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With the 2017-18 regular season now in the rearview mirror, the University of Minnesota Duluth will shift its focus to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs and a best-of-three quarterfinal round series against Western Michigan University. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and, if necessary, Sunday at AMSOIL Arena (6,756) in downtown Duluth.

THE RECORDS: Unbeaten in five of its last six games (5-0-1), UMD is 19-14-3 overall and finished third in the final NCHC standings at 13-11-0-0 while Western Michigan sports a 15-17-2 record in all games and went 10-13-1-0 in league play (tied for fifth place with Colorado College and the University of Nebraska-Omaha).

HOW THEY RANK: This 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. 8	No. 9	No. 9
WMU	RV	NR	No. 20

ON THE AIR: The entire UMD-Western Michigan playoff series 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.

The opening two games of the weekend will also be televised locally on KBJR-TV with My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) airing the possible Sunday matchup KBJR-TV sports director Zach Schneider and former UMD standout forward Judd Medak will serve as the on-air talent. All of the telecasts are available on-line for a fee at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Western Michigan have butted heads on 25 occasions previously, including four times during the regular season in which the Bulldogs went 3-1-0 against the Broncos. That includes a series sweep three weekends ago (Feb. 23-24) in Kalamazoo, Mich., where UMD won 8-0 and 6-1. Back on Nov. 10-11, 2017 at AMSOIL Arena, the two clubs traded shutout wins. UMD made its 2017-18 NCHC home debut by taking down Western Michigan 3-0 in the opener only to have the Broncos turn the tables with a shutout victory off their own (5-0) one night later.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 16-8-1 and are 12-8-1 against Western Michigan since the two clubs joined the NCHC ranks in 2013-14:

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs closed the books on the 2017-18 regular season by upending Omaha 4-1 on Saturday -- just one night after the visiting Mavericks had prevailed by that same score. Sophomore right winger Joey Anderson, who accounted for the lone goal in the series opener, scored twice in the regular season finale. Freshman defenseman Scott Perunovich also had a two-point evening (one goal and one assists) for the Bulldogs, who outshot Omaha 39-19.

PLAYOFF PASTS: The Bulldogs and Broncos have met three times in the NCHC playoffs -- in the semifinal round of the 2017 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (a 5-2 Bulldog win) and in a quarterfinal series during the league's inaugural season in 2014. (Western Michigan swept the host Bulldogs, 4-3 and 3-2, in that one).

PLAYOFF PASTS II: UMD has secured a home playoff berth for the fourth time in the five-year existence of the NCHC (with the lone exception being in 2015).

FROZEN IN TIME: One year ago, the Bulldogs captured their first NCHC Frozen Faceoff title -- and their first conference playoff title of any kind since the 2008-09 season when they were members of the WCHA.

END OF THE LINE: This weekend will mark the final home appearances ever for the Bulldogs' six seniors. That group, who are on track be part of a program-best four straight NCAA Tournament qualifiers, includes right winger and 2017-18 team captain Karson Kuhlman, defenseman Nick McCormack, left winger Avery Peterson and Blake Young, and centers Jared Thomas and Sammy Spurrell. This season, UMD's senior class has been credited with 59 points (30 goals and 29 assists), the second highest figure in the NCHC.

GREAT SCOTT!: Earlier this week, Scott Perunovich received All-NCHC first team honors -- and in the process became just the second all-conference first teamer the UMD program has ever produced (center Murray Keogan was the other -- in 1969-70 when the Bulldogs belonged in the WCHA). Perunovich, a member of the 2017-18 NCHC All-Rookie Team, currently ranks fifth among all NCAA freshmen in points (31 -- the highest total of any first-year defenseman in the country), first in plus-minus rating (+17) and fourth in assists (22). His team-leading 31 points are just two shy of the UMD single-season record for a rookie blueliner, which was set by Justin Faulk in 2010-11.

NO WALK IN THE PARK: UMD ranked third in regular season strength of schedule after placing first in that department last winter, second in 2015-16 and first in both 2014-15 and 2013-14.

PUCK HUNTER: Among NCAA goaltenders, 2017-18 All-NCHC second team honoree Hunter Shepard, is third in shutouts (a school-record six), tied for fifth in wins (19), and 11th in both in saves percentage (.923) and goals against average (.2.04). His 19-12-1 record is a bit deceiving in that in three of his losses he's allowed just one goal. Shepard, who has now made 31 consecutive starts, posted his first career home shutout on Nov. 10, 2017 when the Bulldogs took down Western Michigan 3-0. Three weeks ago (Feb. 23), he blanked the Broncos 8-0 in Kalamazoo for his third straight shutout (equalling a school record) while also collecting his first collegiate assist. The following night he gave up his first goal in 222:00 of play in a 6-1 victory.

PUCK HUNTER II: In 15 home appearances this season, Hunter Shepard has registered a 1.75 goals against and has allowed more than three goals only once (to Western Michigan in a 5-0 setback on Nov. 11).

