NATIONAL RANKINGS AS OF 12.14.09

RANKINGS AS OF 12.14.09

1.
Miami
1
In their last 12 CCHA matches, the RedHawks have outscored their opponents by a 36-12 margin. Miami is 9-0-3 in the league during that span.
13-2-5 (10-1-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Ohio State, 6-0; W vs. Ohio State, 4-3. NEXT ACTION: at Robert Morris, Jan. 8

2.
Denver
1
Say this about the Pioneers: when they lose, they really get shellacked. In their five defeats this season, they've allowed a combined 26 goals.
11-5-2 (9-3-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota Duluth, 3-2; L at Minnesota Duluth, 6-3. NEXT ACTION: Denver Cup, Jan. 1-2


3.
Cornell
1
If Cornell faces Maine in the second game at the Florida College Classic, it will be the third in a stretch of four games against ranked teams (Union, CC, Maine, UNH).
7-2-2 (6-2-1 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: Off. NEXT ACTION: Florida College Classic, Dec. 29-30

4.
Boston College
5
BC was not whistled for a single penalty in Saturday's win. Fans were probably happy to get out of Providence's rink in under two hours (1:58 time of game), and Nick Petrecki was probably disappointed.
10-3-2 (7-3-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Harvard, 3-2; W at Providence, 3-1. NEXT ACTION: at Denver Cup, Jan. 1-2

5.
Colorado College
2
Senior forward Mike Testwuide scored a goal at St. Cloud State Friday and added a goal and an assist against the Huskies Saturday. He's recorded at least one goal in six of the Tigers' last eight games.
11-4-3 (8-3-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: T at St. Cloud State, 4-4 ot; W at St. Cloud State, 4-1. NEXT ACTION: at Florida College Classic, Dec. 29-30

6.
Yale
—
Yale is also the nation’s highest-scoring team with 4.33 goals per game (52 in 12 games). They could play the nation's second-highest scoring team, Wisconsin, at the Badgers' tournament in early January.
7-3-2 (4-1-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: Off. NEXT ACTION: at Badger Showdown, Jan. 2-3

7.
Wisconsin
4
The Badger Showdown at the Kohl Center Jan. 2-3 should be a terrific weekend of hockey as the hosts are joined by two teams rated in the top 15 of these very Power Rankings, Yale and Ferris State, and a vastly improved Merrimack squad.
11-5-2 (8-4-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: T at North Dakota, 3-3 ot; W at North Dakota, 4-3. NEXT ACTION: Badger Showdown, Jan. 2-3

8.
North Dakota
5
The Fighting Sioux gave up more than two goals once in their nine games en route to a 7-1-1 start. They've allowed three or more goals six times in the nine games since and are 2-5-2 in that stretch.
9-6-3 (6-6-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Wisconsin, 3-3 ot; L vs. Wisconsin, 4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. USA Under-20 Team (Ex.)

9.
Quinnipiac
1
The Bobcats scuffled a bit in a three-game winless streak following eight consecutive wins, but got on track with a 5-2 win Saturday that featured five different goal scorers.
13-3-1 (7-2-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: T at Holy Cross, 1-1 ot; W vs. American International. 5-2. NEXT ACTION: at Harvard, Dec. 29

10.
Bemidji State
5
The two losses to visiting Minnesota State this past weekend extended the Beavers' losing streak against the Mavericks to six in a row. BSU's last win in the series was a 3-2 decision in Mankato on Nov. 4, 2006.
13-4-1 (8-0-0 College Hockey America) LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota State, 5-1; L vs. Minnesota State, 3-2. NEXT ACTION: at Western Michigan, Jan. 2-3

11.
Michigan State
1
Forward Corey Tropp closed out a sensational first half of the season with a hat trick in Saturday's win against Bowling Green. Tropp has scored 16 goals in 20 games this season; MSU's leading goal-getter last season had 14 goals in 38 games.
12-6-2 (9-3-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Bowling Green, 3-2 ot; W vs. Bowling Green, 4-1. NEXT ACTION: Great Lakes Invitational, Dec. 29-30

12.
UMass Lowell
2
The River Hawks are a clear favorite at Dartmouth's holiday tournament, as the other three teams - Northeastern (40th), Holy Cross (44th) and Dartmouth (51st) - all rank among the worst teams in the country in winning percentage.
10-6-1 (5-4-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Princeton, 4-1; L vs. Princeton, 3-2. NEXT ACTION: at Ledyard Bank Classic, Jan. 2-3

13.
Massachusetts
—
Will Ortiz scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season to help UMass end a three-game losing streak with a win over Merrimack.
10-5-0 (6-4-0 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 4-1. NEXT ACTION: at UConn Hockey Classic, Dec. 29-30

14.
Ferris State
1
At 13-3-2 overall, the Bulldogs are off to their best start through 18 games since 1979-80 when they opened with a 14-4-0 mark. The 2002-03 FSU team that won the CCHA regular-season title started 13-5-0.
13-3-2 (8-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Western Michigan, 3-0; W vs. Western Michigan, 4-3. NEXT ACTION: at Badger Showdown, Jan. 2-3

15.
Minnesota Duluth
1
Notice a trend with these Bulldogs? When they score three or more goals this season, they're 11-0-1. When they score two or fewer goals, they're 0-6-0.
11-6-1 (8-5-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Denver, 3-2; W vs. Denver, 6-3. NEXT ACTION: at Catamount Cup, Jan. 2-3

16.
Union
2
Don't leave early when Capital District rivals Union and RPI get together. The Dutchmen scored twice in the final minute of the third period to win on Wednesday. In the previous meeting, RPI tied the game with one second left in the third and Union won in overtime.
8-3-5 (4-0-3 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Rensselaer, 5-4; W vs. US NTDP Under-18s, 4-1. NEXT ACTION: at UConn Hockey Classic, Dec. 29-30

17.
Alaska
1
Senior forward Dion Knelsen needs six points to join the Nanooks' century club. He'd become the first UAF skater to reach 100 career points since Knelsen's ex-teammates Curtis Fraser and Kyle Greentree did it during the 2006-07 season.
9-5-4 (6-5-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 4-3; L vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 5-3. NEXT ACTION: at Nebraska-Omaha, Jan. 8-9

18.
New Hampshire
1
Senior forward Bobby Butler has quietly put together an excellent UNH career. He's played in 131 games and has 45 goals and 92 points and leads this year's Wildcats in scoring with 13 goals and 24 points.
8-6-3 (8-2-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Providence, 4-3. NEXT ACTION: vs. Cornell, Jan. 3

19.
Maine
1
Maine last won the Florida College Classic, which they co-host with Cornell, in the 2006-07 season. The Black Bears scored 14 goals in two wins that weekend in Florida.
9-7-1 (7-4-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Northeastern, 5-1. NEXT ACTION: Florida College Classic, Jan. 29-30

20.
St. Cloud State
3
Of the Huskies' nine series during the first half of the season, seven were against teams currently rated among the top 20 in this week's INCH Power Rankings.
8-7-3 (7-5-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Colorado College, 4-4 ot; L vs. Colorado College, 4-1. NEXT ACTION: vs. Brown, Jan. 2-3

