The Gophers and Minnesota Duluth will face off for the fifth time this season — and in the fifth different venue — in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday in Manchester, N.H. The Bulldogs have the upper hand in the season series with a 3-1 record. They also won the only time the two rivals have met in the NCAA tournament.

About the rivalry

• The Gophers have a 134-78-17 all-time record against the Bulldogs.

• Minnesota Duluth is 5-2-2 against the Gophers in the past three seasons.

• The Bulldogs beat the Gophers 3-1 in the 2004 Midwest Regional final to end Minnesota's hopes for three straight NCAA titles.

2014-2015 results

Oct. 10: Don Lucia's squad opened the season with a 4-3 victory at the Ice Breaker Tournament in South Bend, Ind. The Gophers built an early 3-0 lead and held off the Bulldogs' comeback attempt.

Nov. 14: UMD shut out the Gophers 3-0 at Mariucci Arena in what was the beginning of the Gophers' midseason slump.

Nov. 15: The home-and-home series shifted north where the Bulldogs survived for a 2-1 victory.

Jan. 24: The Gophers hit a season low when they lost 2-1 to the Bulldogs in the North Star College Cup consolation game at Xcel Energy Center. However, it was after this loss that the Gophers started to turn around their season.

JASON GONZALEZ