Idle since Feb. 9, the University of Minnesota Duluth returns to the ice -- and the road -- this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 19-20) to renew its longstanding rivalry with the University of North Dakota.
Opening faceoff for the front end of the two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series is set for 7:38 p.m. and 7:07 p.m. the following night at Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634) on the North Dakota campus.

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THE RECORDS: UMD owns an 11-12-5 overall record and a 7-8-3-1 NCHC mark (tied for fourth place with the University of Nebraska-Omaha) while North Dakota is 22-5-3 in all games and 13-4-1 in NCHC play (tied for first place with St. Cloud State University).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks 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          NR               NR                 No. 22(t)
UND          No. 4           No. 4               No. 3
    
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-North Dakota 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 series opener will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski serving as the on-air talent.

Saturday's game will be telecast by the Midco Sports Network and aired on My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) in the Duluth-Superior market as well as on Fox College Sports (Central). The videostream of that telecast is available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd

THE RIVALRY: This weekend's series will mark the 229th and 230th meetings ever between UMD and North Dakota. North Dakota holds a 142-77-9 lead in the all-time series, which began on Nov. 26, 1954 at the old Duluth Curling Club, and is unbeaten in 14 of its last 18 engagements with the Bulldogs (13-4-1). The two clubs met earlier this year (Dec. 11-12) at AMSOIL Arena where the visiting Fighting Hawks posted back-to-back 3-0 victories.

LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs have been off since falling 2-1 to visiting Bemidji State University on Feb. 9 in their final 2016-17 regular season assignment. That rare Tuesday night clash came three days after UMD completed a weekend sweep of NCHC rival Colorado College (via 5-3 and 3-2 come-from-behind victories) at AMSOIL Arena.

The University of Denver did something last weekend what no club had been able to do since Nov. 1-2, 2013 -- sweep North Dakota. The host Pioneers prevailed 6-4 on Friday night and then scored the final three goals of the game in the rematch 24 hours later en route to a 4-1 triumph.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS: Thirteen Bulldogs earned 2015-16 NCHC All-Academic status (for maintaining a 3.20 cumulative grade point average or better) with three of those -- senior centers Tony Cameranesi and Cal Decowski and junior defenseman Dan Molenaar -- collaring a spot on the NCHC Scholar-Athlete Team. (3.50 GPA or above). Besides the trio of Cameranesi, Decowski and Molenaar, the group of honored Bulldogs included seniors Austin Farley and Charlie Sampair, juniors Alex Iafallo, Brenden Kotyk, Willie Raskob, Carson Soucy and Dominic Toninato, and sophomores Karson Kuhlman, Sammy Spurrell and Jared Thomas. Cameranesi (three times), Decowski (three times), Iafallo (twice), Kotyk (twice), Kuhlman (twice), Molenaar (three times), Raskob (three times), Spurrell (twice), Toninato (twice) and Thomas (twice) are all repeat qualifiers.

NOT YOU AGAIN!: The Bulldogs have faced North Dakota more times (228) in their 72-year history than all but one opponent (Minnesota, 230).

ROAD, SWEET ROAD: Of UMD's eight 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 three sweeps came on Dec. 4-5, 2015 vs. Western Michigan and on Feb. 5-6, 2016 and Dec. 5-6, 2014 against Colorado College at AMSOIL Arena.

ROAD, SWEET ROAD II: 17 of senior center Tony Cameranesi's team-leading 27 point this winter have come in someone else's building as have seven of his nine overall goals. Cameranesi, who has paced UMD in scoring two of the previous three winters, had his six-game scoring streak (a 2015-16 Bulldog high) snapped in the Feb. 9 loss to Bemidji State. The Plymouth, Minn., native is one of just 14 NCHC combatants averaging a point per game or better on the season.

GOOD OMENS: The Bulldogs have yet to be beaten this winter when they've led at the first intermission (they are 7-0-2 in that situation) and after two periods (9-0-0) and when scoring four or more goals (6-0-0).

POWER SHORTAGE: The Bulldogs have cashed in on just two of their last 48 power play opportunities. Senior senior left winger Austin Farley, who will miss this weekend's series at North Dakota with an upper body injury, has collected three of the UMD's last four man advantage scores and currently is tied for second nationally in power play goals with eight. That's two behind NCAA leader Tage Thompson of the University of Connecticut. Farley also leads the 2015-16 Bulldogs in host of other statistical categories including goals (13), plus-minus rating (+19), shot percentage (.203) and game-winners (four).

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FIGHTING HAWKS: Junior defenseman Willie Raskob has registered more of his 36 lifetime points against North Dakota than any other opponent. In eight career bouts with the Fighting Hawks, Raskob has one goal and six assists for seven points. He collected three of points (all assists) in UMD's 6-3 triumph over North Dakota on Nov. 10, 2013 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

STRETCHED THIN: In its 2-1 home setback to Bemidji State on Feb. 9, UMD was without the services of five players -- senior left winger Austin Farley, junior left winger Kyle Osterberg, junior defenseman Dan Molenaar and freshman right winger Parker Mackay were are all sidelined with injuries while junior defenseman Brenden Kotyk was serving one-game suspension issued by the NCHC for his illegal hit from the previous Saturday. Osterberg and Mackay are expected to return to the UMD lineup for the North Dakota series.

