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The University of Minnesota Duluth will usher in 2018 this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 12-13) by taking on Colorado College in a two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference road series. The puck drops at 8:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday and 7 p.m. the following night at the Broadmoor World Arena (7,380).

THE RECORDS: UMD is 9-9-3 overall and 3-7-0-0 in NCHC play (tied for seventh place with the University of Nebraska Omaha) while Colorado College sports a 9-8-3 record in all games to go with a 3-5-2-1 NCHC mark (sixth place).

HOW THEY RANK: This is how the Bulldogs and Colorado College stacked up in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
 

	uscho.com	USA Today
UMD	No. 15	No. 15
CC	RV	NR

ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Colorado College 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.

In addition, both ends of this weekend's series will be videostreamed at: nchc.tv/umd


THE RIVALRY: UMD and Colorado College have collided on 188 previous occasions in a rivalry which began on Jan. 4, 1961 at the old Duluth Curling Club. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 97-81-10 but went 1-1-2 against the Tigers one year ago. That included a 2-2 tie and 2-1 loss on Jan. 6-7 at AMSOIL Arena and another 2-2 draw and 2-1 victory one month later (Feb. 17-18) in Colorado Springs, Colo.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs have been idle since capturing the Ledyard Classic championship in Hanover, N.H. just before the New Year. UMD did so by taking down Yale University 5-0 in the opening round on Dec. 29 before skating to a 2-2 overtime deadlock with Dartmouth College the next night and then prevailing 2-1 in the shootout. Goaltender Hunter Shepard was chosen the event's Most Valuable Player after rejecting 70 of 72 shots on the weekend (including 29 in Yale whitewash) and was joined on the All-Tournament team by junior center Peter Krieger (one goal and one assist over the two games) and senior left winger Blake Young (two goals)

ALL HANDS ON DECK: UMD was without nearly a fifth of its 26-member roster at the Ledyard Classic as the quintet of sophomore wingers Joey Anderson and Riley Tufte and freshmen defensemen Mikey Anderson, Scott Perunovich and Dylan Samberg were busy helping the U.S. capture the bronze medal at the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. UMD and Boston University had more representatives (five) compete in that 10-team event than any other NCAA school.

Joey Anderson, who served as the 2018 U.S. team captain -- one year after becoming the first Bulldog to win a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships, placed fourth among his teammates in scoring with seven points (four goals and three assists) in seven tournament games. Samberg was the second top-point producing defenseman on the U.S. squad (one goal and three assists for four points) while Perunovich was next (1-2=3). Tufte generated three points (all assists) and Mikey Anderson had one assist at the tourney.

Joey and Mikey Anderson were just the third set of brothers to represent the U.S. in the same world junior tournament, joining Neal and Aaron Broten (1979) and Chris and Peter Ferraro (1992, 1993).

Prior to this year, the most Bulldogs to ever take part in the same IIHF World Junior Championship was three back in 1982.

ALL HANDS ON DECK II: Joey and Mikey Anderson, Perunovich, Samberg and Tufte have accounted for for 32.6 percent of UMD's goals (19 of 58) , 32.5 percent of its points (50 of 154) and 37.5 percent of its power play scores (6 of 16). They also are a collective +20.

TIGER TAMERS: The Bulldogs have registered more wins at Colorado College's expense (they are 97-81-10 all-time against the Tigers) than any opponent in their 74-year history.

TIGER TAMERS II: UMD has endured just one loss in its last 13 bouts with the Tigers (9-1-3)and is 4-0-1 at the Broadmoor World Arena since falling 3-1 to the Tigers in its first-ever NCHC assignment on Oct. 18, 2013.

GREAT SCOTT!: Scott Perunovich, the NCHC Rookie of the Month for November, currently leads all NCAA freshmen defenseman in scoring with a 0.85 points per game average. The Hibbing, Minn.,product tops the 2017-18 Bulldogs in scoring (16 points), assists (12) and plus-minus rating (+10).

BIG ICE IS NICE: In their last 16 assignments on Olympic-sized ice sheets (200' x 100'), the Bulldogs are 12-3-1. During that stretch UMD is 3-0-1 at Colorado College, 2-0 at the University of Minnesota, 6-2 at St. Cloud State and 1-1 at Northern Michigan University.

