown Duluth.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 6-7-1 overall and 2-4-0-0 in NCHC play this season while Western Michigan sports a 6-7-3 record in all games to go with a 2-4-0-0 league mark.

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

        USCHO.com    USA Today    
UMD        RV    NR
WMU        NR    NR

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Western Michigan clashes 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) will televise this weekend's series opener. Tom Hansen and former Bulldog hockey standout Judd Medak will provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively, for My9, which, along with its partner, KBJR-TV, is scheduled to carry 21 games during the 2013-14 regular season. The telecast will be videostreammed as well and can be viewed for a fee at: americaonesports.com.

CBS Sports Network will televise Saturday's game with Ben Holden, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski serving as the on-air talent.

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 237-236-64 overall record -- including a 115-76-27 mark (for a .589 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 Western Collegiate Hockey Association 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 team 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.

Andy Murray (Brandon University, 1972), a 10-year NHL bench boss, is 46-32-17 in his three seasons of head coaching duty at Western Michigan and directed the Broncos to a NCAA playofff berth in 2011-12. The Souris, Manitoba, native racked up a career NHL record of 333-278-58-71 while spending six seasons (1999-2006) with the Los Angeles Kings (where he is that franchise's all-time victory leader) and four more with the St. Louis Blues (2006-10). His coaching resume also includes stints as an assistant with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota North Stars and Philadelphia Flyers. Murray, who served as Brandon University's (Manitoba) head coach for three seasons, guided Team Canada to gold medals at the 2007, 2003 and 1997 World Hockey Championships. His daughter, Sarah, was a four-year UMD hockey letterwinner who patrolled the blue line for a pair of NCAA championship clubs (as a senior in 2010 and in 2008) while his two sons -- Brady (North Dakota) and Jordy (University of Wisconsin) -- are both WCHA alumni.

THE SERIES: UMD and Western Michigan have butted heads only four times previously with the Bulldogs prevailing in all four of those meetings.

Date    Score    Site
Jan. 7, 2012    UMD 5, WMU 2    Kalamazoo, MIch.
Jan. 6, 2012    UMD 4, WMU 1    Kalamazoo, Mich.
Oct. 18, 2008     UMD 6, WMU 5 (OT)    Duluth, Minn.
Oct. 17, 2008     UMD 5, WMU 2    Duluth, Minn.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs were ambushed twice by intrastate rival St. Cloud State University (now the No. 1-ranked team in the country) last weekend in the Bulldogs' home NCHC debuts, falling 4-2 on Friday and 5-1 the ensuing evening. Junior linemates Caleb Herbert and Justin Crandall each scored once and assisted on another goal in the series opener while sophomore left winger Charlie Sampair accounted for the lone Bulldog goal Saturday. UMD outshot the Huskies 38-19 Friday night and entered the intermission deadlocked at 2-2 before surrendering two unanswered goals, including an empty netter, in the final period.

Western Michigan fell twice -- by identical 3-2 scores -- at home to NCHC rival North Dakota on Friday and Saturday. The Broncos, which held a substantial shots-on-goal advantage for the weekend (63-39) took a 1-0 lead in both ends of the series only to see North Dakota then strike for three straight goals each night. Western Michigan got goals from four different players -- Kenney Morris, Justin Kovacs, Nolan LaPorte, and Josh Pitt in the twin setbacks.

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.

BULLDOG BITS: Sophomore Matt McNeely, who ranks 14th nationally and is third among all NCHC netminders in goals against average (2.00), has allowed just four even-strength goals in his six appearances and 329:25 of work so far. In three starts at AMSOIL Arnea, he is an even 1-1-1 with a 1.63 goals against mark.

• Going back to a 5-4 home loss to Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in the 37 games that they've struck for four or more goals (33-0-4) That includes a 9-0-2 mark last winter and a 4-0-0 record in 2013-14.

• The seven-member Bulldog freshmen class has collectively racked up 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points -- the eighth best figure in the country. Of UMD's top nine scoring leaders at the moment, four are rookies -- left wingers Alex Iafallo (No. 1; 5-5=10) and Kyle Osterberg (No. 4; 4-4=8), the NCHC Rookie of the Month for October, center Dominic Toninato (No. 8; 3-3=6) and defenseman Willie Raskob (No. 8; 0-6=6).

• The Bulldogs are still in search of their first shorthanded goal at AMSOIL Arena, which opened its doors for business on Dec. 30, 2011 and has hosted 55 UMD games thus far. Overall, UMD has generated three shorties over the past three seasons with two of those coming at Michigan Tech University (by current junior Adam Krause on Nov. 30, 2012 -- his first tally at UMD -- and by Keegan Flaherty on Dec. 2, 2011) and the other by Dominic Toninato in UMD's last road assignment (a 6-2 victory over Minnesota on Nov. 24). Over that same period, the Bulldogs have been scored on seven times while a man up, including once this season.

