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After having last weekend off, the University of Minnesota Duluth returns to the ice this Friday (Feb. 16) to open up a two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series with Miami University. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.

THE RECORDS: UMD is 14-13-3 overall and 8-10-0-0 in NCHC play (fifth place) while Miami sports a 10-15-3 record in all games to go with an 5-11-2-0 NCHC mark (eighth place).

HOW THEY RANK: This is how the Bulldogs and RedHawks 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. 11	No. 12	No. 9(t)
Miami	NR	NR	No. 26(t)

 
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Miami 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. 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 -- Friday on FSN Plus and Saturday on My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9), 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 both nights. The two telecasts are available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Miami have butted heads on 19 occasions previously. The Bulldogs hold a commanding 13-4-2 lead in the all-time series, which started at the 2009 NCAA West Regional title game in Minneapolis. Earlier this season (Nov. 17-18) in Oxford, Ohio, the two clubs wins with the Bulldog prevailing 3-1 on in the series opener before suffering a 3-2 setback the following evening.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs have been idle since being upended twice (1-0 and 4-3) at Denver on Feb. 2-3.

HAWKISH ON THE REDHAWKS: UMD is unbeaten in 13 of its last 15 meetings with Miami (11-2-2) and, prior to Nov. 18, 2017, had gone 11 straight games without losing to the RedHawks (9-0-2).

HAWKISH ON THE REDHAWKS II: UMD head coach Scott Sandelin's lifetime winning percentage versus Miami (.737 off a 13-4-2 record) is his best against any NCHC foe.

HAWKISH ON THE REDHAWKS III: Of sophomore defenseman Nick Wolff's 21 career points, exactly one-third have come at the expense of Miami. Those seven points include two goals and five assists in six games. He is also a +7 lifetime against the RedHawks.

YOU'RE KILLING ME: UMD's opponents are just 2-for-38 with the man advantage over the past eight games (5.3 percent) and have been held scoreless on their last 30 power play opportunities. North Dakota's Trevor Olson was the last player to strike on the power play against the Bulldogs, doing so in the first period of a 5-3 UMD home triumph on Jan. 19. Six days earlier (prior to their series finale bout at Colorado College), the Bulldogs ranked 52nd out of 60 NCAA I schools in penalty kill percentage at 77.2. They''ll come into this weekend with the seventh best mark in the country (86.2 percent).

SOME TOUGH SLEDDING: Miami has enjoyed the least amount of lifetime success at AMSOIL Arena (winning just once in ten tries --  1-8-1) of any NCHC member.  (25 -- the highest total of any first-year defenseman in the country) and is tied for sixth in assists (18).

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 in overtime at Miami on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 47-0-3 when taking a lead into the third period. They were 17-0-2 in that situation last year and are 13-0-1 thus far in 2017-18. On the flip side, UMD is a mere 1-14-3 when it hasn't held a lead at the second intermission this season.

PUCK HUNTER: Sophomore Hunter Shepard, a three-time NCHC Goalie of the Week Honoree in 2017-18, has now made 25 straight starts going back to Oct. 21. The former North American Hockey League Goaltender of the Year (2015-16) currently ranks first among NCHC puckstoppers in overall appearances (27), is second both victories (14) and shutouts (four) and fourth in saves percentage (.915). His 14-12-1 record is a bit deceiving in that in three of his losses he has allowed just one goal.

MORE POWER TO THEM: After cashing in on 13 of 24 power play opportunities (a sizzling 54.1 percent) during a six- game stretch from Dec. 29 to Jan. 20, the Bulldogs are 0-for-11 in the five outings since

MORE POWER TO THEM II: The Bulldogs have struck for two or more goals seven times this season. They are 6-0-1 in those seven games and, going back to Dec. 4, 2015, are 14-0-2 when striking multiple times with the man advantage.

MORE POWER TO THEM III: Some 14 different Bulldogs have scored a power play goal in 2017-18, including junior right winger Parker Mackay, who has a UMD-leading (and career-high) four.

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (33), assists (39), points (72) and plus-minus rating (+37), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 152 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.

SOME CLOSE SHAVES: Each of the last nine matchups between UMD and Miami have been decided by two goals or less.

OH, FOR PETE'S SAKE: Junior center 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, is currently tied for the NCAA lead in game-winning goals with five. That's still four shy of the program single-season record of nine set by Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Chris Marinucci in 1992-93.

ROOKIES ON THE RISE: The Bulldogs sport the NCHC's highest-scoring freshmen class at the moment as that ensemble has collectively amassed 84 points on 19 goals and 65 assists. Tied for the No. 2 spot on that list is Miami with 23 goals and 36 assists for 59 points.

ROOKIES ON THE RISE II: In addition to amassing the fifth most points in the country, the UMD rookie class also ranks second nationally in blocked shots (5.67 per game),third in power play points (30) and fourth in both shots (9.53 per game) and power play goals (nine).

A LITTLE LONG IN THE TOOTH: The 18 seasons Scott Sandelin has presided over the UMD puck program is the second longest tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blasi 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.

LIFE OF RILEY: Sophomore left winger Riley Tufte, the only 2017-18 Bulldog to reach the double-digit mark for goals this season (13), has generated 12 points (seven goals and five assists) over his last 10 games.

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 six occasions this season. 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.

BLOCK PARTY: Defenseman Dylan Samberg has blocked 50 shots this season. That not only leads UMD but it's the sixth highest total of any NCAA rookie.

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 1-0-3 in four 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.

HITTING HIS STRIDE: After managing just two goals and three assists in his first 11 appearances of the season, Joey Anderson, a 2016-17 NCHC All-Rookie Team pick, has amassed 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in his 11 games since.

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

FIRST THINGS FIRST: UMD is 12-5-0 when it has scored first this season and just 2-8-3 when it hasn't done so.

FIRST THINGS FIRST II: The Bulldogs have scored the ninth-most first period goals (31) in the nation this season and their +11 goal differential ranks fourth among all NCAA schools.

MAKING HIMSELF FEEL RIGHT AT HOME: Sophomore right winger Joey Anderson and freshman right winger Nick Swaney have each generated a team-leading 12 points at home this season.

GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have allowed just three shorthanded goals in their last 95 games (at Denver on Feb. 3, 2018 at Denver, at St. Cloud State on Nov. 4, 2017 and versus Colorado College on Jan. 6, 2017 in Duluth).

GET SHORTIE II: Senior right winger Karson Kuhlman (four, including two this year) and junior right winger Parker Mackay (one) are the only two 2017-18 Bulldogs who have ever scored while a man down as a collegian.

NOT SO SWEEP: UMD has been swept only three times in their last 30 regular season series overall (going back to Feb. 19-20, 2016) and all three 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 and 1-0 and 4-3 on Feb. 2-3). 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.

JUST ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD: The Bulldogs in Kalamazoo, Mich., next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 23-24) to take on Western Michigan University in their final two road assignments of the 2017-18 regular season.