After a three-week hiatus from regular season play, the University of Minnesota Duluth returns to the ice this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 9-10) for a pivotal two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series at the University of North Dakota. The puck drops at 7:37 p.m. on Friday and 7:07 p.m. the following night at Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634).

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Scott Sandelin's Weekly Presser



THE RECORDS: UMD is 12-6-0 overall and 7-3-0-0 in the NCHC (tied for first place with Miami University) while North Dakota owns a 13-4-2 record in all games to go with a 6-3-1-0 league mark (fourth place).

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. 7    No. 7    
UND    No. 1    No. 1    

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-North Dakota clashes will be carried 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.

Friday's series opener will be telecast by Midco Sports and aired locally on My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9).  It will be videostreammed as well on: nchc.tv/umd.

Saturday's game will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network with Sean Grande, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski serving as the on-air talent.

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 259-251-67 overall record -- including a 137-91-30 mark (for a .590 winning percentage) since the 2008-09 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 head coaching the Junior Elite Hockey League's Fargo-Moorhead Junior Kings after working in that same capacity (and doubling as general manager) the previous winter with the Fargo-Moorhead Express of the American Hockey Association. 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 NCHC 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 RIVALRY: This weekend's series will mark the 225th and 226th meetings ever between UMD and North Dakota. North Dakota holds a 139-76-9 lead in the all-time series, which began on Nov. 26, 1954 at the old Duluth Curling Club, and is unbeaten in 11 of its last 14 engagements with the Bulldogs (10-3-1). UMD went 1-3-0 against North Dakota one year ago with the lone win coming on Nov. 16 in Grand Forks (6-3). Three months later (Feb.21-22), North Dakota swept the Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena, following up a 3-0 shut out with a 6-2 triumph.
 
LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs journeyed north of the border for the first time in over a half of a century last Friday and Saturday and skated away with an exhibition series sweep over Lakehead University of Thunder Bay, Ont. Junior defenseman Andy Welinski scored with just 0.6 seconds to go in overtime to cap off a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in the opener. Welinski and rookie right winger Karson Kuhlman each had a goal and and assist that night for the Bulldogs, who outshot the Thunderwolves 51-28 but never held a lead during the entire regulation. The ensuing evening, UMD got goals from seven different players -- including sophomore defenseman Willie Raskob, who scored twice -- en route to derailing the Thunderwolves 8-4. Junior center Cal Decowski was credited with three assists as UMD improved its all-time record against Canadian universities to 35-3-2 (including 13 wins in a row) and 14-0-0 versus Lakehead.

North Dakota, behind a two-goal night from Michael Parks, bested the U.S. National Under-18 Team 7-2 Saturday in a home exhibition outing.

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 (167 pts.; nine first-place votes), defending NCHC regular season champion St. Cloud State (151 pts. and the remaining four first-place votes), 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.

BETTER BY THE DOZEN: The last time a UMD club rolled up more than 12 wins at the 18-game juncture of their season was in 1995-96 when the Bulldogs got off to a 13-4-1 start. Both the eventual NCAA national champions of 2010-11 and the 2011-12 Bulldogs were 12-3-3 through their first 18 regular season engagements.

FAMILIAR FOES: The Bulldogs have squared off with North Dakota on more lifetime occasions (224) than all but two opponents -- Michigan Tech University (227 times) and the University of Minnesota (226).

SOME TOUGH SLEDDING: Of UMD's 18 games to date, only two (Colorado College on Dec. 5-6 in Duluth) have been against unranked opponents. Three of those outings were with then-No. 1 Minnesota, which the Bulldogs swept (3-0 and 2-1) in a home-and-home set on Nov. 14-15 after falling 4-3 at the season-opening Ice Breaker Tournament in South Bend, Ind.

ON A ROLL: The Bulldogs will enter the weekend having won nine of their last 11 games. Over that stretch, which began with a 4-3 triumph over visiting Miami, UMD has outscored the opposition 35-22 while posting three series sweeps.