• All but one of rookie Alex Iafallo's team-leading 10 points this season have been registered away from AMSOIL Arena. The lone exception was an assist in a 4-1 triumph over Notre Dame on Oct. 26. Despite going without a goal or an assist in his last four outings, the Eden, N.Y.,still owns a share of the team scoring lead (along with Caleb Herbert).
 
• Last week's series sweep by St. Cloud State was the first inflicted against UMD in Duluth since Feb. 8-9, 2013 (vs. Minnesota State-Mankato) and dropped the Bulldogs below the .500 mark for the first time this season (6-7-1 overall).

• Third-year UMD assistant coach Jason Herter and Western Michigan assistant Pat Ferschweiler (who was a forward with the Bulldog for a brief period during the 1988-89 season) teamed up to start the Russell Stover AAA Midget U16 and U18 teams of Overland, Kan., nearly a decade ago.

• UMD is the most penalized team in the country at the moment, accumulating 17.5 minutes of infraction time per night while Western Michigan holds down the No. 3 spot on that list with 17.2 minutes.

• The Bulldogs were without the services of sophomore defenseman Willie Corrin (injured), rookie center Dominic Toninato (illness) and freshman defenseman Dan Molenaar last Saturday night in their 5-1 setback to St. Cloud State.

• 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 University 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 0-32-3 in that situation since then (0-6-0 in 2013-14).

• Junior right winger Adam Krause, who came into the year with two collegiate goals to his credit, has already scored three times this season with all coming in UMD's two-game set at North Dakota last month. Krause has now skated in 68 straight games -- the longest active ironman streak on the club.

• 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 at AMSOIL Arena). No current Bulldog has ever scored in overtime as a collegian. North Dakota handed UMD its last overtime loss -- a 4-3 decision on Nov. 17, 2012.

• Junior right winger Justin Crandall has collected six points (three goals and three assists) over the past three games while junior center Caleb Herbert's stat line shows one goal and four assists over that same stretch. Four of Crandall's team-leading six goals (which is one shy of his career high) this season have been registered on the power play and three turned out to be game winners. Herbert and Kyle Osterberg pace the 2013-14 Bulldogs in home scoring with four points each.
 
• UMD has lost but twice in its seven series rematch games this season (4-2-1) while averaging 3.57 goals per night in the process. In contrast, they are just 2-5-0 on Friday evenings and have scored at a 1.86 goals a game clip.

• 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.  Derik Johnson's first, and only, two-point night as a Bulldog came at the expense of Western Michigan on Jan. 6, 2012 when he assisted on a pair of goals in UMD's 4-1 opening night triumph

• Senior defenseman Tim Smith is a team-leading +13 for his career and holds a share of the 2013-14 Bulldog lead (with freshman bluelineer Willie Raskob) in that same department (+4).

• The Bulldogs have gotten on the board first in nine of their 14 engagements thus far and are 6-2-1 when they've done so.

• Senior winger/center Max Tardy has not picked up a point since Jan. 12, 2013. That 12-game pointless drought is the longest of any active Bulldog.

• The Bulldogs will come into the weekend possessing the eighth-best penalty kill efficiency rating in the nation (85.5 percent), but over the past six games, UMD's opponents have cashed in on eight of 30 power play opportunities (26.7 percent).

• The 25.14 shots on goal UMD has allowed this season is bettered by only four other NCAA schools --  Quinnipiac University (20.11 spg), Union College (21.87 spg), Clarkson University (24.81 spg) and St. Cloud State (24.93 spg).

• The Bulldogs' average home attendance thus far (6,186 per night) is the fifth highest in the country.

• The last time UMD and Western Michigan collided (Jan. 6-7, 2012 in Kalamazoo, Mich.), the opener of that non-conference series between the then-No. 1 Bulldogs and No. 8 Broncos was also televised by CBS Sports Network. UMD upended Western Michigan both nights that weekend to up its unbeaten streak to 16 games.

ON DECK: The Bulldogs won't return to the ice until a Jan. 3 exhibition bout with the U.S. National Under-18 Team at AMSOIL Arena.

PRETTY IN PINK: This Saturday, UMD is partnering with Essentia Health for the third annual Pink the Rink event. The Bulldogs will wear special pink-trimmed jerseys, which will be auctioned off at AMSOIL Arena during the night with proceeds benefitting the Essentia Health Breast Program Fund.

TEDDY BEAR TOSS: UMD, in conjuction with  Arc Northland and Northwestern Mutual will hold its annual Teddy Bear Toss during the second intermission Friday night.  Fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to the game or purchase one at AMSOIL Arena that night. All tossed teddy bears will be donated to local charity organizations.