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After a one-week hiatus away from National Collegiate Hockey Conference activity, it's back to the grind for the University of Minnesota Duluth this weekend (Dec. 1-2) and a showdown series with No. 1-ranked University of Denver. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday night at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.

THE RECORDS: UMD is 7-6-2 overall and 2-4-0-0 in NCHC play (seventh place) while Denver sports a 7-3-2 record in all games to go with an even 3-3-0-0 NCHC mark (fourth place).

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

	USCHO.com	USA Today
UMD	No. 16	No. 15
Denver	No. 1	No. 1

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Denver clashes will be carried live 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. his 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 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. The two telecasts are available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

LAST WEEK: UMD and one-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival Minnesota State University-Mankato butted heads for the first time in almost three years and the host Bulldogs skated away with a 3-1 non-conference triumph on Saturday. (It was the front end of a elongated home-and-home series that will be completed on Jan. 23 in Mankato.) UMD got one point each from eight different players, including freshman right ringer Nick Swaney and junior center Peter Krieger, who both struck for first-period goals, and sophomore left winger Riley Tufte, who capped off the scoring with 1:27 to go in regulation. At the other end of the rink, sophomore goaltender Hunter Shepard turned aside 33 of the 34 shots the No. 8 Mavericks sent his way.

Denver has been idle since splitting a two-game NCHC home set with North Dakota on Nov. 17-18 (a 5-4 loss and 4-1 win).

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Denver have collided on 208 occasions previously -- mostly (189 times) while both were members of the WCHA. The Pioneers hold a 119-77-12 lead in the rivalry, which began on Dec. 28, 1961 in Denver. The Pioneers went 2-1-0 against the Bulldogs one year ago with the last of those two wins coming on April 10 in NCAA Frozen Four title bout at Chicago's United Center (3-2). The two clubs met just twice during the 2016-17 regular season -- on Dec. 9-10 in Denver where then-No. 1 UMD returned from a 19-day layoff and traded NCHC victories with the No. 2 Pioneers. The Bulldogs dropped the opener 4-3 (giving up three goals in a span of 4:46 midway through the second period), but bounced back to upend the Pioneers 3-1. That put the clamps on Denver's 15-game unbeaten streak.

SAVING THE DAY: Hunter Shepard was selected the NCHC Goalie of the Week after backstopping UMD to a 3-1 victory over Minnesota State Saturday night in the Bulldogs' lone activity of the weekend. It marked the second time the sophomore from Cohasset, Minn., has been so honored by the NCHC this season (Oct. 30 following the Bulldogs' two-game road sweep over the University of Maine was the other). Shepard made 33 saves (a 2017-18 Bulldog single-game high and two stops shy of his career best), including 13 in the third period when UMD was outshot 13-6.

MAKING THEMSELVES FEEL RIGHT AT HOME: Denver's lifetime winning percentage at AMSOIL Arena (.750 off a 5-1-2 record) is the best of any NCHC club at the moment.

A NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER: Scott Perunovich had himself quite a November and was aptly recognized for his efforts by being selected the NCHC Rookie of the Month. In seven games during November, Perunovich generated six points on one goal and five assists and also blocked 10 shots. He currently ranks second among all NCAA freshmen defensemen in points with a team-leading 12 and will enter the Denver series armed with a Bulldog-best three-game scoring streak as well.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!: After this weekend the Bulldogs won't be back at AMSOIL Arena again until Jan. 19-20, 2018,  when they take on the University of North Dakota.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS: The Bulldogs sport the NCHC's highest-scoring freshmen class at the moment (they are tied for fifth nationally with 39 points) while Denver's juniors lead all of their NCAA I peers in points (69).

TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST: Going back to the 2014-15 season opener, the Bulldogs are 6-3-0 in nine confrontations against No. 1 ranked teams (per the USCHO.com Poll):

POWER SURGE: UMD, which has lost just two of its eight home assignments this season (4-2-2), has connected on 23.1 percent of its power play opportunities (9-of-39) at AMSOIL Arena so far while mustering only a 12.5 percent mark on the road (3-of-24).

BACK IN A NICK OF TIME: After missing the previous six games with an upper body injury, rookie right winger Nick Swaney returned to the Bulldog lineup last Saturday and got UMD on the board with a goal midway through the first period. Swaney tops the 2017-18 Bulldogs in home scoring as seven of his eight points this season have been registered at AMSOIL Arena.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: Denver is the only NCHC opponent UMD has not swept since that league began operations in 2013-14.

