February 22, 2004
INCH Power Rankings

The top eight teams in last week's INCH Power Rankings were 14-0-2 over the weekend, including sweeps for each of the top six. That means there's not much movement at the top of this week's rankings, although there is plenty of activity from that point on.

Here's how the Inside College Hockey editors and staff rank the rest of the nation's top teams (along with movement since last week and a note). You can let us know what you think, including your name and hometown, and we'll share your thoughts below.

No.	Team		Of Note
1.	Boston College	–	Eagles can beat you with any number of skaters. They lead the nation in penalty killing (91.0 percent) and short-handed goals (11).
25-3-4 (16-1-3 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. UMass Lowell, 4-1; W at UMass Lowell, 5-0. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, at New Hampshire.
2.	North Dakota	–	Goal-oriented: Sioux have scored 7 or more seven times this season, including 10 against MSU-Mankato Saturday.
22-6-3 (16-5-3 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota State, 6-3; W at Minnesota State, 10-1. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota Duluth, at Minnesota Duluth.
3.	Michigan	–	Jeff Tambellini's goal against Bowling Green Friday was his first since Nov. 8.
23-8-1 (18-5-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Bowling Green, 7-3; W vs. Bowling Green, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Notre Dame, at Notre Dame.
4.	Minnesota Duluth	–	Bulldogs, who haven't lost in 2004, would clinch MacNaughton Cup this weekend with two wins against visting North Dakota.
22-8-3 (18-5-1 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Colorado College, 5-2; W at Colorado College, 5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. North Dakota, vs. North Dakota.
5.	Maine	–	Jim Howard hasn't given up an even-strength goal in his last six games, dating back to Dec. 5.
23-6-3 (14-4-2 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Providence, 3-2; W vs. Providence, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at UMass Lowell, at UMass Lowell.
6.	Minnesota	–	Captain Grant Potulny picked up a goal and an assist this weekend after missing six games with an injury.
20-11-3 (13-10-1 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Alaska Anchorage, 3-2; W vs. Alaska Anchorage, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Denver, at Denver.
7.	Wisconsin	–	Freshman Ross Carlson, who scored the game-tying goal Friday and the game-winner Saturday, is averaging a point a game since his Jan. 2 debut.
18-9-7 (12-6-6 WCHA). LAST WEEK: T vs. St. Cloud State, 1-1 ot; W vs. St. Cloud State, 3-0. THIS WEEK: at Alaska Anchorage, at Alaska Anchorage.
8.	Denver	–	Goalie Adam Berkhoel has given up one goal or less in four of his last five starts, including both games at Michigan Tech last weekend.
19-10-5 (9-10-5 WCHA). LAST WEEK: T at Michigan Tech, 1-1; W at Michigan Tech, 3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota, vs. Minnesota.
9.	New Hampshire	1	Callander boy: Preston has 5-4—9 in his last four games.
17-10-5 (9-6-5 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Northeastern, 6-5. THIS WEEK: at Boston College, vs. Boston College.
10.	St. Cloud State	1	The Huskies lost the battle with one point at Wisconsin, but won the war. Friday's tie clinched the season series against the Badgers. That tiebreaker may come in handy.
18-10-4 (12-8-4 WCHA). LAST WEEK: T at Wisconsin, 1-1 ot; L at Wisconsin, 3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado College, vs. Colorado College.
11.	Colgate	3	The Raiders are 9-1-2 in their last 12, and need just two points from this weekend's home games against the eighth and ninth place teams to win the Cleary Cup.
18-9-5 (13-5-2 ECAC). LAST WEEK: W at Union, 1-0; W at Rensselaer, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Clarkson, vs. St. Lawrence.
12.	Miami	1	RedHawks, who play three of their last four games at home, are 10-2-1 and outscoring opponents 55-26 at Goggin Ice Arena this season.
18-11-3 (15-7-2 CCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Western Michigan, vs. Western Michigan.
13.	Michigan State	5	Spartan fans pining for the past got a taste of it this weekend, with back-to-back shutouts of Nebraska-Omaha.
20-15-1 (16-9-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0; W vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 5-0. THIS WEEK: Off.
14.	Ohio State	3	Buckeyes scored five goals on 18 shots against Western Michigan Saturday, which is better than the average NBA player's free throw percentage.
20-14-0 (15-11-0 CCHA). LAST WEEK: L at Western Michigan, 4-1; W at Western Michigan, 5-1. THIS WEEK: Off.
15.	Colorado College	3	Freshman Matt Zaba had an inauspicious debut as the Tigers' full-time No. 1 starter in goal, allowing nine goals on 50 shots in losses to Minnesota Duluth.
16-13-3 (9-13-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota Duluth, 5-2; L vs. Minnesota Duluth, 5-3. THIS WEEK: at St. Cloud State, at St. Cloud State.
16.	Massachusetts	1	The reeling Minutemen are winless in five straight. And it doesn't look like any opponents are prepared to forfeit those games.
16-9-6 (12-7-3 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: L at Boston University, 6-1; T vs. Boston University, 2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: Off.
17.	Cornell	1	RPI coach Dan Fridgen called Friday's game "Rugby on ice." Mike Schafer's assessment: "It was an efficient style of play. Very disciplined."
13-8-6 (11-6-3 ECAC). LAST WEEK: W at Rensselaer, 2-1; L at Union, 3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Lawrence, vs. Clarkson.
18.	Notre Dame	NR	The all-time series between the Irish and Michigan at the Joyce Center is close to .500, but the Wolverines haven't lost as visitors to Notre Dame in more than five years.
15-11-4 (11-10-3 CCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan, vs. Michigan.
19.	Brown	4	We're not sure, but judging by the Bears' recent play, we think they're pretty broken up about the end of Sex in the City.
14-8-5 (12-6-2 ECAC). LAST WEEK: L at St. Lawrence, 4-0; L at Clarkson, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Dartmouth, vs. Vermont.
20.	Bemidji State	NR	The CHA season is building to what should be a great finish: Bemidji hosts the other title contender, Niagara, on the last weekend of the regular season.
16-11-3 (13-2-1 CHA). LAST WEEK: T vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 3-3 ot; W vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Air Force, at Air Force.

