The No. 11/12 University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team is preparing for their first road series of the season, against No. 12/11 Cornell University. The Bulldogs enter this weekend undefeated and on a three-game win streak. The Big Red are untested, having yet to play a regular season game.

REVERSE RANKINGS UMD and CU ranked 11th and 12th in the most recent national polls. U.S. College Hockey Online had the Bulldogs one ahead, while USA Hockey/The Rink Live had the Big Red ahead. CU has ranked 11th in the USCHO poll since the preseason, while UMD has moved up consistently, starting the season in 17th. 

CORNELL IN EXHIBITION The Big Red have played two exhibition games this season. On Saturday, Oct. 14, they beat Toronto Metropolitan University 6-1. A week later, CU faced off against the U.S. National Development Program U-18 Team and won 5-4 in overtime. The NTDP beat No. 9 Boston University and , but lost to Dartmouth College.

SCOUTING RED The Big Red returned their team point-leader, senior Gabriel Seger (30), but graduated top goal-scorer Ben Berard (11). CU yielded a ten-player freshman class for the 2023-24 season. They currently have the seventh youngest roster in NCAA DI Men's Hockey. They also are tied for sixth-tallest roster, with an average height of 6' 9/10". Last season, the Big Red defense ranked in the top ten highest scoring defenses nationally.  CU allowed only 66 goals last season, second to Quinnipiac. 

LAST TIME AROUND These teams played a series in Duluth last season, which the Bulldogs swept. They won Friday, Oct. 28 3-2, which featured a go-ahead goal by the current point and goal-scoring leader for UMD, Ben Steeves. The next night the Bulldogs won 4-2 and returners Dominic James and Blake Biondi scored the opening goal and a power play goal respectively. The first game was relatively controlled, but the second was a highly-penalized affair, like UMD has become accustomed to this season. The Bulldogs had six penalties to the Big Red's five. 

POWER PLAY POWERHOUSE The Bulldogs head into this weekend first nationally in power play goals, with 11. They're trailed by the University of Michigan (10) and Northern Michigan (8). Steeves leads the Bulldogs in power play goals (4) and is behind only NMU's Tanner Latsch (6) nationally. Two of Latsch's goals came in his hat trick against UMD earlier this season, and another PPG the next night. CU ended last season with 18 consecutive successful power play kills, and killed 22 of their last 24.

IN THE CREASE The Big Red goaltenders combined for the second-best goals-against average in the nation last season (1.72). All three have returned to CU. Current sophomore Ian Shane played in 33 of the Big Red's competitions last season and is expected to hold control of the crease again. Shane was the only CU player named to the All-ECAC Hockey Preseason Team. UMD also returned three goaltenders, and split the first five games between Zach Stejskal and Matthew Thiessen. Stejskal earned his first collegiate shutout last weekend against Bemidji State, in a 4-0 home victory. He was in net for both nights of the home-and-home series, but both goalies are possibilities for the Bulldogs. 

UNDEFEATED EIGHT UMD remained one of just eight teams who have played one or more games with an undefeated record. Out of the eight, two have won all four of their games: Arizona State and Colorado College. Three more have won all two: Maine, Northeastern, and Omaha (NCHC). Holy Cross has won four and tied one, while Western Michigan (NCHC) has won three and tied one. With a 3-0-2 record, the Bulldogs are 10th in win percentage. Michigan State, Wisconsin, and UMass have won more games, despite having lost. 

MORE MILESTONES UMD continues to bring in weekly NCHC player awards. This past Monday, goaltender Zach Stejskal was named Co-Goaltender of the Week. This is the second time the title has gone to Stejskal this season. He was joined by forward Matthew Perkins, who earned Rookie of the Week. Perkins had a three point performance last Friday, including his first collegiate goal. He was joined by freshman Aaron Pionk and defenseman Riley Bodnarchuk in netting their firsts last weekend.