Four teams are left in the NCAA Tournament field,
but that's no reason not to rank 'em all. Or at least the
top 20, as we do each week in the INCH Power Rankings.
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 |
– |
Lest you think the Badgers are satisfied with merely
advancing to the Frozen Four, consider captain Adam Burish's
comments following Sunday's regional final win against
Cornell: "In the locker room, all everyone was saying
was 'Two more wins.'" |
| 28-10-3
(17-8-3 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Bemidji State, 4-0; W
vs. Cornell, 1-0 3ot. THIS WEEK: NCAA Semifinal vs. Maine. |
| 2. |
 North
Dakota |
 4 |
Dave Hakstol is the fifth coach in NCAA history to advance
to the Frozen Four in each of his first two seasons behind
the bench. Only one of them – former Sioux pilot
Gino Gasparini – won a national championship in
his second turn. |
| 29-15-1
(16-12-0 WCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan, 5-1; W vs.
Holy Cross, 5-2. THIS WEEK: NCAA Semifinal vs. Boston
College. |
| 3. |
 Minnesota |
 1 |
We're don't know what it feels like to be on the short
end of one of the biggest upsets in college hockey history
in the arena of your bitter rival, but we're guessing
the Gophers feel like a lot like Jason Biggs' character
in "American Pie" following the infamous web
cam incident. |
| 27-9-5
(20-5-3 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Holy Cross, 4-3 ot. |
| 4. |
 Boston
College |
3 |
If Cory Schneider and Brian Elliott both stay on a roll,
we could be looking at a very long national title game. |
| 25-12-3
(17-8-2 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Miami, 5-0; W vs.
Boston University, 5-0. THIS WEEK: NCAA Semifinal vs.
North Dakota. |
| 5. |
 Maine |
3 |
Greg Moore's two goals this weekend were both empty-netters,
but he was out there because he's an outstanding defensive
forward, not to pad his stats. |
| 28-11-2
(17-8-2 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 6-1; W
vs. Michigan State, 5-4. THIS WEEK: NCAA Semifinal vs.
Wisconsin. |
| 6. |
 Boston
University |
3 |
When the Montreal Canadiens compare Chris Higgins to
a young Jere Lehtinen, they’re actually talking
about the former Yale star. But perhaps it fits here,
too? |
| 26-10-4
(17-7-3 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: W vs. Nebraska-Omaha,
9-2; L vs. Boston College, 5-0. |
| 7. |
 Michigan
State |
3 |
Only North Dakota (led by Oshie, Toews and Duncan)
had better freshmen in the tournament than the Spartans. |
| 25-12-8
(14-7-7 CCHA). LAST WEEK: W vs. New Hampshire, 1-0; L
vs. Maine, 5-4. |
| 8. |
 Miami |
3 |
After a consistently strong season, the RedHawks probably
deserved better. But with Enrico Blasi at the helm and
a new rink opening up, they’ll get better. |
| 26-9-4
(20-6-2 CCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Boston College, 5-0. |
| 9. |
 Cornell |
1 |
David McKee deserves a long, restful sleep. He will
probably wake up to multiple NHL offers. |
| 22-9-4
(13-6-3 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: W vs. Colorado College, 3-2;
L vs. Wisconsin, 1-0 3ot. |
| 10. |
 Harvard |
1 |
One has to believe the surprising Crimson will be the
favorite in the ECACHL next season. Only five seniors
– John Daigneault, Peter Hafner, Charlie Johnson,
Dan Murphy and Tom Walsh – depart from this year's
conference playoff championship team. |
| 21-12-2
(13-8-1 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: L vs. Maine, 6-1. |
| 11. |
 Denver |
– |
Congrats to former Pioneer defenseman Matt Carle, who
scored his first NHL goal in San Jose's 5-1 win at Minnesota
on an assist from ex-Holy Cross standout Pat Rissmiller. |
| 21-15-3
(17-8-3 WCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. |
| 12. |
 Colorado
College |
– |
Of schools with at least one NCAA championship, the
Tigers have the longest current title-less drought, which
currently stands at 49 years and counting. |
| 24-16-2
(15-11-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Cornell, 3-2. |
| 13. |
 New
Hampshire |
– |
Brett "Yogi" Hemingway, summing up the 'Cats
season in response to a question asked by Allan Lessels
of the New Hampshire Union Leader: "We started out
well and went down. We started to go up and went down.
It was real up and down." |
| 20-13-7
(14-7-6 Hockey East). LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan State,
1-0. |
| 14. |
 Holy
Cross |
1 |
Overheard at the East Regional in Albany the day after
the Crusaders stunned Minnesota: "There goes their
invite to the Mariucci [holiday] Tournament." |
| 25-10-2
(19-7-2 Atlantic Hockey). LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota,
4-3 ot; L vs. North Dakota, 5-2. |
| 15. |
 Michigan |
1 |
There are three seasons for Wolverine hockey fans: regular
season, postseason, and wait-to-see-which-underclassmen-depart
season. |
| 21-15-5
(13-10-5 CCHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. North Dakota, 5-1. |
| 16. |
 St.
Cloud State |
1 |
Five of the first-round games were decided by four or
more goals, which had us longing for the Huskies' 8-7
overtime thriller vs. Minnesota. |
| 22-16-4
(13-13-2 WCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. |
| 17. |
 Dartmouth
|
1 |
Who would you rather have returning – your top
two assist men or your top two goal scorers? We'll take
the guys who light the lamp, which is good news for the
Big Green. |
| 18-12-2
(14-6-2 CCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. |
| 18. |
 Northern
Michigan |
1 |
We trust that if Darin Olver explores his options with
the New York Rangers this offseason, it won't come as
a shock to the NMU coaching staff, which includes his
father, John. |
| 22-16-2
(14-12-2 CCHA). LAST WEEK: Off. |
| 19. |
 Colgate
|
1 |
Raiders, who were unbeaten in overtime this season (3-0-6),
must've felt like shouting advice to their travel partners
Sunday night. |
| 20-12-6
(14-6-2 ECACHL). LAST WEEK: Off. |
| 20. |
 Bemidji
State |
NR |
The Beavers had the misfortune of running into top seed
Wisconsin less than 18 hours after the Badgers received
a "anything can happen" wake-up call from Grand
Forks. |
| 20-14-3
(12-7-1 CHA). LAST WEEK: L vs. Wisconsin, 4-0. |