The University of Minnesota Duluth will continue on its diet of National Collegiate Hockey Conference competition this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 18-19) when the Bulldogs pay a visit to Omaha, Neb., for a pair of bouts with the University of Nebraska Omaha. Opening faceoff is set for 7:07 p.m. both nights at Baxter Arena (7,898).

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THE RECORDS: UMD, which has won five of its last six games (5-1-0), is 8-2-2 overall and a leads the NCHC at 5-1-0-0 while Omaha sports a 6-3-1 mark in all games to go with a 3-1-0-0 conference mark (tied for third place with Western Michigan University).

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

            uscho.com    USA Today    PairWise
UMD        No. 2           No. 2              No. 1    
Omaha    RV               NR                 No. 16
            
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Omaha clashes will be carried live on 92.1 FM The Fan with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play responsibilities and Bulldog hockey alumnus Kraig Karakas doing color commentary.. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing, Minn. and KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia, 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 televised locally on My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9), which has been the Bulldogs' television home for the last nine seasons. Friday's game will be aired on Fox College Sports (Pacific) as well. The two telecasts are available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Omaha will collide for the 24th and 25th times ever this weekend. The Bulldogs hold a 12-9-2 lead in the all-time series, which began on Dec. 5, 1997 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, and are 6-7-0 in 13 lifetime outings in Omaha. The two clubs squared off just twice one year ago -- on Nov. 6-7 at Baxter Arena where the host Mavericks skated away with back-to-back 4-2 victories in UMD's NCHC openers. The Bulldogs outshot the Mavericks 84-49 on the weekend while being swept in the regular season for the first time in nearly 21 months (Feb. 21-22, 2014).

LAST WEEKEND: UMD was knocked from the ranks of the NCHC unbeatens on Friday via a last-minute 4-3 setback to visiting Western Michigan University before bouncing back to take down the Broncos 2-0 the following evening. In the series opener, Western Michigan overcame a 3-1 first-period deficit and scored the game-winning goal with 30.6 seconds to go in regulation. The Bulldogs did all of their scoring in the first 15:32 of regulation, getting goals from senior left winger Alex Iafallo, freshman right winger Joey Anderson and sophomore right winger Parker Mackay. On Saturday, rookie netminder Hunter Miska turned aside all 30 shots Western Michigan sent his way and got all the offensive support he would need from Iafallo, who drew first blood with a power play tally 14:44 into the first. Senior left winger Kyle Osterberg added another man advantage goal midway through the second while Iafallo and senior defenseman Carson Soucy both turned in two-point nights.

Omaha took to the road -- and took it to Miami University by sweeping the RedHawks (6-4 and 6-2) on Friday and Saturday night. Senior Austin Ortega rolled up four points (two goals and two assists) during the two-game set en route to being chosen the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week while junior Lud Snuggerud landed the conference's Defensive Player of the Week honor after also scoring twice and assisting on two other scores over the weekend.

ROAD SHOW: UMD is unbeaten in its last six regular season road outings, going 4-0-2 since being upended 2-1 by North Dakota on Feb. 20, 2016. Thus far in 2016-17, the Bulldogs are 2-0-2 away from AMSOIL Arena, having swept St. Cloud State (by identical 5-3 counts on Nov. 4-5) and playing the University of Massachusetts-Lowell to a pair of draws (4-4 and 1-1) on Oct. 7-8. In its four road clashes this season, UMD has yet to give up a third period goal (it's outsored the opposition 9-0 during that 20-minute frame).

AND THEY'RE OFF: The last time the Bulldogs were unbeaten in 10 of their opening 12 games of the season was in 2010-11 when they compiled a 9-1-2 mark at the juncture before eventually going on to win the school's first NCAA title.

