The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its final home appearances of 2018 this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) when the Bulldogs host the University of North Dakota in a two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. (CT) both nights at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.

THE RECORDS: The defending NCAA champion Bulldogs,who have won nine of their last 10 assignments, are 9-2-1 overall and 3-1-0-0 in NCHC play while North Dakota sports a 7-5-1 record in all games to go with a 1-3-0-0 NCHC mark.

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

	USCHO.com	USA Today
UMD	No. 2	No. 2
UND	No. 15	No. 15

ON THE AIR: The two Bulldog-Fighting Hawk clashes this weekend will be carried on KDAL-Radio (610 AM and 103.9 FM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play responsibilities and UMD hockey alumnus Kraig Karakas the color commentary. The broadcast can also be heard at: kdal610.com.

This weekend's series will be televised on FSN Plus and TSN (Friday) and My9 (Saturday), which has been the Bulldogs' television home for the last 11 seasons. Zach Schneider and former UMD standout forward Judd Medak will serve as the on-air talent both nights. The two telecasts are available on-line at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD will meet for the 240th time on Friday night. North Dakota holds a 145-85-9 lead in the all-time series, which began on Nov. 26, 1954 at the old Duluth Curling Club, and went 1-2-0 against the Bulldogs one year ago with that lone victory coming in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff third place game (4-1 on March 17 in St. Paul, Minn.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs have been idle since trading wins with Denver in a two-game NCHC road series on Nov. 16-17. The Pioneers, despite being outshot 38-14, prevailed 2-0 in the opener before UMD rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory the following night. In the rematch, the Bulldogs trailed the Pioneers 3-0 in the third period only to strike for three unanswered goals (by sophomore right winger Nick Swaney, senior left winger Billy Exell and sophomore defenseman Scott Perunovich) in the final 13:04 of regulation. Rookie defenseman Cole Koepke sealed the comeback triumph by scoring just 52 seconds into the extra session. Perunovich and Swaney both turned in two-point nights while junior goaltender Hunter Shepard made 26 saves.

North Dakota swept one-time WCHA rival Alaska-Anchorage, winning 5-2 and 4-3 this past Friday and Saturday evening in Grand Forks, N.D. In the rematch, North Dakota erased a 3-1 second intermission deficit by scoring three unanswered third-period goals.

FAMILIAR FOES, INDEED: The Bulldogs have faced North Dakota on more occasions (239) than any other opponent in their 75-year history. Minnesota (233) is next on that list followed by Michigan Tech (232).

HUMMING AT HOME: The UMD owns an eight-game home unbeaten streak, having gone 7-0-1 since a 4-1 setback to Omaha on March 2, 2018.

FAST START: This year marks just the fifth time in the NCAA I era of Bulldog hockey (1961-62 to present) that UMD has amassed nine or more wins in its opening 12 games of the season. The others were in 2010-11 (9-2-1), 1989-90 (10-2-0), 1985-86 (9-3-0) and 1982-83 (9-2-1).

GREAT SCOTT!: Sophomore All-American Scott Perunovich will come into the weekend with an NCAA-best 14 assists to his credit. He's also tied for 10th nationally in scoring with 15 points (a figure bettered by only one other NCAA I blueliner - Harvard University's Adam Fox with 17 points).

Last winter, Perunovich became just the second UMD freshman to ever collar All-American first team honors last year (center Murray Keogan was the other in 1969-70) and was the recipient of the 2017-18 Tim Taylor Award (Hockey Commissioner's Association National Rookie of the Year) as well as both NCHC Rookie of the Year and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year honors (both UMD program firsts). The Hibbing, Minn., product and All-NCHC first team pick also became the second defenseman to ever lead UMD in scoring and the first rookie to do so in 15 years. He racked up 36 points (a record for a first-year Bulldog blueliner and the most of any freshman defenseman in the country) on 11 goals and a team-leading 25 assists in 42 games. Among NCAA newcomers, Perunovich ranked first in plus-minus rating (+22) and third in both points and assists.

