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The University of Minnesota Duluth will undertake its final National Collegiate Hockey Conference assignments of 2017 this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 8-9) when the Bulldogs pay a visit to the Omaha, Neb., for a two-game series with the University of Nebraska Omaha. Puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both nights at Baxter Arena (7,898)

THE RECORDS: UMD is 7-8-2 overall and 2-6-0-0 in NCHC play (seventh place) while Omaha sports a 6-7-1 record in all games to go with a 1-5-0-0 NCHC mark (eighth place).

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

	USCHO.com	USA Today
UMD	No. 17	RV
Omaha	RV	RV

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Omaha clashes will be carried live on KDAL-Radio (610 AM and 103.9 FM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play responsibilities. 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 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 will be on the call and each telecast is available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

LAST WEEK: UMD was upended twice by top-ranked Denver in a pair of low-scoring bouts at AMSOIL Arena. The Pioneers blanked the Bulldogs 1-0 on Friday behind Tanner Jaillet's 28-save performance. His counterpart, UMD sophomore goaltender Hunter Shepard was also stellar, making 25 stops and allowing just one second-period goal in the hard-luck loss. The Pioneers completed the series sweep the next night, breaking a 1-1 deadlock with a goal at 15:56 of the third period en route to shading UMD 2-1. Senior left winger Blake Young (8:32 in to the third period) accounted for UMD's lone score on the weekend.

Omaha was also swept by a NCHC rival at home, dropping a 7-4 decision to St. Cloud State University on Friday before falling 5-0 in the series finale 24 hours later.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Omaha will collide for the 28th and 29th times ever this weekend. The Bulldogs hold a 15-9-3 lead in the all-time series, which began on Dec. 5, 1997 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, and were unbeaten against the Mavericks one year ago (3-0-1). That included a pair of triumphs in Omaha (6-4 and 3-2) on Nov. 18-19 and a five-point weekend (5-0 victory and 2-2 tie/shootout win) at AMSOIL Arena on Feb. 3-4.

WELL REPRESENTED, TO SAY THE LEAST: A NCAA-best five Bulldogs -- sophomore wingers Joey Anderson and Riley Tufte and freshmen defensemen Mikey Anderson, Scott Perunovich and Dylan Samberg -- are among the 28 individuals who have been named to the preliminary roster for the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team. That group is auditioning for a spot on the final 23-man roster that will skate for the United States at the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship from Dec. 26, 2017 - Jan. 5, 2018 in Buffalo, N.Y. The final roster is scheduled to be announced on Dec. 23.

One year ago, Joey Anderson became the first Bulldog to win a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships as he and his USA teammates posted a 5-4 shootout-round victory over Canada in the title game at Montreal's Bell Centre.

In all, 15 UMD products have competed in the IIHF World Junior Championships (14 for the U.S. and one for Canada), with Brian Johnson (U.S. in 1984 and 1985) being the only Bulldog to do so twice. Current UMD bench boss Scott Sandelin served as the U.S. head coach in 2005 and as an assistant seven years later. Joey Anderson

GREAT SCOTT!: Saturday night will mark Scott Sandelin's 700th career game as the UMD head coach. The 18 seasons 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 322-292-84 overall). .

SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES: This Friday night will be Bulldog senior center Avery Peterson's first road game against his former collegiate team. Peterson, who transferred to UMD from Omaha in January 2016 and sat out the next two semesters, took his first shift as a Bulldog on Dec. 17, 2016 at Bemidji State. He did face the Mavericks twice when they paid a visit to AMSOIL Arena last winter (Feb. 3-4) and came away with a goal in that two-game series.

NOT SO SWEEP: Last weekend, Denver became the first visiting opponent to sweep the Bulldogs since Dec. 11-12, 2015 when North Dakota posted back-to-back 3-0 victories.

NOT SO SWEEP II: UMD has been swept only twice in their last 25 regular season series overall (going back to Feb. 19-20, 2016) and both of those have come this year -- at St. Cloud State (5-3 and 5-0 on Nov. 3-4) and against Denver this past weekend. 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.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS: The Bulldogs sport the NCHC's highest-scoring freshmen class at the moment (they are tied for eighth nationally with 40 points) while Omaha's lead all of their NCHC peers in points (43) and are also No. 8 in the country in that department.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 13-6 in the opening 20 minutes of play this season and that 0.35 goals against average tops all NCAA I clubs.

BUT WAIT A SECOND: One the other hand, UMD has been outscored 19-7 in the second period thus far and has gone seven straight games without a goal in that middle frame. The Bulldog rank last in the country in second period goals per game average (0.41) while Omaha is first (1.57).

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (28), assists (37), points (65) and plus-minus rating (+34), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 139 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.

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 on four occasions this season (including last night). That's the most times a UMD club has been blanked since the 2007-08 season when the opposition posted a school-record seven shutouts.

PUCK HUNTER: Sophomore Hunter Shepard, a two-time NCHC Goalie of the Week Honoree in 2017-18, has made 12 consecutive starts going back to Oct. 21. In his last five appearance, Hunter is just 2-3-0 despite posting a 1.63 goals against average and a .938 saves percentage while allowing just one power play goal.

Shepard turned in 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.
 
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.

IN NEED OF A POWER SURGE: UMD has connected on just 12.5 percent of its power plays on the road this season (3-of-24) compared with 20.5 (9 of 44) at home. Neither the Bulldogs (0-for-9) nor their opponents (0-for-11) have scored with the man advantage the past four games.

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 61 shots on net this year, which ties him for 14th nationally and with Western Michigan's Dawson DiPetro for the NCHC lead.

GIVING IT THEIR BEST SHOT: UMD currently ranks third nationally in shot differential with +8.65 per game average. It's also third in shots allowed (24.49 per game) and 11th in shots taken (32.94). UMD has held the upper hand in shots in 14 of its 17 games to date and last Saturday night limited Denver to only 15 shots (a 2017-18 single-game UMD low) in a 2-1 setback.

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 eighth-most points in the nation, the UMD freshmen class also ranks first nationally in blocked shots (101), third in power play points (18), third in shots (10.06 per game) and third in power play goals (six).

BLOCK PARTY: Defenseman Dylan Samberg, one of nine Bulldogs who has seen ice time in all 17 games thus far, has blocked 35 shots this season. That not only leads UMD (and is second in the NCHC), but it's second highest total of any NCAA rookie (University of Connecticut's Adam Karashik has been credited with 40 blocks). Samberg, Mikey Anderson (16), Scott Perunovich (15) and Louie Roehl (14) occupy the top four spots on the NCHC blocked shots charts for freshmen.

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 82 games (at St. Cloud State on Nov. 4, 2017 and to Colorado College on Jan. 6, 2017).

GET SHORTIE II: Last month (Nov. 3) at St. Cloud State, Karson 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 have their first weekend off -- in fact two of them -- of the 2017-18 season before returning to the ice to take on Yale University in the opening day of the Ledyard Classic in Hanover, N.H.