The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its second National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff appearance in as many years this Friday (March 17) when the No. 2 seed Bulldogs take on No. 3 seed Western Michigan University in a semifinal round clash. Opening faceoff is set for 4:08 p.m. at the Target Center (16,492) in Minneapolis, Minn. No. 1 seed University of Denver and No. 4 seed University of North Dakota will hook up in the other semifinal with the two winners advancing to Saturday night's championship bout (7:38 p.m.). The third place game is set for 3:38 p.m. that afternoon.

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THE RECORDS: UMD, which is unbeaten in 14 of its last 15 games (11-1-3), is 23-6-7 overall and finished second in the final NCHC standings at 15-5-4-3 while Western Michigan owns a 22-10-5 record in all games and went 13-9-2-1 in league play (third place).
 
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Broncos stacked up in this week's USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls as well as the PairWise rankings.
 

	uscho.com	USA Today	PairWise
UMD	No. 3	No. 3	No. 2
WMU	No. 8	No. 8	No. 4

ON THE AIR: The two UMD clashes this weekend will be carried live on 92.1 FM The Fan with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play responsibilities. The broadcast can also be heard at: network1sports.com/station/kqds.

Both Frozen Faceoff semifinals as well as the champship game wil televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski serving as the on-air talent. Saturday's third place game will available onlyon-line for a fee at: nchc.tv.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Western Michigan have butted heads on 20 occasions previously, including four times earlier this winter (where they went 1-1 in each other's building). The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 12-7-1 and are 8-7-1 against Western Michigan since the two clubs joined the NCHC ranks in 2013-14:

LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff by sweeping Miami in a best-of-three quarterfinal round playoff series at AMSOIL Arena. Freshman left winger Riley Tufte collected a pair of goals -- including the game-tying score with 7:41 to go in the third period that forced overtime -- before senior center Dominic Toninato struck 7:24 into sudden death to propel the Bulldogs to a 5-4 triumph on Friday. Sophomore right winger Parker Mackay (who gave the Bulldogs their only lead of regulation -- one that lasted for a whole 39 seconds early in the first period) and senior Alex Iafallo also tallied for UMD, which outshot the RedHawks 41-22, including 18-7 in the third period. The following evening, the Bulldogs erased a 3-2 third-period deficit by scoring three unanswered goals in a span of five minutes en route to downing Miami 5-3. Iafallo, Toninato, senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk, rookie defenseman Nick Wolff and junior center Jared Thomas all scored in the victory as UMD hiked its unbeaten streak against Miami to 10 games (8-0-2).

With their NCHC quarterfinal round series knotted at 1-1, Western Michigan and the University of Nebraska Omaha needed a decisive third game -- and overtime -- on Sunday to settle things. The Broncos, who fell 2-1 to the visiting Mavericks on Friday only to rebound with a convincing 5-2 triumph 24 hours later, moved on to NCHC Frozen Four tourney by shading Omaha 2-1 in overtime Sunday.

RIGHT ON TARGET: Friday will mark UMD's third visit ever to Target Center. The Bulldogs took part in their first NCHC Frozen Four event one year ago, taking down then-No. 1 (and eventual NCAA champion) North Dakota 4-2 in the semifinals before succumbing 3-1 to St. Cloud State in the title game. UMD outshot the Huskies 34-18 and did hold a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.

YOU DON'T SAY: Western Michigan holds the distinction of being the only team to defeat the Bulldogs twice this season.

HE'S ONE HOT 'DOG: Senior left winger Alex Iafallo will come into Friday afternoon's clash against Western Michigan armed with a nine-game scoring streak. That equals his longest such run as a Bulldog, which he set earlier this year between Oct. 28 and Dec. 9. Iafallo is the first Bulldog in five years to reach the 40-point plateau with the last to do so being Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Jack Connolly, Travis Oleksuk and J.T. Brown during their farewell collegiate seasons.  Iafallo currently tops UMD in overall points (41, which takes a backseat in the NCHC only to Omaha's Austin Ortega and his 47 points) , goals (17) and assists (24). All three of those figures are career highs. Iafallo is also one of 11 league skaters with a hat trick on his 2016-17 resume. In fact, by scoring three times in UMD's 5-2 home win over North Dakota on Oct. 28, 2016, Iafallo became the first Bulldog to record a hat trick since current Tampa Bay Lightning winger J.T. Brown struck for four goals at the University of Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 3, 2012. In last month's 2-1 triumph at Colorado College, Iafallo assisted on UMD's first goal en route to becoming the 57th member of UMD's 100-point club. In 146 lifetime outings, the Eden, N.Y., product has generated 44 goals and 67 assists. He joins Omaha's Austin Ortega (139 points), Miami's Anthony Louis (126 pts.) and Denver's Will Butcher (101 pts.) as the only four current NCHC combatants to reach the century point mark.

