TUNE IN: This weekend's games will be broadcasted on KKXL "The Fan" 1440 AM and on www.UNDSports.com with broadcaster Darrin Looker calling the action. A webcast is also available through www.UNDSports.com.
A live blog will be open for fans during the game at www.UNDSports.com or you can get live updates by following UNDWHockey through twitter. Live stats for the game can be found through www.UNDSports.com.
Make sure to "like" the team on Facebook for behind the scenes videos and information on this years squad at www.faceboook.com/UNDwhky.
ABOUT CLARKSON: The Golden Knights enter the weekend off to an extremely strong start with a 7-1-0 record (2-0-0 ECAC).
Clarkson is led by highly skilled players at all three positions, starting in net in junior Erica Howe. Howe enters the weekend with a 1.29 goals against average, a .949 save percentage and three shutouts.
Junior Jamie Lee Rattray leads the way in points with 17 and is the team's goal-scoring leader (eight).
A dynamic offensive-defenseman, freshman Erin Ambrose is off to a quick start in her collegiate career, leading the squad in assists (13), and is second in points (15).
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: North Dakota has won the only two meetings between the two teams. Both came in the second half of the 2003-04 season. UND defeated the Golden Knights 5-2 in Potsdam, N.Y., and won in Grand Forks, 4-0.
LAST ACTION: UND suffered 5-1 and 4-2 losses to top-ranked Minnesota.
North Dakota became the first team to challenge the undefeated mark off the defending national champion Golden Gophers, who had outscored its opponents 55-3 entering the series.
Before this past weekend, UM has led by two or more goals entering the third period in every game. North Dakota took a 1-1 tie into the final 10 minutes of play Saturday before things unraveled for the home team as Minnesota scored four goals to close out the game.
The Kelly green and white trailed the maroon and gold squad by only a 3-2 margin in the finale, but were held scoreless in the final stanza.
POLL POSITION: UND is ranked No. 9 in this week's USCHO.com Division I Women's Hockey Poll.
REMEMBER YOUR FIRST: UND freshman Meghan Dufault was held without a goal through her first seven games of the season, but the scoring drought came to an end in a way she will remember. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, scored both North Dakota goals on Sunday against the No. 1 team in the nation.
Freshmen Becca Kohler, Leah Jensen and Tanja Eisenschmid have also scored their first collegiate goals this season.
TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS: North Dakota continues to struggle offensively, as goals have come at a premium this season, averaging only 2.25 per game.
North Dakota does, however, continue to average nearly a double-digit advantage in shots per game (235 to 171) over its opponents. Opposing goaltenders are holding UND to only a .077 shooting percentage. North Dakota paced along at a .126 rate in 2011-12.
STARTING STRONG: North Dakota has scored the game's first goal in six of its eight contests.
PIVOTAL SERIES: Every series during a collegiate hockey team's season is important, but the way things have shaped up early in 2012-13, UND's series against Clarkson could be huge when determining the field for the NCAA Tournament. With limited nonconference opponents, games versus teams under consideration and the common opponent fields, which the NCAA considers when selecting the eight-team field, all will be greatly affected by the results of this weekend's games.
Clarkson is currently fourth and North Dakota 12th in the PairWise Rankings, which attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine the participants for the NCAA Division I Women's Hockey Tournament.
