The January schedule starts college hockey's
stretch run, where teams make moves up the standings. We're
hoping that holds true, as there are places to advance in
the INCH Power Rankings as seven of our top 20 teams have
yet to reach 10 wins and one has already recorded 10 losses.
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. |
 Michigan |
— |
The Wolverines’ exhibition against the U.S. NTDP
at Yost Tuesday takes place at the same time as Michigan’s
hoops game against Indiana at Crisler Arena. Which brings
up a question: Michigan still has a basketball team? |
| 18-2-0 (11-1-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Western Michigan,
at Western Michigan. |
| 2. |
 Denver |
— |
We’ll always have Pardubice: The Pioneers get
forwards Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Ruegsegger back from
the World Junior Championship for this weekend’s
series with Wisconsin, which brings WJC participants Jamie
McBain, Blake Geoffrion, and Kyle Turris into the fold. |
| 16-4-0 (11-3-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Wisconsin. |
| 3. |
 Miami |
— |
Of the RedHawks’ 14 remaining regular-season games,
only four (a series with Michigan Feb. 8-9 and a series
at Ferris State the following weekend) are against teams
that currently have more wins than losses. |
| 19-3-0 (11-3-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Bowling Green, 4-2; W at Bowling
Green, 5-2. THIS WEEK: at Nebraska-Omaha, at Nebraska-Omaha. |
| 4. |
 Colorado
College |
 2 |
Chad Rau, who leads the nation with five short-handed
goals, scored a shortie in all four of the Tigers’
wins against Wisconsin this season, the last two coming
in Madison last weekend. |
| 14-6-0 (13-3-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Wisconsin, 2-0; W at Wisconsin,
3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska-Anchorage, vs. Alaska-Anchorage. |
| 5. |
 Massachusetts |
 1 |
Since a 0-0 tie at Cornell on Nov. 30, the Minutemen
have scored 13 goals in their last three games, all against
nationally-ranked teams. |
| 9-3-5 (4-2-4 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, at
New Hampshire. |
| 6. |
 Notre
Dame |
1 |
Over the next three weeks, the Irish play six games
at five different sites – home games against Michigan
State and Bowling Green; road contests at MSU, Michigan,
and BGSU; and a neutral-site match against the Wolverines
in Auburn Hills, Mich. |
| 18-6-0 (11-3-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Northern Michigan, 2-1; W at Northern
Michigan, 2-1. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, vs. Michigan
State. |
| 7. |
 Northeastern |
2 |
Following a scoreless first period, the Huskies and
Maine combined to score 10 goals in the last 40 minutes.
Joe Vitale had four points for Northeastern. |
| 10-4-2 (7-3-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Maine, 7-3. THIS WEEK: at
Merrimack, vs. Merrimack. |
| 8. |
 New
Hampshire |
1 |
UNH was 5-0-0 when leading after two periods, until
St. Lawrence scored three goals in a five-minute span
to defeat the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. |
| 11-6-1 (7-4-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Merrimack, 1-0; L vs. St.
Lawrence, 6-5. THIS WEEK: at Massachusetts, vs. Massachusetts. |
| 9. |
 North
Dakota |
1 |
Warroad, Minn., native T.J. Oshie had a goal and an
assist in the Sioux’s rout of St. Cloud State Saturday.
Another Warroad product, SCSU freshman Aaron Marvin, also
scored a goal. And somewhere in the Twin Cities metropolitan
area, INCH’s Jess Myers quietly wept. |
| 10-8-1 (7-7-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at St. Cloud State, 3-2; W at St. Cloud
State, 6-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan Tech, vs. Michigan
Tech. |
| 10. |
 Michigan
State |
1 |
A crucial six-game stretch looms for the
Spartans starting with a home-and-home series with Notre
Dame this weekend, two games at Ohio State (MSU is 5-8
against the Buckeyes during Rick Comley’s tenure),
and a home-and-home with Michigan. |
| 13-5-3 (9-2-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Lake Superior State, 8-2; T vs.
Lake Superior State, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Notre Dame,
at Notre Dame. |
| 11. |
 Clarkson |
1 |
 The
Golden Knights got a big non-league win, despite wearing
yellow sweaters that were ticketed and fined by the fashion
police. |
| 11-6-1 (6-2-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Boston College, 4-2. THIS
WEEK: at Dartmouth, at Harvard. |
| 12. |
 Boston
College |
2 |
We're pretty sure that Boston College won't ask Clarkson
for a rematch in the NCAA Tournament, as the Eagles have
lost 10 straight games to the Golden Knights. |
| 8-5-5 (4-3-4 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: L at Clarkson, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Vermont,
vs. Vermont. |
| 13. |
 Quinnipiac |
1 |
A win and a tie extended Quinnipiac's unbeaten streak
to 6-0-1, second longest in the nation to Northeastern's
11-game streak. |
| 11-5-3 (4-3-3
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: T vs. Harvard, 3-3 ot; W vs. Dartmouth,
5-3. THIS WEEK: at Brown, at Yale. |
| 14. |
 UMass
Lowell |
1 |
Golfer Steve Stricker said on Sunday, "I felt like
there was a goalie in the hole, like it wasn't meant to
be." That's probably how Lowell's opponents feel,
as the River Hawks rank seventh nationally in scoring
defense. |
| 9-4-4 (4-4-4 Hockey
East) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Providence, vs. Providence. |
| 15. |
 Minnesota
State |
1 |
The Mavs head to Duluth this weekend to face UMD, the
team it took three of four points from six weeks ago to
kick off a 6-1-2 run. |
| 9-7-3 (3-6-3 WCHA)
LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota Duluth, at Minnesota
Duluth. |
| 16. |
 St.
Cloud State |
3 |
The Huskies, who count seven one-goal losses among their
10 defeats this season, notched their second one-goal
win of the season with their 3-2 victory over North Dakota
Friday. |
| 10-10-2 (5-8-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. North Dakota, 3-2; L vs. North
Dakota, 6-2. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, vs. Minnesota. |
| 17. |
 Cornell
|
NR |
Michael Kennedy didn't have a goal in any of Cornell's
first nine games. Now he's scored in four straight and
has five goals on the season. |
| 6-5-2 (4-2-0 ECAC
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Niagara, 6-0; W vs. Niagara,
4-3. THIS WEEK: at Rensselaer, at Union. |
| 18. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
— |
The Bulldogs’ 5-3 win over Bemidji State at the
DECC Friday snapped the team’s four-game losing
streak against the Beavers. |
| 7-7-4 (5-6-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK:
W vs. Bemidji State, 5-3; L at Bemidji State, 2-0. THIS
WEEK: vs. Minnesota State, vs. Minnesota State. |
| 19. |
 RIT |
NR |
After a so-so start, RIT is now 6-2-3 in its last 11
games. The Tigers get two games this weekend at Air Force,
and the Falcons hold a two-point lead over RIT in the
Atlantic Hockey standings. |
| 9-7-3 (7-4-3 Atlantic
Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Holy Cross, 5-2; W at Holy Cross,
5-1. THIS WEEK: at Air Force, at Air Force. |
| 20. |
 Minnesota |
NR |
Little-used senior goaltender Brent Solei – and
by little used, we mean never used prior to last Friday
– stopped 28 of the 29 shots in the Gophers’
5-1 win against Wayne State. |
| 11-9-2 (5-7-0 WCHA) LAST WEEK:
W vs. Wayne State, 5-1; W vs. Wayne State, 5-2. THIS WEEK:
vs. St. Cloud State, at St. Cloud State. |