The University of Minnesota Duluth will engage in its first National Collegiate Hockey Conference road assignments of the 2016-17 season this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 4-5) when the Bulldogs take on St. Cloud State University in a two-game series. Opening faceoff is set for 7:37 p.m. Friday and 7:07 the following evening at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (5,159) on the St. Cloud State campus.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 5-1-2 overall and 2-0-0-0 in NCHC play while St. Cloud State, which makes its conference debut Friday night, sports a 4-2-0 record and is riding a four-game winning streak

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

            uscho.com    USA Today    
UMD      No. 1             No. 1    
SCSU    No. 8             No. 8    
        
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-St. Cloud State clashes 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. 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 on Fox Sports North PLUS and Fox College Sports (Pacific on Friday and Atlantic on Saturday). The two telecasts are also available on-line at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and St. Cloud State have met on 117 previous occasions in a rivalry which stretches back to the 1946-47 season. The Huskies hold a 63-45-9 lead in the all-time series and are 60-41-8 versus the Bulldogs since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1987-88. UMD went 2-1-1 against the Huskies during the 2015-16 regular season, but fell 3-1 to their intrastate rivals in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff title game last March 19 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

LAST WEEKEND: Hosting a No. 1 vs. No. 2 confrontation for the first time in program history, the Bulldogs derailed top-ranked North Dakota twice, following up a 5-2 triumph on Friday by shutting down the Fighting Hawks 3-0 the next night. Senior left winger Alex Iafallo scored three times and assisted on another goal in the series opener while sophomore center Adam Johnston (one goal and one assist), senior left winger Kyle Osterberg (two assists), sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk (one goal and one assists) and senior defenseman Carson Soucy (two assists) all registered two-point nights. UMD's special teams inflicted all of the scoring damage on Saturday, striking twice while shorthanded and once on the power play -- all during the second period -- and rookie goaltender Hunter Miska turned aside all 30 shots the Fighting Hawks sent his way.

St. Cloud State swept the University of Alabama-Hunstville in a pair of non-conference home bouts prevailing 5-1 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday as five different Huskies picked up goals both of those two nights. Defenseman Jack Ahcan finished the weekend with four points (one goal and three assists) en route to being name the NCHC Rookie of the Week.

WELL DONE: Senior left winger Alex Iafallo and rookie goaltender Austin Miska were both cited by the NCHC for their exemplary performances in last weekend's sweep of North Dakota. Iafallo was chosen the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week and Miska earned the circuit's Goaltender of the Week award. Iafallo was also selected the American Sports Network (ASN) National Player of the Week and the NCAA Hockey No. 2 Star of the Week. This marks the fourth time Iafallo has been bestowed with a weekly NCHC citation with the other three (all Rookie of the Week) coming during the 2013-14 season.

HOW SWEEP WAS THAT: The Bulldogs' sweep of North Dakota last weekend was their first over their long-time rivals since Jan. 27-28, 1995 and their first in Duluth since Nov. 6-7, 1992. Friday's loss also snapped North Dakota's 15-game unbeaten streak (the Fighting Hawks had gone 14-0-1 since being toppled by UMD 4-2 in the NCHC Frozen Four semifinals on March 18 in Minneapolis.) North Dakota is 17-3-1 in its last 21 outings with all three of those setbacks coming at the hands of the Bulldogs.

BIG ICE IS NICE: Since falling 5-3 to St. Cloud State on Feb. 14, 2014, the Bulldogs are 10-1-0 on Olympic-sized sheets. During that stretch the Bulldogs are 2-0 at Colorado College, 2-0 at Minnesota, 4-0 at St. Cloud State, 1-0 at Minnesota State University-Mankato and 1-1 at Northern Michigan University. The loss to the Wildcats came last winter (4-3 on Jan. 29).

THEIR ICE IS NICE: The Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0-0 in their last four visits to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, posting series sweeps in each of the last two seasons (3-2 in overtime and 3-1 on Nov. 7-8, 2014 and 4-1 and 2-1 on Feb. 26-27, 2016). Prior to that, the Bulldogs' last road sweep over the Huskies was on Nov. 12-13, 1999.

THREE'S A CHARM: By scoring three times in UMD's 5-2 win over North Dakota last Friday night, Alex Iafallo became first Bulldog to record a hat trick since current Tampa Bay Lightning winger J.T. Brown struck for four goals against the University Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 3, 2012. He also added an assist for the first four-point night of his career and then helped set up one goal the following evening. Over the two games, Iafallo put 12 shots on net, including a personal-best best nine on Friday.

THE PUCK STOPS HERE: With Saturday's 3-0 whitewash of North Dakota, Hunter Miska now has two shutouts in (with the first of those coming in his collegiate debut -- 6-0 over visiting Michigan Tech in the 2016-17 season opener on Oct. 2) in just five career appearances. On the weekend, the Stacy, Minn., product kept the Fighting Hawks off the board for five of the six periods, turned aside 54 of 56 shots over the weekend (for a .964 saves percentage) and helped limit North Dakota to just one goal in 13 power play opportunities. His shutout in the series's finale was just the Bulldogs' fourth in 233 lifetime bouts with the Fighting Hawks.