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 48-12 (including 14-2 in the opening period of play) in their 11 wins to date while going 13-for-50 on the power play (26.5 percent). They've connected at just 5.9 percent (4-for-67) with the man advantage in their other 17 games.

THE BIG 1-0-0: Senior defenseman Willie Corrin is expected to skate in his 100th game this Friday in Grand Forks while junior left winger Alex Iafallo needs to more outings to reach that same milestone.

FIRE AWAY: UMD is averaging 36.14 shots on goal per night this winter -- the third highest average in all of college hockey, taking a backseat to only Penn State University (42.93) and the University of Michigan (38.52) -- but are 53rd among the 60 NCAA I schools in shot percentage (.073).  Senior center Tony Cameranesi is 27th nationally in shots per game (3.65) and ranks fourth among NCHC skaters in that department. On that same league chart, junior center Dominic Toninato is tied for 9th with a 3.11 mark while left winger Adam Johnson is 22nd overall and second among all rookies (2.59 spg). The Bulldogs have held the upper hand in shots in 24 of their 28 games this season -- including 15 of the past 16 -- and are 0-4-0 when they've not done so. On the flip side, UMD has allowed the sixth fewest shots in the nation (25.18 per game), an average bettered by just one other NCHC club -- North Dakota (24.93). UMD's shot margin average (+10.96) ranks second nationally to Minnesota State-Mankato (11.94).

FIRE AWAY II: The 2015-16 Bulldogs are on pace to break the school records for both fewest shots allowed (the current mark of 27.5 was set in 2014-15, 2009-10 and 2007-08) and shot differential (+7.7 in 1983-84). They have also put the third most shots on target of any UMD club since the 1983-84 season, surpassed only by the 2011-12 (36.6) and 1992-93 (36.5) units.

FOREVER YOUNG: Senior right winger Austyn Young and sophomore right winger Blake Young are the only Bulldog veterans (there are 19 of them) who have established career scoring highs this winter. Austyn Young's seven points (five goals and two assists) are two more than his previous best, which he amassed one year ago, while Blake Young has been credited with one point (an assist) this fall after being blanked in the scoring column as a rookie. Austin Young has gone 13 outings without a point since piecing together a three-game goal scoring streak between Nov. 21 and Dec. 5. That scoring drought started with the Bulldogs' Dec. 11 home clash against North Dakota.

MAKING A POINT ON THE POINT: Minutes-munching team captain Andy Welinski has taken a shift in all 142 games since joining the Bulldog program in 2012-13. The Duluth native 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 point men in scoring for a third straight winter. (Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Tom Kurvers was the last, accomplishing that feat four times from 1980-84). He currently ranks third among 2015-16 Bulldogs and sixth among NCHC blueliners in points with 17.

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.

A SENIOR MOMENT: UMD currently sports the nation's eighth-highest scoring senior class. The eight, fourth-year Bulldogs have combined for 33 goals and 54 assists for 87 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).

THE PUCK STOP HERE: Sophomore goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo, who has started 39 of the past 40 games, is the owner of the NCHC's fourth-best goals against average (2.01) and fifth-best saves percentage figure (.918). The Vantaa, Finland product 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). This winter, Kaskisuo has appeared in the highest percentage of his team's overall minutes (94.39) of any NCHC netminder.

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.

FOUR'S A CHARM: Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 59 of the 60 games they've struck for more than three goals (54-1-5). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State-Mankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime).

BULLDOG BITS: Bulldog bench boss Scott Sandelin and Fighting Hawks rookie head coach Brad Berry were teammates -- and fellow defensemen -- at North Dakota for three seasons (1983-86).

•  UMD is an even 3-3-1 in its last seven visits to Ralph Engelstad Arena.

• Eight NCHC skaters currently have racked up 100 or more career points and two of those are Bulldogs -- Tony Cameranesi (112) and Austin Farley (101), who became the 57th, and most recent, member of the UMD Century Club in his last outing (Feb. 6 vs. Colorado College).

• UMD's most potent period this season has been the third, where the Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 28-18.

• Senior center Tony Cameranesi holds the distinction 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. The Bulldogs are 1-2-0 in 3-on-3 overtimes this season.

• 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 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). The Bulldogs haven't surrendered a shortie since Dec. 12 against visiting North Dakota, which came with an empty net.

• Freshman left winger Adam Johnson, whose 12 points this winter tie him for the Bulldog rookie lead, 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).

• North Dakota has compiled a 6-1-0 lifetime record at AMSOIL Arena and that .857 winning percentage is tops among all seven of UMD's NCHC opponents.

UP NEXT: UMD will remain on the road for a two-game set at current No. 3 St. Cloud State University on Feb. 26-27 before returning to AMSOIL Arena the following weekend for its 2015-16 regular season finales against Miami.