Those standing, not surprisingly, move up, but
when you take the entire season into account – as we
do – they aren't necessarily the top four teams. That's
not to take anything away from the teams headed to St. Louis.
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. |
 North
Dakota |
 3 |
The Sioux meet the Eagles for the third straight NCAA
Tournament, and hope this year's is a little more low
scoring than last season's 6-5 shootout. |
| 24-13-5 (13-10-5
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan, 8-5; W vs. Minnesota,
3-2 ot. APRIL 5: vs. Boston College. |
| 2. |
 Boston
College |
3 |
There are no No. 1 seeds in St. Louis, but Cory Schneider
is a pretty good No. 1. |
| 28-11-1 (18-8-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W St. Lawrence, 4-1; W vs. Miami,
4-0. APRIL 5: vs. North Dakota. |
| 3. |
 Notre
Dame |
 2 |
The Irish's hopes in Saturday's game waned every minute
that Friday's marathon stretched on. |
| 32-7-3 (21-4-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 3-2 2ot; L
vs. Michigan State, 2-1. |
| 4. |
 Minnesota |
2 |
The Gophers fell, but Erik Johnson may beat North Dakota
to St. Louis. |
| 31-10-3 (18-7-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Air Force, 4-3 ot; L vs. North
Dakota, 3-2 ot. |
| 5. |
 Michigan
State |
6 |
54 weeks after their last meeting, Michigan State gets
another shot at Maine in the NCAAs, hoping this one turns
out better than the last. |
| 24-13-3 (15-10-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Boston University, 5-1; W vs. Notre
Dame, 2-1. |
| 6. |
 Clarkson |
3 |
Clarkson's top eight scorers could return next season,
which of course doesn't scare Jon Quick one bit. |
| 25-9-5 (13-5-4
ECACHL) LAST WEEK: L vs. Massachusetts, 1-0. |
| 7. |
 Maine |
9 |
Go ahead and take those four earlier wins,
Massachusetts. We'll head back to the Frozen. |
| 23-14-2 (14-12-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Cloud State, 4-1; W
vs. Massachusetts, 3-1. APRIL 5: vs. Michigan State. |
| 8. |
 Michigan |
— |
T.J. Hensick might not have wanted to take that 10-minute
misconduct – that seemed like an opportune game
to rack up some points. |
| 26-14-1 (18-9-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. North Dakota, 8-5. |
| 9. |
 New
Hampshire |
3 |
The typically high flying Wildcats were held to two
goals or fewer eight times in February and March. |
| 26-11-2 (18-7-2
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L vs. Miami, 2-1. |
| 10. |
 St.
Cloud State |
3 |
The Huskies' first NCAA Tournament lead hardly feels
like cause for celebration. |
| 22-11-7 (14-7-7
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Maine, 4-1. |
| 11. |
 Boston
University |
2 |
The Terriers won the third-place game the last time
the Frozen Four visited St. Louis, in Jack Parker's second
season back in '75. |
| 20-10-9 (13-6-8
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan State, 5-1. |
| 12. |
 Massachusetts |
— |
Losing is never fun, but the Minutemen can sit back
this summer and reflect on the greatest season in the
program's history. |
| 21-13-5 (15-9-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Clarkson, 1-0 ot; L vs.
Maine, 4-1. |
| 13. |
 Miami |
— |
Things could've gone differently for the RedHawks had
BC's Cory Schneider not stood on his head in the first
period of Sunday's game. |
| 24-14-4 (16-8-4
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. New Hampshire, 2-1; L vs. Boston
College, 4-0. |
| 14. |
 St.
Lawrence |
4 |
Good guys don't always win. In the case of the Northeast
Regional, with four legit good guys behind the benches,
it was impossible. |
| 23-14-2 (16-5-1
ECACHL) LAST WEEK: L vs. Boston College, 4-1. |
| 15. |
 Denver |
1 |
The Pioneers had some great hockey in their backyard,
if they could stomach watching it. |
| 21-15-4 (13-11-4
WCHA) |
| 16. |
 Quinnipiac |
1 |
The Maple Leafs never seem too fond of college players,
which makes us wonder if Reid Cashman convinced them Quinnipiac
was an obscure member of the QMJHL. |
| 21-14-5 (10-8-4
ECACHL) |
| 17. |
 Dartmouth |
— |
Tanner Glass picked up his first pro point with an assist
for the Rochester Americans on Sunday. Dartmouth fans
would've prefered that he played in Rochester for Dartmouth
last weekend. |
| 18-12-3 (12-7-3
ECACHL) |
| 18. |
 Wisconsin |
— |
Overheard as Brian Elliott watched the Notre Dame-Huntsville
overtimes: "That's nuthin'." |
| 19-18-4 (12-13-3 WCHA) |
| 19. |
 RIT |
— |
Such is life in the Power Rankings, RIT: The Tigers
lost their leading scorer to the pros. |
| 21-11-2 (20-7-1
Atlantic Hockey) |
| 20. |
 Michigan
Tech |
— |
The Huskies were 2-0-0 against St. Louis-bound North
Dakota – both on the road. |
| 18-17-5 (11-12-5
WCHA) |