College Hockey:
National champion Boston College ends season No. 1 in men’s poll

USCHO Staff Report • April 9, 2012

The final USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of the 2011-2012 season has national champion Boston College at No. 1 by virtue of receiving all 50 first-place votes.

National runner-up Ferris State finishes second, while the other two Frozen Four qualifiers, Union and Minnesota, come in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan, Miami, Massachusetts-Lowell and Cornell, in that order, round out the top 10.

Boston University, Denver, Maine, Western Michigan and Michigan State take up spots 11-15, while Air Force, Merrimack, Harvard, Notre Dame and Northern Michigan finish up in places 16-20.

Ten other schools also received votes.

The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 22 beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.

The following is a self-policing forum for discussing views on this story. Comments that are derogatory, make personal attacks, are abusive, or contain profanity or racism will be removed at our discretion. USCHO.com is not responsible for comments posted by users. Please report any inappropriate or offensive comments by clicking the “Flag” link next to that comment in order to alert the moderator.

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Rich
Lowell knocks out Miami in a game and controls all but 15 or so minutes of the game yet they are still ranked behind them
- Gophers4Eva
  I’m completely with you on this, Rich – makes no sense…..
- Blueline892910
  Great Season on the part of UML…could be a very dangerous team next season…as for Miami/Ohio,they are the NEW UNH of the West in Regionals play.
- 9XNATCHAMP
  I wouldn’t worry about that much,its a bunch of guys who don’t watch the games just look at numbers.Also thank you for shutting up miami fans.
9XNATCHAMP
Congrats BC AND BC fans.
9XNATCHAMP
And thank god we didn’t have to listen to Miami fans anymore.
- Lol
  And thank god we didn’t have to listen to Michigan fans anymore.
  - 9XNATCHAMP
    Now that’s original,don’t hate just because UOFM consistent year in and year out.
EagleEye
Where are the Sue claiming eastern bias?
Enjoy the summer in Grand Spoons. On any given day, any given year, BC is more competitive, more relevant and more exciting than the Sue. How many titles do you guys have in the last five years? That’s all that counts
- Sivgopher
  I like to see that u play at the Ralph or kohl center where the draw 17000 or plus I’m not saying any division is better than the other but hands down the wcha brings in more fans and revenue than probably the rest of the division combined u try to win a game when 17000 people hate u in north Dakota and throwing dead gophers on the ice …. I’m not kidding those people r serious about hockey to put a dead animal in their pants to get by security
- MiniSodaStinkyPooey
  As a Sioux fan the only team in the country over the past decade that I’d say has put together a better resume than NoDak is Boston College. I bleed green but have to admit that what BC has done over the last ten years, let alone the last 5-6 has been second to none. I used to hate BC but have been forced to really respect them based off of their accomplishments.
  However, the only time you’ll see me rooting for them is when they’re playing Minnesota. Watching them push Minnesota past their breaking point on national television was pure bliss. The team/fans that like to call out others for having a lack of tact checked any remaining ‘class’ they had at the door after 2 periods. It was great!
  I think Hakstol has done a great job at UND. Recruiting has been solid and we’ve been a legit contender every season since he took over. But I’m going to start getting the itch to pull the plug on him if we don’t win an NCAA title soon. I think the talent has been there and while making the Frozen Four is great, it’s been 12 years since we won a title. Considering the talent we bring in annually, that’s too long of a drought if you ask me.
  - Sivgopher
    Didn’t we end your season?
    - Scott Reed
      Sioux fans are hated in hockey… people who live in boston are hated in life. Its funny you BC fans weren’t around running your mouths all season, were you all hiding in your caves afraid to voice an opinion until its all over?
      - JakeB
        Better to do that than run your mouth all season, with nothing to back it up or show for it in the end. Then again, you’ll still be running your mouth whether you win something or not anyway.
      - Scott Reed
        Right… 8 straight 20 win seasons… nothing to brag about at all.
      - JustSayin
        You guys don’t just brag about your past winning percentage. You try to use it as proof that every other program sucks and that every other team this year sucks and that every other team doesn’t deserve their ranking.
        Here’s a quote of your I found from last month:
        Seeing Ferris State and Merrimack drop like this is great, just confirms what I have been saying all along while whiny east coasters who dislike the WCHA historical supremacy defended them. Well who is eating their words now!!!
      - Scott Reed
        Exactly, I was saying that Ferris and Merrimack weren’t what the rankings said… and nobody actually payed attention to why I was saying it, I just got attacked because I was a Sioux fan.
