The final edition of the INCH Power Rankings
features Boston University at the top, of course, and also
provides recognition to 19 other clubs that had seasons worthy
of recognition. We'll take a look back at where we had them
slotted in our INCH Power Rankings Preseason Great 58, and
talk about what went right for all of the teams in this, the
season-ending edition of the 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 |
Preseason
Great 58 |
What
Went Right |
| 1. |
 Boston
University |
6 |
The school's fifth national championship, its second
Hobey Baker winner and 35 wins in 45 games made this one
of the most remarkable seasons in Boston University history.
A number of young stalwarts could return next year. |
| 35-6-4 (18-5-4
Hockey East, 1st) |
| 2. |
 Miami |
14 |
Most will remember a stunning collapse in the national
championship game; it’s important to note that this
young team arrived a year ahead of schedule. The RedHawks
had four freshman defenders and a rookie goalie, yet still
came within a minute of the title. |
| 23-13-5
(17-7-4 CCHA, T-2nd) |
| 3. |
 Vermont |
28 |
Catamount fans won't forget the school's second trip
to the Frozen Four or the magic of Hobey Baker finalist
Viktor Stalberg, who scored 24 goals and 46 points on
the year. Plus, they can say they're the only team that
can say they beat the national champs twice. |
| 22-12-5
(15-8-4 Hockey East, T-3rd) |
| 4. |
 Notre
Dame |
3 |
Up until an upset of monumental proportions in the
first round of the NCAA tournament, virtually everything
went right. Soon, we’ll learn whether the Irish
rebuild or reload. Yeah, we think it’ll be the
latter, too. |
| 31-6-3 (21-4-3
CCHA, 1st) |
| 5. |
 Michigan |
2 |
Early-season injuries to defensemen Mark Mitera and
Steve Kampfer could’ve been a major setback; thanks
to the emergence of Louie Caporusso, Bryan Hogan, and
others, the Wolverines didn’t miss a beat. |
| 29-12-0
(20-8-0 CCHA, 2nd) |
| 6. |
 Denver |
5 |
Marc Cheverie proved to be a top-notch goalie and freshmen
Joe Colborne and Patrick Wiercioch look like future stars.
With highly touted Drew Shore and William Wrenn in the
fold next season, the Pios look like the team to beat
in the WCHA. |
| 23-12-5
(16-8-4 WCHA, 2nd) |
| 7. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
30 |
Becoming the first team in WCHA history to capture the
league playoff title by winning three games at the Final
Five was quite an achievement. Goaltender Alex Stalock
had a banner season after a couple inconsistent years. |
| 22-13-8
(10-11-7 WCHA, 7th) |
| 8. |
 New
Hampshire |
7 |
The Wildcats tied for third in the Hockey East regular
season and got an early exit in the playoffs, but that'll
all be forgotten when fans recall the heroics of Thomas
Fortney and Peter LeBlanc in the NCAA Tournament win over
North Dakota. |
| 20-13-5
(15-8-4 Hockey East, T-3rd) |
| 9. |
 Bemidji
State |
36 |
Is there any doubt? Shocking Notre Dame and Cornell
in the NCAA Midwest Regional and advancing to the Frozen
Four instantly became one of the most improbably occurrences
in college hockey history. |
| 20-16-1
(12-5-1 CHA, 1st) |
| 10. |
 Yale |
27 |
Simply put, the best season in school history
saw Yale win both the ECAC Hockey regular season and playoff
titles and make just its second appearance in the NCAA
Tournament. A banner season for the Bulldogs. |
| 24-8-2 (15-5-2
ECAC Hockey, 1st) |
| 11. |
 Cornell
|
17 |
The Big Red returned to the NCAA Tournament for the
first time in three years and were 20 minutes away from
a return to the Frozen Four. The team's excellent defensive
performance was back and the emergence of standout prospect
Riley Nash provided several highlights. |
| 22-10-4
(13-6-3 ECAC Hockey, 2nd) |
| 12. |
 North
Dakota |
18 |
For the first time in his head coaching career, Dave
Hakstol didn’t take the Sioux to the Frozen Four.
But this season was likely his best performance, as he
guided a young NoDak team to the MacNaughton Cup. |
| 24-15-4
(17-7-4 WCHA, 1st) |
| 13. |
 Northeastern |
19 |
The Huskies led Hockey East for most of the season and
were a relevant force in college hockey for the first
time in years. Goaltender Brad Thiessen was a Hobey Hat
Trick finalist. |
| 25-12-4
(18-6-3 Hockey East, 2nd) |
| 14. |
 Air
Force |
20 |
In each of the Falcons’ two previous NCAA tournament
appearances, the Falcons had a top seed on the ropes but
failed to advance. This year, Jacques Lamoureux and Co.
broke through with a thrilling victory over Michigan and
nearly dumped Vermont for a Frozen Four berth. |
| 28-11-2
(20-6-2 Atlantic Hockey, T-1st) |
| 15. |
 Princeton |
9 |
The Tigers might have been better than they were a year
ago, and set another record for wins in a season for the
school, but finished without any trophies and a first-round
NCAA Tournament exit. Maybe they'll follow Miami '09 and
Boston College '08 and do great things the year after
they were supposed to. |
| 22-12-1
(14-8-0 ECAC Hockey, 3rd) |
| 16. |
 Ohio
State |
26 |
Sure, the Buckeyes were dismantled by BU in the first
round of the NCAA tournament. But the fact that they made
the tournament with a roster that boasted 21 freshmen
and sophomores is indeed impressive. |
| 23-15-4
(13-11-4 CCHA, 5th) |
| 17. |
 St.
Lawrence |
42 |
A senior-laden team finished in the top four of the
ECAC Hockey standings and made it back to Albany. Wins
over UNH, Yale, Vermont, Cornell and Princeton were especially
noteworthy. |
| 21-12-5
(11-7-4 ECAC Hockey, 4th) |
| 18. |
 UMass
Lowell
|
25 |
UMass Lowell lost a one-goal game to the eventual national
champions in the Hockey East finals, and River Hawk fans
will forever claim they were robbed by the officials.
Those thoughts won't change the result, but will make
the 2008-09 a fond memory. |
| 20-16-2
(14-11-2 Hockey East, 5th) |
| 19. |
 Wisconsin |
13 |
Badger fans are likely disappointed their team failed
to qualify for the national tournament. Remember, however,
that Bucky started the season with a seven-game winless
streak but battled back to earn a home-ice berth for the
first round of the league playoffs. |
| 20-16-4
(14-11-3 WCHA, T-3rd) |
| 20. |
 Boston
College |
1 |
The overall season was probably a disappointment but
another late-season run was a boost of excitement that
saw the Eagles return to the Hockey East championship
weekend in downtown Boston. |
| 18-14-5
(11-11-5 Hockey East, 6th) |