We’re willing to bet that this past Friday
was the most exhilarating night of the college hockey season.
Need proof? The 20 teams listed in last week’s INCH
Power Rankings played a combined 14 games – many top
clubs, such as Boston University and Northeastern, played
one another. Those 14 matches were decided by a total of 18
goals, evidence of nailbiters from Durham to Anchorage.
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 |
The Irish sewed up the CCHA regular-season title with
a 1-0 win at Nebraska-Omaha Saturday. When Notre Dame
clinched the 2007 league crown, it did so with a 1-0 win
at Alaska. |
| 25-5-3 (19-4-3
CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Nebraska-Omaha, 4-3 ot; W at Nebraska-Omaha,
1-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Michigan State, at Michigan State |
| 2. |
 Boston
University |
 1 |
The Terriers managed a 1-1 tie at Northeastern on Saturday
and can credit their penalty killers. They killed off
11 NU power plays, including the last 1:04 of overtime,
and Matt Gilroy scored a short-handed goal for BU's only
tally. |
| 23-5-4 (14-5-4
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T vs. Northeastern, 2-2 ot; T
at Northeastern, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: at Massachusetts,
vs. Massachusetts |
| 3. |
 Northeastern |
2 |
Nothing was decided in two meetings between Northeastern
and BU, which means a minor victory for Huskies as they
maintain a one-point lead in the Hockey East standings
with four games to play. NU is seeking its first ever Hockey
East regular-season title. |
| 20-8-4 (15-5-3
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at Boston University, 2-2 ot;
T vs. Boston University, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. UMass
Lowell, at UMass Lowell |
| 4. |
 Michigan |
1 |
With its 3-2 loss at Ohio State Saturday, the Wolverines
fell to 3-10-0 this season when scoring less than three
goals. They're 21-0-0 when notching three or more. |
| 24-10-0
(18-8-0 CCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Ohio State, 4-1; L at Ohio
State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Ferris State, vs. Ferris State |
| 5. |
 North
Dakota |
2 |
Freshman goalie Brad Eidsness backstopped both wins
at Alaska Anchorage for nos. 19 and 20 on the season.
The only other Fighting Sioux goalies to earn 20+ wins
as rookies are Ed Belfour (29 in 1986-87) and Karl Goehring
(23 in 1997-98). |
| 20-11-3
(15-6-3 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Alaska Anchorage, 2-1 ot;
W at Alaska Anchorage, 6-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Colorado College,
vs. Colorado College |
| 6. |
 Denver |
2 |
Forward Anthony Maiani has quietly put together an outstanding
season for the Pioneers. The team's leading scorer with
38 points, he's scored 26 points in DU's last 21 games
and has been held scoreless in back-to-back contests just
once this season. |
| 19-9-4 (15-7-3
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Wisconsin, 4-3 ot; W at Wisconsin,
5-0. THIS WEEK: vs. St. Cloud State, vs. St. Cloud State |
| 7. |
 Princeton |
2 |
Goalie Zane Kalemba shined in last year's playoff run,
and it looks like he's getting hot again. He stopped 56
of 57 shots on the weekend in wins over Brown and Yale
as Princeton kept its ECAC Hockey regular season title
hopes alive. |
| 20-7-0 (14-6-0
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Brown, 4-1; W vs. Yale,
2-0. THIS WEEK: at Dartmouth, at Harvard |
| 8. |
 Miami |
4 |
The RedHawks outshot Northern Michigan by a 91-27 margin
this weekend – including a 47-7 advantage Saturday
– but scored only two goals in a loss and tie. That
means a) you've run into a hot goalie or, b) you're putting
95 percent of your shots into his breadbasket. |
| 18-9-5 (16-6-4
CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Northern Michigan, 2-1; T vs. Northern
Michigan, 1-1 ot. THIS WEEK: vs. Ohio State, at Ohio State |
| 9. |
 Vermont |
3 |
Vermont's power play was 0-for-8 on the weekend and
allowed a short-handed goal in Saturday's 1-0 loss to
UMass Lowell. It was the first two-game home weekend all
season that the 'Cats didn't get at least one win at the
Gut. |
| 17-8-5 (12-7-4
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T vs. UMass Lowell, 3-3 ot; L
