Wisconsin takes over the top spot this week
after beating Michigan State and Michigan. Things don't get
any easier for the Badgers, as they'll put their ranking on
the line at No. 3 Minnesota this weekend.
Here's how the Inside College Hockey editors
and staff rank the nation's top teams (along with a note for
each team).
| No. |
Team |
|
Of
Note |
| 1. |
 Wisconsin |
 1 |
A "we'll take that No. 1 ranking, thanks"
win in Ann Arbor caps Mike Eaves' best month (7-0-1) as
coach of his alma mater. |
| 11-1-2
(8-0-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Michigan State, 3-1; W at
Michigan, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota. |
| 2. |
 Colorado
College |
1 |
Brett Sterling's pre-Gold Pan warmup features OT winner
to complete hat trick at BU. Note to Pioneers: You'll
want to cover him. |
| 12-3-1
(6-1-1 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L at Massachuetts, 4-3; W at
Boston University, 6-5 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Denver, at Denver. |
| 3. |
 Minnesota |
3 |
Phil Kessel is getting hot (13 points in his last six
games) just in time for a visit by some friends from the
old hometown. |
| 7-3-4
(6-2-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Michigan, 6-3; T at Michigan
State, 2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Wisconsin. |
| 4. |
 Michigan |
 3 |
Minnesota and Wisconsin combine to extend the Wolverines'
College Hockey Showcase losing streak to six in a row. |
| 9-3-1
(5-1-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota, 6-3; L vs. Wisconsin,
3-2. THIS WEEK: at Miami, at Miami. |
| 5. |
 Vermont |
– |
Goaltender Travis Russell played second fiddle to Joe
Fallon for the last year, but made 29 saves and was the
first star in Sunday's win over Maine. |
| 10-3-0
(4-3-0 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: L vs. Massachusetts, 2-1;
W at Maine, 2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, vs. UMass
Lowell. |
| 6. |
 Maine |
2 |
The Black Bears (as well as the team that defeated them
on Sunday) are among the best teams in the nation, but
are just 4-3-0 in Hockey East play |
| 9-4-0
(4-3-0 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: L vs. Vermont, 2-1. THIS
WEEK: at Providence. |
| 7. |
 Boston
College |
– |
Chris Collins has 28.1 percent of the Eagles' goals.
Even Brian Gionta (20.5 percent of the New Jersey Devils'
goals) is impressed by that. |
| 6-3-1
(5-1-1 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: vs. Boston University, at Boston University. |
| 8. |
 Miami |
1 |
Look at me, mom: Brothers Matt and Nathan Davis combine
for five goals in the RedHawks' 6-1 win against Bowling
Green Friday. |
| 9-2-1
(8-1-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Bowling Green, 6-1; W at
Bowling Green, 5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan, vs. Michigan.
|
| 9. |
 North
Dakota |
1 |
The Sioux, who head to Houghton for a pair, last lost
at Tech in January 1995, when Dave Hakstol was skating
for the IHL's Minnesota Moose. |
| 8-5-1
(4-4-0 WCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Michigan Tech,
at Michigan Tech. |
| 10. |
 New
Hampshire |
– |
This week will take the Wildcats to two leagues, two
homes of ranked teams and three states not even counting
New Hampshire. |
| 7-4-2
(6-2-1 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: T vs. Northeastern, 3-3
ot. THIS WEEK: at Merrimack, at Vermont, at St. Lawrence. |
| 11. |
 Colgate
|
1 |
Three of the Raiders last four games have gone to
overtime. The first two were ties, and Jon Smyth won
the third with a breakaway goal. |
| 8-2-3
(4-1-1 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: T vs. Western Michigan, 2-2
ot; W vs. Western Michigan, 4-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Quinnipiac,
vs. Princeton. |
| 12. |
 Harvard |
1 |
Justin Tobe stopped 52 of 55 shots he faced on the weekend
after replacing John Daigneau in Friday night's game. |
| 7-3-1
(6-3-0 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: T vs. Boston University, 2-2
ot; L at Clarkson, 4-3; W at St. Lawrence, 4-3. THIS WEEK:
at Yale. |
| 13. |
 Denver |
– |
Note to Brett Sterling: We know how to cover you, as
evidenced by the zero points you scored in six games against
us last season. |
| 6-6-2
(3-3-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L at Boston University, 1-0;
W at Massachusetts, 4-0. THIS WEEK: at Colorado College,
vs. Colorado College. |
| 14. |
 St.
Lawrence |
– |
Power outage dooms Saints in loss to Harvard. SLU had
three 5-on-3 power plays in the second period and failed
to score. |
| 10-4-0
(6-3-0 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: W vs. Dartmouth, 6-4; L vs.
Harvard, 4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. UMass Lowell, vs. New Hampshire. |
| 15. |
 Alaska-Fairbanks |
– |
Freshman goalie Chad Johnson had his five-game unbeaten
streak snapped in the Nanooks' 4-1 loss to visiting Northern
Michigan Saturday. |
| 6-4-2
(4-3-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Northern Michigan, 3-1;
L vs. Northern Michigan, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Lake Superior
State, at Lake Superior State. |
| 16. |
 Clarkson
|
– |
Senior winger Jeff Genovy entered the season with 29
career points. He already has 14 points this year. |
| 9-4-1
(5-2-1 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 4-3; L vs. Dartmouth,
4-0. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 17. |
 Cornell |
– |
The Big Red got a big weekend from freshmen forwards
Evan Barlow, Ryan Kindret and Mike Kennedy. |
| 6-3-1
(3-2-1 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: W vs. Niagara, 5-4; W vs. Niagara,
5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Princeton, vs. Quinnipiac. |
| 18. |
 Bemidji
State |
– |
The Beavers got off to a 7-1-0 start against teams whose
combined record stands at 10-31-6. This weekend's series
with Niagara is part of an eight-game stretch against
foes with a combined 27-19-9 mark. |
| 8-2-0
(3-1-0 CHA). LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Niagara, vs.
Niagara. |
| 19. |
 Ferris
State |
1 |
The Bulldogs' Friday-Sunday series at UNO bookends a
concert by country music star Keith Urban, which begs
the question: If he's a country music star, shouldn't
his name be Keith Rural? |
| 7-3-4
(3-1-4 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Mercyhurst, 6-3; W at Mercyhurst,
5-4. THIS WEEK: at Nebraska-Omaha, at Nebraska-Omaha. |
| 20. |
 Ohio
State |
NR |
The streaky Buckeyes are college hockey's version of
Dennis Scott, following a five-game winless skid with
a five straight W's. |
| 7-5-1
(6-4-1 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W at Notre Dame, 4-1; W at Notre
Dame, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Alabama-Huntsville, vs. Alabama-Huntsville. |