Dropped out: None

Bubble-licious: Colgate, Lake Superior State

NATIONAL RANKINGS AS OF 12.8.09

RANKINGS AS OF 12.8.09

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

Dropped out: Notre Dame, Vermont, Nebraska-Omaha
Bubble-licious: RIT, Air Force, Colgate, Vermont, Notre Dame

NATIONAL RANKINGS AS OF 11.30.09

RANKINGS AS OF 11.30.09

1.
Denver
1
Perhaps the most meaningless note for a new no. 1 team in INCH Power Rankings history: In eight of the Pioneers' last 10 games, one team has scored three goals.
9-4-1 (7-2-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Cloud State, 5-3; L vs. St. Cloud State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Colorado College, vs. Colorado College

2.
North Dakota
2
The Fighting Sioux have scored a total of 41 goals in their eight wins and two ties—including nine against Ohio State and Miami last weekend—but have just five goals in their four losses.
8-4-2 (5-4-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Ohio State, 4-1; T vs. Miami, 5-5- ot. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota Duluth, at Minnesota Duluth

3.
Miami
2
Fact 1: Miami has gone to overtime in seven of its 16 games so far. Fact 2: The RedHawks' draw at North Dakota Saturday was their second 5-5 tie of the season; the first was against New Hampshire in Durham Oct. 17.
9-2-5 (6-1-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Bemidji State, 3-2; T vs. North Dakota, 5-5 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Notre Dame

4.
Quinnipiac
5
Quinnipiac's eight-game winning streak is the nation's longest, and if they can keep it intact after Friday's game at Yale, it might go on through the new year. Their next five opponents following the Bulldogs are a combined 11-36-7 on the year.
12-1-0 (7-0-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Princeton, 5-1; W vs. Massachusetts, 5-4 ot. THIS WEEK: at Yale, at Brown

5.
Cornell
1
Saturday's game against BU at Madison Square Garden included television timeouts, even though it wasn't televised, and according to the officials instant replay wasn't available.
6-2-1 (5-2-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Colgate, 4-2; T vs. Boston University, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Rensselaer, at Union

6.
Bemidji State
1
Chris McKelvie, a fourth-liner at the Frozen Four last year, channeled some of the Beavers' March magic with a goal and an assist in the rematch with Miami.
11-2-1 (6-0-0 CHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Miami, 3-2; L vs. Ohio State, 2-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Niagara, vs. Niagara

7.
Colorado College
2
Alaska Anchorage snapped the Tigers' six-game winning streak Saturday in Colorado Springs with a 3-2 OT triumph. CC's three losses this season have all occurred at home and were one-goal decisions.
10-3-1 (7-2-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alaska-Anchorage, 5-0; L vs. Alaska-Anchorage, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Denver, at Denver

8.
UMass Lowell
5
A banner season for UMass Lowell hit a speed bump last week. They were held under three goals in a game for the first and second time all season in two losses.
8-4-1 (4-3-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L at Providence, 4-2; L vs. Maine, 3-1. THIS WEEK: at New Hampshire, vs. Massachusetts

9.
Massachusetts
1
There's no sophomore slump for Casey Wellman, who had 11 goals and 33 points as a freshman in 39 games. This year he's got 11 goals and 20 points in the first dozen games for the Minutemen.
9-3-0 (5-2-0 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Vermont, 6-2; L at Quinnipiac, 5-4 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Boston College, at UMass Lowell

10.
Yale
1
The Bulldogs have taken care of business in their last three outings against Brown, Sacred Heart and Holy Cross, averaging 7.0 goals per game in that span. Things get tougher in a busy week against three teams that have appeared in the INCH Power Rankings so far this year.
5-2-2 (2-1-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Sacred Heart, 8-2; W at Holy Cross, 7-3. THIS WEEK: at Vermont, vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Princeton

11.
Michigan State
3
The Spartans, who entered their series with Notre Dame two weekends ago on a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1), are now in the midst of a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) during which they've never held a lead over their opponent.
9-5-2 (6-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Wisconsin, 7-3; L vs. Minnesota, 2-1. THIS WEEK: at Northern Michigan, at Northern Michigan

12.
Alaska
—
Each of the Nanooks' last three games have gone into OT. The scores at the end of regulation: 2-2, 3-3, and 4-4. We expect 5-5 and 6-6 duels after 60 minutes in your series at Western Michigan this weekend, boys.
8-3-3 (5-3-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Northern Michigan, 3-3 ot; T vs. Northern Michigan, 4-4 ot. THIS WEEK: at Western Michigan, at Western Michigan

13.
Minnesota Duluth
—
Alumni report: Former Bulldog Mason Raymond scored a goal and two assists in Vancouver's rout of Calgary Saturday. Raymond has 1-6—7 in his five games prior to Sunday's tilt against San Jose.
9-4-1 (6-3-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. North Dakota, vs. North Dakota

14.
Boston College
3
BC is doing it with balance. The Eagles rank sixth nationally in scoring with 3.82 goals per game, yet don't have a single player among the nation's top 50 individual point producers.
6-3-2 (4-3-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Clarkson, 6-5. THIS WEEK: at Massachusetts, at Boston University

15.
Wisconsin
1
Don't look now, but the allegedly systems-oriented, defensive-minded Badgers have scored six or more goals four times this season and four or more goals in eight of their 14 games.
8-5-1 (5-4-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Michigan State, 7-3; L at Michigan, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech, vs. Michigan Tech

16.
Notre Dame
2
It may be the least impressive five-game unbeaten streak in college hockey history, but the Fighting Irish are 2-0-3 in their last five. Wins and ties will be harder to come by in December, as series with Miami and Michigan loom.
7-5-4 (4-2-4 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Bowling Green, 2-1 ot; T vs. Bowling Green, 4-4 ot. THIS WEEK: at Miami, at Miami

17.
Vermont
2
After earning back-to-back wins over Denver and Boston College in the opening weeks of the season, the Catamounts haven't managed to win two in a row since, and are just 3-4-1 in their last eight games.
5-5-1 (4-4-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L vs. Massachusetts, 6-2; W at Northeastern, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Yale, at Boston University, vs. New Hampshire

18.
Ferris State
—
Senior forward Blair Riley enters the weekend with 12 goals in 15 games. He entered the season with 24 goals in 107 career appearances.
9-3-2 (4-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Nebraska-Omaha, vs. Nebraska-Omaha

19.
Nebraska-Omaha
—
By sweeping visiting Western Michigan last weekend, the Mavericks ended a six-game slump during which they posted a 1-4-1 mark and won back-to-back games for the first time since the season-opening IceBreaker Tournament.
7-4-3 (4-4-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Western Michigan, 4-3; W vs. Western Michigan, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Ferris State, at Ferris State

20.
St. Cloud State
NR
The Huskies earned a third straight "good split" against a ranked opponent. This weekend it's about time for the first sweep of the season.
6-6-2 (5-4-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Denver, 5-3; W at Denver, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Alaska Anchorage, at Alaska Anchorage

National Rankings as of 11.22.09

Rankings as of 11.22.09

1.
Miami
— (change from last week's rank)
The good news is the RedHawks extended their unbeaten streak to eight this weekend. The bad news is that three of those games are ties, and they've all come during the past two weekends.

