The University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of North Dakota will meet for the only two times during the 2019-20 regular season this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 24-25) when the two longtime rivals square off in a National Collegiate Hockey Association series in Duluth. Game time is set for 7:37 p.m. Friday and 7:07 p.m. the following night at AMSOIL Arena (6,756).

THE RECORDS: The two-time defending NCAA champion Bulldogs are 12-8-2 overall and 7-3-2-0 in NCHC play (second place) while North Dakota sports an 18-2-3 record in all outings and a 9-1-2-2 league mark (eighth place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and North Dakota stacked up in the most recent USCH0.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls as well as the PairWise rankings:
 

	USCHO.com	USA Today	PairWise
UMD	No. 11	No. 11	No. 12
UND	No. 2	No. 2	No. 1

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.

Friday's series opener will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski serving as the on-air talent.

My 9 (locally), Fox 9+ (Twin Cites metro area) and KTTC-TV (Rochester, Minn./La Crosse, Wis.) will air Saturday's rematch. Zach Schneider, former UMD team captain Judd Medak and KDLH-TV Sports Director Kelly Hinseth (rinkside) will serve as the on-air talent. That telecast is available on-line at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE SERIES: UMD and North Dakota will meet for the 244th time on Friday night. North Dakota holds a 147-87-9 lead in the all-time series, which began on Nov. 26, 1954 at the old Duluth Curling Club. The two clubs split each of their two series one year ago. That included a Nov. 30-Dec. 1 set at AMSOIL Arena where UMD throttled the Fighting Hawks 5-0 in the opener. In the rematch, North Dakota struck twice in a 91-second span early in the first period and hung on for a 2-1 triumph.

UMD traded wins with North Dakota later that year in Grand Forks, N.D., falling 4-1 on Feb. 22 before bouncing back with a 3-2 triumph the ensuing evening.

LAST WEEKEND: The Bulldogs went into last weekend's NCHC series at St. Cloud State University armed with their longest unbeaten streak (six games) since last spring, but exited the Granite City with a pair of setbacks in tow. The Huskies prevailed 2-1 on Friday night and then completed the sweep less than 24 hours later by scoring twice in the final 1:35 of play and besting the Bulldogs 2-0. Junior left winger Kobe Roth accounted for UMD's lone goal on the weekend, striking on the power play midway through the first period on Friday.

LIKE AN OLD SHOE: The Bulldogs have faced North Dakota on more occasisions (243) than any other opponent in their 76-year history. The University of Minnesota (235) is next on that list followed by Michigan Tech University (232).

THEY'VE HAD THEIR NUMBER: The Bulldogs are 10-3-0 in their last 13 matchups with North Dakota. During that stretch, UMD reeled off a program-best eight consecutive wins over the Fighting Hawks -- a run that ended at the 2018 Frozen Faceoff.

PUCK HUNTER: Senior All-American Hunter Shepard, the reigning NCHC Goaltender of the Year, has now made 103 consecutive starts (which is one shy of the NCAA record set by Cornell University's Ben Scrivens from 2007-10). Shepherd's ironman streak dates back to Oct. 21, 2017.

PUCK HUNTER II: Hunter Shepard, who stopped 44 of 47 shots last weekend in a pair of hardluck losses to St. Cloud State, has a school-record 17 shutouts to his collegiate credit (more than any active NCAA puckstopper), including a pair this season. The only two NCHC clubs Shepard has yet to blank are Omaha and St. Cloud State.

PUCK HUNTER III: This past November, Hunter Shepard became UMD's career leader in victories (the old mark was 60 wins, held by both Rick Kosti, 1983-85, and Taras Lendzyk, 1992-96). Shepard now sports a 66-35-5 lifetime record as a Bulldog and those 66 triumphs trail one other current NCAA goaltender (Penn State University's Peyton Jones with 72).

PUCK HUNTER IV: Hunter Shepard has been chosen the NCHC Goaltender of the Week award a league-high five times times this season (Jan. 13, Jan. 6, Nov. 25, Nov. 1 and Oct. 28) and on 14 occasions as a collegian.

WELCOME BACK: Only one NCHC opponent (Colorado College with 12) has paid fewer lifetime visits to AMSOIL Arena than North Dakota (13), which defeated the Bulldogs 5-0 at that downtown facility's opening night (Dec. 30, 2010). 

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).

GREAT SCOTT: Two-time All-American junior Scott Perunovich has generated the fourth most points of any defenseman in the country while his 22 assists and 16 power play points rank third and fourth, respectively among all NCAA skaters. Of Perunovich's 25 total points points, more than half (14) have been registered in the third period which places him at No. 2 nationally.

GREAT SCOTT II: Scott Perunovich, the two-time NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year, now occupies a share of the No. 9 spot on UMD's all-time scoring list for blueliner. His  90 career points are the seventh most of any current NCAA defenseman.

GREAT SCOTT III: In 2018-19, Scott Perunovich became just the second Bulldog ever to attain All-American status as both a freshman and sophomore (joining goaltender Rick Kosti, 1983-85, in that elite group), following up a first team citation two years ago with second team honors last season.

NO POWER SHORTAGE HERE: The Bulldogs currently sit fifth nationally in power play efficiency (.270) and sixth in power play goals (24). UMD has collected more of its total goals on the power play this season -- 36.4 percent -- than all but two NCAA I clubs in the country: Bowling Green (39.7 percent) and Canisius College (37.5 percent).

