The Inside College Hockey Power Rankings honor
the best of the best in our great game. Unfortunately, those
teams didn't buy into that designation last week, as last
week's bunch went a combined 15-15-3 in 33 games. It caused
significant shuffling in this week's Power Rankings, which
reveal a new No. 1 team.
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. |
 Boston
University |
 1 |
Traditionally, Boston University doesn't perk up until
after the Beanpot. This year they carry a 12-1-1 streak
over their last 14 games into Monday night's Beanpot semifinal
against Harvard. |
| 19-5-1 (12-5-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W at Merrimack, 3-1. THIS WEEK:
vs. Harvard (Beanpot), vs. UMass Lowell |
| 2. |
 Notre
Dame |
 1 |
Forward Christian Hanson may have the old-time hockey
bloodlines, but if you saw any of this weekend's series
with Michigan, you know goalie Jordan Pearce has the old
Johnny Bower poke check down pat. |
| 20-4-3 (14-3-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan, 2-1; W at Michigan, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: at Ohio State, at Ohio State |
| 3. |
 Michigan |
4 |
Michigan goes up four spots with a split. Meanwhile,
ex-Michigan student Michael Phelps won eight gold medals,
then smoked a spliff. |
| 19-9-0 (13-7-0
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Notre Dame, 2-1; L vs. Notre Dame,
3-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Lake Superior State, vs. Lake Superior
State |
| 4. |
 Northeastern |
— |
The Huskies haven't lost back-to-back games all season
long. That could be a positive sign heading into Monday's
game against Boston College, following Friday's loss
at Massachusetts. |
| 17-6-2 (13-4-1
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L at Massachusetts, 6-4. THIS
WEEK: vs. Boston College (Beanpot), vs. Merrimack |
| 5. |
 Vermont |
— |
The Catamounts' next four games are against the two
bottom teams in Hockey East - Providence and Merrimack
- who currently stand at 6-24-5 in conference games. |
| 14-6-4 (9-5-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: L at New Hampshire, 3-2. THIS
WEEK: vs. Providence, vs. Providence |
| 6. |
 Denver |
— |
The Pioneers were 0-for-9 on the power play –
one of them a three-minute man advantage following a major
penalty – in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Alaska
Anchorage. |
| 16-8-3 (12-6-2
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Alaska Anchorage, 6-2; L vs. Alaska
Anchorage, 3-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota Duluth, at
Minnesota Duluth |
| 7. |
 Cornell
|
4 |
It's not unusual for 8-1 games to have crazy statistics
associated with them. Take for instance, Cornell recording
22 shots on net in the third period ... during which they
shorthanded for 3 minutes, 23 seconds. |
| 14-3-4 (9-2-3
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: L at St. Lawrence, 8-1; T at Clarkson,
0-0 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Princeton |
| 8. |
 Miami |
2 |
With a weekend off, the second-place RedHawks will be
undoubtedly be pulling for in-state foes Ohio State to
take some points from first place Notre Dame. It's all
about cooperation. Just ask Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio
Holmes. |
| 16-8-4 (14-5-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Bowling Green, 6-1; W vs. Bowling
Green, 3-2. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 9. |
 Princeton |
— |
What can Brown do for Mark Magnowski? Help his scoring
column. The Princeton junior had three points at Brown
for the second time this season. |
| 15-6-0 (9-5-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Robert Morris, 2-1; L at
Yale, 3-1; W at Brown, 5-1. THIS WEEK: at Colgate, at
Cornell |
| 10. |
 North
Dakota |
1 |
Perhaps the Fighting Sioux can use the
off week to find a way to become more consistent on the
road. NoDak is 9-3-1 in Grand Forks this season, and 7-8-2
away from the Ralph. |
| 16-11-3
(11-6-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at St. Cloud State, 3-0; W
at St. Cloud State, 4-2. THIS WEEK: Off |
| 11. |
 Minnesota |
3 |
Nov. 21 must seem like a million years ago to the Gophers,
who extended their season-opening unbeaten streak to 11
games with a 5-2 win at Denver that night. They're a meager
5-7-1 since. |
| 12-7-5 (9-6-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Minnesota State, 6-2; L vs. Minnesota
State, 3-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Wisconsin |
| 12. |
 New
Hampshire |
3 |
Half (12 of 24) of New Hampshire's games this season
have come against teams currently present in these Power
Rankings. The Wildcats are 4-6-2 in those tilts and 8-2-2
against unranked teams. |
| 12-8-4 (8-6-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Vermont, 3-2. THIS WEEK:
vs. Maine, vs. Maine (Manchester, N.H.) |
| 13. |
 Ohio
State |
1 |
The Buckeyes bounced back from their first back-to-back
losses since Oct. 31-Nov. 1 by torching usually stingy
Alaska for five first-period goals en route to a 6-2 win
in Fairbanks Saturday. |
| 17-8-3 (10-7-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Alaska, 4-1; W at Alaska, 6-2. THIS
WEEK: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Notre Dame |
| 14. |
 Boston
College |
1 |
Don't worry about the tie to Providence. The Eagles
carry a six-game Beanpot winning streak against Northeastern
into Monday night's game, dating back to 1994. Boston
College has outscored the Huskies 29-10 in those contests. |
| 11-8-4 (7-7-4
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at Providence, 2-2 ot. THIS
WEEK: vs. Northeastern (Beanpot), vs. Massachusetts |
| 15. |
 Wisconsin |
1 |
Mariucci Arena hasn't been the most friendly venue to
Mike Eaves. Since taking over as head coach in 2002-03,
the Badgers are 2-9-1 at Minnesota. Eaves' career record
against the Gophers is 7-15-3. |
| 14-11-3
(11-7-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota Duluth, 3-1;
L vs. Minnesota Duluth, 1-0. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota,
at Minnesota |
| 16. |
 Yale |
3 |
Yale's offense gets a lot of credit, ranking ninth nationally
with 3.43 goals per game. The defense and goaltending
are impacting the win column, however. Yale allowed just
one goal this past weekend and just 21 over the last 10
games, a stretch in which they are 8-1-1. |
| 15-5-1 (10-3-1
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Princeton, 3-1; W vs. Quinnipiac,
3-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Harvard, vs. Dartmouth |
| 17. |
 Colorado
College |
1 |
A sense of urgency will likely accompany the Tigers
on their trip to Michigan Tech this weekend – following
the visit to Houghton, CC's remaining schedule reads vs.
DU, vs. Minnesota (2), at North Dakota (2), at DU. |
| 13-9-6 (9-8-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Michigan Tech, at
Michigan Tech |
| 18. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
— |
The Bulldogs need just two more wins to post their best
record since winning 28 games in 2003-04 en route to a
berth in the Frozen Four in Boston that season. |
| 14-8-6 (8-7-5
WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Wisconsin, 3-1; W at Wisconsin,
1-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Denver, vs. Denver |
| 19. |
 St.
Lawrence |
NR |
The Saints' 8-1 whipping of Cornell was the Big Red's
worst loss since an 11-0 defeat at Yale on Feb. 6, 1998. |
| 14-10-2
(6-6-2 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Cornell, 8-1; W vs.
Colgate, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Clarkson, at Clarkson |
| 20. |
 RIT |
— |
The Tigers have taken advantage of home-ice advantage.
They're 7-0-0 in seven games at Ritter Memorial Arena
during their current 11-game Atlantic Hockey winning streak.
Two more home games await. |
| 16-9-1 (15-4-1
Atlantic Hockey) LAST WEEK: L vs. US NTDP Under-18s, 6-3
(Ex.). THIS WEEK: vs. Sacred Heart, vs. Sacred Heart |