9-1-4 (6-1-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Western Michigan, 3-0; T at Western Michigan, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Bemidji State, at North Dakota (Subway Holiday Classic; Grand Forks, N.D.)

2.
Denver
+1 (change from last week's rank)
"It's definitely entertaining to watch," Pioneer goalie Marc Cheverie told the Denver Post's Mike Chambers Friday following his team's knock-down, drag-out, 1-0 win over North Dakota. Based on Mr. Cheverie's weekend numbers—58 saves, 2 GA, and an NCAA-best fourth shutout—he was just as entertaining.

8-3-1 (6-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. North Dakota, 1-0; W vs. North Dakota, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud State

3.
UMass Lowell
+2 (change from last week's rank)
UMass Lowell was 5-1-0 in its six Hockey East games last season against this week's opponents. The River Hawks outscored the Friars and Black Bears 26-11 in those six games.

8-2-1 (4-1-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 6-3. THIS WEEK: at Providence, vs. Maine

4.
North Dakota
-2 (change from last week's rank)
The losses at Denver marked the first time the Sioux suffered a weekend sweep since dropping a pair to Michigan Tech Dec. 15-16, 2006. "Hopefully it doesn't happen again," NoDak forward Chris VandeVelde told the Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman.

7-4-1 (5-4-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Denver, 1-0; L at Denver, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Ohio State, vs. Miami (Subway Holiday Classic; Grand Forks, N.D.)

5.
Colorado College
+2 (change from last week's rank)
The Tigers are off to their best start since the 2005-06 season, when they burst out of the gate with an identical 9-2-1 record. CC fans hope the similarities end there; the '05-06 club went 15-14-1 the rest of the way and lost in the first round of the WCHA and NCAA playoffs.

9-2-1 (6-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Robert Morris, 4-3; W vs. Robert Morris, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska Anchorage, vs. Alaska Anchorage

6.
Cornell
-2 (change from last week's rank)
Tuesday's home game against Colgate is Cornell's last game at Lynah Rink until Jan. 22-23 when North Dakota visits.

5-2-0 (4-2-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Princeton, 5-2; L vs. Quinnipiac, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Colgate, vs. Boston University (at Madison Square Garden, New York)

7.
Bemidji State
+2 (change from last week's rank)
The Beavers are one of the nation's two teams with 10 wins and at this rate they'll be the first to 100 goals. The Beavers have scored six goals in each of their last three games, and have 49 for the season - one fewer than nine-win Ferris State, but the Bulldogs have played two more games than the Beavers.

10-1-1 (6-0-0 CHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 6-1; W vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 6-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Miami, vs. Ohio State (Subway Holiday Classic; Grand Forks, N.D.)

8.
Michigan State
-2 (change from last week's rank)
The Spartans' winless streak against Notre Dame stands at six following the tie and loss to the Irish this past weekend. In those six games dating back to Jan. 13, 2008, MSU has scored a total of five goals.

9-3-2 (6-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Notre Dame, 1-1 ot; L vs. Notre Dame, 4-1 (at Fort Wayne, Ind.). THIS WEEK: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Minnesota (College Hockey Showcase)

9.
Quinnipiac
+3 (change from last week's rank)
The Bobcats extended their winning streak, which now stands at six games, with a pair of impressive wins at Colgate and Cornell. A key to success? Quinnipiac took first-period leads in both contests.

10-1-0 (6-0-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Colgate, 5-3; W at Cornell, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Princeton, vs. Massachusetts

10.
Massachusetts
+5 (change from last week's rank)
The Minutemen have scored 34 goals in their eight wins, a tidy average of 4.25 goals per game.

8-2-0 (4-2-0 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Yale, 4-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Vermont, at Quinnipiac

11.
Yale
-3 (change from last week's rank)
The Bulldogs haven't managed to string back-to-back wins together yet this season in seven games, but should be considered strong favorites in games this week against Sacred Heart and Holy Cross.

3-2-2 (2-1-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L vs. Massachusetts, 4-3 ot; W at Brown, 6-5 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Sacred Heart, at Holy Cross

12.
Alaska
-1 (change from last week's rank)
After starting the season with five wins and a tie in their first six games, the Nanooks have become very predictable in their last three series: lose on Friday, win on Saturday, which is what they've done against Notre Dame, Bowling Green, and, most recently, Lake Superior State.

8-3-1 (5-3-0 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Lake Superior State, 4-3; W at Lake Superior State, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Northern Michigan, vs. Northern Michigan

13.
Minnesota Duluth
+5 (change from last week's rank)
Here's pretty much all you need to know about the Bulldogs: they're 9-0-1 this season when scoring three or more goals. Score two or fewer, and UMD is 0-4-0. Home series against North Dakota and Denver are on tap following a bye this weekend.

9-4-1 (6-3-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota, 4-3 ot; W at Minnesota, 3-2. THIS WEEK: Off

14.
Notre Dame
+5 (change from last week's rank)
The Fighting Irish snapped a four-game winless streak with an impressive 4-1 win over a Michigan State team that was 6-0-1 in its last seven games. Notre Dame's task is turning the win and tie with MSU into a winning streak.

6-5-3 (3-2-3 CCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Michigan State, 1-1 ot; W vs. Michigan State, 4-1 (at Fort Wayne, Ind.). THIS WEEK: vs. Bowling Green, vs. Bowling Green

15.
Vermont
-1 (change from last week's rank)
The Catamounts play nine of their next 11 games at home, beginning with Tuesday's game against UMass. Vermont is 2-0-1 at the Gut so far this season.

4-4-1 (3-3-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Massachusetts, at Northeastern

16.
Wisconsin
+1 (change from last week's rank)
The school is reportedly enamored with the idea of a Big Ten hockey conference. Must've been the reason the Badgers split a series with St. Cloud State this past weekend—they were looking ahead to this weekend's "conference" tilts against Michigan and Michigan State.

7-4-1 (5-4-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at St. Cloud State, 4-1; W at St. Cloud State, 4-1. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, at Michigan (College Hockey Showcase)

17.
Boston College
+2 (change from last week's rank)
Junior forward Brian Gibbons is BC's leading scorer with 12 points and nine assists. He had two helpers in Saturday's tie at Maine.

5-3-2 (4-3-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Maine, 4-3; T at Maine, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Clarkson

18.
Ferris State
NR (change from last week's rank)
Not a bad weekend of work for Ferris State forward Blair Riley. He scored 4-2—6 (including a hat trick Friday) in the Bulldogs' sweep of visiting Ohio State. Not to be outdone, linemate Cody Chupp had 3-3—6 for the series.

9-3-2 (4-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Ohio State, 8-1; W vs. Ohio State, 6-5 ot. THIS WEEK: Off

19.
Nebraska-Omaha
-9 (change from last week's rank)
Since opening the season with a 4-0-2 mark, the Mavericks are 1-4-1 in their last six games. The difference? Offense—UNO scored 21 goals in its first six and has just 12 in its last half-dozen outings.

