Weekend losses by New Hampshire and Dartmouth
leave Miami as the only unbeaten, un-tied team in the nation,
and that distinction also leaves the RedHawks atop 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. |
 Miami |
— |
The RedHawks allowed one goal in each of their first
four games, and two goals in each of the next four games
en route to their 8-0 start. They'll likely see their
unbeaten streak end if they give up three goals in each
of their upcoming four games (two vs. Notre Dame, two
at Michigan State.) |
| 8-0-0 (6-0-0 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Northern Michigan, 9-2; W at Northern
Michigan, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Notre Dame. |
| 2. |
 Michigan
State |
 2 |
Junior forward Tim Kennedy, who had three goals and
an assist in the Spartans' sweep of Alaska last weekend,
has accounted for six of MSU's 22 goals and five of the
team's 11 power-play tallies thus far. |
| 6-1-0 (4-0-0 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Alaska, 3-1; W at Alaska, 3-1. THIS WEEK:
vs. Mercyhurst, vs. Mercyhurst. |
| 3. |
 New
Hampshire |
 1 |
The Wildcats' top line of vanRiemsdyk, Radja, and Fornataro
combined for three goals, five assists, and 18 shots in
Friday's 7-4 win at Northeastern. In Saturday's loss to
the Huskies at the Whitt, the first unit was held scoreless
and attempted just eight shots. |
| 4-1-0 (2-1-0 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: W at Northeastern, 7-4; L vs. Northeastern,
2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. UMass-Lowell, vs. Boston College. |
| 4. |
 North
Dakota |
1 |
Perhaps it's unfair and unnecessary to ask questions
about North Dakota's defense. Allowing just three goals
in the first five games, the bar was set pretty high.
By those standards, seeing an opponent score six goals
in a weekend had to be a shock. |
| 4-2-1 (2-2-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Colorado College, 6-2; L vs. Colorado
College, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin. |
| 5. |
 Michigan |
— |
Through eight games, 21 of the Wolverines' 26 players
have appeared in at least one game. Of that group of 21,
only one – freshman defenseman Tristin Llewellyn
– has yet to record at least one point. |
| 7-1-0 (4-0-0 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Nebraska-Omaha, 6-3; W at Nebraska-Omaha,
3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska, vs. Alaska. |
| 6. |
 Denver |
1 |
The Pioneers' first sweep in Minneapolis this decade
came via a mix of old and young. Senior goalie Peter Mannino,
holder of WCHA and NCAA titles, finally beat Minnesota
for the first (and second) time, and rookie Tyler Bozak
got his first hat trick. |
| 6-2-0 (3-1-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota, 5-1; W at Minnesota, 4-1. THIS
WEEK: Off. |
| 7. |
 Boston
College |
1 |
The Eagles play just eight games between now and Christmas
Day; six of them don't require them to venture outside
of the metro area – four contests at home, one at
Boston University, and one at Harvard precede a post-Christmas
trip to Minnesota's holiday tournament. |
| 3-1-3 (2-0-2 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: T vs. Maine, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Merrimack,
at New Hampshire. |
| 8. |
 Clarkson |
1 |
Tim Marks played in 37 games last year as a freshman
and had a goal and six points. He's already recorded six
points this year (and five goals) in just eight games. |
| 6-2-0 (3-0-0 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 2-1; W vs. Dartmouth,
4-3. THIS WEEK: at Quinnipiac, at Princeton. |
| 9. |
 Maine |
3 |
Leaves change in Maine in October, but this doesn't:
Ben Bishop, a junior, was named as the ITECH Hockey East
Goaltender of the Month in October for the third year
in a row. |
| 4-2-1 (2-0-1 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: T at Boston College, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK:
vs. Providence, vs. Providence. |
| 10. |
 Wisconsin |
2 |
This is what Mike Eaves means when he says he wants
everyone to contribute: The top four scorers for the Badgers
