The University of Minnesota Duluth will pop the cork on its second year of National Collegiate Hockey Conference competition this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 24-25) when the Bulldogs host the University of Denver in a two-game series. Opening faceoff is set for 7:07 p.m. both nights at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.

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Scott Sandelin's Weekly Press Conference

THE RECORDS: UMD, which is off to a 2-2-0 start this season, closed out 2013-14 with an even 16-16-4 overall record and went 11-11-2-2 in their first year of NCHC play. That was good for a share of fourth place in the final league standings with Western Michigan University. Denver, 2-0-0 in 2014-15, was 20-16-6 in all games one year ago and finished fifth in the NCHC at 10-11-3-2. The Pioneers captured the first-ever NCHC playoff championship and advanced to the NCAA playoffs, falling 6-2 to Boston College in the opening round.

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

    USCHO.com    USA Today    
UMD    No. 19    RV    
Denver    No. 11    RV    

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Denver clashes will be carried locally on 94X (94.1/104.3 FM) with Bruce Ciskie on the call. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing; KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia; Red Zone Sports Radio 1350 AM in Pine City; and KKIN-AM 930 in Atkin as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: 94xrocks.com.

Both ends of this weekend's series will be aired on My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) with Tom Hansen and former UMD standout forward Judd Medak serving as the on-air talent. That telecast will also be videostreamed at: www.nchc.tv/umd.

THE COACH: 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 15th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 249-247-67 overall record -- including a 127-87-30 mark (for a .582 winning percentage) since the 2008-08 opener. Besides capturing the school's first NCAA championship four years ago, his Bulldogs have won 22 or more games in four of the last six seasons while advancing to four NCAA tournaments (2004, 2009, 2011 and 2012), two Frozen Fours (2004 and 2011) and seven of 11 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five playoff events between 2002-13. 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. In addition, Sandelin has seen 16 of his UMD pupils go on to do time in the National Hockey League and one take part in the Winter Olympic Games (Justin Faulk for Team USA in last winter). 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, 50, 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-American second team selection and All-WCHA first team pick as a senior, Sandelin went on to play professionally for seven years, 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 (Denver's Jim Montgomery is the other), 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 SERIES: UMD and Denver have collided on 195 occasions previously -- mostly while both were members of the WCHA. The Pioneers hold a 110-74-11 lead in the rivalry, which began on Dec. 28, 1961 in Denver and, took four of six points a year ago in the two clubs lone series (a 3-2 overtime win and 2-2 tie on Jan. 17-18 at AMSOIL Arena).

LAST WEEKEND: UMD and then-No. 12 Minnesota State traded wins in a rare home-and-home series. The Mavericks shaded the host Bulldogs 5-4 in overtime Friday night before UMD bounced back with a convincing 6-2 triumph over their former WCHA rival the following evening in Mankato. In Friday's setback, sophomore defenseman Carson Soucy and senior right winger Adam Krause each scored once and assisted on another goal for UMD, which rallied from a 4-1 deficit and scored the equalizer with 3:50 to go in regulation. The Bulldogs got two-point nights from four different players (sophomore left wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg, rookie center Jared Thomas, sophomore center Dominic Toninato) in the rematch and broke a 2-2 second intermission deadlock by scoring four straight times in the 20 minutes of play. Two of those third-period goals came from Thomas.

Denver opened its 2014-15 regular season schedule in promising fashion by besting Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) twice -- 3-0 and 4-1 -- last Friday and Saturday in Denver.

NCHC FORECAST: In the 2014-15 NCHC Preseason Media Poll, UMD was projected for a fifth-place finish in the second-year circuit while North Dakota received top billing among the conference's eight schools with 181 points and 12 first-place votes. North Dakota was followed by Miami University (167 pts.; nine first-place votes), defending NCHC regular season champion St. Cloud State University (151 pts. and the remaining four. first-place votes, the University of Denver (117 pts.), UMD (112 pts.), the University of Nebraska-Omaha (73 pts.), Western Michigan University (67 pts.), and Colorado College (32 pts.).

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN: For the second straight season, Adam Krause has been entrusted with the Bulldogs' captaincy duties (he shared that role with the since-graduated Joe Basaraba in 2013-14) while fellow senior right winger Justin Crandall and junior defenseman Andy Welinski are serving as assistant captains.

 

HIS NUMBER IS UP: During the first intermission this Friday night, UMD will bestow Bill Watson with the ultimate honor -- by retiring his No. 14 jersey. Watson, who is the third Bulldog to be so honored (Brett Hull and Keither "Huffer" Christiansen are the two others), owns the distinction of being the only individual to play (1984) and coach (2011) in a NCAA Frozen Four championship game with the Bulldogs. He capped off a remarkable three-year collegiate playing career in 1984-85 by winning the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. The two-time All-American (1983-84 and 1984-85) racked up 210 points in 108 lifetime outings for a 1.94 points per game average -- the best figure ever turned in by a Bulldog and still owns UMD single-season records for assists (60) and multiple-point games (36) as well as longest overall point-scoring streak (33 games). Sophomore Alex Iafallo currently wears No. 14 and will continue to do so until his Bulldog career is over.