PLAYOFF PASTS: UMD and Western Michigan have met once before in the NCHC playoffs and that was in the 2014 quarterfinals in Duluth where the Broncos prevailed 4-3 and 3-2.

THE EIGHT-YEAR ITCH: The Bulldogs' last conference playoff championship conquest of any kind came in 2009 when they won an unprecedented three games in three nights to claim the WCHA Final Five title at St. Paul's Excel Energy Center.

IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR: Both the All-NCHC Teams and the NCHC All-Rookie Team were announced last week and representing UMD was senior left winger Alex Iafallo (All-NCHC first team), sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk (All-NCHC second team) and freshman goaltender Hunter Miska (NCHC All-Rookie Team and All-NCHC second team). Iafallo is the first Bulldog to attain All-NCHC first team status just as he was the first UMD product to make the NCHC All-Rookie Team (2013-14).

... AND SPEAKING OF FIRSTS: For the first time in the four-year existence of the NCHC, the league scoring champion is a Bulldog. Alex Iafallo earned that distinction after he accumulated 11 goals and 19 assists for a NCHC-best 30 points in 24 league games. The senior left winger became the seventh Bulldog to reign as a conference scoring champion with the others being Jack Connolly (2011-12), Junior Lessard (2003-04), Chris Marinucci (1993-94), Derek Plante (1992-93), Bill Watson (1984-85 and 1983-84) and Keith "Huffer" Christiansen (1966-67), all of whom did it while UMD was a member of the WCHA.

TOP 'DOGS: UMD has spent a school-record 11 weeks slotted first in the USCHO.com Poll during the course of the 2016-17 season.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS:  The 2016-17 Bulldogs wound up with program's second-best regular season record -- and fewest regular season losses -- since they joined the NCAA ranks in 1961-62.
No UMD club in the program's 73-year history has gone 36 games while suffering only six losses. The only team to come close to that accomplishment was the 2011-12 Bulldogs, who had six setbacks at the 30-game juncture.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS II: 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).

HOW SWEEP WAS THAT?: UMD also 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.

WHERE SHOTS GO TO DIE: Hunter Miska, the NCHC's Rookie of the Month for both January and February, ranks first among NCHC puckstoppers in overall shutouts (a school-record five), is second in goals against average (2.22), wins (22) and winning percentage (.790 off a 22-4-5 record) and third in saves percentage (.917). The first Bulldog netminder to ever begin his career by going 6-0-0, Miska is also a five-time NCHC Goalie/Rookie of the Week award winner, and will enter this Friday's NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal having made 30 consecutive starts.

BRONCO BUSTERS: Brenden Kotyk (Jan. 16, 2015 in Duluth) registered his first Bulldog goal against Western Michigan while fellow senior defensman Dan Molenaar's initial collegiate point came at the expense of the Broncos (an assist on Dec. 14, 2013). In addition, senior left winger Kyle Osterberg set career bests for both goals (two) and points (four) when UMD and Western Michigan butted heads on Jan. 31, 2014.

NO WALK IN THE PARK: Colorado College (Jan. 6-7 and on Feb. 17-18) and Miami (on Feb. 23-24 and last weekend) are the only opponents UMD has faced this season that, at the time they played the Bulldogs, were not ranked or received votes in the USCHO.com Poll. Then-No. 17 Michigan Tech paid a visit to AMSOIL Arena for the 2016-17 season openers back on Oct. 1-2 while No. 8 UMass Lowell hosted UMD the ensuing weekend. On Oct. 15-16, it was No. 5 Notre Dame's turn to take on UMD in Duluth and No. 1 North Dakota followed suit on Oct. 28-29. UMD then took on No. 8 St. Cloud State, Western Michigan (received votes), and Omaha (received votes) the ensuing three weekends, No. 2 Denver on Dec. 9-10 and No. 15 Bemidji State just before holiday break. St. Cloud State (received votes) came to town on Jan. 13-14 and one week later No. 8 North Dakota hosted UMD. Minnesota (No. 6) and St. Cloud State (received votes) were the Bullldogs' two North Star College Cup opponents and on Feb. 3-4 Omaha (received votes) invaded AMSOIL Arena. UMD wrapped up the regular season at No. 8 Western Michigan on March 3-4.

NO WALK IN THE PARK II: UMD ranked first in the country in regular season strength of schedule after placing second in that department last winter and first in 2014-15.

