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The University of Minnesota Duluth will take its show on the road for the first time in 2017-18 by paying a visit to Bemidji State University Friday (Oct. 13) in the front end of a home-and-home non-conference series. Game time is set for 7:07 p.m,. at the Sanford Center (4,373) in Bemidji, Minn. The two intrastate rivals will then convene at Duluth's AMSOIL Arena (6,756) the following evening for a 7:07 p.m. rematch.
 
THE RECORDS: UMD,which is an even 1-1 in 2017-18, went 28-7-7 overall one year ago and finished second in the final National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings at 15-5-4-3. Bemidji State, which will make its 2017-18 debut Friday night, posted a 22-16-3 record in all games and captured the program's first Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title by going 20-6-2.

HOW THEY RANK: This is how UMD and Bemidji State stacked up in this week's USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
 

	USCHO.com	USA Today
UMD	No. 5	No. 9
BSUM	RV	NR

 



ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Bemidji State clashes will be carried on KDAL-Radio (610 AM and 103.9 FM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play responsibilities and Bulldog hockey alumnus Kraig Karakas the color commentary. This marks the 50th year KDAL has been the radio home for Bulldog hockey. The broadcast can also be heard at: kdal610.com.

Saturday's series finale will also be televised locally on My9 (Channel 6.3; Channel 9 on Charter, Mediacom, and Dish Network and Channels 19 and 519 on Paul Bunyan Cable), which has been the Bulldogs' television home for the last 10 seasons. KBJR-TV sports director Zach Schneider and former UMD standout forward Judd Medak will serve as the on-air talent. That telecast is available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd as is Friday's game at: wcha.tv.


THE RIVALRY: UMD and Bemidji State will meet for the 42nd time ever on Friday. The Bulldogs hold a 23-15-3 lead in the all-time series, which began back on Feb. 8, 1948 and are 18-15-3 against Bemidji State since it joined the NCAA I ranks in 1999-2000. The two clubs last squared off on Dec. 17, 2016 at the Sanford Center where the visiting Bulldogs pulled out a 2-1 victory, which ended UMD's seven-game winless drought (0-5-2) against their former WCHA colleagues. This came on the heels of a 1-1 overtime draw the previous evening.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs launched their 74th season of hockey last Friday by taking down the University of Minnesota 4-3 in overtime in the Ice Breaker Tournament semifinal at AMSOIL Arena but fell to Michigan Tech University by that same score 24 hours later in the title bout.

Parker Mackay's goal 65 seconds into the extra session sealed the Bulldogs' eighth straight win over Minnesota (a program high). UMD, which outshot the then No. 3 Gophers 44-21, also got goals from rookie defenseman Mike Anderson (power play), sophomore left winger Riley Tufte (power play) and Mikey's older brother, sophomore right winger Joey Anderson. Mikey Anderson gave the Bulldogs their only lead of regulation (1-0) when he struck on the power play 7:56 into the first period. Sophomore goaltender Hunter Shepard made 18 saves while posting his first collegiate victory in his third-ever appearance.

Tufte and sophomore defenseman Nick Wolff both scored in the opening 8:32 of play against Michigan Tech to put the Bulldogs up 2-0, but the Huskies then reeled off three unanswered goals on their first three power play opportunities of the night. Rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich's five-hole shot while the Bulldogs had the man advantage tied the game at 3-3 midway through the second period, but Michigan Tech responded with the game-winner just two minutes later. UMD finished with a sizable 37-16 advantage in shots (15-4 in the first period alone).

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: Senior right winger Karson Kuhlman has been entrusted with team co-captaincy responsibilities with the 2017-18 Bulldogs while junior right winger Parker Mackay will serve as an assistant captain.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING II: This marks the fifth straight year the Bulldogs have been captained by a Northern Minnesota native. Karson Kuhlman (Esko, Minn.),who is handling that prestigious role this season, follows 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). Jack Connolly, born and raised in Duluth, served as team captain in 2011-12.

A DANDY DEBUT: For his spirited play at the Ice Breaker Tournament, defenseman Scott Perunovich was selected the first NCHC Rookie of the Week award recipient for 2017-18. The Hibbing, Minn., native, tied for the team scoring lead with two points (both coming on the power play) -- an assist on Friday and a goal the following night. Perunovich landed a spot on the six-member Ice Breaker All-Tournament Team -- the lone freshman to do so -- along with sophomore left winger Riley Tufte.

GETTING THEIR FIRST WHIFFS: Scott Perunovich was one of nine Bulldogs to make their UMD debuts last weekend and one of five newcomers to mark in the points column (junior center Peter Krieger, a transfer from the University of Alaska, and freshmen winger Nick Swaney, center Justin Richards, and defenseman Mike Anderson were the others).

