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The University of Minnesota Duluth will launch its 74th season of intercollegiate ice hockey this Friday (Oct. 6) when the Bulldogs renew their long-standing intrastate rivalry with the University of Minnesota in the semifinals of the 21st annual Ice Breaker Tournament. Opening face off is set for 7:37 p.m. at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) and will be preceded by the other first round bout between Michigan Tech University and Union College (4:07 p.m.). The championship and third place games will be at either 4:07 p.m. or 7:37 p.m. since the Bulldogs will play at the later time regardless of Friday's outcome.
 
THE RECORDS: UMD, which was unbeaten in 19 of its last 21 games last winter (16-2-3), went 28-7-7 overall and finished second in the final National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings at 15-5-4-3. Minnesota posted a 23-12-3 record in all games one year ago and placed first in the Big Ten Conference by going 14-5-1. Michigan Tech (25-10-3 overall) took second in the 2016-17 Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title race (15-7-6) while Union (21-10-3), which like the Huskies are 0-1-1 this season, also took runnerup honors in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (16-4-2).

THEY WERE ALL AT THE DANCE: UMD (No. 1 seed in the West Regional), Minnesota (No. 1 in the Northeast), Michigan Tech (No. 4 in the Midwest) and Union (No. 2 in the Midwest) all qualified for last spring's NCAA Tournament. Of those four clubs, only the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Frozen Faceoff in Chicago.

PLAYOFF PAYOFFS:  While Minnesota is the reigning regular season Big Ten champion, this year's Ice Breaker Tournament will feature three defending conference playoff titleholders in UMD (NCHC), Michigan Tech (WCHA) and Minnesota (Big Ten).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how this year's Ice Breaker Tournament participants stacked up in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine.
 

	USCHO	USA TODAY
UMD	No. 6	No. 12
MTU	RV	NR
UM	No. 3	No. 3
UNION	No. 16	RV

 
ON THE AIR: Both of UMD's two games this weekend 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.

The entire 2017 Ice Breaker Tournament 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. All four telecasts are available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: Friday evening's matchup will mark the 232nd meeting ever between the Bulldogs and Gophers. Minnesota holds a 134-80-17 lead in the rivalry, which began way back on Dec. 1, 1952 at the Hippodrome in Eveleth, Minn. The two clubs last met on Jan. 27, 2017 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., where the then-No. 2 Bulldogs prevailed 3-2 over the No. 6  Gophers in the semifinals of the now-defunct North Star College Cup.

LAST WEEK: The University of Alberta struck for three unanswered goals in a span of just under four minutes midway through the the third period to rally for a 4-3 exhibition game triumph over UMD at AMSOIL Arena Saturday night.

All 27 rostered Bulldogs took shifts in the game, including 11 who did so for the first time in a UMD uniform. That included rookie defensemen Dylan Samberg, who opened the scoring with a goal 52 seconds, and Scott Perunovich, whose snipe from the low slot on a 5-on-3 power play gave UMD a 3-1 lead midway through the second period. Sophomore Riley Tufte accounted for the Bulldogs' other goal which came off a rebound while UMD was a man up at 6:11 of the second.

The game featured an abundance of penalties (the two teams combined for 23 infractions for 60 minutes) and that resulted in plenty of power play opportunities as UMD was 2-for-9 while Alberta went 1-for-10. UMD's three goaltenders each played a period with sophomore Nick Deery allowing one goal on seven shots in the first, sophomore Hunter Shepard turning aside all 10 shots he faced in the second and freshman Ben Patt giving up three goals on 12 shots the rest of the way.

The win was the first by a Canadian university over UMD since Alberta prevailed 8-5 back on Dec. 15, 1989.

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.

YOU AGAIN?: UMD has butted heads with Minnesota on more lifetime occasions (231) during its 74-year history than all but one opponent (North Dakota with 236 times). Michigan Tech is next on that list (229 games). The Bulldogs and the Gophers have met on an annual basis since the 1961-62 season, making it the longest continuous rivalry for both programs.

TOURNEY TIDBITS: The Bulldogs have been beaten in back-to-back games only once in their 36 lifetime regular season tournaments. That happened five years ago at the Florida College Hockey Classic in Estero, Fla. (1-0 to the University of Maine and 6-2 to Ferris State University on Dec. 28-29, 2012).

STAR OF THE NORTH: One night after defeating Minnesota (3-2) in the North Star College Cup semifinals last January, UMD pulled out 2-1 overtime victory over St. Cloud in the championship game. That marked the first time UMD won a regular season tournament title since 2001-02 when it launched that year with successive victories over host Nebraska-Omaha (5-2) and the University of Michigan (3-2) on its way to capturing the Maverick Stampede crown. The Bulldogs had taken part in 10 tourneys since then.

GOPH BUSTERS: The Bulldogs will come into the weekend armed with a program-best seven-game winning streak against Minnesota. UMD is now also unbeaten in nine of its last 10 outings with the Gophers (8-1-1) with that lone loss coming two seasons ago in the opening round of the Ice Breaker Tournament (4-3 on Oct. 10, 2014 in South Bend, Ind.).

THIS ISN'T THEIR FIRST RODEO: UMD has competed in two previous Ice Breaker Tournaments -- in 2003 in East Lansing, Mich. and three years ago in South Bend, Ind. Minnesota is making its fifth Ice Breaker Tournament appearance while Union its third and Michigan Tech its first.

FINISHING WITH A BANG: Sophomore winger Joey Anderson, UMD's top returning point producer from a year ago, ended the 2016-17 season riding a five-game scoring streak, having rolled up three goals and six assists during that run.