PENALTIES PLUNDER: UMD led the country in penalty minutes through the opening nine games of the year, but since then the Bulldogs have cut their infraction time substantially and now rank eighth nationally in that category:

                            Penalties    Minutes    Avg.
First Nine Games    67    197    21.9
Last Nine Games    31    73    8.1

STILL THE TOP 'DOG: Sophomore center Dominic Toninato comes into 2015 residing atop the Bulldog scoring charts with a career-high 18 points. He's also potted 13 goals -- a figure which is bettered by only two other skaters in the country (Rochester Institute of Technology's Matt Garbowski and Bentley University's Andrew Gladiuk each have 14). In addition, Toninato ranks sixth nationally in shot percentage (a NCHC-leading .265 mark) and first in shorthanded goals (he's one of 13 skaters with two). Among NCHC combatants, the Duluth East High School alumnus is also first in both even-strength goals (eight) and road goals (eight) while he and teammate Alex Iafallo are tied for sixth in plus-minus (+10). Toninato, who has struck for a goal in a league-high 11 different games this season, holds the distinction of being the only two-time recipient of the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week Award in 2014-15.

THE PUCK STOPS HERE: Goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo, the Hockey Commissioners' Association Rookie of the Month for November, is expected to make his 16th consecutive start this Friday evening in Grand Forks. In his last 11 appearances, Kaskisuo has compiled a 9-2-0 record, a 1.87 goals against average and one shutout (a 3-0 gem at Minnesota on Nov. 14 -- UMD's first blanking of the Gophers in Minneapolis since Feb. 23, 1973). He's also allowed just 12 even-strength goals during that stretch (opponents scored six times on the power play and once on a penalty shot) and currently sports the most victories of any rookie in the nation (he's 11-4-0 overall). The Vantaa, Finland, native and former Minnesota Wilderness (North American Hockey League) puckstopper 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 goalie 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).

PLENTY OF PUNCH IN THE MIDDLE: UMD possesses the NCHC's second- highest scoring sophomore group (it ranks ninth nationally) as its eight, second-year players have combined for 58 points on 24 goals and 34 assists. The Bulldogs' junior class, meanwhile, has been credited with the nation's eighth-most points (59).

THE SHORT END OF THE STICK: The five shorthanded goals UMD has generated this year are second only to North Dakota's eight among NCAA schools and are one more than its entire 2013-14 output. The school single-season record for shorties is 12 set by the 1992-93 Bulldogs, who were captained by current UMD assistant coach Derek Plante (who scored four times that year while his team was a man down).

A ROOKIE ON THE RISE: Freshman right winger Karson Kuhlman has collected at least one point in seven of the past eight outings. (He had his six-game scoring streak -- a UMD 2014-15 high). Among NCHC freshmen, the Esko, Minn., product is tied for third in goals (five), for fifth in points (11 points), for sixth in plus-minus rating (+5) and has put the second most shots on goal (40). Kuhlman is also the only league newcomer with a shorthanded goal to his 2014-15 credit.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE ROAD: Since the start of the 2013-14 season, UMD is an impressive 18-9-1 away from Duluth. The Bulldogs have compiled a 7-3-0 record in someone else's building this winter and have outscored the opposition 31-20 in the process.

SHOOTOUT STATS: The Bulldogs have won both of their lifetime NCHC shootouts, defeating visiting Denver 2-1 in four rounds on Jan. 18, 2014 and Colorado College 1-0 in three rounds on Feb. 8, 2014 at AMSOIL Arena. Sophomore left winger Alex Iafallo is the lone current Bulldog to score in a league shootout and that came at the expense of Denver. The following are NCHC shootout statistics for current Bulldogs (no 2014-15 UMD goaltender has ever been taken part in a shootout):
 
Player    Att.    Made    Missed    Pct.
Alex Iafallo    2    1    1    .500
Cal Decowski    1    0    1    .000
Kyle Osterberg    1    0    1    .000
Andy Welinski    1    0    1    .000

FREE HOCKEY: The Bulldogs are one of just 10 teams in the country with two overtime victories this season, but have managed to win just three of their last 15 games that have gone into overtime, going 3-4-8. The three three victories coming at the expense of Colorado College on Dec. 6, 2014 (3-2), St. Cloud State on Nov. 7, 2014 (3-2), Minnesota State University-Mankato (5-4 in the opening round of the North Star College Cup in St. Paul on Jan. 24, 2014). Sophomore left wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg and junior center Cal Decowski are the only three active Bulldogs with an overtime goal to their collegiate credit (each has one).