OH, FOR PETE'S SAKE: Junior center Avery 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 at Bemidji State. In 19 outings, the Grand Rapids, Minn., native has contributed 13 points (seven goals -- including four game winners -- and six assists) to the UMD scoring coffers and is a +9 to boot.

THE COMEBACK KIDS: UMD has trailed the opposition 13 times at the second intermission this season and has suffered only four losses in those outings (4-4-5). The Bulldogs' four comeback wins are the second most in the nation at the moment (Princeton University has five) while their .500 winning percentage in that situation is tops among all 60 NCAA I clubs.

A SENIOR MOMENT: UMD sports the nation's third highest-scoring senior class as that seven-member ensemble has combined to rack up and 136 points on 51 goals and 85 assists -- all NCHC bests.

UMD's 2016-17 senior class is the third largest of Scott Sandelin's 17-season head coaching tenure, bettered only by the 2014-15 (eight) and 2004-05 (11) clubs. That group of graduating Bulldogs, who were freshmen during UMD's first year of competition in the NCHC, includes center and 2016-17 team captain Dominic Toninato, wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg, and defensemen Brenden Kotyk (an assistant team captain), Dan Molenaar, Willie Raskob and Carson Soucy (an assistant team captain).

ROAD, SWEET ROAD: UMD has generated a 12-2-3 record away from AMSOIL Arena in 2016-17 and that .794 road winning percentage is the best in the country while the one loss is the fewest of any NCAA club. The Bulldogs are unbeaten in 19 of their last 23 road assignments, going 16-4-3 since being upended by North Dakota 2-1 on Feb. 20, 2016. The lone setbacks during that run came at the hands of Western Michigan (7-4 on March 4, 2017), Denver (4-3 on Dec. 9, 2016), Boston College (3-2 on March 26 in the NCAA Northeast Regional championship) and St. Cloud State (3-1 on March 19 at the NCHC Frozen Four title game). UMD's all-time best road records (NCAA I-era) are as follows:
 

Year	Record	Win Pct.
1983-84	13-5-0	.722
2010-11	14-5-4	.696
2011-12	11-5-5	.643
1984-85	12-7-1	.625
2003-04	13-8-4	.600
2002-03	11-7-2	.600

iRONMAN KUHLMAN: Junior right winger Karson Kuhlman, who is a team-leading +40 for his career, has hit the ice in all 116 games over the last three seasons -- a claim no other Bulldog can make.

GET SHORTIE: UMD has collected six shorthanded goals this winter, three of which have come at the expense of North Dakota. That includes a school record-tying two in the Bulldogs' 3-0 victory over the Fighting Hawks on Oct. 29. The most recent shortie came at Western Michigan on March 4 off the stick of senior left winger Alex Iafallo -- his second of the year and his career.

GET SHORTIE II: Conversely, the Bulldogs have given up just one shorthanded goal since Dec. 12, 2015 (a run of 59 games) and that was to Colorado College's Sam Rothstein on Jan. 6, 2017.

GOOD LUCK CHARMS: The Bulldogs are 10-0-1 this season when senior left winger Kyle Osterberg has collected a goal and 9-0-3 when senior center Dominic Toninato has scored. They are also a perfect 8-0-0 when senior defenseman Dan Molenaar has generated a point and 5-0-1 when freshman right winger Billy Exell has done so.

POWER OUTAGE: After scoring at least once on the power play in each of their previous eight games prior to last weekend, the Bulldogs went 0-for-9 with the man advantage against Miami.

THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT: The Bulldogs are now unbeaten in the last 11 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 4-0-7 since falling 2-1 to North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016 in Grand Forks, N.D. That includes a 3-0-7 mark this year. Just four active Bulldogs -- senior left wingers Kyle Osterberg (three) and Alex Iafallo (one), junior right winger Karson Kuhlman (one) and senior center Dominic Toninato (one, last Friday night against Miami) -- have a sudden death goal on their collegiate resume. Osterberg, Miami's Josh Melnick, Minnesota's Tyler Sheehy, Union College's Mike Vecchione and Holy Cross's Johnny Coughlin are the only five players in the nation with two overtime goals in 2016-17. This season, UMD has outshot the opposition 43-15 in 10 overtime sessions and those 43 shots as well as the +28 shot margin leads all NCAA I schools.

MAKING A POINT ON THE POINT: Sophomore Neal Pionk, who has set personal bests for goals (seven) and assists (22), is tied for 12th on the NCAA defensemen scoring charts with 29 points. Five of Pionk's seven goals and 14 of his 29 points this year have been registered in the third period.

