The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its 2017 road debuts this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 20-21) by taking on the University of North Dakota in two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series. Opening faceoff is set for 7:37 p.m. Friday and 7:07 p.m. the following night at Ralph Englestad Arena (11,634) in Grand Forks, N.D.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 13-5-4 overall and leads the NCHC at 9-4-1-1 while defending NCAA champion North Dakota sports a 13-7-3 record in all games to go with a 6-5-1-1 NCHC mark (third place).

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

Team	uscho.com	USA Today	PairWise
UMD	No. 4	No. 3	No. 4
UND	No. 8	No. 8	No. 7

      
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-North Dakota 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 at: network1sports.com/station/kqds.

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.

My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) in Duluth, which has been the Bulldogs' television home for the last nine seasons, will carry the Saturday night matchup as well as Fox College Sports (Central) and that telecast is available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and North Dakota will meet for the 234th time this Friday night. North Dakota holds a 144-80-9 lead in the all-time series, which began on Nov. 26, 1954 at the old Duluth Curling Club, but have dropped three straight games to the Bulldogs. That includes a pair of bouts earlier this year (Oct. 28-29) in Duluth where then No. 2 UMD followed up a 5-2 triumph in the series opener with a 3-0 takedown of the No. 1 Fighting Hawks one night later. The Bulldogs are 33-80-3 all-time on North Dakota's home ice.

LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs and St. Cloud State traded National Collegiate Hockey Conference victories last Friday and Saturday night at AMSOIL Arena. After falling 2-1 to its intrastate rival to open the weekend, UMD bounced back and upended its long-time intrastate rival 4-3 in overtime. Rookie left winger Riley Tufte accounted for the lone UMD score on Friday while four different Bulldogs scored in the rematch, including senior left winger Kyle Osterberg, who struck 2:33 into overtime. Senior defenseman Dan Molenaar and junior left winger Avery Peterson both had a goal and an assist in the 4-3 victory for the Bulldogs, who had held a 3-0 lead early in the second period.

North Dakota split a two-game NCHC home set with Miami University, dropping a 6-3 decision on Friday before downing the RedHawks 3-1 the ensuing evening.

FAMILIAR FOES: The Bulldogs have faced North Dakota on more occasions (233) than any other opponent in their 73-year history. Minnesota (230) is next on that list followed by Michigan Tech (229).

HOW SWEEP WAS THAT?: The then-No. 2 Bulldogs' sweep of top-ranked North Dakota back in October was their first over their long-time rivals since Jan. 27-28, 1995 and their first in Duluth since Nov. 6-7, 1992. The Fighting Hawks came into that weekend armed with a 15-game unbeaten streak, having gone 14-0-1 since being toppled by UMD 4-2 in the NCHC Frozen Four semifinals on March 18 in Minneapolis. That series also was fourth time in program history UMD had ever been involved in a No. 1 versus No. 2 confrontation and the first time they hosted such a matchup.

For his spirited play during that Oct. 28-29 weekend (four goals and one assist), senior left winger Alex Iafallo was chosen the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week while rookie Hunter Miska (54 saves on 56 shots and a 3-0 shutout in two victories) landed the NCHC Goaltender of the Week honor.

BUT THIS, NOT SO SWEEP ...: North Dakota is the last team to post a series sweep over the Bulldogs, doing so with a pair of 2-1 victories (one of which required overtime) on Feb. 19-20, 2016 in Grand Forks.

FEELING AT HOME AWAY FROM HOME: UMD is now unbeaten in 10 of its last 11 regular season road engagements, going 8-1-2 since being shaded 2-1 by North Dakota on Feb. 20, 2016. Thus far in 2016-17, the Bulldogs are 6-1-2 away from AMSOIL Arena and that includes sweeps over St. Cloud State (by identical 5-3 counts on Nov. 4-5) and Omaha (6-4 and 3-2 on Nov. 18-19). UMD's lone road loss this season came at the hands of Denver (4-3 on Dec. 9).

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FIGHTING HAWKS: Senior defenseman Willie Raskob has registered more of his 46 lifetime points against North Dakota than any other opponent. In 13 career bouts with the Fighting Hawks, Raskob has one goal and a team-leading nine assists for 10 points. However, since picking up an assist in UMD's 3-0 triumph over UND on Oct. 29, 2016, Raskob has gone pointless in 13 straight games.

WHAT A GRIND: Colorado College (Jan. 6-7) is the only opponent UMD has faced this season that, at the time, was not ranked or received votes in the USCHO.com Poll. 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. On 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, Western Michigan (receiving votes), and Omaha (receiving votes) the ensuing three weekends, No. 2 Denver on Dec. 9-10 and No. 15 Bemidji State just before holiday break. St. Cloud State, UMD's most recent foe, also received votes in last week's USCHO.com poll. The Bulldogs currently rank first in the country in strength of schedule after placing second in that department during the 2015-16 regular season.

