The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its 2015-16 National Collegiate Hockey Conference home debuts this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 13-14) when the Bulldogs host the University of Denver in a two-game series. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both nights at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 3-4-2 overall and 0-2-0-0 in the NCHC this season while Denver sports a 5-3-0 record in all games and a 2-0-0-0 NCHC mark.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Pioneers stacked up in this week's USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls:

    USCHO.com    USA Today/USA Hockey
UMD    No. 13    No. 13
Denver    No. 8    No. 10
    
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Denver bouts will be carried live on 92.1 FM The Fan with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play responsibilities and ex-Bulldog winger Kraig Karakas providing color commentary. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing, Minn.; KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia, Minn.; 105.7 FM The Fan Siren/Pine City, Minn., and Red Zone Sports Radio 930 in Aitkin, Minn., as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: 921thefan.com or free via the iHeartRadio app.

Both ends of this weekend's series will also 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. The two telecasts are available on-line for a fee at: 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 16th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 271-265-72 overall record -- including a 149-105-35 mark since the 2008-09 opener. Besides capturing the school's first NCAA championship four years ago, his Bulldogs have won 20 or more games in five of the last seven seasons while advancing to five NCAA tournaments (2004, 2009, 2011,2012 and 2014), 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 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 SERIES: UMD and Denver have collided on 199 occasions previously -- mostly while both were members of the WCHA. The Pioneers hold a 114-76-11 lead in the rivalry, which began on Dec. 28, 1961 in Denver. The two clubs split both of their regular season series with one another last season, but the Pioneers ousted the visiting Bulldogs from the 2015 NCHC quarterfinal playoffs in two straight games on March 13-14. Denver is 4-1-1 in six previous visits to AMSOIL Arena.

LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs kicked off their third season of NCHC play by dropping back-to-back 4-2 decisions to the University of Nebraska-Omaha last Friday and Saturday in Omaha. In the series opener, the Mavericks struck 24 seconds in and never relinquished the lead, eventually icing the win with an empty net goal at 18:47 of the third period. The Bulldogs, who outshot the hosts 47-28, got power play goals from senior left winger Austin Farley and junior left winger Kyle Osterberg. UMD held a substantial shot advantage the following evening as well (37-21), but Omaha scored three times (including one empty netter) in a four-minute span in the latter stages of the final period to complete the sweep. Junior center Dominic Toninato and junior defenseman Willie Raskob accounted for the two UMD goals.

Denver bested longtime intrastate rival Colorado College twice in its 2015-106 NCHC debuts, prevailing 5-3 on Friday in Denver before skating away with a 3-1 road win in the rematch. Defenseman Will Butcher paced Denver in scoring with four points on the weekend (one goal and three assists) en route to attaining NCHC Defensive Player of the Week recognition.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: Andy Welinski has been entrusted with the Bulldogs' team captaincy duties in 2015-16 after handling an assistant role as a junior last winter. The senior forward trio of Tony Cameranesi, Cal Decowski and Austin Farley are all serving as assistant captains.

BOMBS AWAY: UMD is averaging 37.1 shots on goal per night -- the fifth highest average in the country at the moment. Junior center Dominic Toninato ranks fourth nationally and tops the NCHC in that department with a 4.78 shots per game average. The Bulldogs have outshot the opposition in seven of nine game to date and are 0-2-0 when they haven't done so. The 47 shots UMD put on Omaha's net last Friday evening was its most since Oct. 25, 2014 vs. Denver in Duluth (48). The Bulldogs not only outshot Omaha 84-49 on the weekend, but they racked up a whopping 165 total shot attempts in the twin setbacks.

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 stops in St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Dallas.

MORE POWER TO HIM: Senior left winger Austin Farley is tied for the NCHC lead in power play goals as three of his four scores this season have come with the man advantage. Since ending an 0-for-19 drought on Oct. 30 against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the Bulldogs have cashed in on four of their last 10 power play opportunities.

THE SHORT END: On the other side of the coin, UMD has already given up two more shorthanded goals this season (three -- all on the road, including a pair last Saturday night in Omaha) than it did all of 2014-15 (in 40 games). Those three shorties allowed tie the Bulldogs for the NCAA lead with Bemidji State and Colorado College.

THE SHORT END II: UMD senior team captain Andy Welinski, who has taken shifts in all 123 games since joining the UMD program in 2012-13, is one of two NCHC defensemen with a shorthanded goal to his credit this season. The other is Denver's Will Butcher, who scored a man down last Friday in a 5-3 home triumph over Colorado College.

IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER: The series with Denver will mark the sixth time in as many weekends this season the Bulldogs will face a team that was ranked or received votes in the USCHO.com poll. That slate has included Bemidji State University (received votes), the University of Minnesota (No. 15), the University of Notre Dame (received votes), UMass-Lowell (No. 7), Omaha (No. 8) and Denver (No. 8). UMD concluded each of the past two regular seasons ranking first in the country in strength of schedule.

ALL ALONE: Sophomore Kasimir Kaskisuo has tended goal for all of his team's NCHC games (26 thus far) since the start of the 2014-15 season -- the only individual who can make that claim. A member of the 2014-15 NCHC All-Rookie Team who last spring became just the third NCAA I-era (1961-present) freshman to be named UMD's Most Valuable Player, Kaskisuo has now made 21 consecutive starts going back to Feb. 13, 2015. A NCHC-leading nine of those starts have been registered this season.

THREE DOG NIGHTS ...: UMD has yet to eclipse the three-goal mark in 2015-16 -- the first time a Bulldog club has failed to do so in the opening nine games of a season in the program's 72-year history. UMD is one of seven NCAA schools that has not scored four times at least once this season, joining American International College, Army, Brown University, Colorado College, Princeton University and the University of Vermont.