LEAD 'DOG: Senior left winger Alex Iafallo, who continues to resides atop the NCHC scoring charts with eight goals and eight assists, has generated 12 points in the last six games. He also leads the nation in game-winning goals (three) and is one of five NCHC combatants with a hat trick on his 2016-17 resume. In fact, by scoring three times in UMD's 5-2 win over North Dakota on Oct. 28, Iafallo became the first Bulldog to record a hat trick since current Tampa Bay Lightning winger J.T. Brown struck for four goals at Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 3, 2012.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS: UMD sports the country's top-scoring senior class (it shares that honor with Boston College) as that seven-member ensemble has combined to rack up 56 points on a nation-best 22 goals and 34 assists. The Bulldogs' 2016-17 senior class is their second largest since the 2004-05 season, eclipsed only by last year's group (eight).

A ROOKIE ON THE RISE: Right winger Joey Anderson is currently tied for third among all NCAA I freshmen in both scoring (14 points) and assists (10). All but one of his 14 points to date have come in even-strength situations.

A ROOKIE ON THE RISE II: Hunter Miska, who became the first Bulldog goalie in program history to start out his career 6-0-0 (before suffering his first collegiate loss last Friday night against Western Michigan), has already set a UMD program record for shutouts by a freshman (he has three -- all at AMSOIL Arena -- in just nine career starts.) The previous mark of two was held by a trio of Bulldogs -- Aaron Crandall (2010-11), current UMD volunteer goalie coach Brant Nicklin (1996-97), Taras Lendzyk (1992-93) and All-American Rick Kosti (1983-84).

BLOCK PARTY: UMD has blocked more shots this season (14.92 per game) than any NCHC club and all but 10 teams in the entire country. They ranked 54th out of 60 NCAA squads one year ago (10.9 bpg). Of the NCHC's top eight individual shot blockers, four are Bulldogs -- defensemen Brenden Kotyk (4th with 22), Willie Raskob (4th with 22), Dan Molenaar (7th with 18) and Carson Soucy (7th with 18).

ON A ROLL: Both senior left winger Alex Iafallo and senior defenseman Carson Soucy will come into the weekend armed with career-high six-game scoring streaks.

THEY JUST KEEP COMING: UMD has yet to face a club this season that was not ranked or received votes in the USCHO.com Poll at the time they played them. Then-No. 17 Michigan Tech paid a visit to AMSOIL Arena for the 2016-17 season openers back on Oct. 1-2 while No. 8 UMass Lowell hosted UMD the ensuing weekend. Five weeks ago (Oct. 15-16), it was No. 5 Notre Dame's turn to take on UMD in Duluth and No. 1 North Dakota followed suit on Oct. 28-29. UMD then took on No. 8 St. Cloud State and Western Michigan (receiving votes) the ensuing two weekends.

MAKING A POINT ON THE POINT: UMD has more senior defensemen (four) on its 2016-17 roster than any other program in the country. It shares that distinction with Princeton University and St. Lawrence University. Overall, the Bulldog blueline crew has collectively generated 36 points -- a number unsurpassed by any NCHC club and only three teams nationally -- on 10 goals (the second-most in the nation) and 26 assists. They also pace the country in power play scores (seven).

MAKING A POINT ON THE POINT II: Although he was helheld pointless in both ends of the Western Michigan series, sophomore Neal Pionk, continues to pace all NCHC defensemen in scoring (11 points) and goals (four) and power play scores (an NCAA-leading three). Pionk's four goals thus far match what he accumulated during his entire 40-game rookie season.

GREAT SCOTT, THE BIG 3-0-0: 17th-year UMD head coach Scott Sandelin needs just five more wins to hit the the 300 milestone for his career. Of all-time Bulldog bench bosses, only Mike Sertich (18 years between 1982-2000) served longer than Sandelin and has rolled up more victories (he closed out his UMD career with a 350-328-44 lifetime record. Sandelin's 17 seasons is the second longest continuous tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blassi is in his 18th year at Miami).

LEAVING PLENTY IN THE TANK: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 14-3 in the third period this season and all three of the goals they've given up during the final 20 minutes of regulation have coming in their two losses -- two to Notre Dame on Oct. 15 and one Friday night to Western Michigan.

