And then there was one. One month into the college hockey season, and only one undefeated team remains: Merrimack. It’s becoming evident that the Warriors' breakthrough season last spring was no fluke.

The other thing becoming evident is that the CCHA could be the class of Division I hockey this season. After last weekend’s games, the conference’s teams are 32-8-3 against other conferences. That’s a big reason why seven of the 11 teams in the CCHA made our Power Rankings this week.

And while Merrimack may remain unbeaten, it’s not perfect. Last weekend’s tie knocks it down behind the nation’s hottest team … again.

1. Minnesota (9-1-0): Erik Haula is now averaging less than two points per game, so he’s come back to Earth a little bit. Goalie Kent Patterson, however, recorded his fifth shutout of the season Friday in the win over North Dakota. That's five shutouts in nine games. Now that’s just ridiculous.

2

 Merrimack (7-0-1): Eight games in, and the Warriors have yet to surrender more than two goals in a game. It almost makes the 1-1 tie with Northeastern that destroyed their perfect record a bit more tolerable.

3

 Western Michigan (6-1-3): If you’re going to be one of the last teams in the nation to finally suffer your first defeat, you can do a lot worse than taking it at Michigan’s Yost Arena. At least the Broncos won Friday in Ann Arbor to preserve the split.

4

 Dartmouth (3-1-0): The Big Green has been outshot in three of their four games this year … and won all of them. The defense needs to step up and stop leaving goalie James Mello under siege so much.

5

 Boston College (8-2-0): The Eagles’ numbers are pretty easy to interpret – score at least four goals, and you win; score fewer and you lose.

6

 Air Force (5-2-2): Since an ugly opening weekend at the Icebreaker Tournament, the Falcons are 5-0-2. Oddly, that turnaround coincided with senior goalie Stephen Caple’s debut and continued presence in the crease.

7

 Union (5-1-3): After averaging 47 shots in their previous four games, the Dutchmen managed only 27 against St. Lawrence and 25 against a surprising Clarkson team. A blip on the radar or a regression to the mean? We’ll let you decide and let Union prove it.

8

 Michigan (7-2-1): The Wolverines have 11 NHL draft picks on their roster, yet leading scorers Lindsay Sparks and A.J. Treais are not among them.

9

 Colorado College (5-1-0): They may have split with Nebraska-Omaha, but the Tigers went 5-for-13 on the power play last weekend. That’s a trend they hope to see continue in Colorado Springs.

10

 Notre Dame (5-2-2): The NCAA recognizes two ties between Notre Dame and Northern Michigan last weekend. The CCHA recognizes that the Irish lost both games in a shootout. And this is what we’ll miss the least when the CCHA finally dissolves after next season.

11

 New Hampshire (4-4-1): After starting the season 0-4-1 and incurring the wrath of many fans and critics, the Wildcats have rolled off four straight. Suddenly, Hockey East doesn’t look like it’s just Boston College and Merrimack fighting for the top spot.

12

 Ohio State (6-3-1): Goalies Cal Heeter and Brady Hjelle have combined for three consecutive shutouts for the Buckeyes. When you’ve got that going, offensive stats are almost irrelevant.

13

 Ferris State (8-2-0): A big caveat to what looks like an amazing record – the Bulldogs have played only two games against a team with a winning record … and lost both.

14

 Quinnipiac (7-3-1): The Bobcats have scored at least four goals in nine of their 11 games. It’s no surprise that neither of the other two ended up in victory.

15

 Lake Superior (8-2-0): The Lakers' schedule has so far consisted of zero teams with a winning record.

16

 Clarkson (6-2-2): Earlier this season, we gave lots of credit to the good jobs done by new coaches at Providence, Western Michigan, and Michigan Tech. Now we can give credit to first-year Clarkson coach Casey Jones.

17

 Michigan Tech (6-3-1): The Huskies have had a favorable home schedule. They’re still looking for their first win on the road, where, incidentally, they’ll be for the next four games.

18

 Yale (2-1-1): The Bulldogs have only three NHL draft picks on their roster – forwards Kenny Agostino (Penguins) and Brad Peltz (Senators), as well as blueliner Gus Young (Avalanche). So far the three of them have combined for precisely zero points.

19

 Colgate (5-3-1): If the Raiders are looking for improvement, their dismal penalty kill (78.6 percent) and humdrum power play (18.9) are good spots to start.

20

 Northern Michigan (4-3-3): So the Wildcats got a win and tie against Michigan, two ties against Notre Dame, and got swept by Western Michigan. What does that say about the balance of power in the CCHA?

Three Stars

Nick Dineen, Colorado College

The week: Three goals and two assists in a split with Nebraska-Omaha.

Fun fact: Last season, he was honored with the team’s Steve Ebert Award, which recognizes a combination of dedication, desire, ability and sportsmanship.

Ben Hanowski, St. Cloud State

The week: Three goals in a win and tie against Wisconsin.

Fun fact: The Penguins' draft pick was the most prolific scorer in Minnesota high school history with 405 points at Little Falls High School. 

Cal Heeter, Ohio State

The week: Stopped all 20 shots in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Alabama-Huntsville, Heeter’s second consecutive shutout.

Fun fact: The native of St. Louis has a dog named Budweiser. 

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