Boston College leads the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll for Week 5 this season after taking the top spot from North Dakota, which lost twice over the weekend to Colorado College in an NCHC series in Grand Forks.
The Eagles (13-3-1) received 26 first-place votes and are coming off a 5-4 win Saturday over Providence. Boston University was ranked second while Quinnipiac moved up to third. The Fighting Hawks, who lost a pair of 3-2 overtime decisions to Colorado College, fell to fourth place.
Colorado College (9-6-1) entered the poll for the first time this season, debuting at No. 20.
Quinnipiac (12-4-1), the defending national champion, is in third place after winning its only game of the week, 4-2, over visiting Long Island. It was a non-conference game for the Bobcats, who led the ECAC with a 7-0-1 conference record. Cornell (6-4-1) is the other ECAC team in this week’s rankings at No. 17, moving up one spot despite being inactive.
Hockey East features five of the top 11 teams in this week’s poll. Along with BU and BC, Maine (10-3-1) remains in eighth place after beating Union and Bentley in non-conference games last week. Massachusetts (11-4-1) moved up one spot to No. 10 after sweeping a non-conference series against visiting Alaska-Anchorage (11-2, 3-2). Providence (9-5-2) fell to 11th after suffering a 5-4 loss to Boston College on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. New Hampshire (8-4-1) remains at No. 16 after beating visiting RPI, 1-0, on Friday.
Interestingly, Denver (12-5-1) remained in fifth place despite the NCHC series split to No. 12 Western Michigan. The Broncos (11-4-1) won the opener, 7-3, while the Pioneers cruised to an overtime win, 6-5, in the second. Denver earned the win in the college debut of 19-year-old goaltender Paxton Geisel. -Old from Estevan, Saskatchewan. Geisel began the season playing in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, but was recently added to the roster due to an injury to Matt Davis.
The other NCHC team in the poll is St. John’s. Cloud State (9-5-2) is ranked 15th. The Huskies improved to 7-0-1 in the NCHC with a win (4-1) and tie (2-2) at Nebraska Omaha. SCSU leads the NCHC and is off to its best conference start in the program’s Division I history.
The Big 10 has five teams in this week’s poll, with Wisconsin (14-4) at No. 6, Michigan State (12-4-2) at No. 7, Minnesota (9-5-4) at No. 9, and Michigan State (12-4-2) at No. 7. (8-7-3) is at No. 13 and Penn State (9-7-3) is at No. 18. The Spartans swept a series against visiting Notre Dame, but did not move in the poll. The Badgers remain in sixth place after a sweeping visit to Penn State. The Gophers stay in ninth place with a win and a tie at Ohio State (5-8-4). Michigan moved up a position, despite being lethargic last weekend.
RIT (11-5) is the only team from Atlantic Hockey in this week’s poll and remains at No. 19 after splitting the conference series with the AIC.
Arizona State (11-3-4), in its final season as an independent program, dropped two spots in the poll to No. 14 after a two-match nonconference tie with Dartmouth (2-3-6) in a series in Tempe, Ariz.
School, last week, record, weeks in the survey
1, Boston College, 669, (26), 3, 13-3-1, 11
2, Boston University, 631, (7), 2, 11-4-1, 11
3, Quinnipiac, 597, (1), 4, 12-4-1, 11
4, University of North Dakota, 564, 1, 12-5-1, 11
5, University of Denver, 539, 5, 12-5-1, 11
6, University of Wisconsin, 524, 6, 14-4-0, 8
7, Michigan State, 482, 7, 12-4-2, 11
8, University of Maine, 455, 8, 10-3-1, 7
9, University of Minnesota, 378, 9, 9-5-4, 11
10, University of Massachusetts, 373, 11, 11-4-1, 8
11, Providence College, 344, 10, 9-5-2, 11
12, Western Michigan University, 307, 13, 11-4-1, 11
13, University of Michigan, 233, 14, 8-7-3, 11
14, Arizona, 218, 12, 11-3-4, 9
15, St. Cloud State, 208, 15, 9-5-2, 8
16, University of New Hampshire, 205, 16, 8-4-1, 7
17, Cornell University, 141, 18, 6-4-1, 11
18, Pennsylvania State University, 86, 17, 9-7-3, 11
19, Rochester Institute of Technology, 73, 19, 11-5-0, 3
20, Colorado College, 37, NR, 9-6-1, 1
He also received votes: University of Notre Dame, 27; University of Alaska, 19; University of Nebraska Omaha, 13 years; Clarkson University, 4; Michigan Tech University, 4; American International College, 3; Holy Cross University, 3; Merrimack College, 2.
In a thrilling turn of events, Boston College has reclaimed the top spot in USA Hockey’s men’s poll after a dominant performance on the ice. The team’s relentless work ethic and unparalleled skill have propelled them to the No. 1 position, proving themselves as the powerhouse of collegiate hockey. This momentous achievement has sent shockwaves through the hockey community, solidifying Boston College’s status as a force to be reckoned with. Let’s delve into the analysis of this remarkable comeback and explore the impact of this momentous occasion on the team’s future.