... AND FOUR'S A CHARM: Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 53 of the 54 games they've struck for more than three goals (48-1-5). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State-Mankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime).

A SENIOR MOMENT: UMD currently sports the nation's ninth-highest scoring senior class. The eight, fourth-year Bulldogs have combined for 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points. Nearly a third of that production has been generated by center Tony Cameranesi, who, despite sitting out both ends of last week's series at Omaha, still tops UMD with eight points on two goals and six assists. He's also marked in the scoring column in six of the his seven outings to date). The Bulldogs' leading scorer in two of the past three seasons, Cameranesi has racked up a team-leading 93 points as a collegian, which means he needs just seven more points to become the 55th member of UMD's Century Club. The last Bulldog to crack the 100-point career plateau was center Travis Oleksuk during the 2011-12 season. Cameranesi's fellow senior puck mates are forwards Cal Decowski, Austin Farley, Charlie Sampair and Austyn Young, defensemen Willie Corrin and Andy Welinski and goalie Matt McNeely. The last time a Bulldog roster was comprised of more seniors than the current one was in 2004-05 (11).

OH, SHOOT: UMD is 2-3 lifetime in NCHC shootouts (all of which have been contested at AMSOIL Arena) and junior left winger Alex Iafallo (twice -- the first of which came at the hands of Denver on Jan. 17, 2014 at AMSOIL Arena) and junior center Dominic Toninato (once) are the lone current Bulldogs to score in the post-overtime event.

FREE HOCKEY: UMD has won just three of the last 21 games that have gone to overtime, going 3-5-13. Only three active Bulldogs -- junior right winger Alex Iafallo, junior left winger Kyle Osterberg and senior center Cal Decowski -- have an overtime goal on their collegiate resume. UMD's last extra-session victory came on Dec. 5, 2014 -- a 3-2 decision over Colorado College at AMSOIL Arena.

BULLDOG BITS: Last weekend marked the first time the Bulldogs had been swept in a regular season series since Feb. 21-22 (North Dakota at AMSOIL Arena). Last winter, UMD did something last winter it had done only one other time in 54 years of competing at the NCAA I level -- go through an entire regular season without being swept. (The Bulldogs also accomplished that feat in 2010-11). North Dakota was the only other 2014-15 NCHC school to accomplish that feat.

• Tony Cameranesi, who prior to last weekend had never missed a game at UMD (121 straight), currently paces all active Bulldogs in lifetime points (93) while senior left winger Austin Farley ranks first in both career goals (35) and power play scores (18). Junior defenseman Carson Soucy, the lone Bulldog to ever be drafted by the Minnesota Wild (fifth round in 2013) sports the best plus-minus figure (+15).

• Four of UMD's five lifetime NCHC sweeps have been registered on the road -- St. Cloud State (Nov. 7-8, 2014), Miami (Feb. 28-March 1, 2014), Western Michigan (Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2014) and Omaha (Jan. 10-11, 2014). The other sweep turned in by the Bulldogs came on Dec. 5-6, 2014 against Colorado College in Duluth.

• UMD did not receive points from any member of its sophomore or freshman classes last weekend.

• The Bulldogs are unbeaten in seven of their last nine home outings (5-2-2) dating back to last year.

• The Bulldogs' eight defensemen finished with 25 goals in 2014-15 -- the seventh highest output in the nation. Those 25 goals were also the most by a UMD blue line ensemble since 2003-04 (also 25) and 20 more than the previous winter when all five scores came off the stick of Andy Welinski. Welinski became the first individual in 31 years to lead all Bulldog blueliners in scoring for a third straight winter. (Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Tom Kurvers did it four times from 1980-84). He and Neal Pionk are the lone two UMD defensemen to collect a goal thus far in 2015-16. Welinski has a pair, including the second shortie of his career against Bemidji State in the season opener, while Pionk (one) is the only UMD rookie to score yet.

• Of the eight NCHC head coaches, only one (Miami's Enrico Blasi with 17 seasons) has been at his current school longer than Scott Sandelin (16 seasons).

• Freshman left winger Adam Johnson is part of the 11th father-son combinations that have been part of the UMD program. His dad, Davey Johnson, was a four-year letterman and captained the Bulldogs as a senior center in 1980-81. Junior center Dominic Toninato also followed in his father's footsteps (Jim Toninato, 1982-86).

• UMD was slotted second in the first USCHO.com poll of 2015-16 and that represented its highest preseason ranking in that poll's history (bettering the No. 5 position it occupied in 2004-05).

• The Bulldogs retain 21 of 25 lettermen from last year's club and those 21 veterans accounted for 85 percent of UMD's scoring production (255 of 300 points) and 81.7 percent of its goal total (94 of 115).

• The Bulldogs rallied from a second-intermission deficit to win on three occasions in 2014-15 (4-2 on Feb. 13 at St. Cloud State, 3-2 in overtime on Dec. 6 vs. Colorado College in Duluth and 3-2 at Omaha on Nov. 21 and). Coming into last year, the Bulldogs hadn't accomplished that feat since Nov. 10, 2010, going 0-43-3 in that situation prior to the Nov. 21, 2014 matchup with Omaha. They were 3-11-1 when trailing at the start of the third period last winter and are 0-2-1 this season.

• Last month, UMD announced that it will host the 2017 Ice Breaker Tournament. Joining the Bulldogs in the four-team field at AMSOIL Arena will be Minnesota, long-time rival Michigan Tech and 2014 NCAA champion Union College.

UP NEXT: UMD will take its show on the road for a pair of NCHC assignments with Colorado College on Nov. 20-21 before having the Thanksgiving weekend off.