The University of Minnesota Duluth will put its four-game road unbeaten streak on the line this Friday (Jan. 22) when the Bulldogs kick off a two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series against the University of Denver. Game time is set for  8:36 p.m. (CT) Friday and 8:06 p.m. the following evening at Magness Arena (6,026) on the Denver campus.

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THE RECORDS: UMD owns an 8-8-5 overall record and a 5-6-3-1 NCHC mark (fourth place) while Denver, unbeaten in its last six outings (3-0-3), is 10-7-5 in all games and 6-4-2-0 in league play (third place).

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 as well as the PairWise rankings:

           USCHO.com    USA Hockey    PairWise
UMD            No. 17           RV                  No. 16(t)
SCSU           No. 15          No. 5               No. 14
    
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. 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.

Friday's game will be televised by ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain as well as TSN2 (Canada) with only the series rematch available on-line at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Denver have collided on 203 occasions previously -- mostly while both were members of the WCHA. The Pioneers hold a 115-76-12 lead in the rivalry, which began on Dec. 28, 1961 in Denver. The two clubs met earlier this year (Nov. 13-14) in Duluth where the Pioneers took four of six NCHC points via a 3-0 victory and 1-1 tie (UMD prevailed in the 3-on-3 overtime).  Senior center Tony Cameranesi accounted for UMD's lone goal on the weekend, which came with 13:43 to go in regulation in the series rematch, and scored in the 3-on-3 overtime as well. This weekend will mark the Bulldogs' first trip to Denver since they were ousted in two straight games (4-3 and 4-0) by the Pioneers in the 2015 NCHC Playoffs.

LAST WEEKEND: UMD made its 2016 regular season home debut by falling 3-1 to NCHC-leading St. Cloud State University on Friday night then battled their intrastate rivals to a 1-1 tie 24 hours later. (The Huskies, prevailed in the 3-on-3 overtime to secure the extra NCHC point). In the 3-1 setback, senior center Cal Decowski scored for UMD, which went 0-for-6 on the power play. Junior center Dominic Toninato's unassisted goal 8:48 into game the next night gave the Bulldogs their only lead of the weekend, but the Huskies got the equalizer at 10:28 of the second. They also received a 38-save performance from goaltender Charlie Lindgren as UMD held a hefty 39-22 advantage in shots.

Denver, behind a pair of goals from Quentin Shore, downed NCHC rival Western Michigan University 5-2 Friday evening at Magness Arena. The Broncos then rallied from a 2-0 deficit to earn a 2-2 tie with the Pioneers in the rematch and went on to win the 3-on-3 overtime.

ROAD, SWEET ROAD: The Bulldogs will bring a four-game road unbeaten streak into this weekend, having gone 3-0-1 since being upended 4-2 by Omaha on Nov. 7. UMD is 4-3-3 away from AMSOIL Arena this winter and has outscored the opposition 32-21 in those 10 games. In contrast, the Bulldogs owns a slim 24-23 edge in goals in 11 home dates.

ROAD, SWEET ROAD II: Of UMD's seven lifetime NCHC sweeps, five have been registered on the road -- Colorado College (Nov. 20-21, 2015), 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 Bulldogs' other two sweeps came on Dec. 4-5, 2015 vs. Western Michigan and on Dec. 5-6, 2014 against Colorado College -- both in Duluth.

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.

THE PUCK STOPS HERE: Sophomore Kasimir Kaskisuo, who has now made 33 consecutive starts dating back to Feb. 13, 2015, currently ranks second in the NCHC in goals against average (1.87) and fourth in saves percentage (.923). In his last 11 appearances (dating back to a 1-1 overtime tie with Denver on Nov. 14), the 2014-15 NCHC All-Rookie Team honoree is 5-3-3 with a 1.35 goals against average and a .940 saves percentage. The Vantaa, Finland, product and 2014-15 NCHC All-Rookie Team honoree already has four shutouts this season (including a program-high three in a row between Nov. 20-Dec. 4), which is one whitewash shy of the team record held by both Alex Stalock (2008-09) and Brant Nicklin (1997-98). Kaskisuo has tended goal for all of his team's NCHC games (38 thus far) since the start of the 2014-15 season -- the only individual who can make that claim. He has also appeared in the highest percentage of his team's overall minutes (97.61) than all but three netminders in the entire country.

CHECK, CHECK AND CHECK: In all eight of their victories to date, the Bulldogs have scored first (they are 8-1-2 when doing so), led at the second intermission (8-0-0) and outshot the opposition (8-5-5).

GETTING HIS MONEY'S WORTH: Senior team captain and minutes-munching defenseman  Andy Welinski has taken a shift in all 135 games since joining the Bulldog program in 2012-13. The 2014-15 All-NCHC second team honoree is one of two league defensemen (Denver's Will Butcher is the other) with a shorthanded goal to his credit this season. That came in the 2015-16 opener at Bemidji State -- the second shortie of his career. Last winter, 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 was the last, accomplishing that feat  it four times from 1980-84).

FIRE AWAY: UMD is averaging 36.52 shots on goal per night -- the third highest average in all of college hockey, taking a backseat to only Penn State University (44.59) and the University of Michigan (36.52). Senior center Tony Cameranesi is 21st nationally in shots per game (3.79) and ranks third among NCHC skaters in that department. On that same league chart junior center Dominic Toninato  is 8th with a 3.38 mark while left winger Adam Johnson is  11th over all second among all rookies (3.00 spg). The Bulldogs have held the upper hand in shots in 18 of their 21 games this season and are 0-3-0 when they've not done so. On the flip side, UMD has allowed the fifth fewest shots in the nation (24.86), an average bettered by just one other NCHC club -- North Dakota (24.58). UMD's shot margin average (+11.67) ranks second nationally to Penn State (+14.14).