vs. UMass Lowell, 1-0. THIS WEEK: at Maine, at Maine |
| 10. |
 Yale |
1 |
Take the good news out of Saturday's shutout
loss at Princeton. The last time Yale was blanked, they
responded by scoring 17 goals in their next three games. |
| 19-6-2 (14-4-2
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: T at Quinnipiac, 3-3 ot; L at
Princeton, 2-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Cornell, vs. Colgate |
| 11. |
 Cornell
|
1 |
When asked if Saturday's two-goal, two-assist performance
against Union was the best game of Riley Nash's career,
the understated head coach of the Big Red, Mike Schafer
said, "It was pretty good." |
| 17-6-4 (12-5-3
ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: W vs. Rensselaer, 4-1; W vs. Union,
5-2. THIS WEEK: at Yale, at Brown |
| 12. |
 New
Hampshire |
1 |
Centers James van Riemsdyk and Phil DeSimone combined
to score five of UNH's seven goals in a weekend sweep
of Boston College. |
| 16-9-5 (12-7-4
Hockey East) LAST WEEK: W vs. Boston College, 3-2; W at
Boston College, 4-2. THIS WEEK: at Merrimack, vs. Merrimack |
| 13. |
 Minnesota
Duluth |
3 |
Isn’t that special? The Bulldogs were 4-for-9
on the power play in a win and tie at Michigan Tech this
past weekend, and added a short-handed goal to boot. |
| 16-9-7 (10-8-6
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W at Michigan Tech, 4-1; T at Michigan
Tech, 2-2 ot. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota, at Minnesota |
| 14. |
 Wisconsin |
3 |
If losing in overtime is like having your heart ripped
out, then losing an OT game – one in which you never
trailed in regulation – at home to a team you’re
battling for the league title is like having your heart
ripped out and shown to you before your lifeless body
hits the floor. |
| 16-13-3
(13-9-2 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Denver, 4-3 ot; L vs. Denver,
5-0. THIS WEEK: at Minnesota State, at Minnesota State |
| 15. |
 Ohio
State |
— |
As if a weekend series with in-state rival Miami needed
more juice, three points pulls the Buckeyes into a fourth-place
tie with Alaska in the CCHA standings. OSU earns the first-round
bye based on the tie-breaking criteria with the Nanooks. |
| 19-11-4
(12-10-4 CCHA) LAST WEEK: L vs. Michigan, 4-1; W vs. Michigan,
3-2. THIS WEEK: at Miami, vs. Miami |
| 16. |
 Colorado
College |
1 |
The Tigers’ back-to-back wins against Minnesota
marked their first sweep since taking a pair from Michigan
Tech at World Arena Oct. 17-18. |
| 16-9-8 (12-8-5
WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Minnesota, 4-3; W vs. Minnesota,
5-3. THIS WEEK: at North Dakota, at North Dakota |
| 17. |
 St.
Lawrence |
3 |
The Saints are peaking at the right time. They're 6-1-2
in their last nine games and have a chance to earn a top-four
finish in ECAC Hockey. They're also in place to earn an
at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament according to projections. |
| 17-11-4
(9-7-4 ECAC Hockey) LAST WEEK: T vs. Harvard, 2-2 ot;
W vs. Dartmouth, 7-2. THIS WEEK: at Union, at Rensselaer |
| 18. |
 Minnesota
|
2 |
Is it time for Alex Kangas to take a break? The sophomore
goalie has started each of the Gophers’ 30 games
this season. But in his last 12 starts, Kangas has given
up 48 goals. Minnesota is 3-8-1 during that span. |
| 13-11-6
(10-10-4 WCHA) LAST WEEK: L at Colorado College, 4-3;
L at Colorado College, 5-3. THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota Duluth,
vs. Minnesota Duluth |
| 19. |
 St.
Cloud State |
— |
The Huskies are squarely in the middle of the logjam
between third and eighth in the WCHA standings, but three
of their final four games are on the road. That doesn’t
bode well for SCSU, which is 4-9-2 this season away from
the National Hockey Center. |
| 17-13-2
(12-11-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: Off. THIS WEEK: at Denver, at
Denver |
| 20. |
 UMass
Lowell |
NR |
The River Hawks have the nation's 11th-best scoring
defense behind the goaltending tandem of Nevin Hamilton
(2.13 GAA, .925 sv. pct.) and Carter Hutton (2.20 GAA,
.913 sv. pct.). Hutton blanked Vermont on Saturday. |
| 15-13-2
(12-9-2 Hockey East) LAST WEEK: T at Vermont, 3-3 ot;
W at Vermont, 1-0. THIS WEEK: at Northeastern, vs. Northeastern |