POWER SURGE: UMD has struck on the power play at least once in nine of its 12 games to date and is connecting at 23.3 percent with the man advantage -- the 11th best average in the country. On the flip side, UMD's penalty kill (.884) ranks fourth among all NCAA I clubs at the moment.

POWER SURGE II: The Bulldogs' 10 power play goals to date have been generated by six different players, including junior left winger Riley Tufte, who has a NCHC-leading four tallies.

POWER SURGE III: Going back to Dec. 4, 2015, UMD is 18-1-2 when scoring multiple times with the man advantage. That lone loss came earlier this year (Oct. 7) at Minnesota when UMD went 2-for-5 with the man advantage in a 7-4 home victory.

THEY'VE HAD THEIR NUMBER: The Bulldogs had reeled off a program-best eight consecutive wins over North Dakota before being taken down by the Fighting Hawks at last March's NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

LIFE OF RILEY: Riley Tufte, one of seven NHL draftees on the UMD 2018-19 roster and one of just four first-round picks in program history, tops all current Bulldogs in career goals (29) and power play scores (10).

LIFE OF RILEY II: Of Riley Tufte's 29 career goals, six (or 20.6 percent) have come at the expense of North Dakota. He's generated those in eight career appearances against the Fighting Hawks.

BONUS HOCKEY HAS BEEN A BONUS: UMD is unbeaten in the last 20 games that have gone into overtime, going 9-0-11 since falling 2-1 to host North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016. Just two current Bulldogs -- senior Parker Mackay and rookie left winger Cole Koepke -- have an overtime goal as a collegian. Mackay has two, striking in the 2017-18 season opener against Minnesota and in the 2018 NCAA West Regional semifinals versus Minnesota State. Koepke did his damage in UMD's 4-3 win at Denver on Nov. 17.

PUCK HUNTER: Hunter Shepard, who is currently tied with Alex Stalock for the top spot on UMD's all-time list for shutouts with nine (including one this season), has now made 51 consecutive starts -- an ironman run that began on Oct. 21, 2017. The 2017-18 All-NCHC second team selection and semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award (most outstanding NCAA goaltender), came into 2017-18 with just two collegiate appearances to his name, finished the year with a 1.91 goals against average, a .925 saves percentage and eight shutouts (all program single-season bests) while going 25-14-1 in 41 outings.

GIVING IT THEIR BEST SHOT: The Bulldogs are averaging 37.33 shots per game to trail only Penn State University (41.69 spg) among NCAA I schools. UMD's shot differential (+15.42) is tops in the country while its 21.92 shots allowed per game average ranks second nationally (behind North Dakota's 21.23 mark).

BETTER THAN BEFORE: Sophomore center Justin Richards is the first 2018-19 UMD veteran to set a career best for scoring this season. Richards, who has skated in all 56 games since joining the Bulldog program last fall, ranks third on the team scoring charts with 11 points, which is two more than he collected all of last winter.

THE EARLY GOAL GETS THE WIN: The Bullldogs are a perfect 8-0 when they've drawn first blood this season. UMD has now won 13 straight games in which it has gotten on the scoreboard first, a run that began on March 9, 2018 versus visiting Western Michigan.

BACK IN THE DAY: UMD bench boss Scott Sandelin and Fighting Hawks' head coach Brad Berry were teammates -- and fellow defensemen -- at North Dakota for three seasons (1983-86). Those two are the only NCHC head coaches to do time in the National Hockey League. Bulldog associate head coach Jason Herter is also a former North Dakota blueliner (1988-91).

MAKING HIS POINT: Senior team captain Parker Mackay has marked in the points column in nine of the 12 games to date -- a claim no other Bulldog can make.

HOW SWEEP WAS THAT?: Prior to heading to Denver, UMD had swept four consecutive series, equaling a regular season program record held by 2003-04, 1989-90 and 1984-85 clubs. The 1984-85 Bulldogs posted sweeps in their final four regular season series before winning two straight from Michigan Tech in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs.