COMING OUT WITH GUNS BLAZING: Sophomore center Dominic Toninato currently resides among the NCAA leaders in a bevy of statistical categories including goals (tied for second with 5), points (tied for for third with seven), shorthanded goals (tied for first with two) and plus-minus rating (tied for 6th at a +5). The five goals he's scored already this season are just two shy of his entire rookie year harvest. Toninato, the first NCHC Offensive Player of the Week honoree for 2014-15, is one of four Bulldogs who has marked in the points column in all four games to date, joining junior center Tony Cameranesi and sophomore left winger Alex Iaffalo and sophomore defenseman Carson Soucy. The four-game scoring streaks match a career high for both Toninato and Soucy (Cameranesi's and Iafallo's personal bests are both five games).

IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER: After taking on three nationally-ranked clubs to open the year (No. 1 Minnesota and then-No 12 Notre Dame and Minnesota State), the Bulldogs' schedule doesn't get much easier anytime soon. For the next four weekends, UMD will face clubs that all cracked the Top 11 in the latest USCHO.com Poll -- Denver (No. 11), Miami University (No. 10), St. Cloud State (No. 9) and Minnesota (No. 1).

LIKE TWO PROS IN A POD: UMD's Scott Sandelin and Denver's Jim Montgomery are the only two NCHC head coaches to do time in the NHL. Sandelin took part in 25 NHL games with Montreal, Philadelphia and Minnesota (North Stars) before calling it quits in 1992 due to nagging injuries while Montgomery's NHL career spanned 121 outings between 1993-2003 with St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Dallas.

FOUR'S A CHARM: Going back to a 5-4 home loss to Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in the 44 of the 45 games that they've struck for more than three goals (39-1-5). The lone setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State last Friday night (5-4 in overtime).

BREAKING THE ICE: Sophomore Carson Soucy picked u his first collegiate goal Friday night against Minnesota State and struck again the ensuing to complete a three-point, +5 weekend. He now has five points to his 2014-15 credit, the third highest total among all NCAA defensemen. Soucy, the only Bulldog ever to be drafted by the Minnesota Wild (5th round, 137th selection overall in 2013), leads all current UMD skaters in career plus-minus rating (+10).

MORE POWER TO THEM: UMD has connected at least once on the power play in all four games to date and five different Bulldogs have scored with the man advantage (one goal each). On the flip side, UMD has had to kill off more power plays (26) thus far than any NCHC club.

BULLDOG BITS: This weekend will mark the fifth and sixth straight times UMD and Denver have squared off in Duluth. The two clubs haven't met on the Pioneers' home ice since Nov. 4-5, 2011.

• UMD has won just one of its last 13 games that have gone into overtime, going 1-4-8 with that lone victory coming in the opening round of the North Star College Cup at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center  -- 5-4 over Minnesota State. Sophomore left winger Alex Iafallo is the only active Bulldog to ever score in overtime -- he connected with 26.5 seconds left in sudden death against the Mavericks that night.

• Kasimir Kaskisuo, who registered his first collegiate win this past Saturday night by stopping 36 of 38 shots in a 6-2 road takedown of Minnesota State, is the sixth European to enlist his services with the Bulldogs and first non-North American to play for 15th-year head coach Scott Sandelin. The five previous Europeans include goaltender Nicklas Axelsson (Sweden, 1993-95), winger Pasi Korhonen (Finland; 1999-2000), winger Sergei Petrov (Russia, 1993-97), defenseman Roman Sindelar (Czechoslovakia; 1984-86) and center Max Wikman Sweden, 1995-97).

• The Bulldogs have drawn first blood in 16 of their 18 victories the last two seasons. On the other hand, they are a mere 2-14-2 when the opposition has taken a 1-0 lead.

• For the first time in 48 years, the UMD roster is devoid of any player who skated at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (as a Bulldog). The $80-million, 6,756-seat AMSOIL Arena officially opened its doors for business and became the Bulldogs home on Dec. 30, 2010. UMD is 33-28-7 lifetime at that downtown facility, but has managed to win just five of its 19 engagements there since the start of the 2013-14 season (5-11-3).

•Senior right winger Adam Krause is UMD's ninth multi-year captain and first since 2008-09 (left winger Andrew Carroll). The 2013-14 NCHC Scholar-Athlete Team honoree has taken shifts in 92 consecutive games -- the longest active ironman streak on the club.

• In UMD's last outing with Denver (Jan. 17, 2014 at AMSOIL Arena), current sophomore left winger Alex Iafallo became the first Bulldog to ever score in a NCHC shootout. That was one of two shootout goals UMD struck for all season.

• Dominic Toninato is part of the 10th father-son combination to skate for the Bulldogs (his dad, Jim Toninato, was a UMD forward between 1982-86). Senior defenseman Derik Johnson, the oldest 2014-15 Bulldog (he'll turn 25 this February), is the son of Jim Johnson, another Bulldog hockey alumnus (1981-85) and now an assistant coach with the NHL's San Jose Sharks.

• UMD assistant coach Derek Plante and Denver head coach Jim Montgomery were both Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top 10 finalists as seniors in 1992-93.

• 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 DECC. UMD is 0-42-3 in that situation since then.

• Of the NCHC eight head coaches, only one (Miami's Rico Blasi with 16 seasons) has been behind the bench at his current school longer than Scott Sandelin (15).

• Tony Cameranesi and fellow junior Andy Welinski, who leads all 2014-15 UMD defensemen in career goals (10), assists (30) and points (40),have taken part in all 78 games since joining the UMD program two years ago.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will remain at AMSOIL on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 to host Miami in the RedHawks' first-ever series in Duluth.