The top three teams in the INCH Power Rankings
all lost last week, but Minnesota held on to the top spot.
Boston University took strides with its road sweep of Maine.
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. |
 Minnesota |
— |
With a seven-point lead on the rest of the WCHA field,
the Gophers know a sweep this weekend puts the Pioneers
permanently in the rear-view mirror. Get swept, and the
race is on. |
| 20-2-3 (12-1-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Wisconsin, 2-1; W at Wisconsin,
1-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Denver, vs. Denver |
| 2. |
 New
Hampshire |
 2 |
The Wildcats have a chance to avenge their lone Hockey
East loss this season in their home-and-home with UMass
this weekend. |
| 17-3-1 (12-1-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Dartmouth, 4-2. THIS WEEK:
vs. Massachusetts, at Massachusetts |
| 3. |
 Notre
Dame |
2 |
Saturday's win at Lake Superior State is the Irish's
19th this season, topping the team's win total from the
previous two seasons combined. |
| 19-4-1 (13-2-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Lake Superior State, 4-3 ot; W at
Lake Superior State, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Western Michigan,
at Western Michigan |
| 4. |
 St.
Cloud State |
 1 |
Having a school-record 12-game winning streak snapped
is one thing. Seeing it end when you’re up 4-1 in
the third, at home, and the other team scores five in
a row? Ouch. |
| 14-4-4 (8-4-4
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota State, 6-4; T vs. Minnesota
State, 0-0 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs. Minnesota
Duluth |
| 5. |
 Maine |
3 |
The Black Bears have given up 20 goals in their last
six games against Western Michigan (ranked No. 13 in scoring
offense), Cornell (22), Boston University (46) and UMass
Lowell (56). That should have Tim Whitehead scratching
his head. |
| 14-5-2 (7-5-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L vs. Boston University, 6-5;
L vs. Boston University, 3-0. THIS WEEK: at Providence,
at Providence |
| 6. |
 Denver |
2 |
The 54 shots the Pioneers put up (including eight in
OT) on Friday were impressive. Those tight-fitting sweaters
on the other hand … well, maybe they’re an
acquired taste. |
| 17-7-2 (9-5-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Niagara, 2-1 ot; W vs. Niagara,
5-2. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota |
| 7. |
 Clarkson |
1 |
The Golden Knights scored two goals all weekend long
and failed to win a game, yet they have the nation's longest
current unbeaten streak. |
| 13-5-3 (5-2-2
ECACHL) LAST WEEK: T vs. Colgate, 1-1 ot; T vs. Cornell,
1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at Rensselaer, at Union |
| 8. |
 Boston
University |
2 |
So the knock on the Terriers was they couldn't find
the back of the net if they dove face-first into it. With
nine goals in a two-game sweep at Maine, BU made a serious
statement at the front-end of the second half. |
| 10-4-6 (7-3-5
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Maine, 6-5; W at Maine, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: at Merrimack, vs. Merrimack |
| 9. |
 Boston
College |
— |
BC is about to start a nine-day stretch in which it
will play five games — two at Vermont, a home-and-home
with BU and one against Lowell. After that, the Eagles
host a UMass team that just beat them and then dive into
the opening round of the Beanpot. Should be a telling
stretch at the Heights. |
| 12-6-1 (9-4-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 4-1; W vs. Merrimack,
6-1. THIS WEEK: at Vermont, at Vermont |
| 10. |
 Miami |
3 |
Senior forward Marty Guerin had a goal and an assist
in the RedHawks' split at Western Michigan, extending
his point streak to nine games. |
| 17-8-1 (12-5-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Western Michigan, 5-3; L at Western
Michigan, 5-3. THIS WEEK: at Ohio State, vs. Ohio State |
| 11. |
 Michigan
State |
2 |
"There was an edge for sure," coach Rick Comley
said about Saturday's game with Alaska, one night after
a fight broke out during postgame handshakes. "But
both teams ended up playing hockey." |
| 14-8-1 (10-6-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alaska, 3-2 ot; W vs. Alaska, 4-3.
THIS WEEK: vs. Lake Superior State, vs. Lake Superior
State |
| 12. |
 Colorado
College |
1 |
Down 2-0 with less than 10 minutes to play on Saturday,
the Tigers snapped off four unanswered goals (two of them
by Braydon Cox) to salvage a much-needed split at the
DECC. |
| 14-9-1 (10-6-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Minnesota Duluth, 4-3; W at Minnesota
Duluth, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. US Under-18s (Ex.) |
| 13. |
 Michigan |
1 |
The Wolverines' 5-2 win against Northern Michigan at
Yost Ice Arena Friday was also coach Red Berenson's 600th
victory behind the Michigan bench. |
| 15-9-0 (10-6-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Northern Michigan, 5-2; L vs. Northern
Michigan, 2-1. THIS WEEK: at Alaska, at Alaska |
| 14. |
 Vermont |
4 |
The Catamounts can prove they're for real with a pair
in Burlington this weekend against BC. But here's the
problem: Since entering Hockey East last year, UVM is
0-6 against the Eagles, including a two-game sweep in
the Hockey East quarterfinals, and Cory Schneider has
shut them out three times. |
| 12-8-2 (7-4-2
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at Northeastern, 2-2 ot; W at
Northeastern, 3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Boston College, vs.
Boston College |
| 15. |
 Niagara |
— |
Goalie Juliano Pagliero made 52 saves on Friday and
stretched the Pioneers until the closing seconds, in a
2-1 overtime loss. |
| 13-8-3 (6-1-3
CHA) LAST WEEK: L at Denver, 2-1 ot; L at Denver 5-2.
THIS WEEK: vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Quinnipiac |
| 16. |
 Lake
Superior State |
2 |
The Lakers, 1-3-1 in their last five games,
travel south to face Michigan State this weekend –
the Spartans have won seven of their last eight. |
| 13-8-3 (7-6-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Notre Dame, 4-3 ot; L vs. Notre
Dame 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, at Michigan State |
| 17. |
 St.
Lawrence |
NR |
Freshman goalie Alex Petizian has emerged as the clear
number-one goalie in Canton, and stopped 37 of 38 shots
he faced over the weekend. |
| 11-9-1 (7-2-0
ECACHL) LAST WEEK: W vs. Cornell, 4-1; W vs. Colgate,
5-0. THIS WEEK: at Union, at Rensselaer |
| 18. |
 Quinnipiac |
2 |
Quinnipiac's last game at the Northford Ice Pavilion
was a 5-1 win over Brown. The Bobcats had an all-time
record of 89-15-10 record at Northford. |
| 11-6-4 (8-3-3
ECACHL) LAST WEEK: L vs. Princeton, 4-2; W vs. Brown,
5-1; W at Yale, 6-2. THIS WEEK: at Niagara, at Niagara |
| 19. |
 Cornell |
3 |
Coach Mike Schafer left four prominent rookies, including
second-leading scorer Tony Romano, home for the weekend
as a disciplinary measure, but they will return to the
lineup next weekend. |
| 9-6-2 (5-3-2 ECACHL)
LAST WEEK: L at St. Lawrence, 4-1; T at Clarkson, 1-1
ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Yale, vs. Brown |
| 20. |
 RIT |
NR |
On Jan. 14 last year, RIT lost to Division III Oswego
State and was 5-15-2. What a difference a year makes. |
| 13-7-2 (12-3-1 Atlantic Hockey)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Canisius, 6-3; W at Sacred Heart, 4-0;
W at Sacred Heart, 4-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Connecticut, vs.
Connecticut |