YOUTH IS BEING SERVED: UMD sports the 4th highest scoring sophomore class in the country (53 points on 15 goals and 38 assists) while the Bulldog rookies rank 4th among NCHC members(21 points).

A PLUSS FOR WOLFF: Junior defenseman and assistant team captain Nick Wolff, who has taken shifts in a team-high 85 straight games, is a +14 on the year -- the second best mark in the country at the moment.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 at Denver in the NCHC playoff opener on March 13, 2015, the Bulldogs are 62-0-3 when taking a lead into the third period. (They were 23-0-1 in that situation one year ago and are 7-0-0 this season).

WE'LL SECOND THAT: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 20-9 in the second period this season. Those 20 second-period goals are third most among all NCAA teams.

"X " MARKS THE SPOT: Senior right winger and assistant team captain Billy Exell skated in his 100th career game in UMD's last outing (at Denver on Nov. 17).

SOME CLOSE SHAVES: Going back to the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs have won each of their last eight one-goal games.

GET SHORTIE: Sophomore right winger Nick Swaney's shorthanded goal on Oct. 26 at Notre Dame was the first of his career and the first by a Bulldog since March 17, 2018 (current sophomore defenseman Mikey Anderson vs. North Dakota in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals). Anderson, Swaney and Parker Mackay are the lone three Bulldogs with a shortie to their collegiate credit (one each).

TOP 'DOGS: UMD has sat atop the USCHO.com Poll on four occasions this season and its three -week stay at the No. 1 position (Oct. 29-Nov. 12)was the program's longest since a cobbling together another three-week run between Jan. 30-Feb. 13, 2017.

QUITE THE COMEBACK: UMD's 4-3 overtime takedown of Denver on Nov. 17 marked the first time a Bulldog club had overcome a three-goal deficit to win since Feb. 21, 2004 (5-3 over host Colorado College, which had jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead). It also was the first time the Bulldogs had won after trailing by three goals in the third period since they turned that trick on Minnesota in the opening round of the 1998 WCHA playoffs in Duluth (The Gophers led 4-0 with 13:46 remaining in regulation only to fall 5-4 in overtime).

THREE'S A CHARM: UMD is 2-3-2 in seven lifetime 3-on-3 NCHC overtimes. The Bulldogs' last 3-on-3 overtime was contested against Miami on Feb. 24, 2017 in Duluth (where the RedHawks prevailed).

OH SHOOT(OUT)!: The Bulldogs are 4-3 lifetime in NCHC shootouts, but haven't competed in one since Feb. 18, 2017 (when they won 1-0 at Colorado College). No current Bulldog has ever participated in that post- overtime event.

MY, HOW TIME FLIES: This marks Scott Sandelin's 19th season of presiding over the Bulldog hockey program, making him the longest-serving bench boss in team history (UMD Athletic Hall of Famer Mike Sertich spent 18 years -- 1982-2000 -- in that role). Sandelin, whose tenure is also the second longest of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blassi is in his 20th year at Miami), currently ranks 11th among all active NCAA I coaches in career victories. He's 349-302-86 overall and now needs one more win to tie Sertich (350-328-44), UMD's all-time leader in that department.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY: The 2018-19 Bulldog roster includes only three seniors -- right wingers Billy Exell and Parker Mackay and center Peter Krieger, who transferred to UMD two years ago from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. That's UMD's smallest senior class since it moved to the NCAA I ranks in 1961-62. It also ties the Bulldogs for the NCAA I lead with nine other schools,: American International College, Boston University, Clarkson University, the University of Connecticut, Denver, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, St. Lawrence University and the University of Vermont.

UP NEXT: UMD will hit the road for a two-game set at Western Michigan on Dec. 7-8.  The Bulldogs were 5-1-0 against Broncos one year ago and shut them out four times in the process.