FOREVER YOUNG: Senior right winger Austyn Young is the first of the Bulldogs' 19 veteran forwards and defensemen to set a career high for scoring this season. Young's seven points (five goals and two assists) are two more than his previous best which he set one year ago.

POWER OUTAGE:  The Bulldogs are mired in a six-game  0-for-23 power play drought, having not scored with the man advantage since senior left winger Austin Farley cashed in midway through the third period of UMD's 6-2 home triumph over Western Michigan on Dec. 5.  Farley,  who continues to lead the NCHC and rank third nationally in power play goals with seven (which is one behind NCAA co-leaders Dan Correa  of the University of New Hampshire and Tage Thompson  of the University of Connecticut), has collected 70 percent of his overall goals with the man advantage, a figure unsurpassed by any of the 56 NCAA skaters who have scored 10 or more times this season.

SPEAKING OF FARLEY...: Despite mustering just one point in the last six outings,  Austin Farley continues to topsthe 2015-16 Bulldogs in scoring (a team-high 10 goals and 10 assists). The Niles, Ill., product needs just five points to become the 56th Bulldog to hit the 100-point career mark. Fellow fourth-year Bulldog Tony Cameranesi accomplished that feat earlier this year.

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS: Over half of UMD's entire 2015-16 goal harvest (29 of 56) have come in five of its 21 games thus far -- 5-0 and 6-0 at Colorado College on Nov. 20-21, 7-0 and 6-2 vs. Western Michigan on Dec. 4-5, and 5-2 at Miami on Jan. 9.

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS II: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 37-6 (including 10-0 in the opening period of play) in their eight wins to date while going 12-for-35 on the power play (35.6 percent). They've connected at just 5.45 percent (3-for-55) with the man advantage in their other 13 games.

OHHHH-VERTIME: UMD has won just three of the last 24 games that have required overtime, going 3-5-16. Only three active Bulldogs -- junior left wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg and senior center Cal Decowski -- have an overtime goal on their collegiate resume. UMD's most recent extra-session victory came on Dec. 5, 2014 -- a 3-2 decision over Colorado College at AMSOIL Arena in which Osterberg scored the game winner.

A SENIOR MOMENT: UMD currently sports the nation's ninth-highest scoring senior class. The eight, fourth-year Bulldogs have combined for 26 goals and 40 assists for 65 points and includes forwards Tony Cameranesi, 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).
 
FOUR'S A CHARM: Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 58 of the 59 games they've struck for more than three goals (53-1-5). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State University-Mankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime).

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 two current Bulldogs to score in the post-overtime event.
 
BULLDOG BITS: The last time UMD and Denver hooked up (a 1-1 tie on Nov. 14, 2015 at AMSOIL Arena), the Bulldogs outshot the visitors 46-20.

• Junior left winger Kyle Osterberg, who has collected two goals and five assists in 20 games this season, sat out Saturday's 1-1 draw with St. Cloud State with an upper body injury.

• Since rallying for a 4-2 victory over visiting St. Cloud State on Feb. 13, 2015, the Bulldogs are 0-10-4 when they've trailed at the second intermission (0-6-3 this winter).

• Senior center Tony Cameranesi holds the distinctio of being the first player to score in a NCHC 3-on-3 overtime and did so following UMD's 1-1 home tie with Denver on Nov. 14.

• Senior defenseman Carson Soucy has gone eight games without a point or an assist while sophomore right winger Karson Kuhlman, junior left winger Kyle Osterberg, junior defenseman Willie Raskob and sophomore center Jared Thomas and senior right winger Austyn Young are all mired in six-game pointless slumps.

• The Bulldogs set a 2015-16 season high for blocked shots with 21 in last Saturday's 1-1 deadlock with St. Cloud State..

• 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).

• UMD has already given up two more shorthanded goals this season (four, including a pair on Nov. 7 in Omaha) than it did all of 2014-15 (in 40 games). Among NCAA I clubs, only the University of Alaska-Anchorage and Mercyhurst College (both with six) and and Army, Bemidji State, Penn State and Union College and (all with five) have been scored on more times while on the power play than the Bulldogs in 2015-16.

• Senior center Tony Cameranesi currently paces all active Bulldogs in lifetime points (104) while senior left winger Austin Farley ranks first in both career goals (41) and power play scores (22). Junior defenseman Carson Soucy, the lone Bulldog to ever be drafted by the Minnesota Wild (fifth round in 2013),  sport sUMD's best career plus-minus figure (+17).

• Freshman left winger Adam Johnson, whose eight points this winter are the second most of any Bulldog rookie, 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 (forward Jim Toninato, 1982-86).

• Junior left winger Alex Iafallo is the lone 2015-16 Bulldog with a game-winning goal against Denver, which came on UMD's last regular season visit to Magness Arena (4-2 on Jan. 31, 2015).

UP NEXT: UMD will remain on the road to face Northern Michigan University on Jan. 29-30 in the first series in Marquette, Mich., between the two former WCHA colleagues since 2001-02 season.