The latest version of the INCH Power Rankings
is all about streaks. Notre Dame's unbeaten one continues,
RIT's winning streak has reached double-digits, and Air Force
ended a two-month streak without winning two games on the
same weekend.
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. |
 Notre
Dame |
— |
It seems like a million years ago when the Fighting
Irish
stunned Michigan in the Frozen Four semifinal in Denver.
The two teams meet for the first time since that April
night this weekend with ND in the role of favorite. |
| 19-3-3 (13-2-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan, at Michigan |
| 2. |
 Boston
University |
 1 |
BU was outshot 30-18 at New Hampshire on Saturday, and
held to just four shots in the second period and four
in the third. But they got the one that mattered most,
when Chris Connolly scored the game-winner just 25 seconds
after UNH tied the game in the third period. |
| 18-5-1 (11-5-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. New Hampshire, 5-0; W at
New Hampshire, 3-1. THIS WEEK: at Merrimack |
| 3. |
 Cornell
|
 1 |
Yale's not buying in to the intimidation of Lynah Rink.
Cornell's last home win against the Bulldogs was a 6-2
victory on Dec. 3, 2004. |
| 14-2-3 (9-1-2
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L vs. Yale, 4-3; W vs. Brown,
5-1. THIS WEEK: at St. Lawrence, at Clarkson |
| 4. |
 Northeastern |
1 |
Northeastern's power play converted at a 12.1 percent
rate in the team's first 20 games. They're 8-for-26
(30.8 percent) in their last four games. |
| 17-5-2 (13-3-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Providence, 3-1; W vs. Providence,
6-3. THIS WEEK: at Massachusetts |
| 5. |
 Vermont |
1 |
Other than three games against New Hampshire, all of
Vermont's remaining opponents are in the bottom half of
the Hockey East standings and a combined 19 games under-.500
overall. |
| 14-5-4 (9-4-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Massachusetts, 2-1; T vs.
Massachusetts, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at New Hampshire |
| 6. |
 Denver |
2 |
Coach George Gwozdecky, assessed a minor penalty and
ejected midway through Saturday’s 2-2 tie at North
Dakota after voicing his displeasure following an apparent
non-call, then walked across the ice to speak with one
of the linesmen. "I thought he was going to go sit
the two minutes himself," Denver defenseman Patrick
Wiercioch told the Grand Forks Herald. |
| 15-7-3 (11-5-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at North Dakota, 8-3; T at North Dakota,
2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska Anchorage, vs. Alaska Anchorage |
| 7. |
 Michigan |
1 |
The Wolverines swept Michigan State this past weekend,
running their winning streak against the Spartans to six.
The last time Michigan beat MSU in six straight was 1962
– Red Berenson’s senior year. |
| 18-8-0 (12-6-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan State, 6-2; W vs. Michigan
State, 5-3. THIS WEEK: at Notre Dame, vs. Notre Dame |
| 8. |
 Minnesota |
1 |
Forward Ryan Stoa has saved his best performances for
league foes. Thirteen of his 15 goals and 12 of his 15
assists have come in 15 WCHA games. |
| 12-5-5 (9-4-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota State, vs.
Minnesota State |
| 9. |
 Princeton |
— |
Princeton (finally) returns to the ice for some Monday
Night Hockey against Robert Morris. Consider it a Beanpot
warmup, which follows on Feb. 2 and 9. |
| 13-5-0 (8-4-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Robert Morris,
at Yale, at Brown |
| 10. |
 Miami |
1 |
Defend this house? The RedHawks, who host
Bowling Green this weekend, have a pedestrian 5-3-1 home
record in CCHA play this season – and that mark
includes a November sweep of Michigan. |
| 14-8-4 (12-5-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: T at Nebraska-Omaha, 2-2 ot; W at Nebraska-Omaha,
6-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Bowling Green, vs. Bowling Green |
| 11. |
 North
Dakota |
5 |
Adventures in officiating: In Saturday’s 2-2 tie
with Denver, the Sioux had the game’s first four
power-play chances and no more; the Pioneers had the final
five PP opps. |
| 15-10-3
(10-5-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Denver, 8-3; T vs. Denver,
2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at St. Cloud State, at St. Cloud State |
| 12. |
 Ohio
State |
2 |
Freshman forward Zac Dalpe, the team’s leading
goal scorer, missed the Buckeyes’ series with Western
Michigan this past weekend with an undisclosed injury
and is listed as "week-to-week." |
| 16-7-3 (9-6-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Western Michigan, 2-2 ot; L vs.
Western Michigan, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Alaska, at Alaska |
| 13. |
 Boston
College |
1 |
The good news is that BC is 7-2-0 when Joe Whitney scores
at least one point. The bad news is that he's only found
the good side of the scoresheet in nine games and has
just 10 points on the year, after scoring 51 points as
a freshman. |
| 11-8-3 (7-7-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Maine, 6-3; W vs. Maine,
4-1. THIS WEEK: at Providence |
| 14. |
 Wisconsin |
1 |
The Badgers lead the WCHA in penalties, averaging a
little more than 20 PIMs per game. They may want to show
a little restraint this coming weekend when facing Minnesota
Duluth, owners of the league’s top power play (22.2
percent). |
| 13-10-3
(10-6-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota
Duluth, vs. Minnesota Duluth |
| 15. |
 New
Hampshire |
2 |
Five of New Hampshire's 11 remaining games come against
Boston College and Vermont. The Wildcats are tied with
BC and four points behind UVM in the Hockey East standings. |
| 11-8-4 (12-5-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L at Boston University, 5-0; L
vs. Boston University, 3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Vermont |
| 16. |
 Colorado
College |
4 |
A much-needed bye week awaits the Tigers, who are 8-9-3
since opening the season with an eight-game unbeaten streak.
"There's just nothing good. It's not a good hockey
team right now," coach Scott Owens told the Colorado
Springs Gazette. |
| 13-9-6 (9-8-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. St. Cloud State, 4-4 ot; L vs.
St. Cloud State, 6-1. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 17. |
 Air
Force |
1 |
Air Force won two games in the same weekend for the
first time in more than two months. Sophomore Derrick
Burnett scored three goals in the sweep of Army, doubling
his season total from three to six. |
| 17-6-1 (14-3-1
Atlantic Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Army, 5-1; W vs. Army,
3-2. THIS WEEK: at Mercyhurst, at Mercyhurst |
| 18. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
2 |
This past weekend’s sweep of Minnesota State gives
the Bulldogs a 9-1-3 record at the DECC this season. UMD
hasn’t finished better than .500 at home since the
2003-04 season, which is also the last time the Bulldogs
went to the Frozen Four. |
| 13-7-6 (7-6-5
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota State, 4-0; W vs. Minnesota
State, 7-4. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin |
| 19. |
 Yale |
NR |
It's hard to decide which was more impressive: Yale's
win at Cornell on Friday, or scoring four goals in a span
of 10:30 late in the third period of a comeback win over
Colgate on Saturday. |
| 13-5-1 (8-3-1
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Cornell, 4-3; W at Colgate,
5-4 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Princeton, vs. Quinnipiac |
| 20. |
 RIT |
NR |
The Tigers crack the rankings after rattling off 11-straight
wins. It's the second-longest winning streak by any team
this season, behind Air Force's 13 wins in a row to start
the season. |
| 16-9-1 (15-4-1
Atlantic Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Canisius, 5-2; W at Canisius,
4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. US NTDP Under-18s (Ex.) |