BULLDOG BUSTERS: UMD is winless in seven of its last eight confrontations with Bemidji State, going 1-5-2 during that stretch. The Bulldogs' lone victory came in the two teams' last meeting -- 2-1 on Dec. 17, 2016 in Bemidji, Minn.

PLAYING FOR THE OX: Up for grabs this weekend is rights to the Blue Ox Trophy which goes to the winner of the UMD-BSU series (game) each year. The Bulldogs claimed the traveling trophy last December after the Beavers had retained it since the 2012-13 season.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Ten different Bulldogs collected one point each last Friday and nine UMD skaters did the same the following evening. Of the 21 forwards and defensemen that suited up over the weekend, 14 marked marked in the scoring column.

HOW SWEEP IT IS: UMD has not been swept in their last 18 regular season series since falling twice at North Dakota on Feb. 19-20, 2016. Last year marked just the third time 56 years of competing at the NCAA I level that UMD went through an entire regular season without being beaten on back-to-back nights by the same opponent UMD also accomplished that feat in 2010-11 (when it won its first, and only, NCAA championship) and in 2014-15.

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (26), assists (34), points (60) and plus-minus rating (+38), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 124 consecutive appearances is the longest in NCAA I hockey at the moment (he shares that honor with Quinnipiac University's Landon Smith).

THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last 14 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 7-0-7 since falling 2-1 to North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016 in Grand Forks, N.D. UMD played in more overtime games (12) and won more of them (5) than any other school in the country last season. Just two current Bulldogs -- senior team captain Karson Kuhlman and junior assistant team captain Parker Mackay (one each) -- have an overtime goal to his collegiate credit.

SEEING TRIPLE: The 2017-18 Bulldog roster includes three Andersons (Matt and brothers Joey and Mikey) 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).

SEEING DOUBLE: Mikey and Joey Anderson both potted a goal in Friday's win over Minnesota -- the first time two UMD brothers have done so in the same game since the Feb. 27, 1976 (Monty and Rodney Jones at the University of Notre Dame).

GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have given up just one shorthanded goal since Dec. 12, 2015 (a run of 67 games) and that was to Colorado College's Sam Rothstein on Jan. 6, 2017.

PLENTY OF SENIORITY: The 18 seasons Scott Sandelin has presided over the UMD puck program is the second longest tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blassi is in his 19th year at Miami). It also ties him with Mike Sertich (1982-2000) as the longest serving bench boss in Bulldog history. Sandelin currently ranks 15th among all active NCAA I coaches in career victories (he is 316-285-82 overall and 193-125-45 since the 2008-09 opener). Sertich (Sandelin's predecessor) closed out his 18-year UMD career in 1999-200 with a 350-328-44 lifetime record.

TAKE TO THE BANK: Since falling to host Miami 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 33-0-2 when taking a lead into the third period. They were 17-0-2 in that situation last season and 0-0-0 thus far in 2017-18.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK II: Going back to a 5-4 loss to visiting Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 81 of the 83 games in which they have scored more than three goals. The sole two setbacks during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State-Mankato on Oct. 17, 2014 in Duluth (5-4 in overtime) and Western Michigan on March 3, 2017 (7-4).

COMEBACK KIDS: UMD has trailed the opposition 16 times at the second intermission since the 2016-17 opener and has suffered only six losses in those outings (5-6-5).

BULLDOG BITS: After being held pointless in his first 14 collegiate games last season, left winger Riley Tufte has accumulated 18 points (11 goals and seven assists) in the 25 outings since.

• UMD's 2017-18 regular season schedule includes 30 (of a possible 36) games against teams that were ranked -- or received votes -- in the USCHO.com preseason poll. The Bulldogs ranked first nationally in strength of schedule rating during the 2016-17 regular season. It held down the No. 2 spot in that department the previous winter after topping the country in both 2013-14 and 2014-15

• Senior Avery Peterson, who transferred to UMD from Omaha in January 2016 and sat out the next two semesters per NCAA transfer rules, took his first Bulldog shift on Dec. 17, 2016 at Bemidji State.

• Senior winger Karson Kuhlman and junior winger Parker Mackay are the only two 2017-18 Bulldogs who have scored a career point at the expense of Bemidji State (each has one goal).

ON TAP:  The Bulldogs and Merrimack College will face off in their first series ever next Friday and Saturday (Oct. 20-21) as par of UMD Homecoming Weekend). The two clubs have met only once before -- on Dec. 28, 2000 in the now-defunct Silverado Shootout at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.