If you left the rink or turned the game off
before the full 60 minutes were played, you probably missed
out on a lot during a great weekend of fantastic finishes
around the nation.
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. |
 Notre
Dame |
 1 |
Remember when Jeff Jackson told everyone at the Frozen
Four to expect a big sophomore season from Calle Ridderwall?
Well, he's scored five goals and 14 points in his last
five games. |
| 10-3-2 (6-2-2
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Western Michigan, 4-1; T vs. Western
Michigan, 3-3 ot. THIS WEEK: at Ferris State, at Ferris
State |
| 2. |
 Minnesota |
 1 |
The Gophers get a mulligan for the showing against Michigan
and, though fans expected a win against Michigan State,
getting a 4-4 tie without Jay Barriball, Mike Carman,
and Ryan Stoa (for all but six minutes) in the lineup
is the sign of a good team. |
| 7-2-5 (6-1-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan, 6-3; T vs. Michigan State,
4-4 ot. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 3. |
 Boston
College |
4 |
Sophomore Brian Gibbons scored with 38 seconds left
in the third period to tie the game in an OT win Sunday
at Dartmouth. Classmates Nick Petrecki, Joe Whitney and
John Muse may get more notoriety, but Gibbons has 53 points
in 57 career games. |
| 9-4-1 (5-4-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Harvard, 5-1; W at Dartmouth,
2-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at Boston University, vs. Boston University |
| 4. |
 Denver |
4 |
It's the first week in December, and the Pioneers play
just their fourth and fifth road games of the season when
they head to Michigan Tech this weekend. DU has lost all
three of its previous away matches. |
| 9-5-1 (5-4-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Colgate, 6-1; W vs. Air Force,
4-1. THIS WEEK: at Michigan Tech, at Michigan Tech |
| 5. |
 Boston
University |
1 |
BU's wins last week improved the Terriers' record to
5-0-0 against non-league opponents at Agganis Arena. Unfortunately
for BU, those were the last two non-leaguers at home this
season. |
| 9-4-0 (4-4-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Holy Cross, 3-2; W vs. St.
Lawrence, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Boston College, at Boston
College |
| 6. |
 Princeton |
1 |
Late-game
heroics were plentiful on both sides of Princeton's
loss to Mercyhurst. The Tigers' key to success is offensive
balance. The Tigers are averaging 3.00 goals per game,
but no player has more than eight points. |
| 9-2-0 (7-1-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Quinnipiac, 2-1; W vs. Northeastern,
5-3; L vs. Mercyhurst, 6-4. THIS WEEK: vs. Quinnipiac |
| 7. |
 Northeastern |
4 |
For two teams that entered the game in the top-10 nationally
in scoring defense, Friday's 5-3 game between Northeastern
and Princeton provided a surprising scoreline. |
| 10-3-2 (6-2-2
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L vs. Princeton, 5-3; W at Rensselaer,
5-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Maine |
| 8. |
 Vermont |
5 |
The Catamounts are 7-1-1 in their last nine games and
six of those wins have been by one goal, including overtime
wins on the road at Dartmouth and Massachusetts. |
| 9-3-2 (6-3-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Massachusetts, 3-2 ot; W
vs. Maine, 3-2. THIS WEEK vs. USNTDP Under-18s (Ex.) |
| 9. |
 Miami |
3 |
The RedHawks rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense,
allowing just 1.71 goals per game. With Western Michigan
(tied for 49th in the country in scoring offense), Rensselaer
(58th), and Clarkson (38th) over the next five games,
Miami could climb that ladder. |
| 8-3-3 (8-2-2
CCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Western Michigan,
at Western Michigan |
| 10. |
 Air
Force |
— |
When the Falcons lost at Denver Saturday,
the remaining living members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins
popped champagne bottles. Whaddaya mean they don't do
that for every sport? |
| 13-1-0 (10-0-0
Atlantic Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Colorado College, 4-1;
L at Denver, 4-1. THIS WEEK: vs. RIT, vs. RIT |
| 11. |
 Colorado
College |
7 |
The Tigers, who started the season with an eight-game
unbeaten streak, have alternated losses and wins on four
consecutive weekends. Does that mean coach Scott Owens
can't grouse about his team's consistency? |
| 9-4-3 (6-3-1
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Air Force, 4-1; W vs. Colgate, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs. Minnesota Duluth |
| 12. |
 Minnesota
State |
3 |
The Mavericks move down three spots despite getting
a tie and win on the road. The rationale: We're still
looking for that big win or big weekend from Minnesota
State - a team that's just 1-2-1 against teams in this
week's rankings. |
| 8-3-3 (5-3-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: T at Bowling Green, 2-2 ot; W at Bowling
Green, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, at St. Cloud
State |
| 13. |
 Cornell
|
2 |
The Big Red had not allowed more than two goals in a
game, let alone four in a period (the third on Friday
at North Dakota). But Saturday's bounce-back win gets
Cornell back on track for a visit from Clarkson and St.