Dropped out: Rensselaer, Providence

Bubble-licious: Providence, Dartmouth, Niagara, Holy Cross, Rensselaer

Feedback

So it's crunch time in all the conferences, everybody playing for home ice in the first round of conference playoffs.. fun! fun! I believe you will see a final four that looks like this: BC, MN, UMD, ND... I'm not sure if the people that do the brackets will have all four of these teams in different regions, but if they do these four will roll. Regards and apoligies to the die hard fans of Michigan and Maine.... good, just not good enough.

P.S. The WCHA is the top conference in the country... you can't argue this stat gentlemen.... or you can, but will be wrong.... no comments from CCHA fans please... for I'd be embarrased for you

Threepeat in da fleet!!!

Mike, Lakeville, MN

BC is sitting at number one, rolling through the Hockey East, arguably the toughest conference in the nation, and all of this without Ben Eaves, their best player. They play the best team defense of any college team that I have seen in the last 20 years. Right now they project as a number one seed in the east, playing in Manchester, NH before the Frozen Four in Boston. How can they not be the favorite to win the title this year? Ever to Excel.

By the way, a comment was made by a BU defenseman prior to the Beanpot that "if a player wanted to play in a Beanpot, he went to BC, NU, or Harvard, but if he wanted to win a Beanpot, he went to BU". I guess "if a player wants to compete at the highest level of college hockey, win the Hockey East regular season and postseason tournament, play in the Frozen Four a few times during his career, and win an NCAA title, he should go to BC."

John, Northboro, MA BC '88

Each week I view the INCH ratings and read the interesting comments from the fans. I enjoy the controversial discussions about which team, or conference for that matter, is getting too much respect or lack there of. I can respect people having a loyalty to their teams and conferences, but sometimes become disgusted with some of the WCHA fans. First let me say, the WCHA is the best conference this year. However, it's not the best conference EVERY year! The mid-westerners think the WCHA is the best product year after year, just like they think the Big Ten is the best conference every year in football and basketball. News flash: it's not! If these same people gave more respect to some of the other teams/conferences when it's due, it would give them more credibility when they actually do have the best product.

Ryan, Duluth, MN

I am so sick of everyone handing the WCHA and the top rankings to North Dakota. True, they have been a force for a long time- but UMD is leading the WCHA and playing the best hockey in the country. Yet the power rankings and the polls are so stuck on North Dakota that I think even after the Bulldogs sweep them this weekend the Sioux will still be ranked ahead of them! Everyone needs to wake up and realize that UMD is the best team in the WCHA and one of the top three in the country.

Don Costello, St. Paul, MN

Well it's no fun when all the top teams win, so i'll just ask a question...how 'bout them Bulldogs? Is it too late to put Isaac Reichmuth's name on the Hobey ballot?

Mike, Mpls, MN

Hey Ryan in Duluth. I thought that it was made clear this is a hockey site. References or comparisons to football or basketball are not welcome, nor applicable. Every fan of the CCHA talks of their strength, yet when I look at how Michigan advances to the Frozen Four all the time, it has been through a regional site in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and East Lansing). Over the past ten years, they have NOT been in the Frozen Four when travelling to a regional outside of Michigan. That's a fact, not an opinion. (Check this site and go to History and look at the brackets). Note to INCH staff...thanks for the year by year brackets.

