It's getting to be too cold to go outside without
a hat on, but if it's because you tossed yours onto the ice
we can't fault you. There were a bevy of hat tricks in games
involving teams in the latest INCH Power Rankings, we salute
them with a natural hat trick of sorts in our notes for the
second, third, and fourth-ranked teams.
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. |
 Michigan |
 1 |
The Wolverines are off until Dec. 28-29, when they aim
for their first Great Lakes Invitational title since 1996
against Providence, Michigan State, and Michigan Tech. |
| 16-2-0 (11-1-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Bowling Green, 4-2; W vs. Bowling
Green, 3-2. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 2. |
 Denver |
3 |
Do you smell what the Rak is cooking? Forward Rhett
Rakhshani scored
three goals in the final 5:46 of the third period
Saturday to lead Denver to a 3-2 win at St. Cloud State,
one of three natural hat tricks this weekend … |
| 12-4-0 (9-3-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at St. Cloud State, 3-2; W at St. Cloud
State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Alaska Anchorage, at Alaska
Anchorage. |
| 3. |
 Miami |
 2 |
… as the RedHawks’ Ryan Jones picked up
the first, scoring thrice in a 3-1 win against Alaska
Friday. The Nanooks snapped Miami’s six-game winning
streak the following night, however. |
| 14-2-0 (10-2-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alaska, 3-1; L vs. Alaska, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: at Rensselaer, at Rensselaer. |
| 4. |
 Michigan
State |
1 |
Forward Tim Crowder scored four goals in MSU’s
weekend sweep of Ferris State, none part of a natural
hat trick. But his brother, Paul, registered three straight
goals in Alaska Anchorage’s 5-3 win at Minnesota
Duluth Saturday. |
| 12-3-2 (8-2-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Ferris State, 4-3; W vs. Ferris
State, 4-1. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 5. |
 Notre
Dame |
1 |
The Fighting Irish extending their winning streak to
nine by battering Princeton twice at Hobey Baker Rink.
Notre Dame is averaging a shade over four goals a game
during this stretch. |
| 16-4-0 (10-2-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Princeton, 4-2; W at Princeton,
7-0. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 6. |
 Colorado
College |
2 |
The Tigers, a third of the way through a span in which
they play nine straight away from home, draw a St. Cloud
State team this weekend that should be in a rather foul
mood based on the results of its most recent series against
a Colorado-based foe. |
| 10-4-0 (10-2-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at St. Cloud State, at
St. Cloud State. |
| 7. |
 North
Dakota |
1 |
Here’s how NoDak weaved its way into the break
with a 6-6-0 conference record: loss-win, win-loss, loss-win,
win-loss, loss-win, win-loss. Sense a pattern? |
| 8-6-1 (6-6-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota, 4-2; L vs. Minnesota, 4-3.
THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 8. |
 New
Hampshire |
1 |
Mike Rajda has a team-high eight goals and five of those
have come in the Wildcats' last four games. |
| 8-4-1 (5-4-1 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: L at Massachusetts, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs.
Maine. |
| 9. |
 Clarkson |
— |
Clarkson scored a school-record 223 goals in the 1976-77
season and Dave Taylor factored in on 108 of those, with
41 goals and 67 assists. |
| 10-5-0 (6-2-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 10. |
 Massachusetts |
2 |
The Minutemen are undefeated on home ice
this season (4-0-3) and carry a 13-game unbeaten streak
(9-0-4) dating back to last season at the Mullins Center. |
| 7-3-5 (4-2-4 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: W vs. New Hampshire, 4-1. THIS WEEK:
Off. |
| 11. |
 Northeastern |
1 |
The Huskies were 0-for-4 on the power play in the tie
at Union, including being held off the scoreboard during
a five-minute power play in the first period and another
man advantage in overtime. |
| 7-4-2 (6-3-1 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: T at Union, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 12. |
 Harvard |
1 |
The Crimson hope for a repeat of last year's visit by
the Eagles to the Bright Hockey Center, when Harvard put
four past Cory Schneider and Kyle Richter earned a 36-save
shutout. |
| 6-3-2 (5-3-1 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Rensselaer, 4-2; T at Vermont,
2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Boston College. |
| 13. |
 Minnesota |
3 |
The Gophers hit the holiday break with a 5-7-1 record
in WCHA play. Last season, they didn't lose their seventh
game in league play until March 3, the last game of the
regular season. |
| 9-8-1 (5-7-0 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L at North Dakota, 4-2; W at North Dakota,
4-3. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 14. |
 Boston
College |
3 |
When BC plays Harvard on Wednesday, it'll be the Eagles'
first non-league game since mid-October. BC has played
11 consecutive conference tilts. |
| 5-4-5 (4-3-4 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Harvard. |
| 15. |
 Wisconsin |
4 |
Happiness is Mankato in your rearview mirror: last weekend’s
loss and tie at Minnesota State dropped the Badgers’
record at Corporate Sponsor Arena since the start of the
1999-2000 season to 4-8-2. |
| 7-7-2 (4-5-1 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L at Minnesota State, 3-1; T at Minnesota State,
1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 16. |
 Rensselaer |
3 |
RPI is partnering with the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation
and will host a teddy-bear toss during the first intermission
of Sunday afternoon's game against Miami. |
| 8-5-3 (3-2-2 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs.
Miami, vs. Miami. |
| 17. |
 Quinnipiac |
NR |
Friday's win at Robert Morris was the 250th in the Quinnipiac
coaching career of Rand Pecknold. |
| 8-5-2 (3-3-2 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Robert Morris, 4-2; W at Robert
Morris, 5-1. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 18. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
4 |
Since shutting out Denver at Magness Arena on Oct. 27
to improve to 4-1-1, the Bulldogs have gone 2-5-3. Perhaps
more unsettling is UMD earning just two of a possible
eight points in series against Minnesota State and Alaska
Anchorage. |
| 6-6-4 (5-6-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK:
T vs. Alaska Anchorage, 3-3 ot; L vs. Alaska Anchorage,
5-3. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 19. |
 Bowling
Green |
1 |
The Falcons were swept by our new No. 1, Michigan, last
weekend. Of BGSU’s six losses, four have come courtesy
of the nation’s two 16-win teams (Michigan and Notre
Dame). |
| 8-6-0 (5-5-0 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan, 4-2; L at Michigan, 3-2. THIS
WEEK: Off. |
| 20. |
 Air
Force |
— |
The good news is that Air Force is unbeaten in six games,
with three wins and three ties. The troubling news is
that the Academy's goalies have combined for an .843 save
percentage during that stretch. |
| 9-4-3 (7-4-3 Atlantic Hockey)
LAST WEEK: T vs. Canisius, 3-3 ot; T vs. Canisius, 3-3
ot. THIS WEEK: Off. |