NO. 9 UMD AND MERRIMACK TO MEET IN FIRST-EVER SERIES THIS WEEKEND AT AMSOIL ARENA
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The University of Minnesota Duluth will continue on its diet of non-conference competition this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 20-21) when the Bulldogs play host to Merrimack College in a two-game series -- the first ever between the two clubs. Opening faceoff is set for 7:37 p.m. both nights at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.
THE RECORDS: UMD,which is 1-2-1 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. Merrimack, off to a 0-2-1 start this season, posted a 15-16-6 record in all games, including an even 8-8-6 mark in Hockey East play (seventh place).
HOW THEY RANK: This is how UMD and Merrimack stacked up in this week's USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
|
USCHO.com |
USA Today |
| UMD |
No. 9 |
No. 13 |
| MC |
NR |
NR |
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Merrimack 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.
Both ends of this weekend's series will 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. Both telecasts are available on-line for a fee at:
nchc.tv/umd.
THE RIVALRY: UMD's only previous meeting with Merrimack came on Dec. 28, 2000 in the opening round of the now-defunct Silverado Shootout at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center where Merrimack prevailed 4-2. That year was
Scott Sandelin's debut season as UMD's head coach.
LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs and Bemidji State University closed out their home-and-home non-conference series on Saturday by skating to a 0-0 overtime tie at AMSOIL Arena. That came one night after the Beavers erupted for four, third-period goals -- including three in a span of 3:35 -- en route to downing their former Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals 5-2 in Bemidii, Minn.
Blake Young, who opened the night's scoring 7:27 into the opening period, and fellow senior winger
Karson Kuhlman accounted for the two Bulldog goals in the series opener. On Saturday, sophomore
Nick Deery made a personal-high 27 saves (including 24 in the final two periods of regulation) en route to posting his first collegiate shut out.
Merrimack College dropped a 4-1 road decision to the University of Wisconsin Saturday in its lone activity of the week.
LET 'ER RIP: UMD has outshot its opponents 154-82 this season and that +72 shot differential is tops among all NCAA I schools at the moment. In addition, the Bulldogs rank third nationally in shots taken (38.50 per game) and are second in shots allowed (20.5).
LET 'ER RIP: UMD sophomore winger and 2016-17 NCHC All-Rookie Team honoree
Joey Anderson is averaging a nation-leading 5.50 shots per night.
COMING UP EMPTY: The scoreless deadlock last Saturday night was UMD's fifth in 74 years of hockey and the first since March 3, 2007 (against the University of Wisconsin in Duluth). It also marked the first time the Bulldogs had been held off the scoreboard in 108 games going back to Dec. 12, 2015 (3-0 vs. North Dakota).
JUST IN A NICK OF TIME: Sophomore
Nick Deery's first career shut came in just his fourth collegiate start and fifth appearance overall.
HOW SWEEP IT IS: UMD has not been swept in their last 19 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.
HE KEEPS GOING, AND GOING AND ..: Senior team captain
Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (27), assists (34), points (61) and plus-minus rating (+37), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 126 consecutive appearances is the longest in NCAA I hockey at the moment.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Of the 21 UMD forwards and defensmen who have taken a shift this season, only four (freshmen defensemen
Dylan Samberg and
Matt Anderson, senior center
Sammy Spurrell and rookie left winger
Kobe Roth) are still without a point
THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last 15 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 7-0-8 since falling 2-1 to North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016 in Grand Forks, N.D. 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.
GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have given up just one shorthanded goal since Dec. 12, 2015 (a run of 69 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 316-286-83 overall). 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).
BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs have yet to trail at the end of one period this season, but they also haven't once led at the second intermission, either.
• UMD sports the nation's sixth-highest scoring freshmen class at the moment and the 10 points the 10 rookies have generated so far are without rival in the NCHC.
• The 2017-18 UMD 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). Mikey and
Joey Anderson both potted a goal in the season-opening victory over Minnesota -- the first time two UMD brothers have done so in the same game since Feb. 27, 1976 (Monty and Rodney Jones at the University of Notre Dame.)
• 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 (5-7-5).
UP NEXT: UMD will take on another Hockey East meber, the University of Maine, next Friday and Saturday night in its first trip to Orono, Maine since Jan. 16, 1988.
