The season is just beginning, but the nation's
top teams aren't wasting any time in proving themselves with
big wins. Special credit to Colorado College and Denver for
WCHA sweeps, and to New Hampshire for a pair of one-goal wins.
Those are the top three teams in the INCH Power 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 |
|
Of
Note |
| 1. |
 Colorado
College |
 3 |
The Tigers are 4-0 for the first time since 2004. A
tough eight-game stretch starts this weekend with a non-conference
series at Clarkson. |
| 4-0-0 (2-0-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan Tech, 2-0; W vs. Michigan
Tech, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Clarkson, at Clarkson |
| 2. |
 Denver |
3 |
Ohio State, this weekend's foe, better hope the Pioneer
offense isn't like a progressive jackpot. DU's scored
5-6-7 in its first three games. |
| 3-0-0 (2-0-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Wisconsin, 6-5; W vs. Wisconsin,
7-4. THIS WEEK: vs. Ohio State, vs. Ohio State |
| 3. |
 New
Hampshire |
4 |
James van Riemsdyk and Peter LeBlanc are the only two
UNH players with more than one goal on the season. They
reached two in the goals column with game-winners on the
weekend. |
| 3-0-0 (1-0-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Rensselaer, 1-0; W vs. Boston
University, 2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Massachusetts, at St.
Lawrence |
| 4. |
 Boston
College |
 3 |
The Eagles closed last season with nine wins in a row,
and started this year with a pair of victories. The bookends
on that streak? Northeastern, with a 4-3 win Saturday
and 3-2 overtime win back on March 7. |
| 2-1-0 (0-1-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Bowling Green, 5-3; L at
Northeastern, 4-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Vermont |
| 5. |
 Minnesota |
5 |
All eyes were on the freshmen this weekend, but the
Gopher junior class scored all five goals in the team's
weekend sweep of St. Cloud State. |
| 2-0-0 (2-0-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at St. Cloud State, 3-2; W vs. St.
Cloud State, 2-1. THIS WEEK: at Wisconsin, at Wisconsin |
| 6. |
 Boston
University |
— |
Freshmen goalies Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser
have each played two games and each has allowed a total
of three goals. |
| 3-1-0 (1-1-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Merrimack, 5-2; L at New
Hampshire, 2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan |
| 7. |
 Michigan |
5 |
The all-sophomore line of Carl Hagelin, Matt Rust and
Aaron Palushaj combined for 3-7—10 in Saturday's
5-3 win at Northern Michigan. |
| 3-1-0 (1-1-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Northern Michigan, 2-0; W at Northern
Michigan, 5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Niagara, at Boston University |
| 8. |
 Notre
Dame |
5 |
Junior goaltender Tom O'Brien, seeing the first game
action in his Notre Dame career, stopped all 17 shots
he faced in a 7-0 win over Sacred Heart Saturday. |
| 2-1-0 (0-0-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Sacred Heart, 3-0; W vs. Sacred
Heart, 7-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Miami, vs. Miami |
| 9. |
 Princeton |
— |
This weekend's exhibition contest against Western Ontario
is the first of two exhibitions against Canadian universities
over the next two weeks. |
| 0-0-0 (0-0-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: vs. Western Ontario
(Ex.) |
| 10. |
 St.
Cloud State |
2 |
The Huskies, who were 7-for-16 on the power
play in their season-opening sweep of Mercyhurst, scored
one goal in 16 power-play chances against Minnesota. The
lone goal came on SCSU's final power-play opportunity
of the weekend. |
| 2-2-0 (0-2-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Minnesota, 3-2; L at Minnesota,
2-1. THIS WEEK: at Bemidji State, at Bemidji State |
| 11. |
 Minnesota
State |
5 |
Junior forward Zach Harrison notched a natural hat trick
— all on shorthanded goals — in the Mavericks'
defeat of
visiting North Dakota Friday. |
| 3-1-0 (1-1-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. North Dakota, 5-1; L vs. North
Dakota, 4-3. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 12. |
 Northeastern |
7 |
The Huskies have four players tied for the team scoring
lead with four points each, and have scored four goals
in three of their four games this season. Consistency
like this throughout the season won't have Northeastern
saying "fore" until late in the spring. |
| 3-0-1 (2-0-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Providence, 4-0; W vs. Boston
College, 4-3. THIS WEEK: at Maine, at Maine |
| 13. |
 Michigan
State |
2 |
After attempting a total of 45 shots on goal in their
first three games, the Spartans fired 36 shots at UMass-Lowell
netminder Carter Hutton Friday en route to a 2-1 win. |
| 2-2-0 (0-0-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. UMass-Lowell, 3-0; W vs. UMass-Lowell,
2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Northern Michigan, vs. Northern Michigan |
| 14. |
 Miami |
— |
This team's offensive balance is amazing. Though the
RedHawks have played just four games, they've gotten goals
from nine different players and five of them have more
than one. |
| 1-1-2 (1-0-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Vermont, 4-3; T at Vermont, 3-3
ot. THIS WEEK: at Notre Dame, at Notre Dame |
| 15. |
 Cornell
|
2 |
The Big Red got a power-play goal, a short-handed goal,
and one at even strength in Saturday's tie, despite playing
without defenseman Brendon Nash for the third period following
a checking-from-behind major. |
| 0-0-0 (0-0-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: T vs. USNTDP Under-18s, 3-3 ot
(Ex.). THIS WEEK: vs. Western Ontario (Ex.) |
| 16. |
 Vermont |
NR |
Senior forward Peter Lenes has had two points in each
of Vermont's three games so far this season, including
an assist on Friday's game-winner and scoring the game-tying
goal on Saturday. |
| 2-0-1 (0-0-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Miami, 4-3; T vs. Miami,
3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Boston College |
| 17. |
 Air
Force |
3 |
Sophomore forward Jacques Lamoureux is as good at putting
pucks in the net as his brother, ex-NoDak netminder J-P,
was at keeping 'em out. Jacques has five goals and 10
points through four games. |
| 4-0-0 (2-0-0
Atlantic Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Bemidji State, 6-2;
W vs. Bemidji State, 6-0. THIS WEEK: at American International,
at American International |
| 18. |
 Clarkson |
3 |
Backward thinking: Clarkson trailed twice and won against
RIT, and led three times and lost at Niagara. |
| 1-1-0 (0-0-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at RIT, 6-4; L at Niagara, 4-3.
THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado College, vs. Colorado College |
| 19. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
NR |
With a sweep of Western Michigan, a win at Northern
Michigan, and a tie at Lake Superior State already this
season, the 'Dogs may want to add Ferris State, Michigan
and Michigan State to the four upcoming games with Michigan
Tech. |
| 3-0-1 (0-0-0
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Western Michigan, 5-2; W vs. Western
Michigan, 6-5 ot. THIS WEEK: at Alaska Anchorage, at Alaska
Anchorage |
| 20. |
 Northern
Michigan |
8 |
Number madness: The Wildcat rosters features players
wearing No. 71 (Ray Kaunisto), No. 83 (Matt Butcher),
No. 89 (Tyler Gron), and No. 96 (Andrew Cherniwchan),
plus a goalie (Brian Steward) who wears No. 41. |
| 2-2-0 (1-1-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan, 2-0; L vs. Michigan,
5-3; THIS WEEK: at Michigan State, at Michigan State |