FACEOFF The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey program continues its homestand at AMSOIL Arena as the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs welcome in-state rival and No. 1-ranked Minnesota State to Duluth for the weekend. Opening puck drop each night is set for 7:07 p.m. broadcasting live on My9 Sports Network and KDAL 610 AM/103.9 FM and online at nchc.tv/umd.

LAST TIME OUT UMD completed a series sweep of National Collegiate Hockey Conference rival Colorado College, achieving the team's second shutout of the season as senior Hunter Shepard and the Bulldogs blanked the Tigers 5-0. The Bulldogs took advantage of the man advantage all weekend long, finishing 6-for-10 on power play attempts. Scott Perunovich totaled seven assists on UMD's nine goals during the weekend, while Noah Cates had five points on two goals and three helpers.

BULLDOGS IN THE POLLS UMD ascended one spot in each of the major national polls this week, rising to No. 8 in the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO.com) Division I Men's poll and No. 9 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have cracked every USCHO.com weekly poll since March 7, 2017.

MORE FOR THE MANTLE Goaltender Hunter Shepard and defenseman Scott Perunovich each earned their respective third Bauer/NCHC Player of the Week honor this season on Nov. 25. Shepard earned the second NCHC Defenseman of the Week nod in as many weeks, leading the conference's blue liners with his seven points (each an assist), while Shepard now has three NCHC Goalie of the Week honors in five weeks after stopping 47-of-50 shots on the weekend (.940) to the tune of a 1.51 GAA.

THE RIVALRY UMD has owned the edge in the 22-year history of the all-time series against Minnesota State, 30-19-6 dating back to October 1997. Match-ups have come fewer and far between since the league rivalry ceased with the Bulldogs' jump to the NCHC; UMD is 4-2-0 since the 2013-14 season while Scott Sandelin owns a 28-17-6 all-time mark against the Mavericks.

The Bulldogs have had four meetings with MSU over the past two seasons with Hunter Shepard between the pipes for each of them. He's 3-1-0 against the Mavericks with 103 saves (93.6 percent) and a 1.73 GAA. Nick Swaney had a team-high four points, including three goals against Mankato.

STOCKTON ON SKATES With his seven assists last weekend, Perunovich continued to build on his team-leading 18 helpers and 20 points this season. He has now added an assist on 11 of UMD's last 13 goals, including a stretch of eight straight from Nov. 15-23. The Hibbing native is averaging 1.50 assists per game so far this season.

SHEPARD-ING HISTORY Hunter Shepard claimed the all-time victories record for goaltenders at UMD with his 61st career win, defeating Colorado College 5-0 on Saturday, Nov. 2 to surpass Rick Kosti ('85) and Taras Lendzyk ('96).

Shepard has now started 93-straight games for the Bulldogs, reaching ever close to the NCAA record of 104 set by Ben Scrivens of Cornell from 2007-10. Shepard also continues to charge closer to the national record for consecutive games played by a goalie, 122, set by Dan Murphy of Clarkson from 1994-98. With 17 career shutouts after blanking the Tigers last weekend, the senior netminder also has an outside chance on reaching the record of 26 set by Ryan Miller at Michigan State from 1999-02.

NCAA SUPERLATIVES With another outstanding specialty teams weekend, UMD continues to rank among the nation's best when skating with the man advantage. The Bulldogs rank no. 4, making good on 30.2 percent of power plays while also ranking no. 2 in total power play goals, 16 already this season. Penn State leads the nation with 18. UMD also ranks no. 22 in penalty kill percentage, holding opponents to just 15.9 percent of power play chances. The Bulldogs rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense (2.33 goals/game), scoring margin (+0.58 goals/game), assists (65), and winning percentage (.625).