Joe, Saint Cloud, MN

Don, first off, let me commend you on your observation, "UMD is leading the WCHA". Good observation, UMD is leading the conference by virtue of points. Your comment, "Yet the power rankings and the polls are so stuck on North Dakota that I think even after the Bulldogs sweep them this weekend the Sioux will still be ranked ahead of them!", shows you may be confused about how the INCH Power Rankings are determined. Editors, correct me if I'm wrong. The INCH Power Rankings are determined by a full season's play, not a half season. Strength of schedule is also included in calculating the rankings. (Also, non-conference losses to Bemidji State are not things the INCH Power Rankings formula looks to award many points for.)

Don, lets look at the facts. UMD's lack luster 9-8-2 2003 performance may be the reason they aren't ahead of UND now. (The eight losses came from the likes of North Dakota, Michigan State, St. Cloud State, St. Cloud State, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, North Dakota, and North Dakota.) During this same period UND went 15-2-0 with losses to Boston College and St. Cloud State, splitting both series.

True, UMD (13-0-1) has had a better 2004 than UND (9-4-3), but even if the Bulldogs sweep the Fighting Sioux this weekend, UND will still win the
season series 3-2. Who knows how the INCH formula will work things out. Boston College (12-1-1), Maine (11-2-2), and Michigan (12-1-0) are also having good 2004 seasons. They have valid arguments as well. Best of luck to UMD and UND as they are both representing the WCHA very well, this season.

Jimmy, Salt Lake City, Utah

Ed.: While the INCH Power Rankings are not determined by a formula, they do take into account the entire season.

Don in St. Paul, I will admit UMD is playing the best hockey in the country right now, but you also have to remember that the SIOUX swept UMD this year and thats why they are not ahead of the SIOUX. UND has also played just as good hockey as UMD too. So until UMD sweeps UND they will always be ranked lower then them.

Also to Ryan in Duluth, mid-westerners don't think that the WCHA is the best conference THEY KNOW IT IS. Ever since the Frozen Four started, 48 teams from the WCHA have been there, where as only 22 teams from Hockey East have been. I think it is time for all of you to realize that the WCHA is the toughest conference.

Ryan, Grand Forks

Ryan of Duluth, your observations are both well seen and said. Of course it is unreasonable to state that any conference or team has ever had a non-cyclic monopoly of sorts on ncaa ice hockey. For example, The University of Michigan held a significant edge over the rest of the nation in the first decade of frozen four history (10/10 frozen four appearances; 1948-1957), with six
national championships. Yet, soon after this impressive run the Wolverines virtually disappeared off the map of ncaa superiority until the early 1990s. Certainly, Michigan underwent several years of "rebuilding." Then, the wolverines provided impressive runs for national championships to end the 1990s on top of the ncaa again... yet only for someone else to "take the torch and run" so to speak, after 1998.

The significance of this history is that if even the most traditionally dominant team in college hockey (The University of Michigan) can hit "rebuilding" times, then it would be unreasonable to suggest that similar cycles do not apply to all teams and conferences of college hockey. The teams of Boston both endured similar droughts in the 1980s, and between 1988 & 2003 the CCHA certainly had some significant edge over the (now-dominant) WCHA insofar as tournament results suggests (19 to 13 for appearances).

I am not stating that the CCHA is the greatest conference this year... because it so obviously isn't. However, it is essential to highlight the cyclic nature of college hockey statistics. Therefore, despite the WCHA's excellence THIS season, the western collegiate hockey Association is most certainly not the all-time most dominant conference of the ncaa. Actually, noone has the means to offer the title of "All-Time most excellent" [on an intellectual basis] to any conference. This matter is complicated by the cyclic nature of college hockey. I presume, then, that it is an ignorance of these cyles that causes many WCHA fans to form an automatic bias towards the events of THIS season, when associating the title of "All-Time most excellent" with the WCHA.

Dave, Ann Arbor

p.s. All of that aside.. Hockey East actually has the most impressive "All Time" resume. That is a fact, whether I like it or not.

To start this off there has been only one constant the last couple of weeks, and that is BC is the undisputed #1, after that #2-5 could be a crap shoot.

Second, I am not going to touch the UMD is better than UND thing with a 10 foot pole. That will be settled on the ice, at the DECC this weekend (and I am going to be there). This should be one helluva series.