PUCK HUNTER: Sophomore Hunter Shepard, a three-time NCHC Goalie of the Week Honoree in 2017-18, has received the starting nod in 16 consecutive games going back to Oct. 21. Shepard posted his NCHC-leading third shutout of the season in the Ledyard Classic opener against Yale (5-0 on Dec. 29) and the following night in a 2-2 overtime draw with Dartmouth, he racked up 41 saves (the most by a Bulldog since Kasimir Kaskisuo's 49 stops in a 4-1 triumph at St. Cloud State on Feb. 26, 2016).

FOR PETE'S SAKE: Junior Peter Krieger, who is debuting with the Bulldogs this season after transferring from the University of Alaska Fairbanks one year ago and sitting out all of 2016-17, will bring a UMD season-high four-game scoring streak into Friday's night's bout at Colorado College.

FOR PETE'S SAKE II: Senior center Avery Peterson, who transferred to the UMD program from the University of Nebraska Omaha in January 2016 and became eligible to play the following December, collected his first Bulldog goal at Colorado College on Jan. 6, 2017.

THE LIFE OF RILEY: On the same night Avery Peterson was scoring his first goal in a Bulldog uniform (Jan. 6, 2017 in Colorado Springs), then freshman left winger Riley Tufte was collecting his first collegiate point (an assist), which out the skids on a 14-game scoring drought.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 19-11 in the opening period of play this season and that 0.52 goals against average ranks seventh among all NCAA I clubs. UMD has held the opposition scoreless during the first 20 minutes of play in 15 of its 21 outings to date.

FIRST THINGS FIRST II: UMD has struck for the game's first goal on 14 occasions this season, a number betttered by only two other NCAA I clubs -- the University of Notre Dame (17 times) and Minnesota State (15 times).

BUT WAIT A SECOND: One the other hand, UMD has been outscored 24-14 in the second period thus far. far. The Bulldogs' second-period goal differential (-10)is the seventh lowest in the country at the moment.

ROAD WARRIORS: Rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich is the lone Bulldog who is averaging at least a point a game or better away from AMSOIL Arena (10 points in nine outings). Senior center Jared Thomas and senior right winger Karson Kuhlman each have four goals on the season and all four from both have come on the road.

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (30), assists (38), points (68) and plus-minus rating (+35), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 143 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 different sports based on achievement in the "Four C's" -- classroom, character, community and competition.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last 17 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 7-0-10 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.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: One dozen different Bulldogs have scored a power play goal in 2017-18, including freshmen Mikey Anderson and Nick Swaney (who is out with an injury this weekend), sophomore Joey Anderson, and junior Parker Mackay, who all have a Bulldog-best two.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 to host Miami in overtime on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 41-0-3 when taking a lead into the third period. They were 17-0-2 in that situation last season and 8-0-1 thus far in 2017-18.

GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have allowed just two shorthanded goals in their last 86 games (at St. Cloud State on Nov. 4, 2017 and Colorado College on Jan. 6, 2017 in Duluth).

GET SHORTIE II: Earlier this year (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.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS: The Bulldogs sport the NCHC's highest-scoring freshmen class at the moment as that ensemble has collectively amassed 54 points on 11 goals and 43 assists.

AT THE HEAD OF THEIR CLASS II: In addition to amassing the seventh-most points in the country, the UMD freshmen class also ranks first nationally in blocked shots (117), third in power play points (23), fourth in shots (10.19 per game) and fifth in power play goals (six).

OH, SHOOT(OUT): UMD is 4-3 lifetime in NCHC shootouts, but no current Bulldog has ever participated in this post-overtime event.

BLOCK PARTY: Defenseman Dylan Samberg has blocked 36 shots this season. That not only leads UMD (and is fourth overall in the NCHC), but it's fourth highest total of any NCAA rookie.

NOT SO SWEEP: UMD has been swept only twice in their last 26 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 (1-0 and 2-1 on Dec. 1-2). 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.

UP NEXT: UMD will return to AMSOIL Arena on Jan. 19-20 to host NCHC rival North Dakota in its first home appearance in seven weeks.