GREAT SCOTT!: 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 322-290-84 overall). He and Denver's Jim Montgomery are two of the three NCHC head coaches to do time in the NHL (North Dakota's Brad Berry is the other). Sandelin took part in 25 NHL games with Montreal, Philadelphia and the Minnesota North Stars before calling it quits in 1992 due to nagging injuries while Montgomery's NHL career spanned 121 outings between 1993-2003 with stops in St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Dallas.

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (28), assists (37), points (65) and plus-minus rating (+36), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 137 consecutive appearances is the longest in NCAA I hockey at the moment. Kuhlman is one of 20 candidates for the 2017-18 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to an NCAA I athlete in 10 sports (men's hockey, baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's lacrosse, softball, football, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball) based on achievement in the "Four C's" -- classroom, character, community and competition.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Ten different Bulldogs have scored a power play goal in 2017-18, including freshmen Mikey Anderson and Nick Swaney, who both have a team-leading two.    

GIVING IT HIS BEST SHOT: Sophomore left winger Riley Tufte has put 57 shots on net this year, which ties him for seventh nationally and with Western Michigan's Dawson DiPetro for the NCHC lead.

GIVING IT THEIR BEST SHOT: Denver and UMD rank 2-3 in the country in shot differential with +8.92 and +8.80 per game averages. Denver is second nationally in shots taken (37.25 per game) while UMD is ninth ninth (33.60). In shots allowed, The Bulldogs are third in the NCAA (24.80) and the Pioneers 21st (28.33). UMD has held the upper hand in shots in 12 of its 15 games to date and is 2-1-0 when they've failed to so.

COMING UP EMPTY: After entering the 2017-18 season having gone 66 straight games without being shut out, the Bulldogs have already been held scoreless by the opposition three times this year.

COMING UP EMPTY II: Sophomore Hunter Shepard posted his second career shutout last month (Nov. 10) against Western Michigan (3-0) in just his ninth collegiate start. The only Bulldog to ever record his first two shutouts any quicker was Hunter Miska, who took five starts to do so (and nine starts to get his third) one year ago.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 to host Miami in overtime on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 39-0-3
when taking a lead into the third period. They were 17-0-2 in that situation last season and 6-0-1 thus far in 2017-18.

OH, SHOOT: UMD is 4-3 lifetime in NCHC shootouts, but no current Bulldog has ever participated in this post-overtime event.  UMD went 1-1-2 in NCHC 3-on-3 overtimes one year ago with that one loss coming against Miami on Feb. 24.
 
ROOKIES ON THE RISE: In addition to amassing the fifth-most points in the country, the UMD freshmen class also ranks first nationally in blocked shots (90), second in power play points (18), third in shots (10.27 per game) and third in power play goals (six).

WAIT A SECOND ... : UMD has been outscored 17-7 in the second period this season and has gone five straight games without a goal in that middle frame. The 0.47 goals per game average UMD has managed in the second period ranks last in the NCAA.

NOT SO SWEEP: The Bulldogs have been swept only once in their last 24 regular season series (going back to Feb. 19-20, 2016) and that came earlier this year at St. Cloud State (5-3 and 5-0 on Nov. 3-4). Last winter 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.

BLOCK PARTY: Defenseman Dylan Samberg, one of nine Bulldogs who has seen ice time in all 15 games thus far, has blocked 32 shots this season. That not only leads UMD and the NCHC, but it's second highest total of any NCAA rookie (University of Connecticut's Adam Karashik has been credited with 39 blocks).

WORKING OVERTIME: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last 16 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 7-0-9 since falling 2-1 to North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016 in Grand Forks, N.D. That includes a 1-0-2 in three extra sessions this 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.

GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have allowed just two shorthanded goals in their last 80 games (at St. Cloud State on Nov. 4, 2017 and to Colorado College on Jan. 6, 2017).

GET SHORTIE II: Four weeks ago in St. Cloud (Nov. 3), Kuhlman potted UMD's first shorthanded goal of the season -- giving him three for his career. No other 2017-18 Bulldog has ever scored with a man down as a collegian.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will pay a visit to NCHC rival Omaha on Dec. 8-9 before enjoying their first two off weekends of the 2017-18 seaosn.