College Hockey:
Minnesota stays on top of men’s poll; Merrimack a close second

USCHO Staff Report • Nov. 14, 2011

Minnesota received 20 first-place votes and narrowly stayed atop the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll this week.

The Gophers recorded 963 voting points, just 14 more than No. 2 Merrimack, which received 25 first-place votes and 949 points.

Boston College had four No. 1 votes and is No. 3 this week, while Notre Dame sits fourth with the other first-place vote.

Colorado College rounds out the top five.

Ferris State, Michigan, Minnesota-Duluth, Yale and Western Michigan make up spots 6-10, respectively.

Denver is No. 11 this week, followed by Lake Superior State, Union, previously unranked Ohio State and Michigan Tech.

Boston University goes to No. 16, with Colgate at No. 17, Cornell 18th, Nebraska-Omaha at No. 19 and Northern Michigan staying in the top 20 at No. 20.

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Suture
How’d the Sue get ranked even that high?
- Guest
  What are you talking about? They aren’t ranked. Let it go man, I know you have an issue with the Sioux but get over yourself.
- Mr Hockey
  Suture haven’t you heard? The Sioux and their fans are hoping Santa will make them into that 2nd half team…lol
  - Anonymous
    Hoping? Take a look at their record through the Hakstol era. Expecting the team to come into its own in the second half isn’t some bold prediction, its become fairly commonplace over the last 7 years.
    You’re the saddest kind of fan, the sort that can’t allow others to cheer on their own team without jumping in to pump up your own squad as though you’re offended. Tell me, where were you last year, when the the Gophers were limping into April hoping for an at-large bid? It must be comfortable up there on the bandwagon.
- Scott Reed
  classic gopher fan, a good news article about MN and the first comment is insulting the Sioux, get a life. Hating just makes you look bad…
Rick Rhoades78
Being a Northern Michigan fan I don’t think they are deserving of the top 20 with the poor display they put on this weekend. The team needs to grind out road wins or else it’s going to be a short season come March. That team has too much talent to crap the bed on the road!
Dvx99
Western Michigan gets swept at home and they’re #10 in the nation?
IceWarrior
How is it that Merrimack:
is the only undefeated team in the country
is number 1 in KRACH, RPI, AND Pairwise
has received the most number 1 votes by a 20% margin
Beat Vermont twice, while Minnesota split with them
BUT THEY ARE RANKED #2?????
Do you guys need to borrow a calculator? Someone please explain the math to me. What are we missing here?
- Mr Hockey
  Simple Minnesota is the better team and will continue to be the best team the rest of the season!
  - guest23
    Are the Minnesota fans going to retake the crown of Douchiest Fanbase on USCHO from 2010-2011 holder North Dakota?
    - Mr Hockey
      Nope looks like you beat us to it!
  - Fan Man
    Yea they sure looked like the #1 team on friday getting beat by an unranked opponent…. They peaked to early and wont do anything but go down the rabbit hole they have been hiding in the last three years!
- Mr Hockey
  BTW who has Merrimack beat this year? Gophers swept UMD in Duluth, Swept North Dakota and swept Anchorage in Alaska the 1st time a team has done that in over 2 years. Watch Minnesota play more than once, if you have even watched them play at all. Yes, Minnesota lost on the road at Wisconsin and lost to Vermont but no team has gone undefeated and news flash Merrimack won’t either.
- Duluth06ChE
  Because those who didn’t rank Merrimack #1 didn’t even rank them #2 or #3. So when you add up the points (20 for #1, 19 for #2, etc.) Minnesota had a higher point total.
MackMan
Merrimack is the BEST team in the country. Cool under pressure. They are for real and who could possibly still be giving BC first place votes???? Best goalie in the land in Canatta. Ryan Flanigan is a scoring machine. Solid D. They really are the little engine that could.
- Mr Hockey
  Or maybe Merrimack is the little engine that could not!
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IBX3ZLT5XKNZDOL2YZHPVX27VI STEVEN P
  It’s November 14th. The season isn’t even half over. Unbunch those undies.
- Charlie Catamount
  It is ashame Merrimack doesnt educate their athletes
- Ben
  Let’s be real here. Any team in the top 10, hell, even the top 15 would be undefeated too if their schedule was as soft as Merrimack’s.
Ryan
Something very special is happening at Merrimack College to their hockey team. That small school, with their cozy little rink. Thom Lawler truly is smiling tonite. Wow!!
- Be
  Merrimack will be lucky to make the tourney
Sivgopher
its early in the season so dont get to carried away with rankings gophers are simply rated higher because of who they played and where they played the rankings usually take a least one bad game and throw it out if bc would of won on sunday they would probably have been one its an easy patteren to follow just look to college football the tide only drop to 3 after losing
Murtaugh
Looks like Merrimack will be this year’s equivalent of Yale for the USCHO bullies. The haters in North Dakota always need someone to pick on.
- Eli
  Yale will return soon to its position as the team that everyone loves to hate … being #1 academically and on the ice has its burden
  - charlie catamount
    Princeton is number 1 academically
Anonymous
Everyone watch out, the Big Red are going to be a force to be reckoned with!
Scott Reed
You can’t take the rankings too seriously this time of year, stop complaining about it, WCHA teams get bonus “WCHA points” because its been the best confrence for a long time. Their records suffer because they beat up on each other all season long and while the other confrences can put one or maybe two teams that can play at their level come playoff time. The WCHA has just been the best confrence for a long time and everybody who isn’t in denial, or who isn’t blinded by enthusiastic devotion to their own team knows it.
- Mr Hockey
  The WCHA has won 31 NCAA National Titles, enough said! Start talking when your school wins 1 title.
  - Mr Hockey
    Scott I was directing my statement to those who were questioning Minnesota #1 ranking, not at you.
Siouxee
Bottom line, Lee Goren the hero of the latest Sioux championship team is now 34. Crock O’ Grimaldi was in 2nd grade.
- FightingSioux4Ever
  Bottom line of what? Yea, it’s been a long time since UND has hoisted the NCAA crown, but what are you refering to? You wouldn’t happen to be friends with a guy called Lincoln Jim, would you?
  - Anonymous
    Because you know, the Gophers last won it all in 2003, which was like…last year. Duh. 2000 was like, 3 years before that. 3 years! OMAGAWD SUPERIORITY!
PDS
Did Wisconsin fall out of the top 20 and MN held their #1 ranking after last weekends split? I could be wrong.
BowWowWow’09
Boy, you WCHA fans are just plain arrogant. Last year Yale, this year Merrimack. You’re so insecure you have to hate on the underdog? Guess what: you may be strong, but you get beat. By us. Pre- and post-season. It happens.
(It was fun for Yale to play South Dakota 2 seasons ago, but I hope we meet and beat you again, just to spite these fans.)
- Guest
  First of all take a geography class would you please. The University of NORTH DAKOTA is in North Dakota, not South Dakota. Pretty sure that Yale didn’t play a South Dakota team 2 seasons ago since none of the SD schools have DI hockey.
  Second it seems to me that the fans you should have the attitude with are just about anybody but UND fans. I don’t see them saying much of anything about Merrimack.But if you look at the numbers (and that is all that I have to go by as I haven’t seen them play) they have yet to play a TUC and their strength of schedule is 50. Looks like their schedule will get a lot harder starting in January but I hope they are for real and beat up on the rest of Hockey East. It’s always good when there is a school that isn’t considered a traditional “power” that plays well and makes the season more interesting.
- Duluth06ChE
  Yeah! Union and Yale had a really good showing in the NCAA tourney against UMD! I can’t believe ECAC teams don’t get the credit they deserve.

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