LEAVING PLENTY IN THE TANK II: The Bulldogs have yet to lose this season when trailing at the second intermission this season. They've found themselves in that situation five times this year and are 3-0-2 in those outings.

THE SHOOTOUT SKINNY: UMD is 2-3 lifetime in NCHC shootouts (all of which have been contested at AMSOIL Arena) and senior left winger Alex Iafallo (twice -- including the league's first-ever successful attempt vs. Denver on Jan. 17, 2014) and senior center Dominic Toninato (once) are the lone two current Bulldogs to score in the post-overtime event. The following are all-time NCHC shootout statistics for current Bulldogs:

THAT'S A PLUS: Senior center Dominic Toninato is tied for third in plus-minus rating among NCHC skaters with a plus-8 figure while senior left winger Alex Iafallo, junior right winger Karson Kuhlman and sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk all share the No. 5 spot (+7).

BULLDOG BITS: During Omaha bench boss Dean Blais's first six years of head coaching duty at North Dakota, one of his assistants was current Bulldog head coach Scott Sandelin.

• Junior right winger Karson Kuhlman has skated in all 92 games over the last three seasons -- a claim no other Bulldog can make.

• Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 69 of the 70 games they've struck for more than three goals (63-1-6). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State University-Mankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime).

• After commencing his sophomore year by picking up at least one point in each of the first seven outings, center Adam Johnson, has been held without a goal or an assists in the five games since.

• UMD equaled a program single-game record by scoring two shorthanded goals three weeks ago (Oct. 29) against North Dakota with junior right winger Karson Kuhlman (the second of his career) and senior left winger Kyle Osterberg (his third). The Fighting Hawks, incidentally, are last team to collect a shorthanded goal against UMD, doing so on Dec. 12, 2015 after the host Bulldogs had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.

• Senior left winger Alex Iafallo has been credited with five of UMD's last nine empty net goals (dating back to the 2014-15 season). Both freshman Joey Anderson and senior Carson Soucy picked up their first collegiate empty-netters earlier this month.

• Since falling to host Miami University 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 20-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period. They were 14-0-0 in that situation last winter and 4-0-0 so far in 2016-17.

• Last Friday's 4-3 setback to Western Michigan put the skids on UMD's school-record eight-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference winning streak, a run that dated back to last February.

• UMD has been outshot only three times this season and ranks 2nd in the NCHC in shots per game average (32.00).

• Neal Pionk was born in Omaha during the time his father, Scott Pionk, was an assistant coach with the United States Hockey League's Omaha Lancers.

• UMD has won just four of the last 28 games that have required overtime, going 4-6-18. Only three active Bulldogs -- senior left wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg and junior right winger Karson Kuhlman -- have an overtime goal on their collegiate resume.

• Prior to this year, the last time UMD sported only freshmen goaltenders on its roster was in 1985-86. That was also the last time three different Bulldog goalies all made their collegiate debuts in the same season.

• Senior center Dominic Toninato is the second straight Duluth East High School alumnus to serve as the Bulldogs' team captain. Defenseman Andy Welinski handled that responsibility in 2015-16.

• There is almost seven years age difference separating the oldest (senior Brenden Kotyk, who turned 25 last Aug. 27 and is the oldest player in NCAA I hockey) and youngest (freshman Joey Anderson, whose 19th birthday doesn't come up until June 19) Bulldogs.

• There have been 11 father-son combination who have done time with the Bulldogs, with the most latest addition being sophomore forward Adam Johnson, whose dad (Davey Johnson), was a four-year letterman and captained the Bulldogs as a senior center in 1980-81. Senior center Dominic Toninato also followed in his father's footsteps to UMD (Jim Toninato, 1982-86) as did assistant coach and former Bulldog defenseman Brett Larson (Robert Larson, 1968-69).

• Denver is the only league club the Bulldogs have not swept since the NCHC began play in 2013-14.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs won't return to the ice until a Dec. 9-10 NCHC road series with the University of Denver.