THE BIG 3-0-0: With last Saturday's 4-3 overtime triumph over St. Cloud State, UMD's Scott Sandelin became the 16th active NCAA I coach to reach the 300-win mark. Of all-time Bulldog bench bosses, only Mike Sertich served longer and has rolled up more victories than Sandelin (he closed out his 18-year UMD career in 1999-200 with a 350-328-44 lifetime record). Sandelin's 17 seasons is also the second longest continuous tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blassi is in his 18th year at Miami).

THEIR BEST YET: Seven out of a possible 18 Bulldog veterans have already established or equaled career bests for points this winter:
 

Player	Year	Points	Previous High
Billy Exell	So.	5	4 (2015-16)
Adam Johnson	So.	18	18 (2015-16)
Brenden Kotyk	Sr.	8	6 (2014-15)
Parker Mackay	So.	6	6 (2015-16)
Dan Molenaar	Sr.	4	3 (2013-14)
Neal Pionk	So.	18	17 (2015-16)
Blake Young	Jr.	2	1 (2015-16)

And here are the three more UMD skaters who are knocking on the door in that department:
 

Player	Year	Points	Career High
Alex Iafallo	Sr.	24	25 (2014-15)
Carson Soucy	Sr.	13	14 (2014-15)
Sammy Spurrell	Jr.	3	4 (2013-14)

THOSE WERE THE DAYS: UMD bench boss Scott Sandelin and Fighting Hawks' head coach Brad Berry were teammates -- and fellow defensemen -- at North Dakota for three seasons (1983-86). Those two, along with Denver's Jim Montgomery, are the only three NCHC head coaches to do time in the National Hockey League. Bulldog sixth-year assistant coach Jason Herter is also a former UND blueliner (1988-91).

TAKE THAT TO THE BANK: Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 71 of the 72 games they've struck for more than three goals (65-1-6). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota StateMankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime).

TOP 'DOG: Alex Iafallo, who tops the Bulldogs in scoring with 24 points (the sixth-highest output in the NCHC), needs one more goal to equal his career high of 11 set during his debut UMD season in 2013-14. Iafallo is also one of eight NCHC combatants with a hat trick on his 2016-17 resume. In fact, by scoring three times in UMD's 5-2 home win over North Dakota on Oct. 28, he 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.

A SENIOR MOMENT: UMD sports the country's third-highest scoring senior class as that seven-member ensemble has combined to rack up and 82 points on 32 goals and 50 assists -- all NCHC bests. The Bulldogs' 2016-17 senior class is their second largest since the 2004-05 season, eclipsed only by last year's group (eight) during that stretch.

FOR PETE'S SAKE: Junior forward Avery Peterson, who transferred to UMD from the University of Nebraska-Omaha one year ago and sat out the next two semesters, took his first shift as a Bulldog on Dec. 17 at Bemidji State. The following game (on Jan. 6 versus Colorado College) the former Minnesota Mr. Hockey scored 13:56 into the first period to give UMD its only lead of the weekend (1-0). Peterson picked another goal -- his second in five outings with the Bulldogs -- in last Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over St. Cloud State.

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 the second-most overall goals (12) and most power play tallies (7) in the NCHC.

MAKING A POINT ON THE POINT II: Second-year defenseman Neal Pionk has already set a personal best for goals with five which place him second among NCHC blueliners. Seven different Bulldogs have received some kind of NCHC Player of the Week honor in 2016-17, but Pionk is the only one to do it twice.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY II: Senior left winger Kyle Osterberg has scored on 10 of the 42 shots he's put on target so far in 2016-17 which gives him a .238 shooting percentage. That ranks him second to Omaha's Tyler Vesel (.240) among NCHC skaters.

THE PUCK STOPS HERE: Rookie goaltender Hunter Miska, who has now made 16 consecutive starts, owns the NCHC's third-best saves percentage (.918) and fourth-best goals against average (2.20).The first Bulldog puckstopper to ever begin his career by going 6-0-0, Miska has already set a UMD record for shutouts by a freshman (he has three -- all at AMSOIL Arena -- including UMD's fifth-ever against North Dakota on Oct. 29). Miska is 12-4-2 on the year and that .722 winning percentage takes a backseat to only one other NCHC puckstopper (Western Michigan's Ben Blacker with a .857 mark on a 6-1-0 record). In eight road appearances thus far, the reigning USA Hockey Dave Peterson Goaltender of the year is 6-1-0.