        I think erybody would agree that MC was a flash in the pan and was only # 1 because toher teams just played bad for a little while, they got the number one ranking by default not because they earned it.
        Ferris is a little different. I think they might be a little better than I was giving the credit for but they still don;t have me convinced that they were as good as their run in the NCAA tournament.
        And you took that post out of context for that conversation.
      - JustSayin
        Ferris is a little different. I think they might be a little better than I was giving the credit for
        That’s pretty much all I wanted to hear. I don’t know if they’re number two overall for the whole year but I think they proved they are at least top ten which is more than some people were willing to give them a few months back.
      - FriendlyAdvice
        Wow. Somebody has a chip on shoulder! You have it in for the entire city, now? Are you the guy that kept screaming “east coast elitists” in these blogs?
        Maybe you guys should stop running your mouths off all season and then you won’t get mocked when you fall flat in the post season.
      - Scott Reed
        Yes you are correct, in the true spirit of being a fan of anything… you sit quietly and keep to yourself then see how it all turns out.
        I have honestly never met anybody from Boston that didn’t annoy the crap out of me. Maybe its the way they all talk, but its the attitude mostly.
        They do have some amazing sports teams thoguh
      - FriendlyAdvice
        I didn’t say you should be quiet. If you want to cheer for your team, go ahead. If cheering for your team means putting every other team down while claiming the historical success of your program is somehow relevant to the present then I again say, expect to get mocked when you lose. Did your seven titles help you make the Frozen Four this year? Ferris and Union both made it further than UND and your fans whined about the brackets being unfair. You guys as a group said all year those teams had to prove themselves. They did. Time for you guys to shut up. And speaking of arrogant, does the expression pot calling the kettle black mean anything to you?
      - Scott Reed
        No, making it as far as they did one time does not prove anything. They each had a good year and a good run at the end. And I am pretty very few people were talking about Union… a lot of people were talking about Merrimack, and we took a lot of flack from peopel like you abotu it, but guess who was right in the end.
        The fact is, UND has been one of the top teams in the country year in and year out for well over a decade. BC is the only other team in the country that can compare. But we haven’t won a national title in a long time despite all of our very recent success. Success that can’t be denied. The monkey on our back is getting pretty heavy. But there is only a monkey because success at UND is expected year in and year out! Its not a pleasent surprise when it happens. This was a bad year for us ESPN says:
        ”Decimated by injuries, ineligibility, and defections, coach Dave Hakstol managed to cobble together a lineup out of spare parts but the team still managed to win the WCHA playoff championship and get to the NCAA West Regional final.
        Again this was a bad year for us… NCAA regional final, 20 win season, conference tournament championship, and we were disapointed. Many other programs would love to acheive that at some point.
        I don’t blame you for not understanding UND fans, you have no way of relating to it.
      - FriendlyAdvice
        Hey Scott, I saw the reply you deleted. Here is what you said:
        No, making it as far as they did one time does not prove anything.”
        Wow. Good thing you deleted that. You pretty much said what a bunch of us predicted months ago. You guys as a group said certain teams didn’t deserve their rankings until they proved it in the tournament. We predicted that if they did make the Frozen Four you guys would say it didn’t matter. Thanks for proving us right,
      - GinoGasperini
        hey slurpy why you so sad? oh, Sue lose again. hahahahahahahaha. lemme ask you. what was up with Ralph Engelstad man? you know. why dontcha forget about those championships the Sue won back in the 40s and 50s. they don’t help you now
    - MiniSodaStinkyPooey
      Yes, you ended our season. How many trophies did you win this year? 1…regular season trophy. How many did the Sioux win? 1 Broadmoor Cup. Did you win anything by going to Tampa and getting thumped? I don’t think so. Stop acting like your program was all that because they won a couple of games at home and then got bludgeoned when they finally had to travel for a change.
      - FlipFloppers
        Did you win anything by going to Tampa and getting thumped?
        Funny you should say that because you guys always brag about how many Frozen Fours you get to while simultaneously putting down the less successful programs that lose in the regional finals (e.g. Lowell, Yale, Merrimack, etc.). Now you say getting “thumped” in the FF doesn’t pad your resume. I’ll have to remember that next year.
      - Sivgopher
        at the regional final 3 of your starters our from Minnesota the other two Canada so where’s home
      - nogofer
        Do you want to re-phrase that in English?
  - no sue for me
    the past 10 years, MN has two national titles, ND none
    - MiniSodaStinkyPooey