5-4-3 (2-4-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Northern Michigan, 5-1; L at Northern Michigan, 6-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Western Michigan, vs. Western Michigan

20.
Colgate
— (change from last week's rank)
Colgate rallied from three different one-goal deficits in its win over Princeton Saturday. The Raiders are 5-1-2 in their last eight games.

6-3-4 (4-1-1 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L vs. Quinnipiac, 5-3; W vs. Princeton, 5-4 ot. THIS WEEK: at Cornell

Dropped out: Princeton

Bubble-licious: St. Cloud State, Merrimack, RIT

National Rankings as of 11.15.09

Rankings as of 11.15.09

1.
Miami
— (change from last week's rank)
College hockey's stimulus package: Pay for 60 minutes of action, get five minutes free. The RedHawks played Ferris State to a pair of ties this past weekend, the fourth and fifth overtime games for the RedHawks this season.

8-1-3 (5-1-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: T vs. Ferris State, 2-2 ot; T vs. Ferris State, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at Western Michigan, at Western Michigan

2.
North Dakota
— (change from last week's rank)
Saturday's loss to St. Cloud State in Grand Forks snapped the Fighting Sioux's 17-game home unbeaten streak.

7-2-1 (5-2-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Cloud State, 4-2; L vs. St. Cloud State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Denver, at Denver

3.
Denver
+1 (change from last week's rank)
The bye week is over; now North Dakota comes calling. Until the puck drops Friday, the health of goalie Marc Cheverie and defenseman Patrick Wiercioch will be the hot topic in Pio-land.

6-3-1 (4-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. North Dakota, vs. North Dakota

4.
Cornell
-1 (change from last week's rank)
Let's oversimplify Friday's loss at Yale: Riley Nash had six penalty minutes compared to just two shots on goal. The Big Red leads the nation in both penalty-killing and power-play percentage.

4-1-0 (3-1-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Yale, 4-2; W at Brown, 6-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Princeton, vs. Quinnipiac

5.
UMass Lowell
— (change from last week's rank)
Save UAH Hockey has been a popular motto in our sport, but UML goalies Carter Hutton and Nevin Hamilton interpreted it differently. They combined to stop 38 of 39 Charger shots on the weekend.

7-2-1 (3-1-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Alabama-Huntsville, 3-1; W at Alabama-Huntsville, 4-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Merrimack

6.
Michigan State
+7 (change from last week's rank)
The Spartans could reach double digits in wins this season by beating Notre Dame this week. Last season, MSU didn't climb to that lofty win total until Feb. 20.

9-2-1 (6-1-1 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Michigan, 3-2; W vs. Michigan, 2-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Notre Dame (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

7.
Colorado College
+8 (change from last week's rank)
Five straight home games for the Tigers begin with a visit from Robert Morris this week. Coach Scott Owens' team started the season with six of its first ten at home.

7-2-1 (6-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota State, 1-0 ot; W at Minnesota State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Robert Morris, vs. Robert Morris

8.
Yale
+4 (change from last week's rank)
The Bulldogs ran their unbeaten streak against Cornell to five games, including four straight wins, with Friday's 4-2 victory. They've scored four goals or more in all of those wins against a typically-stingy Big Red defense.

2-1-2 (1-1-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Cornell, 4-2; T vs. Colgate, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Massachusetts, at Brown

9.
Bemidji State
+1 (change from last week's rank)
After playing six of their first 10 on the road, the Beavers can settle in until after Jan. 1; other than a short jaunt to North Dakota Thanksgiving weekend for games with Miami and Ohio State, BSU plays three of its next four series at home.

8-1-1 (4-0-0 CHA) LAST WEEK: L at Minnesota, 4-1; W at Minnesota, 6-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Alabama-Huntsville, vs. Alabama-Huntsville

10.
Nebraska-Omaha
-3 (change from last week's rank)
Three Maverick skaters – Jeric Agosta, Rich Purslow, and Joey Martin – have accouted for more than 50 percent (15 of 29) of UNO's goals so far this season.

5-2-3 (2-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Lake Superior State, 4-0; L vs. Lake Superior State, 3-1. THIS WEEK: at Northern Michigan, at Northern Michigan

11.
Alaska
-2 (change from last week's rank)
Jarrett Granberg and Dion Knelsen each scored two goals Saturday as the Nanooks avenged a 3-1 loss at Bowling Green with a 5-3 win in the series finale.

7-2-1 (4-2-0 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Bowling Green, 3-1; W at Bowling Green, 5-3. THIS WEEK: at Lake Superior State, at Lake Superior State

12.
Quinnipiac
+7 (change from last week's rank)
Quinnipiac, whose 8-1-0 record is the best in college hockey, is outscoring its opponents by two goals a game, with a 38-20 advantage over nine contests.

8-1-0 (4-0-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 5-1; W vs. Dartmouth, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Colgate, at Cornell

13.
Princeton
+4 (change from last week's rank)
Two of Princeton's three wins this season have come in overtime. Cam MacIntyre scored the OT-winner against Dartmouth, his first goal of the season.

3-2-1 (2-1-1 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Dartmouth, 2-1 ot; T vs. Harvard, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Cornell, at Colgate

14.
Vermont
-3 (change from last week's rank)
Vermont successfully killed four penalties in Sunday's win at Boston College after allowing three power-play goals in Saturday's loss to the Eagles. It was Vermont's first win at Kelley Rink in 15 years.

4-4-1 (3-3-1 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Boston College, 7-1; W at Boston College, 3-2. THIS WEEK: Off

15.
Massachusetts
-1 (change from last week's rank)
The next five game for the Minutemen are against teams that are currently listed in these Power Rankings - Yale, Vermont, Quinnipiac, Boston College and UMass Lowell.

7-2-0 (4-2-0 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. New Hampshire, 4-3 ot; L vs. New Hampshire, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Yale

16.
Notre Dame
-8 (change from last week's rank)
Show of hands: How many of you really thought that the Fighting Irish would be the team desperately seeking a spark heading into this weekend's series with Michigan State?

5-5-2 (3-2-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Northern Michigan, 3-2; T vs. Northern Michigan, 2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, vs. Michigan State (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

17.
Wisconsin
+3 (change from last week's rank)
The Badgers have scored 38 goals through 10 games. In the four games in which it lost or tied, Bucky lit the lamp a total of seven times.

6-3-1 (4-3-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alaska-Anchorage, 5-1; W vs. Alaska-Anchorage, 6-2. THIS WEEK: at St. Cloud State, at St. Cloud State

18.
Minnesota Duluth
-2 (change from last week's rank)
One night after the Bulldogs were stymied by Michigan Tech goalie Kevin Genoe (48 saves) in a 3-2 loss, UMD forward Justin Fontaine scored four goals in an 8-1 rout of the visiting Huskies.

7-4-1 (4-3-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan Tech, 3-2; W vs. Michigan Tech, 8-1. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota

19.
Boston College
-1 (change from last week's rank)
With a goal in each game this weekend, Ben Smith raised his season total to seven tallies, already surpassing his total of six from his junior campaign.

4-3-1 (3-3-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Vermont, 7-1; L vs. Vermont, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Maine, at Maine

20.
Colgate
NR (change from last week's rank)
The Raiders' six-game unbeaten is tied for the second longest in the nation and the longest unbeaten run for Colgate since November 2005.

5-2-4 (3-0-1 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Brown, 5-3; T at Yale, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Princeton

Dropped out: Michigan

National Rankings as of 11.8.09

Rankings as of 11.8.09

1. Miami —
You know you've had a rough go at a particular road venue when you get a sweep and your school's all-time win total in that arena nearly doubles. That's what happened to the RedHawks, who got all-time wins nos. 4 and 5 at Yost Ice Arena this past weekend.

8-1-1 (5-1-0 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Michigan, 3-1; W at Michigan 5-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Ferris State, vs. Ferris State

2. North Dakota —
The Fighting Sioux have scored three or more goals seven times in eight games this season, the lone exception being a 2-1 loss at Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 24.

6-1-1 (4-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Michigan Tech, 4-2; W at Michigan Tech, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud State

3. Cornell +2 (from last week)
Talk about feeling shame in the penalty box, through three games Cornell's power play is clicking at a 44.4 percent rate, converting 8 of 18 chances thus far.

3-0-0 (2-0-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Dartmouth, 5-1; W vs. Harvard 6-3. THIS WEEK: at Yale, at Brown

4. Denver -1 (from last week)
Saturday's 7-3 loss to Alaska Anchorage at Sullivan Arena snapped the Pioneers' 13-game unbeaten streak on the Seawolves' home ice.

6-3-1 (4-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Alaska-Anchorage, 3-2; L at Alaska-Anchorage, 7-3. THIS WEEK: Off

5. UMass Lowell +4 (from last week)
Nick Schaus is Lowell's best defenseman, and right now, he's their top scorer, too. The senior's nine points (four goals, five assist) are tops on the team and tied for ninth in Hockey East.

5-2-1 (3-1-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at Vermont, 3-3 ot; W vs. New Hampshire, 6-3. THIS WEEK: at Alabama-Huntsville, at Alabama-Huntsville

6. Michigan -2 (from last week)
Miami became the first team to sweep Michigan in Ann Arbor since Oct. 26-27, 2001, when Northern Michigan did it. Those Wildcats were coached by Rick Comley, who brings his Michigan State squad to Yost Friday.

4-4-0 (2-2-0 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Miami, 3-1; L vs. Miami 5-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan State, at Michigan State

7. Nebraska-Omaha -1 (from last week)
Apropos of nothing, the Mavericks' roster boasts players from 11 different states—California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

4-1-3 (1-1-2 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Michigan State, 3-0; T at Michigan State, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Lake Superior State, vs. Lake Superior State

8. Notre Dame —
The Irish have scored a total of 23 goals in their first 10 games this season. That's the same number they scored last season in five games against Northern Michigan, this weekend's opponent.

5-4-1 (2-1-1 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Alaska, 3-2; L at Alaska, 3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Northern Michigan, vs. Northern Michigan

9. Alaska +2 (from last week)
The Nanooks are off to a terrific start, but they've played all of their first eight games on Alaskan soil. That changes this weekend when Alaska shuffles off to Bowling Green for the first of three road series in four weekends.

6-1-1 (3-1-0 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Notre Dame, 3-2; W vs. Notre Dame, 3-1. THIS WEEK: at Bowling Green, at Bowling Green

10. Bemidji State +3 (from last week)
Matt Read has 14 points through eight games and Bemidji State is one of two remaining teams without a loss on their ledger.

7-0-1 (4-0-0 CHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Robert Morris, 2-0; W vs. Robert Morris, 6-1. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota

11. Vermont +1 (from last week)
Senior forward Brayden Irwin leads the team in goals (four), assists (five), points (nine), penalty minutes (25), plus-minus (+7) and shots on goal (20).

3-3-1 (2-2-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T vs. UMass Lowell, 3-3 ot; W vs. Providence, 3-0

12. Yale -5 (from last week)
Sean Backman's goal with six seconds left in the third period of Saturday's game tied the score and helped Yale salvage at least one point in the standings on the weekend trip to New York's Capital Region.

1-1-1 (0-1-1 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at Rensselaer, 5-2; T at Union, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Cornell, vs. Colgate

13. Michigan State +3 (from last week)
Interested spectators will be keeping an eye on Spartan forward Corey Tropp Friday — and not just because he's the top scorer in the CCHA with 15 points in 10 games — when MSU travels to Yost Ice Arena to face Michigan.

7-2-1 (4-1-1 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0; T vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0. THIS WEEK: at Michigan, vs. Michigan

14. Massachusetts +3 (from last week)
The schedule hasn't been overly difficult, so the Minutemen can legitimize their early-season hot streak with a pair of home games against UNH this weekend. Those two teams have played some great games in recent years.

6-1-0 (3-1-0 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Niagara, 4-1; W at Niagara, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, vs. New Hampshire

15. Colorado College —
Senior forward Bill Sweatt, the WCHA's second-leading scorer, has 4-8—12 in his last five games.

5-2-1 (4-1-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota Duluth, 4-3; W vs. Minnesota Duluth, 6-2. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota State, at Minnesota State

16. Minnesota Duluth +2 (from last week)
The Bulldogs close out the first half of the season (isn't it a little early to be saying that?) with six of their next eight at home starting with two games against Michigan Tech this weekend.

6-3-1 (3-2-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Colorado College, 4-3; L at Colorado College, 6-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech, vs. Michigan Tech

17. Princeton -3 (from last week)
Junior goalie Alan Reynolds made just his fifth career start Saturday, and it was a good one. He had 31 saves in a 4-1 win over Clarkson.

2-2-0 (1-1-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L vs. St. Lawrence, 5-2; W vs. Clarkson, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Dartmouth, vs. Harvard

18. Boston College +2 (from last week)
BC followed up a disappointing loss -- a 4-1 lead turned into a 4-4 tie in Durham -- with a 5-1 pounding of Northeastern on Saturday.

3-2-1 (2-2-1 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at New Hampshire, 4-4 ot; W vs. Northeastern, 5-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Vermont, vs. Vermont

19. Quinnipiac NR (from last week)
The Bobcats' lineup features as many as eight freshmen, but seniors Brandon Wong (11 points) and Eric Lampe (10) are leading the way.

6-1-0 (2-0-0 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Clarkson, 4-2; W vs. St. Lawrence, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Harvard, vs. Dartmouth

20. Wisconsin -1 (from last week)
It took place in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Minnesota, but the third-period goal scored by defenseman Ryan McDonagh—he wheeled around in the near faceoff circle and swatted the puck into the net with a baseball swing—was highlight-reel caliber.