Lawrence. |
| 5-1-2 (4-0-2
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at North Dakota, 7-3; W at North
Dakota, 2-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Clarkson, vs. St. Lawrence |
| 14. |
 Michigan |
2 |
And we thought the goaltending was inconsistent: Friday,
the Wolverines score four goals in the first 24 minutes
en route to a convincing win at Minnesota. The following
night, U-M can muster just 19 shots on goal in a loss
at Wisconsin. |
| 9-7-0 (5-5-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Minnesota, 6-3; L at Wisconsin,
3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan State, at Michigan State |
| 15. |
 Dartmouth |
2 |
The Big Green were less than 40 seconds away from a
weekend sweep against Hockey East opponents, and now have
to wait until the end of December to get back into the
competitive flow when they host Army, Bemidji State, and
Massachusetts in the Ledyard Bank Classic on Dec. 28-29. |
| 6-4-0 (5-2-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W at Providence, 4-2; L vs. Boston
College, 2-1 ot. THIS WEEK: Off. |
| 16. |
 Alaska |
NR |
Almost exactly two years ago, the Nanooks moved to four
games above .500 with a win and tie against Lake Superior
State in Fairbanks ... then proceeded to lose 11 of their
next 12. |
| 8-4-2 (6-3-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Lake Superior State, 4-1; T vs.
Lake Superior State, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at Nebraska-Omaha,
at Nebraska-Omaha |
| 17. |
 UMass
Lowell |
2 |
The River Hawks are 5-1-0 in their last six games and
have scored 28 goals during that run. Freshman David Vallorani
has a five-game point streak, accumulating seven of his
13 points in the stretch. |
| 8-5-0 (5-3-0
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Merrimack, 3-1; W vs. RIT,
6-3. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampshire, at New Hampshire |
| 18. |
 Ohio
State |
NR |
The Buckeyes have won six of their last seven games.
Based on the records of their opponents over the next
10 games — a combined 18 games below .500 —
that run could extend for quite a while. |
| 8-6-1 (6-5-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 4-3; W vs. Nebraska-Omaha,
3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Robert Morris (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| 19. |
 Nebraska-Omaha
|
5 |
All four of the Mavs' losses thus far have been one-goal
decisions. In three of those defeats, UNO's opponent scored
the game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining
in regulation. |
| 9-4-1 (5-4-1
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Ohio State, 4-3; L at Ohio State,
3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska, vs. Alaska |
| 20. |
 Wisconsin |
NR |
The Badgers, who opened the season with an 0-6-1 October
mark, went 7-1-1 in November. Don't be surprised if they
reference this weekend's Alaska Anchorage series as being
played on Nov. 35-36. |
| 7-7-2 (5-5-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Michigan State, 3-1; W vs. Michigan,
3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Alaska Anchorage, vs. Alaska Anchorage |