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The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its second NCAA Frozen Four appearance in as many years this Thursday (April 5) when it takes on the Ohio State University in the semifinals at 5 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center (18,568) in St. Paul, Minn. The University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan will hit the ice later that night (8:30 p.m.) in the other first round matchup with the two winners meeting for college hockey's top prize on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

THE RECORDS: Winners of nine of its last 12 games, UMD is 23-16-3 overall and finished third in the final National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings at 13-11-0-0 while Ohio State owns a 26-9-5 record in all games and went 14-8-2-1 in Big Ten play (second place). Notre Dame reigned as both the 2017-18 Big Ten regular season (17-6-1-1) and playoff champions and is 27-9-2 is on the year. Michigan (22-14-3 overall) took third in the Big Ten with an 11-10-3-2 mark.

HOW THEY RANK: This is how this year's NCAA Frozen Four participants stacked up in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls as well as the PairWise rankings.
 

	uscho.com	USA Today	PairWise
UMD	No.11	No. 3	No. 12
OSU	No. 5	No. 2	No. 4
UND	No. 2	No. 1	No. 2
UM	No. 10	No. 4	No. 8

ON THE AIR: All of UMD's Frozen Four games this weekend will be carried live on KDAL-Radio (610 AM and 103.9 FM) and/or the DUKE (102.5 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.

ESPN2 will air Thursday's two semifinal bouts with Saturday's title game can be seen on ESPN. John Buccigross (play-by-play), Barry Melrose (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (rinkside) are the on-air talent. All three telecasts are also available live on WatchESPN.
 
In addition, Westwood One Radio will provide a feed to over 120 affiliates around the country, on Sirius/XM, College Sports Nation-channel 84, Tune In Radio and streamed live on westwoodonesports.com and ncaa.com. Its broadcast team will consist of Brian Tripp (play-by-play), Pat Micheletti (analyst) and Shireen Saski (rinkside).

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Ohio State have met only eight times previously, with the last of those coming one year ago in the semifinal round of the NCAA West Regional. The Bulldogs are 3-4-1 lifetime against the Buckeyes.
 

Date	Results	Site
3/24/17	UMD 3, OSU 2 (OT)+	Fargo, N.D
11/2/13	OSU 4, UMD 2	Columbus, Ohio
11/1/13	UMD 3, OSU 1	Columbus, Ohio
10/13/12	OSU 3, UMD 2	Duluth, Minn.
10/12/12	UMD 6, OSU 2	Duluth, Minn.
12/29/06	OSU 4, UMD 1*	Columbus, Ohio
12/19/79	OSU 6, UMD 1	Duluth, Minn.
12/27/74	UMD 3, OSU 3# (OT)	St. Louis, Mo.

+ NCAA West Regional (semifinals)
*Ohio Hockey Classic (semifinals)
#U. of St. Louis Tournament (third place game)

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the 2018 Frozen Four by taking down the U.S. Air Force Academy 2-1 on March 24 in the NCAA West Regional title game in Sioux Falls, S.D. That came one night after the No. 3 seeded Bulldogs ousted No. 2 seed Minnesota State University-Mankato 3-2 in overtime.

In the semifinals against the Mavericks, UMD erased a 2-0 first-period deficit by scoring three unanswered goals, capped off by junior right winger Parker Mackay's game-ender 2:28 into overtime. Senior left winger Karson Kuhlman (second period) and freshman right winger Nick Swaney (on the power play with 4:08 to go in regulation) accounted for the other two UMD scores. The Bulldogs outshot their intrastate rivals, who they were meeting for the first time in the NCAA post season, 22-21 (including 8-0 in the second period).

The Bulldogs struck twice in a span of just over three minutes midway through a dominating first period the following night and got even-strength goals from sophomore right winger Joey Anderson and sophomore defenseman Nick Wolff. UMD went into the first intermission owning a 14-0 shots advantage and didn't allow a puck on net until 3:56 into the second period. No. 4 seeded Air Force, which had never faced UMD in NCAA Tournament play, got on the board with a power play tally at 13:44 of the third and played with an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds of regulation.

UMD IN THE BIG DANCE: UMD has appeared in five previous NCAA Frozen Fours (going 5-4-0), including the 2017 event in Chicago where the Bulldogs took runnerup honors after bowing out 3-2 to the University of Denver in the title bout. The only other time the Bulldogs have ever qualified for back-to-back Frozen Fours was in 1984 and 1985.

UMD IN THE BIG DANCE II: This year's NCAA Tournament berth is the 12th ever for UMD and marks the first time the Bulldogs have ever qualified for that event four seasons in a row. UMD has now made six NCAA playoff appearances in the past eight years.

