At the end of last season, Michigan and Minnesota-Duluth were the two teams left standing in St. Paul. The new season could have a wild finish in store, but for now the same two schools top the power rankings.

College hockey is now just two months away from NCAA Tournament selection Sunday, and we’ve reached the point of the season where the anomalies shake out. Perennial powers such as Denver, North Dakota and Michigan have regained their form. Early-season surprises such as Clarkson and Colorado College are slipping back to what we imagined they were – good, but not great teams.

So what are we left with? The defending champion and runner-up as the two hottest teams in the country, with Notre Dame and North Dakota – the other two Frozen Four participants – lurking not far behind. It should be a wild end to the season. Just don’t expect too many wild shifts among our power rankings. 

1. Michigan (14-8-4): The sweep of Ohio State, including Sunday’s impressive win on the outdoor rink at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, ran the Wolverines' unbeaten streak to nine games.

2. Minnesota-Duluth (15-4-3): Senior center Jack Connolly’s three-point weekend ran his total to 36 for the season, enough to keep him in the NCAA lead ahead of a logjam of players with 35 points.

3. Merrimack (12-4-5): Saturday’s 2-2 tie with Maine was just the third time all season that junior defenseman and Edmonton Oilers prospect Kyle Bigos didn’t get shooed off to the penalty box.

4. Minnesota (16-8-1): Senior goalie and Avalanche draftee Kent Patterson had five shutouts in the season’s first nine games. He has given up less than two goals in a game just once in the past 11 contests.

5. Cornell (10-4-3): The Big Red has given up 17 goals in its last six games … which for Cornell, is kind of a defensive swoon.

6. Denver (13-8-3): The good news is the Pioneers have won five of their last six and are averaging 4.33 goals per game in that span. The better news is that star goalie Sam Brittain is expected to make his season debut when Denver heads to Anchorage in two weeks.

7. Union (12-5-6): The Dutchmen have the country’s best defense, allowing only 1.83 goals per game. That’s no surprise. Having the ninth-best offense at 3.30 goals per game is.

8. Boston University (13-6-1): Even after losing offensive stars Corey Trivino (arrest, dismissal) and Charlie Coyle (bad grades, jump to QMJHL), the Terriers are undefeated since the calendar flipped to 2012.

9. Ohio State (14-6-3): After scoring just four goals in four games, the Buckeyes are still looking for their first win of 2012.

10. Western Michigan (12-7-5): The Broncos have made no secret that in recent years, they’ve been trying to rebuild their program like Notre Dame did about five years ago. After the weekend sweep of the Irish, WMU finished the regular season 2-1-1 against their rivals from just across the Michigan-Indiana state line.

11. Notre Dame (13-8-3): The Irish are 13-2-0 when they manage to score at least three goals, 0-6-3 when they don’t. Unfortunately, they couldn’t hit that mark once in last week’s home-and-home with Western Michigan.

12. North Dakota (12-9-2): Sophomore Brock Nelson, a former first-round pick by the New York Islanders, has already doubled his freshman-year goal output with 16 markers this season.

13. Boston College (14-8-1): The Eagles have a whopping 10 players who have at least 13 points in the first 23 games; all three goalies have a goals-against average under 2.4 and a save percentage over .900. If only they could find some consistency with those numbers.

14. Ferris State (14-8-2): The Bulldogs posted four shutouts in their first nine games but have zero since then. They’re still unbeaten in January after an ugly 1-5-0 December.

15. Lake Superior (13-10-3): Can the Lakers hold up through the stretch run? Eight of their 10 remaining regular-season games come against teams with winning records. The other two come after a long exodus to the cold, desolate wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska.

16. Quinnipiac (13-8-5): Its seven goals against Colgate set a high mark for the new year, but the 25 shots in that game were the second-fewest the Bobcats have had in a game.

17. Maine (10-8-3): Undrafted senior Spencer Abbott is on fire, tallying 12 points in his current six-game scoring streak.

18. Colorado College (13-8-1): It all comes down to defense for the Tigers. They’re 13-2-1 when they hold their opponent to three goals or less, 0-6-0 when they don’t.

19. Colgate (12-8-2): The Red Raiders gave up 2.16 goals per game in the first half of the season. During their current four-game skid, they’re allowing 5.00 goals per game.

20. RIT (12-8-2): The Tigers have outscored the opposition 22-8 in their last six conference games. The preseason favorites in Atlantic Hockey are now challenging Mercyhurst for the top spot. 

Three Stars

Shane Madolora, RIT

The week: The undrafted junior from Salinas, Calif., stopped all 41 shots he faced as RIT swept Sacred Heart by scores of 10-0 and 3-0.

Fun fact: Just celebrated his 25^th birthday last Monday, Jan. 9.

J.T. Brown, Minnesota-Duluth

The week: The undrafted sophomore had a had trick and added an assist in the Bulldogs’ 5-2 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Friday night.

Fun fact: His father Ted was a running back for the Minnesota Vikings from 1979-86.

Drew Shore, Denver

The week: The Panthers’ second-round pick in 2009 tallied two goals, three assists and a plus-5 in Friday’s 6-3 win over Bemidji State. Shore was scratched from Saturday’s game with what was being called a lower-body injury.

Fun fact: His five points gave the junior exactly 100 for his collegiate career.

Photo courtesy of the University of Michigan

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email this

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Write comment

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment