As the end of the regular season nears, it's
time for the nation's elite teams to establish themselves.
Mission accomplished for the top 10 in this week's INCH Power
Rankings. Those teams that played, took care of business and
are starting to separate themselves.
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. |
 Miami |
— |
Ten of the 18 skaters in the RedHawks’ lineup
for Saturday’s 10-2 drubbing of Bowling Green recorded
multiple points, led by centerman Andy Miele’s four
assists. He also had a pair of helpers in Miami’s
3-2 win over the Falcons Friday. |
| 22-4-6 (19-1-4
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Bowling Green, 3-2; W at Bowling
Green, 10-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Nebraska-Omaha, vs. Nebraska-Omaha |
| 2. |
 Denver |
— |
Turns out this Joe Colborne kid can play a little. The
sophomore forward had four goals in the Pioneers’
weekend sweep of Minnesota, three of them coming in DU’s
5-1 drubbing of the Gophers at Magness Arena Saturday. |
| 20-6-4 (14-4-4
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota, 4-1; W vs. Minnesota,
5-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech, vs. Michigan Tech |
| 3. |
 Wisconsin |
— |
Also turns out this Blake Geoffrion kid can play a little.
The senior forward had 4-3—7 in the Badgers’
weekend sweep of Minnesota State, and he’s now the
WCHA goal-scoring leader with 21 goals in 28 games. |
| 18-7-4 (13-6-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota State, 4-3; W vs. Minnesota
State, 8-4. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud
State |
| 4. |
 Yale |
 1 |
Yale's win at Cornell Saturday moved the Bulldogs into
first place in ECAC Hockey and also clinched the Ivy League
title. |
| 16-6-3 (12-4-2
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Colgate, 6-3; W at Cornell,
2-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Lawrence, vs. Clarkson |
| 5. |
 St.
Cloud State |
 1 |
Friday’s 4-3 win over North Dakota was the 100th
of SCSU head coach Bob Motzko’s career. Which is
somewhat ironic, because Saturday’s 8-1 loss to
the Fighting Sioux probably felt like 100 defeats all
rolled into one. |
| 19-9-4 (14-7-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. North Dakota, 4-3; L vs. North
Dakota, 8-1. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin |
| 6. |
 Colorado
College |
1 |
Great opportunity for CC to lock down a WCHA first-round
home playoff series over the next two weeks. The Tigers,
currently fifth in the league standings, play seventh-place
Minnesota this weekend and meet sixth-place North Dakota
after that. |
| 17-10-3
(11-8-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota,
at Minnesota |
| 7. |
 Cornell
|
1 |
Riley Nash returned to Cornell's lineup after missing
four games and was clearly the Big Red's offensive catalyst
on the weekend. |
| 14-7-3 (11-4-2
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Brown, 5-3; L vs. Yale,
2-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at Colgate, at Harvard, at Dartmouth |
| 8. |
 Michigan
State |
— |
The Spartans, winless in their last three games this
season, are 3-0-1 in their last four games against Ferris
State over the last two years. |
| 17-10-5
(12-7-5 CCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Ferris State,
vs. Ferris State |
| 9. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
2 |
Home/road scoring splits of Colorado Rockie-esque proportions
for the Bulldogs. In 12 home WCHA games, UMD is averaging
3.8 goals per game. In 10 road games, the Bulldogs are
averaging 2.8 goals. |
| 18-11-1
(14-7-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at North Dakota,
at North Dakota |
| 10. |
 North
Dakota |
1 |
The Fighting Sioux power play, which had failed to score
in each of its last 32 man-advantage opportunities entering
last weekend’s series at St. Cloud State, connected
five times in 10 chances against the Huskies. |
| 14-11-5
(9-10-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at St. Cloud State, 4-3; W
at St. Cloud State, 8-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota Duluth,
vs. Minnesota Duluth |
| 11. |
 Boston
College |
1 |
Chris Kreider has scored in five of his last seven games
and has six goals in that time after scoring just two
in his first 17 games. |
| 17-9-2 (12-7-2
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Boston University, 4-3 (Beanpot
Championship); L at UMass Lowell, 4-1; W vs. UMass Lowell,
2-1. THIS WEEK: at Northeastern, vs. Northeastern |
| 12. |
 Bemidji
State |
2 |
After allowing four goals on 18 shots in 46 minutes
of work en route to a 5-2 loss at Robert Morris Friday,
Beaver goalie Dan Bakala was pulled in favor of backup
Mathieu Dugas. Dugas got the starting nod Saturday—and
the win, stopping 26 shots in BSU’s 5-2 triumph. |
| 19-7-2 (11-3-0
CHA) LAST WEEK: L at Robert Morris, 5-2; W at Robert Morris,
5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Niagara, vs. Niagara |
| 13. |
 Union |
— |
This has the makings to be one of the most memorable
seasons in Union's history. When people look back on it,
Friday's comeback win over Dartmouth will definitely be
among the fondest memories. |
| 16-8-6 (10-4-4
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Dartmouth, 5-4; L at Harvard,
4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Princeton, vs. Quinnipiac |
| 14. |
 Ferris
State |
1 |
The Bulldogs have a home-and-home series with Michigan
State on the horizon as those teams enter play tied for
second place in the CCHA. |
| 18-10-4
(12-8-4 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Lake Superior State, 4-3;
W at Lake Superior State, 2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan
State, at Michigan State |
| 15. |
 Maine |
1 |
Maine lost back-to-back games at Boston University and
saw the scoreboard light up on the wrong side. The Black
Bears allowed the highest single-game goals-against of
the season for a game (7) and a weekend (12). |
| 14-11-3
(11-8-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L at Boston University,
7-4; L at Boston University, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. UMass
Lowell, vs. UMass Lowell |
| 16. |
 New
Hampshire |
1 |
Bobby Butler scored four of UNH's five goals in a win
against Providence, including all three Wildcast goals
in the third period. |
| 14-10-4
(13-5-3 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Providence, 5-2.
THIS WEEK: vs. Vermont, vs. Vermont |
| 17. |
 Nebraska-Omaha |
NR |
The Mavericks, who re-enter the Power Rankings following
their sweep of visiting Michigan, are 6-1-1 in their last
eight games thanks in large part to an offensive explosion.
UNO has averaged 4.5 goals per game during that span. |
| 16-12-6
(12-11-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan, 4-3; W vs. Michigan,
4-1. THIS WEEK: at Miami, at Miami |
| 18. |
 Rensselaer |
— |
RPI was three minutes from a four-point weekend before
Dartmouth scored a pair of goals late in the third period
to steal a win on home ice. |
| 16-13-3
(9-7-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Harvard, 5-4; L at
Dartmouth, 4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Princeton |
| 19. |
 Boston
University |
NR |
BU may have uncharastically lost the Beanpot,
but the weekend sweep of Maine moved the Terriers back
over .500 and into a fourth place tie in Hockey East. |
| 13-12-3
(10-9-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L vs. Boston College,
4-3 (Beanpot Championship); W vs. Maine, 7-4; W vs. Maine,
5-2. THIS WEEK: at Providence, vs. Providence |
| 20. |
 Northern
Michigan |
NR |
Another hot CCHA club, the Wildcats are 8-2-4 since
losing to Lake Superior State on Dec. 12 in Sault Ste.
Marie. NMU is a paltry 3-5-4 against league foes on the
road heading into this weekend’s series at Michigan. |
| 14-10-8
(10-8-6 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Western Michigan, 7-2;
W vs. Western Michigan, 2-1. THIS WEEK: at Michigan, at
Michigan |