YOU'RE KILLING ME: UMD's opponents are a mere 2-for-50 on the power play over the past 12 outings (4.0 percent). On Jan. 20 (prior to their series finale with North Dakota), the Bulldogs ranked 51st out of 60 NCAA I schools in penalty kill percentage at 77.9 percent. They'll come into this weekend owning the 12th best mark in the country (83.8 percent).

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: When the Bulldogs and Western Michigan collided last month (Feb. 23), senior team captain Karson Kuhlman became just the second Bulldog since Feb. 12, 2012 to post a hat trick (Alex Iafallo accomplished that feat one year ago). Kuhlman leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (37), assists (39), points (76) and plus-minus rating (+38), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 158 consecutive appearances is the longest in NCAA I hockey at the moment -- and six games shy of the program record set by Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Jack Connolly between 2008-12. Kuhlman is one of 10 finalists 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.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 in overtime at Miami on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 51-0-3 when taking a lead into the third period. They are 18-0-1 in that situation this year and were 17-0-2 last winter. On the flip side, UMD is a mere 1-14-2 when it hasn't held a lead at the second intermission this season. That one win, incidentally, came in the 2017-18 opener against Minnesota, which was up on the Bulldogs 2-1 after two periods before falling 4-3.

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 second among all NCAA combatants in game-winning goals with five.

MORE POWER TO THEM: After going just 1-18 on the power play in their previous seven outings, the Bulldogs cashed in on six of their 18 opportunities with the man advantage the past two weekends.

MORE POWER TO THEM II: The Bulldogs are scoring at a 24.1 percent clip on the power play this season -- a figure bettered by only five other NCAA clubs.

MORE POWER TO THEM III: Some 16 different Bulldogs have scored a power play goal in 2017-18, including junior right winger Parker Mackay (who has been sidelined with an injury the past seven games), sophomore right winger Joey Anderson and sophomore left winger Riley Tufte, who each have a team-leading four (a career high for all three).

MORE POWER TO THEM IV: The Bulldogs have struck for two or more power play goals 10 times this season, including last night. They are 9-0-1 in those 10 games and, going back to Dec. 4, 2015, are 17-0-2 when striking multiple times with the man advantage

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 18 points (eight goals and 10 assists) in his 17 games since.

... AND MAKING HIMSELF FEEL RIGHT AT HOME: Seventeen of Joey Anderson's 23 points (73.9 percent) this winter have been generated at AMSOIL Arena. He ranks first among his 2017-18 Bulldog teammates in home scoring with those 17 points while rookie right winger Nick Swaney is next with 14 (or 70 percent of his total scoring harvest of 20 points).

FIT TO BE TIED: For just the second time since the 1989-90 season -- and first time in 18 years, the Bulldogs (13-11-0) went through their entire conference schedule without incurring at least one tie.

LIFE OF RILEY: Sophomore left winger Riley Tufte,who tops the Bulldogs in goals with a career-high 15, has rolled up a team-leading 16 points (seven goals and nine assists) in 15 games since New Year's. He'll come into this weekend possessing a personal-best four-game scoring streak.

COMING UP EMPTY: The Bulldogs have posted seven shutouts this season, which is the most in program history (and two more than the previous record). Two of those have come at the expense of Western Michigan.

COMING UP EMPTY II: On the flip side, after entering the 2017-18 season having gone 66 straight games without being shut out, the Bulldogs have been held scoreless by the opposition on six occasions this year. That gives them a share (with the 2007-08 club) of the team record for most times shut out in a single season.

BLOCK PARTY: Defenseman Dylan Samberg, who collected his lone collegiate goal to date the last time Western Michigan and UMD collided (Feb. 24 in Kalamzoo), has blocked 59 shots this season. That not only leads UMD but it's the third 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.

BRONCO BUSTER: Exactly one third of rookie left winger Kobe Roth's career points (three of nine) have been registered against Western Michigan.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: UMD is 16-7-0 when it has scored first this season and just 3-7-3 when it hasn't done so.

FIRST THINGS FIRST II: No team in the country has drawn first blood on more occasions (23) than UMD. The Bulldogs share that top spot nationally with Bowling Green State University, Minnesota State University-Mankato, and the University of Notre Dame.

FIRST THINGS FIRST III: The Bulldogs have amassed the eighth-most first-period goals (38) in the nation this season and their +16 goal differential during that period ranks second among all NCAA schools.

MILLER TIME: Despite missing a game during that month, Jade Miller still finished as the Bulldogs' top scorer in February. While taking shifts in five outings, the sophomore center generated six points (one goal and five assists) -- which is more than half of his entire lifetime scoring harvest (11 points).

GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have allowed just three shorthanded goals in their last 101 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.

ROOKIES ON THE RISE: The Bulldogs continue to sport the NCHC's highest-scoring freshmen class as that ensemble has collectively amassed 110 points on 25 goals and 85 assists. In terms of sophomores, no team in the NCHC has outscored Western Michigan this season (146 points).

ROOKIES ON THE RISE II: In addition to amassing the fourth most points in the country, the UMD rookie class also ranks second nationally in blocked shots (5.58 per game), third in power play points (40) and power play goals (12) and fourth in shots (9.69 per game)

TO THE WINNERS ... : The four, first-round playoff series winners will advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, which is set for March 16-17 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.