Scott Perunovich's 1.50 assists per game rank second nationally. Only Providence's Jack Dugan (1.64) has collected more this season. Jackson Cates ranks sixth nationally with his four power play goals this season. Tanner Laderoute and Noah Cates are tied for 15th with three each.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN Scott Perunovich currently leads the NCHC with his 20 points this season. In fact, his 18 assists alone would tie the next-highest point total for the league lead, and he has eight more points than any other blue liner. With 12 points, Noah Cates is currently tied for sixth in the conference while his seven goals are tied for the league lead. Jackson Cates is tied for 19th with his 10 points and leads the NCHC with four scores on the power play. Hunter Shepard's 2.17 GAA ranks third in the conference. He's one of just two NCHC goalies with multiple shutouts this season (Magnus Chrona, Denver).

(FIRST) COMEBACK OF THE YEAR Prior to last Friday night, the Bulldogs had not earned a victory when trailing after two periods (now 1-4-1), but the fireworks late in the third quarter allowed UMD to snap that streak. The Bulldogs UMD remains unbeaten this season when leading after two periods, 6-0-0.

KEEPING IT 100 Senior forward Jade Miller skated in his 100th career game for UMD earlier this season against Denver, one of just two current Bulldogs (Nick Wolff, 135) to reach the century mark. Justin Richards should be the next skater to reach that height with 98 career games, while Hunter Shepard also has 97 games between the pipes.

MINNESOTA SPORTS AWARDS Sports Minneapolis, a division of Meet Minneapolis, announced last month that the 2018-19 UMD Bulldogs received a pair of nominations for the 2019 Minnesota Sports Awards. Head coach Scott Sandelin stands alongside Rocco Baldelli of the Minnesota Twins and Adrian heath of Minnesota United F.C. as a candidate for Coach of the Year, while former Bulldog captain Parker Mackay ('19) landed a nomination for the Men's Collegiate Athlete of the Year honor. The charity gala and award announcements will take place on Dec. 11 at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot.

LEADING THE PACK UMD stood atop the NCHC Preseason Poll released Sept. 19, receiving 23 of 28 first-place votes and 218 points overall, 40 more than second-place Denver (178) and 62 more than third-place Western Michigan (156), teams which received two and three first-place votes respectively. North Dakota (143) and St. Cloud State (138) round out the top five.

BEST OF THE BEST Four Bulldogs landed on the seven-man Preseason All-NCHC Team. Hunter Shepard was the lone unanimous selection as the goaltender on all 27 ballots, joined by junior forwards Justin Richards and Nick Swaney, and junior defenseman Scott Perunovich. Each member of the quartet had previously earned NCHC All-Conference designation in the postseason.

SHEP, NO, CAPTAIN SHEP! The reigning team MVP and one of his strongest defenders will lead the Bulldogs this season as senior goaltender Hunter Shepard and senior defender Nick Wolff were selected team captains. Wolff served as an Alternate Captain in 2018-19, setting a new career high in points on the blue line as he scored five goals to go with 13 assists in UMD's historic season. Shepard becomes the first Bulldog goalie since Rick Heinz in 1976-77 to serve as a team captain.

'A' FOR EFFORT Junior forward Justin Richards donned the 'A' to serve as an alternate captain for the UMD for the team's exhibition opener with Alberta, answering questions to who else would receive captaincy duties for the Bulldogs this season. The Columbus, Ohio native has skated in 86 games in his UMD career, scoring 32 points last season.

SERVING HIS COUNTRY UMD head coach Scott Sandelin will serve as the head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team at the 202 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2019 - Jan. 5, 2020. Sandelin has been a part of three previous U.S. National Junior Team coaching staffs, including as head coach in 2005 and as an assistant coach in both 2012 and for last year's silver medal-winning club.

BULLDOGS IN THE LIMELIGHT The defending NCHC Frozen Faceoff Champions have been selected for a pair of showcase games on CBS Sports Network beginning later this season. UMD will host North Dakota on Friday, Jan. 24 at AMSOIL Arena before a national TV audience, while the Bulldogs will travel to Western Michigan on Friday, Feb. 20 for another national broadcast. Additionally, the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals and championship game will air live on CBS Sports Network. UMD is 27-7-1 on national TV broadcasts in the last three seasons.