UMD IN THE BIG DANCE III: The Bulldogs took part in NCAA postseason play last spring (advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four championship game after claiming the West Regional title in Fargo, N.D.), in 2015-16 (quarterfinal round in Worcester, Mass.), 2014-15 (quarterfinal round in Manchester, N.H.), 2012-13 (quarterfinal round in Worcester), 2010-11(captured the school's first NCAA championship), 2008-09 (quarterfinal round in Minneapolis, Minn.) and 2003-04 (Frozen Four semifinal) under Scott Sandelin as well as in 1992-93 (quarterfinal round in Detroit), 1984-85 (Frozen Four third place in Detroit), 1983-84 (Frozen Four runnerup in Lake Placid) and 1982-83 (quarterfinal round in Providence, R.I.).

UMD IN THE BIG DANCE IV: UMD has compiled a 21-12 lifetime record in the NCAA Tournament and a 15-6 mark since Scott Sandelin took over the UMD head coaching duties in 2000-01.

UMD IN THE BIG DANCE V: The Bulldogs have faced each of the three other 2018 Frozen Four participants once before in the NCAA postseason -- Ohio State (2017 West Regional semifinals), Notre Dame (2011 Frozen Four semifinals) and Michigan (2011 Frozen Four finals) -- and prevailed in all three of those matchups.

HE'S QUITE THE "DANCER": Scott Sandelin's career winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament (.714 off a 15-6 record) is the best among any active bench boss (minimum eight games) and trails only the late Herb Brooks (.889 at Minnesota), Vic Heyliger (.800 at Michigan) and Gino Gasparini (.789 at North Dakota) among all NCAA head coaches.

THIS ISN'T THEIR FIRST RODEO: Nine current Bulldogs took shifts in the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four. That group includes current senior forwards Avery Peterson, Karson Kuhlman, Jared Thomas and Blake Young, junior wingers Parker Mackay and Billy Exell, sophomore wingers Joey Anderson and Riley Tufte and sophomore defenseman Nick Wolff.

THIS ISN'T THEIR FIRST RODEO II: Karson Kuhlman and Jared Thomas are the first two Bulldogs in program history to compete in four NCAA Tournaments.

THIS ISN'T HIS FIRST RODEO: Senior forward Avery Peterson, who skated in last spring's NCAA Frozen Four with the Bulldogs (four months after making his UMD debut), also saw ice time in the 2014 Frozen Four as a freshman at the University of Nebraska Omaha (he transferred to UMD in January 2016). The Mavericks suffered a 4-1 semifinal-round setback to eventual national champion Providence College that year.

THIS ISN'T HIS FIRST RODEO II: In addition to coaching the Bulldogs in three previous NCAA Frozen Fours (2017, 2011 and 2004), Scott Sandelin also played in one Division I national championship -- in 1984 when, as a sophomore defenseman at North Dakota, he and his teammates were upended 2-1 in overtime by UMD in the semifinal round in Lake Placid, N.Y. Sandelin's resume also includes four other visits to the Frozen Four (1997-2000) as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

CLOSE SHAVES: Each of the Bulldogs's last nine NCAA Tournament games have been decided by one goal.

X MARKS THE SPOT: The Bulldogs are 13-9-1 in 23lifetime outings -- all under current head coach Scott Sandelin -- at the Xcel Energy Center. They are, however, 0-2-0 at the downtwon St. Paul facility in 2017-18, enduring two losses in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in mid-March.

X MARKS THE SPOT II: UMD paid a visit to the Xcel Energy Center for an NCAA Tournament on only one occasion and that came in 2011 when it took down Michigan 3-2 in overtime in the Frozen Four title game to seal the school's first national championship. The Bulldogs had prevailed over Notre Dame 4-3 two days earlier in the semifinals.

THE BEST IN THE WEST: The two-time defending NCAA West Regional champion Bulldogs placed four representatives on the 2018 All-Tournament Team last weekend in Sioux Falls -- junior right winger Parker Mackay, freshman defenseman Dylan Samberg, sophomore defenseman Nick Wolff and senior left winger Karson Kuhlman, who was named the event's Most Valuable Player.

SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES: Fifth-year Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik was part of Scott Sandelin's original coaching ensemble at UMD in 1999-2000 and spent 10 seasons as his chief assistant. Current Bulldog assistant coach Brett Larson served as an associate head coach at Ohio State under Rohlik for a pair of seasons before returning to the UMD program in 2015-16.

GREAT SCOTT!: Scott Perunovich, who this season became just the second Bulldog rookie to ever attain All-NCHC/WCHA first team honors (center Murray Keogan was the other -- in 1969-70 when the Bulldogs were aligned with the WCHA), has racked up a team-leading 36 points on the season. That is a UMD program single-season record for a freshman defenseman and three points more than the previous mark, which was set by current Carolina Hurricane team captain Justin Faulk in his first (and only) season with the Bulldogs in 2010-11.

