The top two teams in the WCHA standings met
last weekend in the heights of the Rocky Mountains, and a
three-point weekend allowed Denver to maintain the No. 1 position
in the INCH Power Rankings. Closer to sea level Miami pitched
two big shutouts, Yale and Quinnipiac went in opposite directions
and Bemidji State kept on winning.
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. |
 Denver |
— |
The Pioneers managed to take three of four points from
rival Colorado College, but squandering a two-goal, third-period
lead Saturday and losing standout defenseman Patrick Wiercioch
to an apparent knee injury will sting. |
| 10-4-2 (8-2-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Colorado College, 2-1; T vs. Colorado
College, 4-4 ot. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota Duluth, at Minnesota
Duluth |
| 2. |
 Miami |
 1 |
What's more impressive than the putting up consecutive
shutouts against Notre Dame? How about Miami's penalty
killers successfully killing 15 Fighting Irish man-advantage
opportunities on the weekend? |
| 11-2-5 (8-1-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Notre Dame, 1-0; W vs. Notre Dame,
4-0. THIS WEEK: at Ohio State, vs. Ohio State |
| 3. |
 North
Dakota |
 1 |
Senior defenseman Chay Genoway has missed seven straight
games due to injury. Now senior forward Chris VandeVelde
could be joining him on the shelf; he missed Saturday's
series finale at UMD with an undisclosed ailment. |
| 9-5-2 (6-5-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota Duluth, 4-2; L at Minnesota
Duluth, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Wisconsin |
| 4. |
 Cornell
|
1 |
After being scratched for Friday's win at Rensselaer
by coach Mike Schafer for taking undisciplined penalties,
senior defenseman Brendon Nash returned to the lineup
and scored a goal against Union. |
| 7-2-2 (6-2-1
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Rensselaer, 2-1; T at Union,
2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 5. |
 Bemidji
State |
1 |
The Beavers got into the holiday spirit by hanging a
snowman on visiting Niagara Friday, the first time BSU
scored eight goals in a game in four years and one day--it
last occurred on Dec. 3, 2005, in an 8-1 win against Niagara
at John Glas Fieldhouse. |
| 13-2-1 (8-0-0
College Hockey America) LAST WEEK: W vs. Niagara, 8-2;
W vs. Niagara, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota State, vs.
Minnesota State |
| 6. |
 Yale |
4 |
Yale scored the last four goals of the game in a 7-4
win over Quinnipiac that featured five lead changes. Denny
Kearney and Sean Backman scored in a span of 63 seconds
to break a 4-4 tie in the last five minutes of the third
period. |
| 7-3-2 (4-1-2
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L vat Vermont, 1-0; W vs. Quinnipiac,
7-4; W vs. Princeton, 4-1. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 7. |
 Colorado
College |
— |
The Tigers left Magness Arena with a tie in the finale
of the home-and-home series with Denver to improve their
road mark this season to 3-0-2; each of the three wins
were decided by one goal. |
| 10-4-2 (7-3-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Denver, 2-1; T at Denver, 4-4 ot.
THIS WEEK: at St. Cloud State, at St. Cloud State |
| 8. |
 Quinnipiac |
4 |
All three of Quinnipiac's losses this season have come
on the road, and three of their next four are away from
TD Banknorth Sports Center. The good news is that the
Bobcats start January with eight home games of nine, and
they're 7-0-0 at home this season. |
| 12-3-0 (7-2-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Yale, 7-4; L at Brown, 2-1.
THIS WEEK: at Holy Cross, vs. American International |
| 9. |
 Boston
College |
5 |
The Eagles won a pair of games against teams that consider
Boston College their biggest rivals. Freshman goalie Parker
Milner made 23 saves in the win at UMass and is 3-0-0
on the year. |
| 8-3-2 (6-3-2
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Massachusetts, 3-1; W at
Boston University, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Harvard, at Providence |
| 10. |
 UMass
Lowell |
2 |
After scoring a total of four goals in their previous
three games (all losses), UMass Lowell scored five in
a win over Massachusetts. David Vallorani had a hat trick
and the River Hawks rallied from a 2-0 first period deficit. |
| 9-5-1 (5-4-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L at New Hampshire, 2-1; W vs.