THE PUCK STOPS HERE Hunter Shepard raked in the accolades for his statistical achievements last season, receiving All-American honors from the AHCA in addition to being a top-5 semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award. During the NCHC, he earned the Goaltender of the Year award in addition to landing on the All-NCHC First Team.

In the postseason, he represented UMD as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and landed on both the NCAA Midwest Regional and Frozen Four All-Tournament teams.

PATENTLY OFFENSIVE In addition to attaining Second Team All-American status from the AHCA (his second consecutive year to receive top national honors), Scott Perunovich earned All-NCHC First Team honors last season while the league tabbed him as its best Offensive Defenseman for the second-straight season. Perunovich earned a spot on the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team during the postseason. Despite playing on the blue line, Perunovich ranked third on the UMD scoring charts in 2018-19.

GETTING DEFENSIVE Rising junior forward Justin Richards book-ended Perunovich's award last season  as the NCHC's Best Defensive Forward in additional to notching an All-NCHC Second Team selection. He finished with 32 points, the second-highest output of any Bulldog, scoring 21 more points than his rookie output.

A ROOK' TO REMEMBER Rising sophomore Noah Cates   earned the distinction of top overall vote-getter on the NCHC All-Rookie Team, leading Bulldog newcomers in goals (9), assists (14), and points (23).

MORE HARDWARE Rounding out the returners to receive All-Conference honors, Nick Swaney represented UMD as an All-NCHC Honorable Mention. In addition to his four game-winners, Swaney totaled 15 scores on the year and 25 points. He came through in the clutch for the Bulldogs, tallying a nationwide-best three overtime goals.

HIT THE BOOKS Not just impressive on the ice, UMD saw nine student athletes land on the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team a year ago, including returners Matt Anderson, Koby Bender, Jade Miller, Ben Patt, Justin Richards, and Nick Swaney. Matt and Mikey Anderson each attained NCHC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors.

THE TEAM'S BEST Shepard received the prestigious Keith "Huffer" Christiansen Award as the Bulldogs' Most Valuable Player last season. He set a program record with his 1.76 goals against average and nearly matched his own program high with seven shutouts on the season. Additionally, Noah Cates received the Jerry Chumola Rookie of the Year Award, Parker Mackay received the Goldie Wolfe Award (Most Inspirational Player), and rising junior forward Justin Richards earned the Mike Sertich Award as the Most Improver Player. Rising senior forward Jade Miller added the Pat Francisco Community Service Award to his career accolades.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN Along with a four-member senior class, the Bulldogs return eight juniors who know nothing but winning championships in their careers. The 12 upper classmen break down as six defensemen, five forwards, and one goaltender. Eight return for a sophomore go-around with UMD,  two blue-liners, five forwards, and one goalie. The five first-year Bulldogs are goalie Ryan Fanti and forwards Luke Loheit, Brady Meyer, Quinn Olson, and Brandon Puricelli.

WHERE THEY'RE FROM Exactly 60 percent of the UMD roster hails from the Land of 10,000 Lakes with 15-of-25 student athletes growing up in Minnesota. Five cross the border from Canada, including two from Ontario and two from Alberta. The remaining five  Bulldogs include one each from the states of California, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, and Ohio.

FEELING A DRAFT Incoming freshman Quinn Olson became the 112th all-time Bulldog to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 2019, selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round with the no. 92 overall pick. He joins Noah Cates (Philadelphia), Cole Koepke (Tampa Bay) Luke Loheit (Ottawa), Scott Perunovich (St. Louis), Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg), and Nick Swaney (Minnesota) among current Bulldogs.

A HEALTHY LOOK Last summer, 12 current Bulldogs had the chance to flash their skills at NHL Development camps. UMD sent three student athletes to both the Bruins (Quinn Olson, Justin Richards, Nick Wolff) and Flyers (Matt Anderson, Jackson Cates, Noah Cates) camps, while the Minnesota Wild took a look at both Louie Roehl and Nick Swaney. Rounding out the group were Cole Koepke in Tampa Bay, Luke Loheit in Ottawa, Scott Perunovich in St. Louis, and Dylan Samberg in Winnipeg.

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