GREAT SCOTT! II: Scott Perunovich, the 2017-18 NCHC Rookie of the Year and its Offensive Defenseman of the Year (both Bulldog program firsts), will enter the Frozen Four ranking third among all NCAA rookies with those 36 points (the highest total of any first-year defenseman in the country). He's also first in plus-minus rating (a Bulldog best +20), tied for third in assists (25) and tied for seventh in power play points (18).

END OF THE LINE:  The NCAA Frozen Four will mark the final home appearances ever for the Bulldogs' six seniors. Over the past four seasons, that group has part of a program-best four straight NCAA Tournament qualifiers, advanced to a pair of NCAA Frozen Fours, won the school's lone NCHC Frozen Faceoff title to date (2016-17) and gone 91-53-18 (a 617 winning percentage). The six departees include 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, a fifth-year senior. This season, UMD's senior class has been credited with 65 points (30 goals and 35 assists), the second highest figure in the NCHC.

TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Since falling 4-3 in overtime at Miami on Feb. 21, 2015, the Bulldogs are 54-0-3 when taking a lead into the third period. They are 21-0-1 in that situation this year and were 17-0-2 last winter. On the flip side, UMD is a mere 2-16-2 when it hasn't held a lead at the second intermission this season. The second of those two wins (3-2 in overtime) came in the NCAA West Regional semifinals against a Minnesota State club that was 25-0-0 when ahead after two periods this season. The other triumph was registered in the 2017-18 season opener versus Minnesota (4-3 in overtime).

MY, HOW TIME FLIES: At the NCAA West Region final, Scott Sandelin became UMD's all-time leader in coaching appearances. He now has been behind the Bulldog bench for 723 games, which is one more than  his predecessor, Mike Sertich (1982-2000).

MY, HOW TIME FLIES II: The 18 seasons Scott Sandelin has presided over the UMD puck program is the second longest tenure of any NCHC head coach. (Enrico Blasi completed his 19th year at Miami this past winter). Sandelin and Mike Sertich (1982-2000) both own the distinction of being the longest-serving bench bosses in Bulldog history.

IRONMAN KUHLMAN: Senior right winger and team captain Karson Kuhlman, who leads all current Bulldogs in career goals (38), assists (39), points (77), game winners (7) and plus-minus rating (+378), has not missed a game since joining the Bulldog program in 2014-15. His active ironman streak of 162 consecutive appearances is the longest in NCAA I hockey at the moment -- and two games shy of the program record set by Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Jack Connolly between 2008-12.

ONE CLASS ACT: Karson 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.

PUCK HUNTER: Sophomore Hunter Shepard, a 2017-18 All-NCHC second team selection and semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award (most outstanding NCAA goaltender), currently ranks second among the nation's puckstoppers in shutouts with a UMD-record eight (one behind the national leader, Cornell University's Matthew Galajda), is tied for third in wins (23 -- the fifth-highest single-season total in program history), eighth in goals against average (1.95), 11th in saves percentage (.924, which now stands as the best mark ever turned in by a Bulldog) and third in starts (39, the most of any 2018 NCAA Frozen Four netminder). His 23-14-1 record this season is a bit deceiving in that in three of his losses he's allowed just one goal. Shepard, who saw crease time in just two games one year ago while backing up rookie Hunter Miska, has now made 37 consecutive starts, (a run that began on Oct. 21, 2017).

THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last 18 games that have gone into overtime, going 8-0-10 since falling 2-1 to host North Dakota on Feb. 19, 2016. That includes a 2-0-3 mark in five extra sessions this season. Just two current Bulldogs -- senior team captain Karson Kuhlman (one -- at the 2016 Northeast Regional) and junior assistant team captain Parker Mackay (two -- in the 2017-18 season opener against Minnesota and in the NCAA West Regional semifinals versus Minnesota State) -- have an overtime goal to their collegiate credit.

THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT II: The Bulldogs have outshot the opposition 17-5 in overtime this season.

THE EXTRA WORK HAS BEEN WORTH IT III: Parker Mackay and four other players share the NCAA lead for overtime goals (two this season).

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. Despite going the past five games without a goal or an assist, Krieger still holds down the No. 2 spot on the UMD scoring charts with a career-high 30 points..

FIRST THINGS FIRST: UMD is 19-7-0 when it has scored first this season and just 4-9-3 when it hasn't done so.

FIRST THINGS FIRST II: No team in the country has drawn first blood on more occasions (26) this winter than UMD (it shares that spot with three other clubs -- Cornell, Denver, and Michigan Tech University).

