The Ice Garden’s NCAA Poll: Top Dogs

The bottom of our poll is in shambles but at the top teams are really starting to heat up.

Our clear top eight have firmly settled their place atop everyone else. The teams filling out the rest of the poll do not seem to want to stay consistent as we have swapped out the bottom two this week instead of just tenth place.

T-1. Yale (21-1-1), 74 (3) — Last poll: 2

  • Last week: W 6-1 v St. Lawrence (1/27), W 3-0 v Clarkson (1/28)
  • Coming Week: @ Union (2/3), @ Rensselaer (2/4)/

The Bulldogs are a few points clear atop the ECAC table and have a game in hand. The past week were two good victories against middle-of-the-table teams but now they get a pair of easy road games.

T-1. Ohio State (24-2-2), 74 (3) — Last poll: 1

  • Last week: W 6-2 v Minnesota State (1/27), W 4-2 v Minnesota State (1/28)
  • Coming Week: @ Minnesota (2/3, 2/4)/

Ohio State Continued its winning ways sweeping the Mavericks. They have not lost a game in regulation since they hosted their current opponent, Minnesota.

3. Minnesota (22-3-2), 66 (2) — Last poll: 3

  • Last week: W 3-1 @ Minnesota-Duluth (1/27), W 4-3 @ Minnesota-Duluth (1/28)
  • Coming Week: v Ohio State (2/3, 2/4)/

Both games were pretty close but the Gophers aced their trial trip to Duluth, where they hope to win their last two games of the season. This week they host the Buckeyes with the top seed in the WCHA on the line.

4. Colgate (22-4-1), 51 — Last poll: 5

  • Last week: W 7-0 v Dartmouth (1/27), W 3-1 v Harvard (1/28)
  • Coming Week: v St. Lawrence (1/31), @ St. Lawrence (2/3), @ Clarkson (2/4)/

Their loss to Cornell last week looks a lot worse after this week's results but they were able to rebound with pair of solid wins. This week they have a trio of games against the North Country teams to try and move into second place in the ECAC

5. Northeastern (22-2-1), 44 — Last poll: 6

  • Last week: W 4-0 v Holy Cross (1/27)
  • Coming Week: v New Hampshire (2/3)/

They only had one game and it was not a game that was a serious threat but the game had trophy implications as the win allowed the Huskies to clinch the top seed and a share of the regular season crown, Vermont’s overtime loss to BU the next day gave them the solo crown regardless of future results. Taking the trophy makes them this week’s ‘Belles of the Ball’.

6. Quinnipiac (24-5-0), 41 — Last poll: 4

  • Last week: W 4-0 v Princeton (1/28), L 3-11 @ Princeton (1/29)
  • Coming Week: @ Dartmouth (2/3)/

After a good shutout win on Saturday, the Bobcats must have forgotten to travel down to New Jersey as they were blown out of the door letting up 11 goals. They should be able to recover with an easy trip up to Dartmouth for their only game.

7. Minnesota-Duluth (19-8-1), 36 — Last poll: 7

  • Last week: L 1-3 v Minnesota (1/27), L 3-4 v Minnesota (1/28)
  • Coming Week: @ Minnesota State (2/3, 2/4)/

Duluth had a rough weekend hosting their rivals and walked away with no points. They have a lot of ground to Gai to move up in the WCHA table but have the games to do it as they have nothing but the bottom teams left, unlike the teams around them.

8. Wisconsin (20-7-1), 27 — Last poll: 8

  • Last week: W 6-1 @ St. Thomas (1/27), W 3-0 @ St. Thomas (1/28)
  • Coming Week: v St. Cloud State (2/3, 2/4)/

As expected, the trip to visit St. Thomas yielded 6 points. This weekend they host the Huskies in their last best chance to gain points before the gauntlet of the top of the WCHA to wrap the regular season.

9. Penn State (20-8-2), 12 — Last poll: ARV

  • Last week: W 3-2 OT @ Mercyhurst (1/23), W 5-1 v Lindenwood (1/27), W 6-3 v Lindenwood (1/28)
  • Coming Week: @ Syracuse (2/3, 2/4)/

We welcome back the Nittany Lions as Cornell decided to dive bomb out of the poll. Penn State took care of business to put itself on the brink of locking up the CHA. A sweep of a Syracuse team that is scrapping the bottom of the PWR would lock the top seed.

10. Clarkson (21-7-2), 8 — Last poll: ARV

  • Last week: W 3-1 @ Brown (1/27), L 0-3 @ Yale (1/28)
  • Coming Week: v Cornell (2/3), v Colgate (2/4)/

Clarkson is once again ranked as the teams that were above them Cornell and Vermont both had dubious weekends. Their split with the loss being against Yale was good enough. This weekend could see themselves lock into the poll and putting themselves in the driver's seat for the last PWR spot when they host the two teams around them in the ECAC table.

Also Receiving Votes: Princeton 3, Vermont 2, Cornell 1, St. Cloud State 1