      Ha Ha…well in the last 15 years we’ve won as many titles as Minnesota. How far back do you want to go? Minnesota has been a joke as of recent years. If you’re suggesting I should trade what UND has done for a couple of championships nearly a decade old only to be followed up by sub par performances the answer is no. In the last 16 years, North Dakota has missed the NCAA tournament 1 time. Over that same time span, Minnesota has only made it 4 times. And in all 4 of those seasons where you actually made the tournament you’ve had the opportunity of staying and playing Minneapolis at some point during the tournament. That’s some solid tradition you’ve got going on over there cool guy.
      - JakeB
        Anything past the last 10-15 seasons is totally irrelevant, nice to reminisce or brag about, but just mere history. Even with that, it only has meaning if your team continues to show up.
      - nogofer
        The mn seniors this year have NO NCAA post-season wins. Nice legacy. What were you saying about showing up?
      - BC Dynasty
        get your facts straight moron. Not sure of total in last 16 years, but MN has been there 8 times since 2000.
        Remember when the Gophers lost to Holy Cross(I know you do)? Where was that game played? You had home ice and couldn’t do anything with it, so by your own standard of tradition, the Susies really suck!!!
      - Sfilsh
        Yes, and our joke team ended your season – HA -HA -HA. BTW – how many titles does chokestol have? Let me help you – ZERO!!!
      - nogofer
        How many does the Don have since Coach Hak became the Coach at UND? ZERO? We have bounced mn freqently in recent history…
    - nogofer
      #1. Did mn get a trophy for the 10 year anniversary or b2b? (crickets) #2. gofer state won those 2 titles using a kid from grand forks and another from over-seas. (the 23 year title-less woes were solved, finally, by a kid from NORTH DAKOTA) Does that leave a bad taste in your all mn all the time yapper?
  - sue pooped
    kinda like what bone head Blood did.
  - Sfilsh
    Like win No Titles the last ten years compared to the Gophers TWO – you guys are legends in your own mind!
    - MiniSodaStinkyPooey
      Give me a break. Talk about “legends in your own mind”….you’re talking about 2 national championships and absolutely NOTHING in the past 6 years. For God’s sake you hadn’t even made the NCAA tournament since 2005 until this year. Talk about overplaying your hand Sfilsh. Get a clue. God back 15 years instead of 10 and we’ve got as many championships as you do. Minnesota hasn’t been nearly as relevant to hockey lately so get over yourself.
      - nogofer
        mn is the state of hockey confusion…
  - Irish Spectre
    Actually you need to go back not ten, but fifteen seasons, to give the Eagles their just due, all the way to the ’97 – ’98, which concluded with an OT loss in the championship. That season started a four-straight Frozen Four run.
    - MiniSodaStinkyPooey
      I stand corrected.
- SiouxU
  North Dakota – 7 National Championships
  Boston College – 5 National Championships
  - 7titles7titles7titles
    Can’t help but notice you didn’t answer the question. How many titles do you guys have in the last five years?
    - mikey
      The answer is this – yep, you guys got championships. But not recently. Since 1998, you’ve wont two and appeared in four final games. Since 1998, we’ve won 4 and appeared in 8 final games. You’re good, we’re cathing up. The key word here is UP.
      - 7titles7titles7titles
        In case you didn’t notice, I’m on your side.
- MiniSodaStinkyPooey
  One can’t argue those statements. When the Eagle’s time fades we’ll see if you’re still on here running that mouth. Congrats on another great season though. 19 wins in a row….that’s impressive.
bob
i hope union gets a schedule next year against some tough teams so when they beat them no one will cry foul against the ecac
- Aaron Griffin
  They’re always going to complain and insult the alleged inferiority of the ECAC. Smith was nominated and deserved the Hobey Baker Award. Cornell beat Michigan, the second overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and then played Ferris State closer than any team except BC. Union was the third overall seed and earned a berth in the Frozen Four. Cornell and Union both are rumored to have strong out-of-conference schedules next season. The ECAC will have more chances next season, especially if RPI can rebound and Harvard can build upon its successes from this season.
  - LetsGoRed
    Cornell has two at home with Colorado College in October, Michigan at MSG after Thanksgiving (waiting for the contract with the arena to be signed), Ferris or Duluth in the first round of the Florida tournament (Maine is the fourth team), and two at Denver, probably in January. That’s probably the best non-conference schedule we have had in decades, on paper anyway.
blackbear19
WOW……u mean after winning the national championship, you end up ranked number 1 in the pool…no way! lol…….congrats to BC, they were the team to beat going into the tourney, and they proved why they were the best team the last half of the season. Going to be interesting who they lose to the pros, going into next season.
david
Final Tournament records, just for fun:
          HE                 5-3
          WCHA            4-4
          ECAC             3-2
          CCHA             3-5
          AHA               0-1
- BC Dynasty
  BC had 4 for HE
  FSU had all 3 for CCHA

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