DRAWING A CROWD: The last time UMD and Minnesota collided in Duluth (Oct. 17, 2015), the Bulldogs completed a home-and-home series sweep with a 3-0 triumph in front of an AMSOIL Arena-record crowd of 7,569.

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (26), assists (34), points (60) and plus-minus rating (+39), has  not missed a game 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).

HOW SWEEP IT IS: UMD swept Michigan Tech in last year's season openers at AMSOIL Arena (6-0 and 4-3 on Oct. 1-2) which gave the Bulldogs their first 2-0-0 start in 15 years.

HOW SWEEP IT IS II: UMD did something in 2016-17 that only two other Bulldogs clubs had ever done before in 56 years of competing at the NCAA I level -- go through an entire regular season without being swept. UMD also accomplished that feat in 2010-11 (when it won its first, and only, NCAA championship) and two years ago.

THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last 13 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 6-0-7 since falling 2-1 to North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016 in Grand Forks, N.D. That includes a 5-0-7 mark one year ago. UMD played in more overtime games (12) and won more of them (5) than any other school in the country last season
Just one current Bulldog, senior Karson Kuhlman (one)has an overtime goal to his collegiate credit.

CHART TOPPER: UMD spent a school-record 11 weeks holding down the No. 1 spot in the USCHO.com Poll during the course of the 2016-17 season.

GOOD LUCK CHARM: The Bulldogs were 5-0-1 last season when current sophomore right winger Billy Exell generated a point.

TAKE IT 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 in 2016-17.

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 80 of the 82 games in which they have scored three or more 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).

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 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). Sertich (Sandelin's predecessor) closed out his 18-year UMD career in 1999-200 with a 350-328-44 lifetime record.

GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have given up just one shorthanded goal since Dec. 12, 2015 (a run of 65 games) and that was to Colorado College's Sam Rothstein on Jan. 6, 2017.

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).

SOME TOUGH SLEDDING: UMD's 2017-18 regular season scheduled 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.

COMEBACK KIDS: UMD trailed the opposition 14 times at the second intermission last season and suffered only five losses in those outings (4-5-5). The Bulldogs' four comeback wins were the second most in the nation (Princeton University had five) while their .464 winning percentage in that situation was tops among all 60 NCAA I clubs.

BULLDOG BITS: UMD's seven seniors and its three early pro departees (sophomore center Adam Johnson, sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk and rookie goalie Hunter Miska) last season accounted for 61.9 percent of the team's points (230 of 371), 60.7 of their goals (85 of 140) and 70.3 percent of their power play tallies (26 of 37).

• After being held pointless in his first 14 collegiate games last season, left winger Riley Tufte accumulated 16 points (nine goals and seven assists) in the 23 outings since. He held the distinction of the last Bulldog to score in 2016-17 (in the 2-1 NCAA title game loss to Denver).

• The 2017-18 UMD roster contains two former Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award recipients in sophomore left winger Riley Tufte (2015-16) and senior center Avery Peterson (2013-14).

• Peterson, who transferred to UMD from Omaha one year ago and sat out the next two semesters, took his first Bulldog shift on Dec. 17, 2016 at Bemidji State. In 25 games, the Grand Rapids, Minn., native has contributed 15 points (seven goals -- including four game winners -- and eight assists) to the UMD scoring coffers and was a +10 to boot.

• Senior forwards Karson Kuhlman and Jared Thomas are the only two current Bulldogs with Ice Breaker Tournament experience, having played in the 2014 event.

• The 2016-17 Bulldogs clinched a home NCHC playoff berth for the third time in the league's four-year history in addition to racking up a program-best 15 NCHC victories and securing the program's highest NCHC finish ever (second place).

• From the RELATIVE-ly speaking department:

+ Billy Exell's uncle is Tom Milani, the Bulldogs' all-time goal scoring leader and a member of the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2010).

+ Jared Thomas' UMD athletic bloodlines run deep. His father, Mike Thomas, was an All-American offensive lineman for the Bulldogs while his mother, Kelli (Ritzer) Thomas, received All-Northern Sun Conference recognition in both basketball (four times) and softball (three times) and is a member of the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2001). His uncle, Corey Thomas, also played both baseball and football for the Bulldogs and his late grandfather, Ron Thomas, was a four-year UMD football lineman (1954-57). Jared's younger sister, Jordyn, is a freshman with the Bulldog basketball and softball teamss.

+ Joey and Mikey Anderson are brothers and their grandfather, Tom Anderson, was a UMD forward during the early 1950s.

+ Jarod Hilderman's father, Rod Hilderman, is a University of North Dakota football alumnus, and his uncle, Bob, played hockey at Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.) in the late 1970s.

+ Riley Tufte's brother, Gavin, played collegiate puck for Gustavus Adolphus College. His uncles, Ross and Todd Dahl, played hockey for the University of Wisconsin-Superior, while other uncle, Craig Dahl, was the men's head hockey coach at St. Cloud State for 18 seasons before stepping down in 2005.

+ Justin Richards, the first Ohio native to ever skate for the Bulldogs, is the son of Todd Richards,  a former University of Minnesota (1985-89) and NHL defensman (Hartford Whalers, 1990-92) who served as head coach with both the NHL's Minnesota Wild (2009-11) and Columbus Blue Jackets (2011-16) and is currently a Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach.

+ Like Jared Thomas, Louie Roehl's dad (Dale)  lettered four years in football (safety) at UMD and in 1990 attained All-Northern Intercollegiate Conference recognition. Dale also starred as a goaltender at Minnetonka High School and was the 12th round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 National Hockey League draft.

+ Assistant coach Brett Larson's father (Robert Larson, 1968-69) and uncle (Ken Larson (1971-72) both played hockey at UMD.