FIRST THINGS FIRST III: The Bulldogs have amassed the third-most first-period goals (43) in the nation this season. UMD's +17 goal differential during that period also ranks third among all NCAA schools.

BETTER THAN BEFORE: Nine (of a possible 14) UMD veterans have established or equaled career collegiate bests for points this winter:
 

Player	Yr.	Pts.	Previous High (Year)
Billy Exell	Jr.	11	6 (2016-17)
Jared Hilderman	So.	6	1 (2016-17)
Peter Krieger	Jr.	30	20 (2015-16)*
Parker Mackay	Jr.	18	12 (2016-17)
Jade Miller	So.	12	1 (2016-17)
Jared Thomas	Sr.	24	13 (2014-15)
Riley Tufte	So.	29	16 (2016-17)
Nick Wolff	So.	13	12 (2016-17)
Blake Young	Sr.	12	3 (2016-17)

*at Alaska

MORE POWER TO THEM: The Bulldogs are scoring at a 23.9 percent clip on the power play this season -- a figure bettered by only five other NCAA clubs (none of whom are in participating in the this week's Frozen Four)

MORE POWER TO THEM II: The last time UMD finished a season with a better power play percentage than the 2017-18 club currently possesses (23.9 percent) was in 2003-04 when the NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist Bulldogs posted a 25.9 mark.

MORE POWER TO THEM III: Some 16 different Bulldogs have scored a power play goal in 2017-18, including sophomore left winger Riley Tufte, who has a team-leading and a personal-best five.

MORE POWER TO THEM IV: The Bulldogs have struck for two or more power play goals 11 times this season. They are 10-0-1 in those 11 games and, going back to Dec. 4, 2015, are 18-0-2 when scoring multiple times with the man advantage.

THREE'S A CHARM: Karson Kuhlman, who ranks second among 2017-18 Bulldogs in goals with a career-high 12, registered just the second hat trick by a Bulldog in six years against Western Michigan on Feb. 23, 2018.

LOCK DOWN: In their NCAA West Regional title-clinching 2-1 victory over Air Force, the Bulldogs allowed just 12 shots on goal. That matched the program record set against Army on Oct. 12, 1996 (a 3-0 triumph that was current UMD volunteer goaltender coach Brant Nicklin's first collegiate shutout).

LOCK DOWN II: UMD has allowed the seventh fewest shots on goal per game (25.60) in the country. The next closest NCAA Frozen Four participant in that department is Ohio State (24th at 28.68).

HITTING HIS STRIDE: After managing just two goals and three assists in his first 11 appearances of the season, right winger Joey Anderson has amassed 22 points (nine goals and 13 assists) in his 23 games since.

HITTING HIS STRIDE II: Joey Anderson led all Bulldogs in scoring at last year's NCAA Frozen Four with three points (one goal and two assists).

COMING UP EMPTY: The Bulldogs have posted nine shutouts this season, which is the most in team history (and four more than the previous record).

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.

LIFE OF RILEY: Of Riley Tufte's UMD-leading and career-best 16 goals this season, 13 have come in Bulldog victories as have all five of his power play scores.

BLOCK PARTY: Defenseman Dylan Samberg has blocked 70 shots to date. That not only leads UMD (he co-owns that top billing with sophomore Nick Wolff), but it's the second highest total of any NCAA rookie.

BLOCK PARTY II: Dylan Samberg was credited with four blocks at the NCAA West Regional and was the lone Bulldog to pick up more than one point (two assists) at the two-day event.

BLOCK PARTY III: The Bulldogs blocked 34 shots in their two West Regional outings -- their in any back-to-back games this season (they also had 34 in a weekend sweep of visiting North Dakota on Jan. 19-20).

MILLER TIME: Since Feb. 2, sophomore Jade Miller has accumulated eight points -- which is more than half of his lifetime scoring harvest (13 points) -- in 12 outings. He reigned as UM leading point producer (one goal and five assists) during the month of February.

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

YOU'RE KILLING ME: Prior to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, UMD's opponents were a mere 2-for-59 on the power play over the previous 14 outings (3.4 percent). They are 6 of 15 (40 percent) in the four games since.
 
GET SHORTIE: The Bulldogs have allowed just three shorthanded goals in their last 107 games (at Denver on Feb. 3, 2018, 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), senior left winger Blake Young (one -- in March 9 vs. Western Michigan), junior right winger Parker Mackay (one -- on Jan. 26, 2018 against St. Cloud State), and freshman defenseman Mikey Anderson (in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff against North Dakota) are the only four 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 126 points on 30 goals and 96 assists.

ROOKIES ON THE RISE II: In addition to amassing the fourth most points in the country, the UMD rookie class also ranks first in power play points (second nationally in blocked shots (5.69 per game) and power play points (48), third in power play goals (14) and fifth in shots (9.33 per game).











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