Minnesota-Duluth Series Preview

Clarkson plays its second set of road games this season and once again finds itself in the midwest, this time facing WCHA foe Minnesota-Duluth.

Clarkson (3-2 overall) had a bad time on its first road trip of the season, dropping a pair of games 6-1 and 4-3 to Michigan State. The Golden Knights rebounded by winning three nonconference games at home.

Minnesota-Duluth (3-2-1) has spent the last two weekends in conference play, sweeping Minnesota State at home and then tying St. Cloud State 3-3 and losing to the Huskies 4-2 on the road last week. Here are highlights of UMD's game from last Saturday:

The Bulldogs won the WCHA Tournament last year and then knocked off Princeton 5-4 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before finally being eliminated by Miami (Ohio) in the quarterfinals.

Clarkson coach George Roll on UMD

"Watching them on tape, they have some very dynamic forwards and they are solid on the blueline and in net. It is going to be a tough series for us. We have to go in there and play the way we have over the last three games."

Stat of the Weekend

If either team has a lead after two periods this weekend you can probably leave the arena or turn off the radio broadcast. Clarkson is 58-0-4 in its last 62 games with a two-period lead and the Bulldogs are 27-0-3 in their last 30 games with a two-period lead.

Who to Watch

Clarkson Goalie Paul Karpowich said after Saturday's 4-1 win over St. Lawrence University that he was looking to redeem himself for how he played at Michigan State. In those two games Karpowich gave up 10 goals and had an .830 save percentage. In his last two starts, however, he's given up four goals and has a .947 save percentage. ... Scott Freeman and Louke Oakley enter the weekend with four-game scoring streaks. Matt Beca saw a four-game, goal-scoring streak end against SLU.

Minnesota-Duluth The Bulldogs top performer so far this season has been junior forward Justin Fontaine, who has seven of the Bulldogs' 18 goals. Fontaine also has three assists and is tied with Jack Connolly (four goals-six assists) for the team lead in scoring. Fontaine is especially dangerous on the power play, with six goals already. The Bulldogs have used two goaltenders this season. Brady Hjelle has played in five games with a 3-2-1 record and a 2.95 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Kenny Reiter has played in two games and is 0-1 with a 2.30 GAA and a .923 save percentage.

Last Meeting

The last time these teams met was on Dec. 27, 1997 in a first-round game of the Syracuse Invitational Tournament. UMD gained a 5-2 win after scoring four unanswered goals in the third period. Clarkson fell behind 1-0 but took a 2-1 lead with goals from Nick Windsor and Dana Mulvihill. The Bulldogs scored three goals in a span of 1 minute, 42 seconds of the third period to blow the game open.

Stats and Notes

These teams have played four career games, with each side winning twice. The last time Clarkson played at UMD's Duluth Entertainment Convention Center was in an NCAA Tournament series in 1984. Clarkson lost the first game 6-2 and won game two 6-3, but was eliminated because the Bulldogs had the edge in total goals (9-8). ... Clarkson is 3-6-3 against WCHA teams during Roll's first six years as coach. ... Minnesota-Duluth has never faced Clarkson in Potsdam. ... Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin is 11-2-3 lifetime against ECAC Hockey teams, but he's never faced the Golden Knights.