With the 2017-18 University of Minnesota Duluth regular season opener quickly approaching (like this Friday night at AMSOIL Arena against the University of Minnesota), the folks at umdbulldogs.com thought this was as good a time as any to whet your appetite with these tasty puck nuggets:

74 – Years of intercollegiate competition for UMD hockey in 2016-17. The Bulldogs began play in 1930-31, but the sport was suspended from 1932-46. UMD has been a member of the NCAA Division I ranks since the 1961-62 season.

60.7– Percent of goals (85 of 140) the Bulldogs' seven seniors and three early departures accounted for last season. Those 10 also had a hand in 61.9 percent of the team's scoring (230 of 371 points) and 70.3 percent of their power play goals (26 of 37).

30 – Regular season games the Bulldogs will play (out of a possible 36) against teams that were either ranked or received votes in the USCHO.com Preseason Poll.

18 – Seasons Scott Sandelin has presided over the UMD puck program. That's the second longest continuous tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blassi is entering his 19th year at Miami) and ties him with Mike Sertich (1982-2000) as the longest serving bench boss in Bulldog history. Sandelin comes into the 2017-18 season ranking 15th among all active NCAA I coaches in career victories (he is 315-284-82 overall and 192-124-45 since the 2008-09 opener).

16 – Lettermen the Bulldogs retain for the second straight year. The 2016-17 club went 28-7-7 overall (for the second most wins in team history), advanced all the way to the NCAA Frozen Four title game in Chicago, Ill., (where they succumbed 3-2 to Denver), captured the school's first NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship and placed second in the NCHC standings (their highest finish ever with a 15-5-4 record). Headlining the list of holdovers is sophomore right winger Joey Anderson, a 2016-17 NCHC All-Rookie Team selection who ranked third among Bulldogs in points with 12 goals and 25 assists. UMD also welcomes back three others who cracked the Top 10 on the team's scoring charts in senior right winger Karson Kuhlman (No. 7 with six goals and 16 assists for 22 points), sophomore left winger Riley Tufte (No 9; 9-7=16) and senior center Avery Peterson (No. 10, 7-8=15 in 25 games). On the blue line, sophomore Nick Wolff is somewhat of a lone wolf as he's the only returning Bulldog who took shifts in more than 11 games last year. After a season of backup duty, both sophomores Nick Deery and Hunter Shepard will battle it out for the starting goaltender responsibilities.

13 – Combined consecutive victories the Bulldogs have posted over their top two rivals -- Minnesota (7) and North Dakota (6). Both streaks are UMD program bests versus those respective opponents.

11 – Weeks the Bulldogs spent holding down the No. 1 spot on the USCHO.com Poll during the course of the 2016-17 -- the longest run in program history.

11 – Players on the 2017-18 UMD roster that have yet to take a regular season shift with the Bulldogs. That includes 10 freshmen and one transfer (Peter Krieger -- see below).

6.4 – Age difference in years between the oldest (fifth-year senior right winger Sammy Spurrell, who turns 25 on Oct. 25) and youngest (freshman defenseman Mikey Anderson, who celebrated his 18th birthday this past May) Bulldogs.

6 – NHL Draft picks on the 2017-18 UMD roster. That list includes Joey Anderson (New Jersey), Mikey Anderson (Los Angeles), Avery Peterson (Minnesota), Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg), Nick Swaney (Minnesota) and Riley Tufte (Dallas), who in 2016 became the fourth Bulldog product to ever be drafted in the first round. UMD's all-time total of NHL draftees now stands at 107.

6 – Regular season losses UMD incurred one year ago -- its fewest since joining the NCAA ranks in 1961-62. The Bulldogs' .721 regular season winning percentage (off a 21-6-7 record) was their second best ever. UMD also did something in 2016-17 that only two of its predecessors had ever done before in 56 years of NCAA I hockey -- go through an entire regular season without being swept.

5 – Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners UMD has produced, a number unmatched by any school in the country. That quintet includes center Jack Connolly (2011-12), winger Junior Lessard (2003-04), center/winger Chris Marinucci (1993-94), winger Bill Watson (1984-85) and defenseman Tom Kurvers (1983-84).

5 – Number of NCAA tournament berths the Bulldogs have earned since 2010-11 -- their most ever during any seven-year period in school history. UMD qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the third consecutive year last season -- something that had happened on only one other occasion (1983-85) in program history.

5 – Schools in the country that had a higher home attendance average (5,973 fans per night) than the Bulldogs last winter. This year marks the seventh full season UMD will occupy AMSOIL Arena, which opened its doors for business on Dec. 30, 2010.

4 – Northern Minnesota natives who have captained the Bulldogs the past five seasons. Senior right winger Karson Kuhlman (Esko, Minn.) is handling that prestigious role this winter, following in the footsteps of Duluth East High School hockey alums Dominic Toninato (2016-17) and Andy Welinski (2015-16) and Hermantown product Adam Krause (2014-15 and co-captain in 2013-14).

3 – Career collegiate starts made by UMD's two returning goaltenders -- sophomores Nick Deery (2) and Hunter Shephard (1). Last year's puckstopping workhorse, All-NCHC second teammer Hunter Miska, passed up his final three seasons of NCAA eligibility to sign with the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes this past April. Miska, a Top 5 Finalist for the 2016-17 Mike Richter Award (most outstanding collegiate goalie in the nation), equaled a program single-season record for shutouts (five) while posting a 2.20 goals against average and a .920 saves percentage. Selected to the NCAA West Regional, NCHC Frozen Faceoff and North Star College Cup All-Tournament Teams, Miska started 36 straight games to close out the year, and wound up turning in both the fourth-best single-season goals against average and saves percentage in program history.

3 – Andersons (Matt and brothers Joey and Mikey) on the 2017-18 UMD roster. This marks the sixth time three or more individuals with identical last names have played for the Bulldogs in the same year (Nate, Nick and Rob Anderson in 2001-02 and 2000-01; Colin, Nate, Richie and Rob Anderson in 1999-2000; Colin, Nate and Richie Anderson in 1998-99; and Brad, Brian and Jim Johnson in 1983-84).

2 – NCAA transfers currently in the Bulldog program -- senior center Avery Peterson (University of Nebraska Omaha) and junior winger Peter Krieger (University of Alaska). Peterson enrolled at UMD in January 2016, and debut with the Bulldogs on Dec. 17, 2016 while Krieger is now eligible after sitting out the entire 2016-17 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

1 – Ohio natives who have enlisted their services with the Bulldogs during their 74-year history. Freshman forward Justin Richards, the son of former Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild Head Coach Todd Richards, holds that distinction.

0 – Number of games that Karson Kuhlman has missed since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 122 consecutive game played is the longest in NCAA I hockey heading into this season (he shares that honor with Quinnipiac University's Landon Smith).

0 – NCAA I teams that had a higher strength of schedule rating than UMD during the 2016-17 regular season. The Bulldogs ranked second in that department the previous winter after topping the country in both 2013-14 and 2014-15.