BLOCK PARTY: UMD has blocked more shots this season (14.19 per game) than any NCHC member and ranks 13th nationally after finishing 54th out of 60 NCAA I squads one year ago (10.9 bpg). Senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk paces the Bulldogs in the blocks department (1.97 a night -- the fourth highest total in the NCHC at the moment).

LENDING A HAND: Right winger and IIHF World Junior Championship gold medalist Joey Anderson currently leads all NCHC rookies in assists with 19 (the ninth highest freshman total in the nation) and is fourth in scoring (28 points). The Roseville, Minn., native and NCHC Rookie of the Month for November has accumulated more of his points in losses this season (five) than any other Bulldog.

FIT TO BE TIED: The Bulldogs' seven ties this season are one shy of the program record set during the 2008-09 season.

HUNGRY LIKE A WOLFF: Nick Wolff not only registered his first collegiate goal in Saturday's 5-3 triumph over Miami, but he also added a pair of assists for his first multi-point night as a Bulldog.

PLENTY LEFT IN THE TANK: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 44-21 in the third period this season and that +23 goal differential ranks second in the country (Notre Dame owns a +24 mark). UMD has also given up the fewest third-period goals (just 0.58 per game) of any NCAA club to date.

NO DOUBTING THOMAS: In UMD's last confrontation with Western Michigan (March 4 in Kalamazoo), junior center Jared Thomas snapped a 69-game goal-less skid that dated back to Oct. 17, 2015. Thomas struck again last Saturday night in the Bulldogs' 5-3 NCHC playoff series-clinching victory over Miami.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling to host Miami 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 30-0-2 when taking a lead into the third period. They were 14-0-0 in that situation last winter and 14-0-2 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 78 of the 80 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 two weeks ago (7-4 on March 3).

HITTING HIS STRIDE: After being held pointless in his first 14 collegiate games, freshman left winger Riley Tufte has accumulated 12 points (seven goals and five assists) in the 17 outings since.

THAT'S A PLUS: Six of the NCHC's top 15 plus-minus leaders are Bulldogs -- senior center Dominic Toninato and junior right winger Karson Kuhlman (both tied for fifth at +19), sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk (tied for eighth at +18), senior left winger Alex Iafallo and senior defenseman Dan Molenaar (tied for 10th at +17) and senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk (15th at +16). Of the 23 Bulldog forwards and defensemen who have taken a shift this season, only junior right winger Blake Young (-2) and sophomore right winger Billy Exell (-1) own a negative plus-minus rating.

JOHNNY ON THE SPOT: Sophomore Adam Johnson is lone 2016-17 Bulldog who has been used at four different positions -- left wing, center, right wing and defense (for one game -- last Friday night against Miami).

BULLDOG BITS: The seven goals (which included two empty netters) Western Michigan rang up in it 7-4 win over the Bulldogs on March 3 were the most allowed by a UMD club since St. Cloud State skated out of AMSOIL Arena with an 8-2 win on Feb. 11, 2011 with an 8-2 victory in tow.

• Of the five NCHC Rookie of the Month citations that have been awarded in 2016-17, three have gone to Bulldogs (goaltender Hunter Miska claimed that honor in February and January and right winger Joey Anderson did likewise in November).

• All three of Willie Raskob's goals this season have come on the power play. He is one of 13 Bulldogs who has scored with the man advantage in 2016-17

•UMD has more senior defensemen (four) on its 2016-17 roster than any other program in the country (It shares that distinction with Princeton University and St. Lawrence University).

• Of the eight NCHC head coaches, only one (Enrico Blasi with 18 seasons) has been at his current school longer than Scott Sandelin (17 years). Two months ago (Jan. 14) in a 4-3 overtime triumph over St. Cloud State, UMD's Scott Sandelin became the 16th active NCAA I coach to reach the 300-win mark. Of all-time Bulldog bench bosses, only Mike Sertich served longer and has rolled up more victories than Sandelin (he closed out his 18-year UMD career in 1999-200 with a 350-328-44 lifetime record).

• Nine different Bulldogs have received some kind of NCHC Player of the Week honor in 2016-17 with rookie goalie Hunter Miska (five) and sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk (four) both being multi-recipients.

• Senior left winger Alex Iafallo has been credited with six of UMD's last 12 empty net goals (dating back to the 2014-15 season) while freshman right winger Joey Anderson has two.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will learn of their NCAA I Tournament fate on Sunday (March 19) when the 16-team field is officially announced at 11 a.m. on ESPNU. UMD has advanced to the NCAA post season play in five of the past eight seasons, including the last two in a row.