COMEBACK KIDS: UMD has rallied from a second- intermission deficit to win twice in 2014-15 (3-2 at Omaha on Nov. 21 and 3-2 in overtime on Dec. 6 vs. Colorado College in Duluth). Coming into this year, the Bulldogs hadn't accomplished that feat since 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 was 0-43-3 in that situation prior to the Nov. 21 matchup with Omaha.

THE MAGIC NUMBER: Going back to a 5-4 home loss to Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 47 of the 48 games that they've struck for more than three goals (42-1-5). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State-Mankato earlier this season (5-4 in overtime on Oct. 17 in Duluth).

BULLDOG BITS: Both UMD bench boss Scott Sandelin (1982-86) and one of his assistant coaches, Jason Herter (1988-91) are North Dakota hockey alumni.

• UMD is 6-0-0 this season when senior right winger Justin Crandall has marked in the points column and 7-1-0 when junior center Cal Decowski has done so.

• Three of senior right winger Adam Krause's 11 career goals have been registered against North Dakota. Krause, who is UMD's ninth multi-year captain and first since 2008-09 (left winger Andrew Carroll), was sidelined for eight games with a wrist injury earlier this season but since returning to the Bulldog lineup on Dec. 5, he's collected four points (one goal and three assists) in four outings.

• Junior Andy Welinski currently reigns as the NCHC's top goal-scoring defenseman (he shares that honor with Denver's Joey LaLeggia) with a career-best six tallies. He also owns the fifth-best plus-minus rating (+9) of any league blueliner while sophomore Carson Soucy is sixth in that department (+8). Collectively, UMD's eight-member back end corps has combined for 10 goals this year -- after mustering just five (all of which were produced by Welinski) during the entire 2013-14 season -- and 35 points.

• The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 27-13 after the second intermission in its 18 outings and 16-5 on the road.

• Dominic Toninato, who has racked up a team-high 13 points away from AMSOIL Arena this season, 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 celebrate his 25th birthday this February), is the son of Jim Johnson, another UMD hockey alumnus (1981-85) and now an assistant coach with the NHL's San Jose Sharks.

• Sophomore Carson Soucy, the only UMD skater ever to be drafted by the Minnesota Wild (fifth round in 2013), is mired in a 10-game pointless drought. Soucy currently leads all 2014-15 Bulldogs in career plus-minus (+15).

• UMD is one of three NCHC schools with at least two shutouts this season (Miami and Denver are the two others).

• Both junior center Tony Cameranesi and junior defenseman Andy Welinski have taken shifts in all 92 games since joining the UMD program two years ago.

• The Bulldogs have taken the eighth most shots (33.00 per night) and given up the eighth fewest shots (26.39) of any NCAA I club this winter.

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

• The 10 shots Austin Farley put on target against Denver earlier this season (Oct. 25) were the most by a Bulldog in a regulation game in over two years (J.T. Brown also had 10 vs. Colorado College on Feb. 25, 2012). Farley currently is tied for third in the NCHC in power play points with nine.

• The last time the Bulldogs were shut out was on Feb. 21, 2014 when current North Dakota junior Zane (Gothberg) McIntyre turned aside all 33 UMD shots in a 3-0 win at AMSOIL Arena.

• Freshman winger Brett Boehm left the UMD program at the semester break for family reasons and returned to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (Flin Flon Bombers). In five outings with the Bulldogs, the Martensville, Saskatchewan product had no points and seven shots. His last appearance came on Nov. 7 at St. Cloud State.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will welcome Western Michigan University to AMSOIL Arena for a pair of NCHC bouts on Jan. 16-17.