THAT'S A PLUS: Of the NCHC's top 13 plus-minus leaders, six are Bulldogs -- sophomore defenseman Neil Pionk (second at +15), senior center Dominic Toninato (tied for seventh at a +12), senior left winger Alex Iafallo, junior right winger Karson Kuhlman and senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk (all tied for ninth at +11), and senior left winger Kyle Osterberg (13th at +10). Of the 23 Bulldog forwards and defensemen who have taken a shift this season, only junior center Jared Thomas (-1) owns a negative plus-minus rating. Pionk and Kotyk both pace the NCHC in road plus-minus rating at +11.

A DANDY DEBUT: Right winger and IIHF World Junior Championship gold medalist Joey Anderson, who was held off the scoresheet last weekend, currently ranks 10th nationally and is fourth among NCHC rookies in scoring with 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. The Roseville, Minn., native and NCHC Rookie of the Month for November trails only senior left winger Alex Iafallo on the UMD scoring charts and leads the club in even-strength points (16).

ROAD SHOW: All five of senior center Dominic Toninato's goals this season have come on the road as have nine of his 12 points.

FREE HOCKEY: Last Saturday was the Bulldogs' first overtime victory since they downed defending national champion Providence College 2-1 in two overtimes in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals last March. UMD has now prevailed in just five of its last 31 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 5-6-20. Only three active Bulldogs -- senior left wingers Kyle Osterberg (two) and Alex Iafallo and junior right winger Karson Kuhlman -- have a sudden death goal on their collegiate resume.

THREE'S A CHARM: The Bulldogs are an even 2-2-0 all-time in 3-on-3 NCHC overtimes with sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk (on Jan. 6, 2017 vs Colorado College) and Tony Cameranesi (on Nov. 14, 2015) being the lone Bulldogs to score during that session. Cameranesi's goal, which came against Denver at AMSOIL Arena, was the NCHC's first 3-on-3 tally ever.

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:

BLOCK PARTY: UMD has blocked more shots this season (13.86 per game) than any NCHC member and ranks 19th nationally after finishing 54th out of 60 NCAA I squads one year ago (10.9 bpg). Senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk paces the Bulldogs in the blocks department (1.95 a night -- the sixth-highest figure in the NCHC at the moment).

BULLDOG BITS: The last time the Bulldogs posted four straight wins over North Dakota was between March 9, 1985 and Jan. 10, 1986 when both Scott Sandelin and Brad Berry were members of the Fighting Hawks.

• Junior right winger Karson Kuhlman has hit the ice in all 102 games over the last three seasons -- a claim no other Bulldog can make.

• The Bulldogs have given up more power plays on the road (11) than any NCHC club heading into this weekend. Opponents are connecting at 24.4 percent with the man advantage in their own building thus far in 2016-17 compared to 16.1 percent at AMSOIL Arena.
 
• In its last meeting with North Dakota (Oct. 29), UMD equaled a program single-game record by scoring two shorthanded goals with Karson Kuhlman (the second of his career) and Kyle Osterberg (his third) doing the honors. Dominic Toninato later picked up UMD's third shortie of 2016-17 (his fifth as a Bulldog) in a 3-2 takedown of Omaha on Nov. 19.

• Senior left winger Alex Iafallo has been credited with five of UMD's last 10 empty net goals (dating back to the 2014-15 season) while freshman right winger Joey Anderson has two.

• UMD has trailed the opposition 10 times at the second intermission this season and has suffered only three losses in those outings (3-3-4).

• In Saturday's 4-3 win over St. Cloud State, senior defenseman Dan Molenaar turned in the second two-point night of his collegiate career and potted his first goal since Feb. 6, 2016.

• On the flip side, the Bulldogs have given up just one shorthanded goal since Dec. 12, 2015 (a stretch of 45 games) and that was to Colorado College's Sam Rothstein on Jan. 6, 2017.

• Since falling to host Miami 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 24-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period. They were 14-0-0 in that situation last winter and 8-0-0 so far in 2016-17.

• There is almost seven years age difference separating senior Brenden Kotyk(who turned 25 last Aug. 27 and is the oldest player in NCAA I hockey) and the youngest Bulldog (freshmanJoey Anderson, whose 19th birthday doesn't come up until June 19). Kotyk also holds the distinction of being the only former NCAA Division III player who is competing in the NCAA I ranks this season. (He transferred to UMD in September 2013 after a one-season stint at the College of St. Scholastica).

• 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 Bulldogs all made their collegiate goalie debuts in the same season.

• There have been 11 father-son combination who have done time with the Bulldogs, with the most latest addition being sophomore center 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: UMD will remain on the road for a first-round North Star College Cup confrontation with the University of Minnesota on Jan. 27 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Bemidji State and St. Cloud State are the other two participants.