NO POWER SHORTAGE HERE II: UMD has scored at least once with the man advantage in all but six of their 20 games to date, but are 4-2-0 in those six outings.

NO POWER SHORTAGE HERE III: The Bulldogs' 24 power play goals to date have been generated by eight different players, including sophomore center Jackson Cates and junior right winger Kobe Roth, who both have struck a team- and career-high five times with the man advantage.

NO POWER SHORTAGE HERE IV: Going back to Dec. 4, 2015, UMD is 28-3-2 when scoring multiple times on the power play. One of those losses occurred earlier this year -- on Oct. 18 at Wisconsin when UMD went 2-for-3 with the man advantage in a 6-2 setback. 

ON A ROLL: Sophomore right winger Cole Koepke, who has his career-high seven-game scoring streak terminated last Friday night in St. Cloud, has marked in the points column in 13 of the last 16 outings. During that 16-game stretch, he's accumulated eight goals and 10 assists.

ON A ROLL II: Sophomore left winger Noah Cates, who had the primary assist on UMD's only goal against St. Cloud State last weekend, has collected a point in six of the past eight games.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Prior to the St. Cloud State series last weekend, UMD had won its last 18 games in which it had given up two goals or less. That run dated back to Feb. 23, 2019.

BIG NIGHT:  Junior defenseman Dylan Samberg and Matt Anderson will both skate in their 100th collegiate game this Friday. On top of this, Samberg will also turn 21 that same day.

HE KEEPS GOING, AND GOING AND ...: Junior center Justin Richards, the reigning NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year, has skated in all 108 outings since joining the UMD program two years ago. Richards has produced points in five straight games before being blanked in both ends of the St. Cloud State series.

SAVING THEIR BEST FOR LAST: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 32-19 in the third period so far in 2019-20 (21-5 at home).  A total of 48.5 percent of UMD's goals have been produced in the final 20 minutes of regulation, a figure bettered nationally by only Canisius College (50.0 percent)

BONUS HOCKEY HAS BEEN A BONUS: UMD is unbeaten in 27 of the last 28 games that have required overtime, going 13-1-14 since falling 2-1 to host North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016. The lone setback (4-3) was inflicted by St. Cloud State on March 8, 2019 in St. Cloud.

BONUS HOCKEY HAS BEEN A BONUS II: Just two 2019-20 Bulldogs -- junior right winger Nick Swaney and sophomore right winger Cole Koepke -- have scored an overtime goal as a collegian. Swaney has three (all coming in 2018-19, which tied him for the NCAA lead), doing his damage in the double-over time triumph over St. Cloud State in the NCHC Frozen Four championship bout, in UMD's 4-3 takedown of Minnesota State-Mankato in the 2018 Desert Hockey Classic semifinals and its 2-1 victory over Omaha on March 15. Koepke potted his OT winner in a 4-3 win at Denver on Nov. 17, 2018.

MAKING HIS GOALS COUNT: Of junior left winger Kobe Roth's 21 career goals, eight have been game-winners.

AND A GOOD LUCK CHARM TO BOOT: Since Kobe Roth joined the Bulldog program in 2016-17, UMD is undefeated in 16 of the 19 games in which he has collected a goal (15-3-1).

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 at Denver in the NCHC playoff opener on March 13, 2015, the Bulldogs are 80-1-3 when taking a lead into the third period. (They are 10-0-0 in that situation this season). The only loss during that stretch came at the hands of Western Michigan -- 3-2 on Dec. 7, 2018 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLFF: Nick Wolff, who has taken part in more lifetime games (146) than all but three players in the country, had his streak of 127 consecutive appearances snapped when he sat out the Nov. 30 home clash against Minnesota State-Mankato with an upper body injury. That ironman run started on Nov. 19, 2016 in Omaha.

THE EARLY GOAL GETS THE WIN: Going back to March 6, 2018, the Bulldogs have won 36 of the last 38 games in which they have gotten on the scoreboard first. Their two losses in that situation were inflicted by St. Cloud State on March 9, 2019 and Jan. 12, 2019. UMD is 9-0-0 when it has taken a 1-0 lead in 2019-20.

HE HAS HIS NUMBER: Freshman forward and former Austin Bruin (North American Hockey League) star  Ben Almquist, who joined the UMD program for the Spring Semester and made his debut in the two-game Holiday break series at Merrimack College. Minn., holds the distinction of being the first Bulldog in program history to don the No. 38 sweater.

STACKED IN THE MIDDLE: UMD possesses the country's fifth-highest scoring junior class (91 points) and 10th-highest sophomore unit (69 pts.) while the senior (nine pts.) and rookie (12 pts.) groups rank 59th and 57th nationally, respectively.

YOU'RE KILLING ME: The Bulldogs have killed off 14 straight power plays and opponents are just 1-of-19 with the man advantage over the past five games.

NO WALK IN THE PARK: UMD ranked first nationally in regular season strength of schedule in 2018-19 and holds down the No. 9 spot this season. Here is how the Bulldogs have fared in that department since joining the NCHC:

Year Rank
2019-20 9th
2018-19 1st
2017-18 3rd
2016-17 1st
2015-16 2nd
2014-15 1st
2013-14 1st

ON TAP: The Bulldogs will hit the road for a pair of NCHC bouts with the University of Denver on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.