February 17, 2008
INCH Power Rankings

A topsy-turvy week of college hockey action saw lots of movement in the INCH Power Rankings, and just four teams held their spots from last week. There were very few big movers, however. Of the 16 teams holding new positions in this week's Power Rankings, only four advanced or declined more than one rung. One of the few teams to stand pat, of course, was top-ranked Michigan after sweeping a series against Lake Superior State.

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	—	Senior forward Chad Kolarik scored four goals in a win at Western Michigan Jan. 12, then scored four in a win against Lake Superior State Friday, giving him one more four-goal game during that 35-day span than fellow CCHA schools Alaska, Lake Superior State, and Western Michigan.
25-3-4 (18-2-4 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Lake Superior State, 4-2; W vs. Lake Superior State, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, vs. Michigan State (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit).
2.	Colorado College	1	The Tigers had a bye last week. Yup. Good ol’ bye week. Betcha didn’t know INCH’s Mike Eidelbes once saw Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider at a restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. True story.
21-8-1 (16-5-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota Duluth, at Minnesota Duluth.
3.	North Dakota	1	The Fighting Sioux’s next four games, starting with this weekend’s home series against Bemidji State, are mid-afternoon faceoffs.
19-8-2 (16-7-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Denver, 5-4; W vs. Denver, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Bemidji State, vs. Bemidji State.
4.	New Hampshire	1	Key to success: Taking advantage of opportunities. Providence took a major penalty late in the third period of Saturday's game, and Mike Radja made the Friars pay with a power-play goal.
19-7-2 (15-4-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at Providence, 1-1 ot; W vs. Providence, 4-3. THIS WEEK: at Boston College, vs. Boston College.
5.	Miami	3	Before you start shoveling dirt on the RedHawks, who are 0-3-1 in their last four games, remember that Michigan State closed the 2006-07 regular season with a 1-4-1 record.
25-6-1 (17-6-1 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Ferris State, 6-5; L at Ferris State, 3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Western Michigan, vs. Western Michigan.
6.	Michigan State	1	The Spartans finished off a sweep of last-place Western Michigan in Kalamazoo Saturday. "One of our goals this season was to win at … Lawson,” senior forward Chris Mueller told the Lansing State Journal. Really, he’s serious.
20-8-5 (16-5-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Western Michigan, 3-0; W at Western Michigan, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan, vs. Michigan (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit).
7.	Denver	1	Over the first 39 minutes of last weekend’s series in Grand Forks, the Pioneers outscored North Dakota 4-1. During the last 81 minutes, the Sioux outscored DU 8-1.
19-10-1 (13-8-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at North Dakota, 5-4; L at North Dakota, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska Anchorage, vs. Alaska Anchorage.
8.	Boston College	1	Nathan Gerbe was in the penalty box for a roughing minor when UMass Lowell took the lead in Friday's game, and the 10-minute misconduct that was tacked on didn't help BC's comeback chances.
16-7-7 (10-5-6 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 6-5 ot; L vs. UMass Lowell, 3-1; W at UMass Lowell, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, at New Hampshire.
9.	Notre Dame	1	The Fighting Irish can lock up a CCHA playoffs first-round bye by earning two points in their weekend series against Ohio State in South Bend.
21-10-3 (14-7-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Alaska, 2-1; T at Alaska, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Ohio State, vs. Ohio State.
10.	Clarkson	2	After facing Union and Rensselaer this weekend, the first-place Golden Knights end the season with games against Princeton and Quinnipiac — the two teams currently in second and third.
17-10-3 (12-4-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Brown, 4-3 ot; L at Yale, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Union, at Rensselaer.
11.	Minnesota State	3	Saturday’s loss at Wisconsin snapped the Mavericks’ winning streak at seven in a row, the longest in the school history at the Division I level.
16-11-4 (10-10-4 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Wisconsin, 3-0; L at Wisconsin, 4-2. THIS WEEK: Off.
12.	Wisconsin	1	Less than five hours after a packed house of 17,190 heard the final horn sound on the 15th-ranked Badger men’s basketball team win against Minnesota, a sellout crowd of 15,237 watched the opening faceoff of Bucky’s puck game against Minnesota State.
14-12-6 (10-10-4 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota State, 3-0; W vs. Minnesota State, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota.
13.	Providence	1	Pierce Norton had two goals in Saturday's loss to New Hampshire, and we know you're wondering where the South Boston, Mass. native played before college. He prepped at Thayer Academy for Larry Rooney.
13-11-4 (10-7-4 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T vs. New Hampshire, 1-1 ot; L at New Hampshire, 4-3. THIS WEEK: at Merrimack, vs. Merrimack.
14.	Princeton	1	The Tigers clinched the Ivy League title with Saturday's win at Dartmouth. It was the first ever outright Ivy title for Princeton, and its first of any kind since sharing the honor with Yale in the 1998-99 season.
15-10-0 (12-6-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Harvard, 3-2; W at Dartmouth, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Colgate, vs. Cornell.
15.	Quinnipiac	4	This is the fourth time this season that the Bobcats have lost back-to-back games. The optimist's outlook is that on the three previous occasions, they've come back to win their next outing.
17-9-4 (9-5-4 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Dartmouth, 7-2; L at Harvard, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Cornell, vs. Colgate.
16.	Minnesota Duluth	—	Since a Nov. 9 loss at Colorado College dropped them to 4-2-1, the Bulldogs’ overall record has not been better than two games above .500, nor has it been below .500. That’s what we like to call consistency. Consistently slightly better than average, but still.
12-10-6 (8-9-5 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Michigan Tech, 5-2; W at Michigan Tech, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado College, vs. Colorado College.
17.	Niagara	—	A two-time All-CHA Second Team selection, junior Les Reaney, left the Purple Eagles when he signed a pro contract with the Edmonton Oilers organization over the weekend.
16-8-4 (8-4-2 CHA) LAST WEEK: T at RIT, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Alabama-Huntsville, at Alabama-Huntsville.
18.	Union	—	The 8-0 loss against Colgate was the first time that Union has been defeated by that large a margin since Minnesota blanked the Dutchmen 8-0 in the Gophers' Dodge Holiday Classic during the 2005-06 season.
13-11-5 (8-6-4 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Cornell, 3-2; L at Colgate, 8-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Clarkson, vs. St. Lawrence.
19.	Ferris State	NR	The Bulldogs debut on the strength of their 3-0-1 mark against Notre Dame and Miami over the last two weeks. If they revert to playing like they did in January – FSU was 1-4-2 against Alaska, Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Lake Superior – the appearance will be short lived.
13-12-5 (10-10-4 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Miami, 6-5, W vs. Miami, 3-1. THIS WEEK: at Bowling Green, at Bowling Green.
20.	UMass Lowell	1	Even though the RiverHawks are just 4-7-0 in their last 11 games, experience gained through the months of January and February could prove valuable in future seasons, as UMass Lowell has just one senior on the roster.
13-11-4 (8-9-4 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Boston College, 3-1; L vs. Boston College, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Vermont, vs. Vermont.

Dropped out: Northeastern

Bubble-licious: Northeastern, St. Cloud State, Yale, Harvard, Army