The Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team breaks from Western Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend to play a home-and-home series with top-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth. Despite piling up a 13-1-2 record in league play this season, the Beavers enter the series in search of their first non-conference victory after being swept at the University of North Dakota, Oct. 21-22, and at home by Princeton University, Nov. 25-26.

The regional match up features two of the top teams in the country this season. The No. 15 Beavers own the nation’s best goals against average (1.60) and their 13 wins tie BSU with Boston College and Penn State for tops in college hockey, while No. 1 Minnesota Duluth is recording 3.62 goals per game to rank among the top five scoring offenses in the country and eight of its 11 wins have come over teams ranked among the top 20.

Senior forward Alex Iafallo, who has 20 points (10g-10a) to rank among the top 20 scorers in the nation this season, leads a Bulldogs attack that features eight players posting double-figure point totals through 16 games. Iafallo has a team-best 10 goals, while freshman Joey Anderson leads the team with 11 assists. The Bulldogs’ goaltending duties have been left up to a trio of rookies. Hunter Miska has made appearances in 13 of 16 contests and is 10-2-0 with a .917 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average to lead the group.