4-3-1 (2-3-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota, 4-2; L vs. Minnesota, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska-Anchorage, vs. Alaska-Anchorage

2009/10 Season Heats Up:

Great hockey so far this early in the season. This site will have more of a Hockey East flair to it but I welcome any and all discussions from all fans around the country.

UML first place?
BU last place?

Hmmm should be an exciting year, eh?

Regional Brackets:

SEMI FINALS RESULTS 3/20:

HOCKEY EAST:
Great balls of fire what a great college hockey game last night between UMass-Lowell and Northeastern. Final minute of regulation UML ties it up and sends the game into overtime. NU must be dissapointed about taking the too many men penalty and coming up short in OT.
UML 3 - NU 2 -OT

Boston College hung in there against the #1 seed BU but could not stave off the 44 second blitz.
BU 3 - BC 2

Final tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden 7pm
UML vs. BU

ECAC:
Cornell beats Princeton 4-3 to advance to the final.

Yale beats St. Lawrence 4-3 to advance as well.

The Final is tonight at 7:30
Yale vs. Cornell.

CCHA:
No surprises in the CCHA last night as Michigan put away Alaska for good and Notre Dame took care of Northern Michigan.

Michigan 3 - Alaska 1
Notre Dame 2 - Northern Michigan 1

Final is tonight at 7:30 and it should be a great one.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame

WCHA:
Much like in Hockey East we had the underdog Minnesota-Duluth continuing their great play and shutting out North Dakota at home. What in the world is going on??

Denver also shut out Wisconsin.

Minnesota-Duluth 3 - North Dakota 0
Denver 3 - Wisconsin 0

Final is tonight 8pm CT
Denver vs. Minnesota-Duluth

ATLANTIC:
Airforce 3 - Bentley 0
Mercyhurst 5 - Rochester Tech 4 -OT

Final is tonight 7:05
Airforce vs. Mercyhurst

CURRENT RANKINGS AS OF 3/16:

Here are your current rankings after last weekend's action.

LAST NIGHT'S RESULTS 3/15:

CCHA:
Crazy upsets in the CCHA last night - Alaska snuck by Ohio State in a 1-0 shut out to advance to the Semi's.

Miami loses to Northern Michigan in a 3-1 game (someone needs to lose their job...).

HOCKEY EAST:
Northeastern took a ride on the emotional rollercoaster last night leading for most of the game but with 34 seconds left in regulation UMass tied the game forcing the overtime. NU took the game on Tuckerman's goal (if that kid doesn't get player of the week somethings wrong).

Boston University trounced Maine but still has powerplay problems that need to be addressed before playing a BC team that is playing very well of late.

ECAC:
Cornell beats Rensselaer by only 1 goal but hey they still won right??

Princeton 3, Union 1. I'm still surprised this went 3 games.

All brackets are set for the net round of the playoffs. Stay tuned for those!

SCHEDULE 3/15 - WINNERS ADVANCE:

CLICK ON THE SCHEDULE BELOW TO ENLARGE

Sunday Morning Report 3/15:

HOCKEY EAST:
#17 Boston College advances to the next round upsetting #3 New Hampshire on their home sheet.

UMass-Lowell also advances sweeping #7 Vermont at the Gut! They stole Friday's game and put the hammer down last night.

#4 Northeastern beats Massachusetts at Matthews Arena forcing an exciting 3rd game tonight.

#2 Boston University loses at home to Maine and will also play tonight to decide who moves on.

ECAC:
#9 Yale takes both games against Brown as expected.

#13 St. Lawrence held off a tough Quinnipiac team to take both games.

#12 Cornell, shut out in Friday's game came back strong to deliver their own shut out to Rensselaer - tonights game will decide it.

Union surprises all by winning at #10 Princeton on Saturday night by a wide margin - big game 3 tonight should be one to watch.

CCHA:
Top ranked Notre Dame made quick work of Nebraska-Omaha on Friday night, then beat them with only one goal on Saturday to advance to the next round.

#3 Michigan rolled over Western Michigan both Friday and Saturday to also advance.

Northern Michigan stays alive beating #8 Miami at their home ice in overtime Saturday night to force a deciding 3rd game.

#14 Ohio State after being shut out in the first game at Alaska, rallied back to win. The two teams play tonight to see who advances.

WCHA:
#5 North Dakota took care of Michigan Tech in both games at home.

#6 Denver beat Alaska-Anchorage in 2 one goal games they'll need to get out of 1st gear if they want to keep advancing.

"On the Bubble" Minnesota-Duluth upsets #15 Colorado College in Colorado! Oh my!

#18 Wisconsin rolls over Minnesota State advancing to the next round.

#16 Minnesota beats the "out of gas" #19 St. Cloud State in both games (Saturday's was a shut out). This series should have been closer in my opionion.

ATLANTIC HOCKEY:
Mercyhurst took care of bid-ness handily sending Army home for good and advancing.

Canisius split at Bentley and will play tonight to break the tie.

Holy Cross wins the 1st game but loses the 2nd to RIT forcing tonights decider.

Airforce also wins on Friday and loses on Satuday to Sacred Heart and will also play tonight.

COLLEGE HOCKEY AMERICA:
Bemidji State takes 1st place in CHA beating Robert Morris who, by losing takes 2nd place.

The 3rd place game against Alabama-Huntsville and Niagra ended in a 1-1 tie after the overtime.

CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PREVIEWS:

Here are some previews of each conference as we await this week's playoff match ups:

HOCKEY EAST

CCHA

WCHA

ECAC

ATLATIC HOCKEY

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE 3/13 & 3/14:

With Western Michigan beating Lake Superior handily last night and Quinnipiac's overtime win against Clarkson, the college hockey playoff schedule is now set.

CLICK THE SCHEDULES BELOW TO ENLARGE:

BU TAKES THE CROWN:

Providence 0 - at #2 Boston University 3

As expected Boston University took care of Providence, snatching the Hockey East title from Northeastern on the last game of the regular season.

2 games still in progress:

Lake Superior at Western Michigan to see who will play in the next round of the CCHA playoffs.

Colgate at Quinnipiac likewise for the ECAC.

Weekend Wrap 3/6, 3/7 & 3/8:

HOCKEY EAST:
Boston College beat Northeastern at Conte Forum last night to all but dash NU's hope at capturing it's first Hockey East title.

Boston University can take the Hockey East crown with a win or a tie today in Providence.

New Hampshire did what they had to do in Vermont this weekend hanging on to 3rd place.

UMass-Lowell (clinched 5th place) continued to play well enough at home against a sputtering Maine squad.

Massachusetts split with Merrimack which is a microcosm of their season (warm & cold).

CCHA preliminary playoffs:
Advancing to the next round we have Nebraska-Omaha, Ohio State and Northern Michigan but the real battle is with Lake Superior and Western Michigan. They will play tonight at Western Michigan to decide who stays and who goes home. Lake Superior came within a wisker of upsetting WM last night but came up just shy in double overtime. It's all or nothing tonight.

WCHA:
North Dakota split their games in Wisconsin as did Minnesota at Michigan Tech.

St. Cloud is not exaclty "peaking" and can't be happy about their performance coming away with only a tie and a loss to Minnesota State.