Massachusetts, 5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Princeton, vs. Princeton |
| 11. |
 Wisconsin |
4 |
Junior defenseman Brendan Smith extended his point streak
to seven games in the Badgers' weekend sweep of Michigan
Tech by recording four assists in Friday's 8-2 win and
adding two goals and an assist in Saturday's 6-0 romp. |
| 10-5-1 (7-4-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan Tech, 8-2; W vs. Michigan
Tech, 6-0. THIS WEEK: at North Dakota, at North Dakota |
| 12. |
 Michigan
State |
1 |
The Spartans, who scored 40 goals during their 9-2-1
run to start the season, have registered a total of nine
goals in their last six games; MSU is 1-4-1 during that
span. |
| 10-6-2 (7-3-2
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Northern Michigan, 1-0; L at Northern
Michigan, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at Bowling Green, vs. Bowling
Green |
| 13. |
 Massachusetts |
4 |
James Marcou's 20 assists leads the nation, three better
than Wisconsin's Brendan Smith and Minnesota Duluth's
Rob Bordson who have played in more games than Marcou. |
| 9-5-0 (5-4-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Boston College, 3-1; L at UMass
Lowell, 5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Merrimack |
| 14. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
1 |
In the Bulldogs' 4-3 overtime win at Minnesota last
month, Travis Oleksuk scoring the winning goal with 12
seconds left in OT. In the Bulldogs' 3-2 overtime win
against North Dakota Saturday, Justin Fontaine netted
the winner 12 seconds into extra time. |
| 10-5-1 (7-4-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. North Dakota, 4-2; W vs. North
Dakota, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Denver, vs. Denver |
| 15. |
 Ferris
State |
3 |
By sweeping Nebraska-Omaha in Big Rapids last weekend,
the Bulldogs extended their current unbeaten streak to
eight (6-0-2) and ran their home record to 10-0-0 this
season. |
| 11-3-2 (6-2-2
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 2-0; W vs. Nebraska-Omaha,
3-1. THIS WEEK: at Western Michigan, vs. Western Michigan |
| 16. |
 Alaska |
4 |
Since starting the year with a 5-0-1 run, the Nanooks'
record is a palindromic 3-4-3. Four of the team's last
five games have gone into overtime. |
| 8-4-4 (5-4-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Western Michigan, 3-1; T at Western
Michigan, 4-4 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Nebraska-Omaha, vs. Nebraska-Omaha |
| 17. |
 St.
Cloud State |
3 |
The Huskies posted an admirable 6-4-0 mark over a 10-game
stretch in which they played all but two games on the
road. SCSU's reward? Seven of the team's next 10 games
are at home including the next six in a row. |
| 8-6-2 (7-4-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Alaska Anchorage, 3-1; W at Alaska
Anchorage, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado College, vs. Colorado
College |
| 18. |
 Union |
NR |
Union is the only undefeated team in ECAC Hockey play
(3-0-3) but stands in fifth place. The Dutchmen will make
up a bunch of games in hand against teams they currently
trail in January and February. |
| 7-3-5 (3-0-3
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Colgate, 3-1; T vs. Cornell,
2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at Renssealer, vs. US NTDP Under-18s
(Ex.) |
| 19. |
 New
Hampshire |
NR |
Lining up against the likes of Miami, Wisconsin
and Rensselaer is no easy task, and it gives good reason
why New Hampshire stands atop Hockey East with a 7-2-2
record despite being 0-4-1 in non-conference play. |
| 7-6-3 (7-2-2
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. UMass Lowell, 2-1; W at
Vermont, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Providence |
| 20. |
 Maine |
NR |
The Black Bears have allowed exactly one goal against
in each game of a four-game win streak, and sophomore
goalie Scott Darling has started all four. He's stopped
91 of 95 shots he's faced during the streak. |
| 8-7-1 (6-4-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Providence, 3-1; W vs. Providence,
3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Northeastern |