TOP DOG: Prior to this Monday, UMD last occupied the No. 1 position in the USCHO.com Poll during the 2011-12 season when it was ranked first for eight consecutive weeks from Dec. 5 to Jan. 30. During that eight-week run, UMD only faced one nationally-ranked opponent and that was No. 8 Western Michigan (in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Jan. 6-7)

MAKING A POINT ON THE POINT: Sophomore Neal Pionk, who currently tops the 2016-17 Bulldog scoring charts, ranks first among all NCAA defensemen in assists (6) and power play goals (3) and is second in points (10) His four goals thus far match what he accumulated during his entire 40-game rookie season.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS: UMD currently sports the nation's top-scoring senior class as that seven-member ensemble has combined to rack up 33 points on 13 goals and 20 assists.

GET SHORTIE: UMD equaled a program single-game record by scoring two shorthanded goals last Saturday night 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.

BLOCK PARTY: UMD has blocked more shots this season (16.2 per game) than any NCHC club and all but six teams in the entire country. They ranked 54th out of 60 NCAA clubs one year ago (10.9 bpg).

THEY JUST KEEP COMING: The Bulldogs will line up against a nationally-ranked club for the fifth time in as many regular season weekends this season when they face No. 8 St. Cloud State. 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 following weekend. Three 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 last Friday and Saturday.

GO JOHNNY GO: Sophomore center Adam Johnson, who last month collared his first NCHC weekly honor of any kind (Offensive Player of the Week vs. Notre Dame), had picked up at least one point in each of UMD's first seven outings of 2016-17 before behind held off the score sheet by North Dakota last Saturday. That seven-game scoring streak was a career-best.

BULLDOG BITS: UMD will enter Friday's bout in St. Cloud armed with a school-record six-game NCHC winning streak. That run began last Feb. 26-27 with back-back victories at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. This marks the first time in four seasons of NSIC warfare that the Bulldogs are off to a 2-0-0 conference start.

• The last time UMD and St. Cloud State butted heads in St. Cloud (Feb. 26-27), current UMD junior right winger Karson Kuhlman collared the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week award after having a hand in four of UMD's six goals in its two-game sweep of the then No. 3 Huskies. In the series opener that weekend, he racked up a two goals and three points (both remain career highs) in a 4-1 triumph.

• 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 24 points -- a number unsurpassed by any NCHC club and only four teams nationally.

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

• Senior left winger Alex Iafallo has been credited with five of UMD's last seven empty net goals (dating back to the 2014-15 season), including its lone such tally this year.

• 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.

• Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 67 of the 68 games they've struck for more than three goals (61-1-6). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State University-Mankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime).

•The 46 shots the Bulldogs attempted last Saturday night against North Dakota were a 2016-17 single-game low -- five fewer than the previous low set one night earlier against those same Fighting Hawks.

•Karson Kuhlman has skated in all 88 games over the last three seasons -- a claim no other Bulldog can make.

••Of the 22 non-goalies who have seen ice time in 2016-17 for the Bulldogs only three -- rookie defensemen Will Campion and Jarod Hilderman and freshman left winger Riley Tufte -- remain pointless.

•UMD has been outshot just twice this season (by Notre Dame on Oct. 15 and by North Dakota last Saturday) and ranks 13th nationally in shots per game average (33.12)

•Scott Sandelin is in his 17th season presiding over the UMD puck program. That's the second longest continuous tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blassi is in his 18th year at Miami). Of all-time UMD bench bosses, only Mike Sertich (18 years between 1982-2000) served longer than Sandelin.

• 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.

•Going back to last March, the Bulldogs have won nine of their last 10 games at AMSOIL Arena with the lone loss occurring earlier this season -- 3-1 to Notre Dame on Oct. 15.

•UMD is winless (0-1-1) when it has failed to score on the power play.

•The 35 saves rookie Hunter Shepard made in UMD's 3-1 loss to Notre Dame on Oct. 15 were the most by a Bulldog goalie in his first collegiate appearance since Jerome Butler also turned aside 35 shots against visiting Northern Michigan on Oct. 26, 1991 (a 5-2 UMD triumph).

• Prior to this year, the last time the Bulldogs sported only freshmen goaltenders on their roster was in 1985-86. That was also the last time three different UMD goaltenders 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. Two-time All-NCHC second team defenseman Andy Welinski handled that responsibility in 2015-16.

•There is almost seven years age difference separating the oldest (senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk, who turned 25 last Aug. 27 and is the oldest player in NCAA hockey) and youngest (freshman winger 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).

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will return home to host Western Michigan University on Nov. 11-12.