Minnesota Duluth limps in the the playoffs after a dismal showing at home against Alaska Anchorage.

ECAC preliminary playoffs:
Last place Brown beats Harvard who could not muster even one goal all weekend at home.

Rensselaer showed some grit and determination advancing into the next round, beating 6th place Dartmouth on their home sheet.

Union disposed of Clarkson for good this year with 2 convincing wins at home.

Colgate & Quinnipiac split Friday & Saturday's games and will battle tonight to see who will advance.

WHO'S HOT & WHO'S NOT 3/6, 3/7 & 3/8:

Recap of how teams did on the weekend starting 3/6.

"GREAT" (++) WIN & WIN:
#2 Boston University
#14 Ohio State (advance to next round)
UMass-Lowell
Nebraska-Omaha (advance to next round)
Northern Micehigan (advance to next round)
Alaska Anchorage
Brown (advance to next round)
Rensselaer (advance to next round)
Union (advance to next round)

"GOOD" (+~) WIN & TIE:
Minnesota State

"NO BLOOD" (+-) WIN & LOSS:
#3 Northeastern
#5 North Dakota
#7 Vermont
#11 New Hampshire
#16 Minnesota
#19 Boston College
#20 Wisconsin
Massachusetts
Merrimack
Lake Superior (tie breaker today)
Western Michigan (tie breaker today)
Michigan Tech
Colgate (tie breaker today)
Qunnipiac (tie breaker today)

"KISS YOUR SISTER" (~~) TIE & TIE:
(no teams with 2 ties this week)

"NOT GOOD" (~-) TIE & LOSS:
#18 St. Cloud State

"BAD" (--) LOSS & LOSS:
#17 Minnesota Duluth
Maine
Providence
Ferris State (out of playoffs)
Bowling Green (out of playoffs)
Dartmouth (out of playoffs)
Clarkson (out of playoffs)
Harvard (out of playoffs)

WCHA RESULTS 3/6:

Last week of the regular season in the WCHA and here are Saturday's results:

Alaska Anchorage 5 - at #17 Minnesota Duluth 4
#16 Minnesota 5 - at Michigan Tech 6 -OT
Minnesota State 5 - at #18 St. Cloud State 1
#5 North Dakota 2 - at #20 Wisconsin 1

It was a night mostly of upsets as you can see except for UND who clinched 1st place!

MADISON, Wis. (March 6) — Even over the hum of the Zamboni machine, the North Dakota celebration could be heard from well down the hall.

After five years of coming up just short in the end, No. 5 North Dakota scored its two goals on special teams and won another big game in the Kohl Center, this one by a 2-1 margin to capture its first MacNaughton Cup since the 2004 season.

Read the entire article here.

CCHA RESULTS 3/6:

Best of 3 playoffs started last night and here are the results:

Ferris State 0 - at Nebraska-Omaha 3
Bowling Green 4 - at #14 Ohio State 5
Lake Superior 6 - at Western Michigan 3
Michigan State 3 - at Northern Michigan 5

#14 Ohio State takes game one to put Bowling Green back on their heels.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 6) — The Ohio State Buckeyes, disappointed after missing out on a first round bye by a single point, responded with a 5-4 win over the Bowling Green Falcons in front of 817 in the OSU Ice Arena Friday night.

Read the entire article here.

#19 Boston College 1 - at #3 Northeastern 2

Fantastic game at Matthews Arena tonight. BC took a 1-0 lead deep into the 3rd period but with 26 seconds left, junior Randy Guzior tied the game after NU pulled goalie Brad Thiessen in the hopes that they can somehow hold on to their 1st place dreams.

It looked like the two teams were going to remain knotted when late in the overtime freshman Steve Quailer netted one to put Northeastern atop the Hockey East standings for at least one more night!

NU is now the master of their domain - it's simple, win one more and you finish 1st in Hockey East for the first time ever.

Other Hockey East results 3/6:
#2 Boston University 8 - at Providence 2
Massachusetts 2 - at Merrimack 3 -OT
#11 New Hampshire 4 - at #7 Vermont 6
Maine 3 - at UMass-Lowell 5

ECAC results 3/6:
Brown 1 - at Harvard 0
Rensselaer 3 - at Dartmouth 2 -OT
Clarkson 3 - at Union 5
Colgate 2 - Quinnipiac 3 -OT

ON CAMPUS CLIPS:

Three of the six conferences completed regular-season play last weekend:

Yale won the ECACHL title; Air Force and RIT ended co-champions of Atlantic Hockey; Notre Dame topped the CCHA. ... Hockey East and WCHA champions will be decided this weekend with Northeastern and North Dakota holding a one-point lead on BU and Denver, respectively, while Bemidji State is a lock to win the CHA crown in its final weekend. ... Michigan State's Jeff Lerg became the CCHA's all-time saves leader and moved past Tim Thomas into second place on the all-time NCAA list with a 35-save performance in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Notre Dame. He has 3,951 career saves, and would become only the second netminder in NCAA history to reach 4,000. ... NHL.com sends condolences to the family, friends and Notre Dame hockey community on the unexpected passing last Friday of the team's play-by-play announcer, Mike Lockert, at the age of 43. The hockey program honored Lockert with a tribute prior to its game against Michigan State, which included some of his recent radio calls and a moment of silence. Lockert, who hailed from Los Angeles, had been the radio voice of Notre Dame hockey for seven seasons. "It's just devastating to me," Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said after his team's 5-0 win against Michigan State. "I got to know Mike real well. I was just dumbfounded (Friday) morning when I found out. There's nothing I can say except that he was a part of our team. It's not just so much about the voice but the man behind the voice. He was a tremendous man."

By Bob Snow - NHL.com Correspondent

SCHEDULE 3/6, 3/7 & 3/8:

CLICK ON THE SCHEDULE TO ENLARGE

LAST WEEK OF THE REGULAR SEASON FOR HOCKEY EAST:

PRELIMINARY PLAYOFFS START IN CCHA THIS WEEKEND:

LAST WEEK OF THE REGULAR SEASON FOR WCHA:

PRELIMINARY PLAYOFFS START IN ECAC THIS WEEKEND:

NATIONAL RANKINGS (WEEKEND 3/6/09)

1.
Notre Dame
— (no change from last week's rank)
Goaltender Jordan Pearce picked up career wins 54 and 55 this weekend in the Irish's sweep of Michigan State. He's one shy of the school's record set by Lance Madson.
27-5-3 (21-4-3 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan State, 5-0; W at Michigan State, 2-1.
THIS WEEK: Off

2.
Boston University
— (no change from last week's rank)
Consistent. Hot. The Terriers have just one loss in their last 23 games (18-1-4) and still aren't even in first place in their own conference, because ...
25-5-4 (16-5-4 Hockey East)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Massachusetts, 6-3; W vs. Massachusetts, 7-2.
THIS WEEK: at Providence, vs. Providence