But, to Ryan in Duluth, I am going to have to take a stand (and unfortunately agree with a Souix fan, Ryan from Grand Forks), and say YES the WCHA is the best conference. Here is why. This year depending on how CC does, there could be 7 teams from the WCHA in the tourney. That is nearly 50 percent of the teams (7 of 16). They sent 5 last year (first year of 16 teams), 4 in 2002 (12 teams), 5 in 2001, 3 in 2000. When there has been 12 teams the WCHA has sent 3 or 4 teams to the tourney (except 1996 only 2) since 1995. The only years there has not been a WCHA team in the final four teams is 1999, 1998, and 1993 (unless I read something wrong). Check the year by year brackets. So, in closing, the WCHA is hands down the best conference and I would rate the top 3 in this order: 1 WCHA, 2 Hockey East, 3 CCHA. And Ryan this is not anything biased toward the WCHA, it is just the facts.

Well, off to another great weekend of college hockey. With the best series of the NCAAs happening right in my backyard in Duluth. LETS GO DOGS!!!!!!!!!!

Mike, Duluth, MN

To all, that think their conference is the “Best” all time. When you look at the last ten years the best conference hands down is Hockey East. They have had 18 teams in the Frozen Four in the last 10 years. No other conference even comes close. In fact the CCHA comes in second with 13 teams and the WCHA is third with 9. Those are the facts, no other conference even compares to Hockey East.

Dave, Boston

To Dave in Boston, Here are some facts about HOCKEY EAST that you left out. Hockey East only has won it 4 times in the past 10 years while the WCHA has won it 4 times also, so that leaves the CCHA with the other 2. Also, the WCHA is 4-1 against Hockey East in the Frozen Four Championship game while Hockey East is 1-4 against us. Come on you are still gunna tell me that you think that Hockey East is the best conference. Boy you need to get your facts straight because I am sick and tired of hearing people like you talk about how great there conference is without even being able to back it up.

Ryan, Grand Forks

All this chatter about whose conference is better has inspired me. I have looked through the brackets for the last 10 NCAA tourneys and here it is:

Total appearances-- WCHA 35 HEA 32 CCHA 31
Total tourney wins-- HEA 43 WCHA 34 CCHA 28
Frozen Four appearances-- HEA 16 CCHA 11 WCHA 9
Total titles-- WCHA 4 HEA 3 CCHA 3

In my opinion the most telling stat is tourney wins. It pains me to say it but this would make Hockey East the "best" conference in the last 10 years. Of course, opinions may vary about which stat is the most important, but hopefully this helps some in settling the arguments.

Jeff, Minneapolis

Wow, as a fan of hockey of any kind I have to say I find this site and it's comments to be outstanding. Some people here even do actual research to back up their teams/opinions...a nice change from the average fan. A couple of observations based on what I've read above:

1. UMD should be ranked below UND until they beat them, to be more precise they should have to sweep them this weekend...a split will still leave the season series at 4-1 in UND's favor. To be the best you have to beat the best, please remember that UND didn't get the #1 ranking until they split with BC the beginning of the season. All things aside leading up to this weekend UMD has had a remarkable 2nd half and if they sweep the Sioux they deserve to leap frog them and I'm sure they will in all polls. These words are from a Sioux fan with season tickets to The Ralph and they are a painful fact that I hope will not come to fruition, but they would be the correct result if it does.

2. Reading Dave from Boston's comments got me to thinking and to doing a little research about the last 10 years of Frozen Four results. As the fans in Minnesota will confirm we in ND are sometimes a little slow, but I think this is accurate based on finding at uscho.com's site. From 1994 to 2003 (10 tournaments) the WHCA took home 4 National Championships, Hockey East took home 3, and the CCHA 3. If you go back to 1993 to 2003 (11 tournaments) you get Hockey East even with WCHA at 4 championships. While it's cold up here on the tundra, and my memory may be going in my old age, wasn't there something going on at Maine about that time in the 90's where they were caught doing illegal things and had some records expunged or something? I don't see anything doing quick research, but maybe someone else can help me out on this. But using Dave's reasoning that Hockey East has been best conference is just not justified when push comes to shove the last 10 years....representatives are nice and all at the dance, but "an appearance" is just a couple extra games on the season in the grand scheme and everyone goes to bring home hardware. The last 10 years have belonged to the WCHA when it came to game time, proving again that quality is almost always better than quantity. This year the WCHA is riding a nice wave where they can boast both quality and quantity with UND, UMD, Minnesota very tough true championship contenders and Wisconsin not on anyone's wish-list of possible opponents in the playoffs.

Anyway, those are my rants for the week. Keep up the great job at insidecollegehockey.com, but for now I have to go hand out leashes to Blais and company for the games this weekend. GO SIOUX!!!

Mike, Grand Forks ND

Honestly,

Best conference ever has to be ECAC, we let the HEA teams leave we were so good…ok so not really.

Still got my fingers crossed for an RPI v. BC Championship game.

Adam, Troy, NY

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