• UMD vs CC• Record • UMD: 9-5, 5-3 NCHC • CC: 3-8, 0-3 NCHC
• Ranking • UMD: No. 8 • CC: Not ranked
• Last Five Games • UMD: 4-1 • CC: 1-4
• Goaltending: • UMD: Kasimir Kaskisuo: 8-4-0, .924 save percentage, 2.09 goals against average, freshman • The freshman netminder has taken over between the pipes for the Bulldogs thanks to his stellar numbers and calm demeanor on the ice. He’s been the solid starter for UMD through most of the year and has been a major part of the Bulldogs’ success. • CC: Chase Perry: 1-3-0, .883 save percentage, 3.73 goals against average, freshman. Tyler Marble: 2-5-0, .854 save percentage, 4.77 goals against average, sophomore • Marble started the year out for the Tigers but after suffering some hard losses against Boston College, the University of New Hampshire, Miami University and Denver University the Tigers have been sticking with Perry as of late. He helped the Tigers to their third win of the season over the University of Wisconsin on November 21st.
• Defense: • UMD: Allowed 17 shots in their last game against Omaha and only 22 in the previous matchup. The Bulldog blue line has been key in keeping UMD on top and supporting rookie goaltender Kaskisuo. UMD’s defense has also been contributing offensively with five goals and nine points so far this season. • CC: The Tigers have allowed five or more goals on five different occasions this season, putting them in a bad position to try to crawl back from.
• Offense: • UMD: Finding a way to put the puck in the back of the net by any means necessary has aided the Bulldogs this season, as has their ability to get scoring from all lines. Top scorer Dominic Toninato has registered nine goals so far this season but 16 different Bulldogs have found the back of the net this year, making every line a lethal one for the opposition to face. • CC: The Tigers have struggled to get offense, scoring a goal or fewer in five of their 11 games this season. Forward Cody Bradley has been a bright spot on the CC front line with five goals and eight points on the year, while Aaron Harstad leads the team in power-play goals with three. The Tigers rank dead last in scoring for the NCHC.
• Special Teams: • UMD: UMD is currently drawing the second most penalties in the NCHC, spending approximately 17 minutes per game down a man. They’re penalty kill percentage sits at 81 percent right now and while they have scored five short-handed goals, they sit at sixth in the conference on penalty kill percentage. Their power play, on the other hand, has excelled after lackluster results last season, holding down a 21 percent success rate when up a man. • CC: Not surprisingly, the Tigers power play and penalty kill sit at the bottom of the pack in the NCHC, just as they sit at the bottom of the pack in the conference rankings. This is not a team to be taken for granted, however, as they went 1-2-1 with UMD last season.
BY NICOLE BRODZIK Sports Editor