are a freshman (Kyle Turris), a junior (Ben Street), a
senior (Kyle Klubertanz), and a sophomore (Blake Geoffrion). |
| 4-2-0 (1-1-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan Tech, 4-2; W vs. Michigan Tech,
4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. North Dakota, vs. North Dakota. |
| 11. |
 Colorado
College |
1 |
Rookie goalie Richard Bachman did some amazing work
in Saturday's opening period. With a sellout crowd roaring
and the Tigers getting out-shot 18-4, Bachman kept North
Dakota off the board, and pitched in with his first collegiate
assist. |
| 3-3-0 (3-1-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L at North Dakota, 6-2; W at North Dakota,
4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs. Minnesota Duluth. |
| 12. |
 Notre
Dame |
2 |
Ever the line juggler, Jeff Jackson put wings Erik Condra
and Robin Bergman on a unit centered by senior Mark Van
Guilder. The result? The trio combined for 6-8—14
in a sweep of Lake Superior State. |
| 6-3-0 (4-1-0 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Lake Superior State, 7-3; W vs. Lake
Superior State, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Miami, at Miami. |
| 13. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
— |
A textbook example of "scoring by committee"
can be found on the Duluth waterfront. The Bulldogs' 16
goals this season have been scored by 11 different players
and nobody on the team has scored three or more yet. |
| 4-1-1 (3-1-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Colorado College, at Colorado
College. |
| 14. |
 Michigan
Tech |
1 |
Huskies captain Jimmy Kerr had a hand in three of his
team's six goals, scoring twice, as Tech earned a split
on the road and spends another week atop the WCHA standings. |
| 5-3-0 (4-2-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Wisconsin, 4-2; L at Wisconsin, 4-2. THIS
WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud State. |
| 15. |
 Minnesota |
4 |
The last time Minnesota started a conference season
this slowly, Mariucci was the coach, not the home rink.
If you can count to four, you can easily understand what
ails the Golden Gophers. Four WCHA games, four goals scored,
four losses. |
| 4-4-0 (0-4-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L vs. Denver, 5-1; L vs. Denver, 4-1. THIS
WEEK: at Minnesota State, at Minnesota State. |
| 16. |
 Rensselaer |
— |
Two ties for the Engineers extended their unbeaten streak
to six games. On Friday, RPI's Jake Morissette scored
with an extra attacker in the final minute. Saturday's
game saw Brown knot the score with the goalie pulled. |
| 5-2-2 (0-0-2 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: T vs. Yale, 1-1 ot; T vs. Brown, 2-2
ot. THIS WEEK: at Harvard, at Dartmouth. |
| 17. |
 Princeton |
NR |
This week's ECAC
Hockey Notebook talked about Princeton's scorers,
but missed talking about goalie Zane Kalemba, who is 3-0-0
with a .951 save percentage, a 1.34 goals-against average,
and a shutout so far. |
| 3-0-0 (2-0-0 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Cornell, 3-2; W at Colgate, 2-0.
THIS WEEK: vs. St. Lawrence, vs. Clarkson. |
| 18. |
 Dartmouth |
1 |
J.T. Wyman had two points in each game last weekend,
and leads the team with seven points through three games. |
| 2-1-0 (1-1-0 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at St. Lawrence, 2-1; L at Clarkson,
4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Union, vs. Rensselaer. |
| 19. |
 Niagara |
2 |
Niagara's shutout loss at Bemidji State was the first
time that the Purps were blanked since late-January 2005,
spanning 91 games. |
| 5-2-0 (1-1-0 CHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Bemidji State, 3-2; L at Bemidji State,
3-0. THIS WEEK: at Robert Morris, at Robert Morris. |
| 20. |
 Massachusetts |
— |
Freshman Mike Lecomte had two goals in the Minutemen's
5-1 win over Merrimack, which was the first Hockey East
win of the season for UMass. |
| 3-2-2 (1-1-2 Hockey East) LAST
WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 5-1. THIS WEEK: at Boston University,
at UMass-Lowell. |