3.
Northeastern
— (no change from last week's rank)
... the Huskies maintained their Hockey East lead with a sweep of UMass Lowell. Brad Thiessen made 56 saves on 57 shots faced. Freshman center Mike McLaughlin had a goal in each win.
22-8-4 (17-5-3 Hockey East)
LAST WEEK: W vs. UMass Lowell, 3-0; W at UMass Lowell, 3-1.
THIS WEEK: vs. Boston College, at Boston College

4.
Michigan
— (no change from last week's rank)
It's the college hockey equivalent of adding Chris Pronger at the trading deadline: Captain Mark Mitera, in his first games since injuring his knee on Oct. 10, had a goal and an assist in the Wolverines' sweep of Ferris State.
26-10-0 (20-8-0 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Ferris State, 6-1; W vs. Ferris State, 4-0.
THIS WEEK: Off

5.
North Dakota
— (no change from last week's rank)
The Fighting Sioux, one point from winning the WCHA regular-season title, are 12-1-3 since Jan. 1. With their penchant for second-half success, maybe Dave Hakstol should schedule all 36 games after Christmas from here on out.
21-11-4 (16-6-4 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: T vs. Colorado College, 4-4 ot; W vs. Colorado College, 4-3 ot.
THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin

6.
Denver
— (no change from last week's rank)
Already playing without high-scoring forward Tyler Bozak, the Pioneers may have suffered another blow when forward Rhett Rakhshani, the team's second-leading scorer, was injured in Friday's win vs. St. Cloud State and missed Saturday's rematch.
16-8-3 (20-10-4 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Cloud State, 3-1; L vs. St. Cloud State, 2-1 ot.
THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado College

7.
Vermont
+2 (from last week's rank)
Justin Milo has 10 goals on the season. Four of them are game-winners, including Saturday's decisive tally with 4:20 remaining at Maine.
19-8-5 (14-7-4 Hockey East)
LAST WEEK: W at Maine, 3-2; W at Maine, 2-1.
THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, vs. New Hampshire

8.
Miami
— (no change from last week's rank)
Salute to round numbers: Justin Mercier's empty-net goal with 60 seconds left in Saturday's 7-5 win at Ohio State was his 10th of the season and his 100th career point in his 150th career game.
19-10-5 (17-7-4 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: L vs. Ohio State, 6-2; W at Ohio State, 7-5.
THIS WEEK: Off

9.
Yale
+1 (from last week's rank)
Yale won ECAC Hockey with 32 points, but a 3-1-0 record in the four head-to-head games against Cornell and Princeton was the difference between the top three in the ECACH standings.
20-7-2 (15-5-2 ECAC Hockey)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Cornell, 4-2; L vs. Colgate, 3-2 ot.
THIS WEEK: Off

10.
Princeton
-3 (from last week's rank)
Have no fear, Princeton fans. The Tigers lost their last two regular-season games last season too, then went on to win the ECAC Hockey playoff title.
20-9-0 (14-8-0 ECAC Hockey)
LAST WEEK: L at Dartmouth, 2-0; L at Harvard, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: Off

11.
New Hampshire
+1 (from last week's rank)
The Wildcats have taken 11 of a possible 12 points in their last six Hockey East games. Four of the five wins were by one goal, or a two-goal margin that included an empty-net goal.
18-9-5 (14-7-4 Hockey East)
LAST WEEK: W at Merrimack, 4-3; W vs. Merrimack, 1-0.
THIS WEEK: at Vermont, at Vermont

12.
Cornell
-1 (from last week's rank)
The Big Red scored two goals in the last 12 minutes of the third period on Saturday at Brown to tie the game, then got an overtime power-play goal from Blake Gallagher to beat the last-place Bears and clinch second place in the league.
18-7-4 (13-6-3 ECAC Hockey)
LAST WEEK: L at Yale, 4-2; W at Brown, 3-2 ot.
THIS WEEK: Off

13.
St. Lawrence
+4 (from last week's rank)
The Saints had not recorded a single shutout all season, but senior goalie Alex Petizian blanked both Union and Renssealer over the weekend. The last time SLU shut out back-to-back opponents? Also RPI and Union, in November of 1997.
19-11-4 (11-7-4 ECAC Hockey)
LAST WEEK: W at Union, 2-0; W at Rensselaer, 2-0.
THIS WEEK: Off

14.
Ohio State
+1 (from last week's rank)
Should the Buckeyes get past Bowling Green this weekend in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, their reward will be a trip to Fairbanks – the second in roughly six weeks – for a quarterfinal series against Alaska.
20-12-4 (13-11-4 CCHA)
LAST WEEK: W at Miami, 6-2; L vs. Miami, 7-5.
THIS WEEK: vs. Bowling Green (CCHA First Round Series)

15.
Colorado College
+1 (from last week's rank)
The Tigers played their 10th and 11th overtime contests of the season this weekend at North Dakota, but Sunday's loss to the Fighting Sioux was the first time CC ended up on the wrong side of the ledger.
16-10-9 (12-9-6 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: T at North Dakota, 4-4 ot; L at North Dakota, 4-3 ot.
THIS WEEK: at Denver

16.
Minnesota
+2 (from last week's rank)
Backup goaltender Kent Patterson made his first career start Friday against Minnesota Duluth and earned a 2-2 tie by stopping 34 of the 36 shots he faced. Starter Alex Kangas returned Saturday to make 28 saves in a 5-3 win.
14-11-7 (11-10-5 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: T vs. Minnesota Duluth, 2-2 ot; W vs. Minnesota Duluth, 5-3.
THIS WEEK: at Michigan Tech, at Michigan Tech

17.
Minnesota Duluth
-4 (from last week's rank)
He did his part: Forward MacGregor Sharp scored three goals over an 18-minute stretch of Saturday's game at Mariucci, turning a 2-0 Minnesota lead into a 3-2 Bulldog edge early in the third period before the Gophers rallied to win.
16-10-8 (10-9-7 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: T at Minnesota, 2-2 ot; L at Minnesota, 5-3.
THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska Anchorage, vs. Alaska Anchorage

18.
St. Cloud State
+1 (from last week's rank)
The Huskies have put together a little bit of a run over the last 10 games, going 6-3-1 during that span as they make a late push for a home-ice berth in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.
18-14-2 (13-12-1 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L at Denver, 3-1; W at Denver, 2-1 ot.
THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota State, at Minnesota State

19.
Boston College
Not Ranked last week
Seven different players scored BC's nine goals on the weekend. That's the type of offensive balance that can make the Eagles dangerous. We'll see if they can keep it going against Northeastern, the nation's eighth-best defensive team.
15-12-5 (10-10-5 Hockey East)
LAST WEEK: W vs. Providence, 5-1; W at Providence, 4-3 ot.
THIS WEEK: at Northeastern, vs. Northeastern

20.
Wisconsin
-6 (from last week's rank)
How much do Badger fans hate to see games knotted at the end of regulation? In the last two seasons, Bucky has lost six overtime games, the latest coming Friday at Mankato against Minnesota State.
16-14-4 (13-10-3 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: L at Minnesota State, 4-3 ot; T at Minnesota State, 3-3 ot.
THIS WEEK: vs. North Dakota, vs. North Dakota