Boston College, with an undefeated 6-0-1 record, captured the top spot with 29 first-place votes in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll. The Eagles played just one game this week, a 7-0 thrashing of Merrimack on Thursday night. BC is one of just three teams without a loss this season, but the other two, No. 9 Cornell and No. 15 Brown, have played just three games so far.
Brown makes its debut in the poll this season in the No. 15 spot after winning a pair of conference games over Dartmouth and Vermont. The Brown Bears are alone in first place in the ECAC after the wins.
Three Hockey East teams received first-place votes. Along with top vote getter BC, No. 2 New Hampshire earned seven first place votes and No. 11 Providence earned one. The Friars saw their perfect game streak end at seven with a 4-3 loss at Northeastern on Friday night. New Hampshire and Providence will face off on Friday night in Durham.
Last week’s top team, Denver, was the only other team to receive first-place votes. A split with unranked Minnesota-Duluth cost the Pioneers their No. 1 ranking, but they retained three first-place nods.
It was a tough weekend for ranked teams. Denver, No. 4 North Dakota, No. 6 Minnesota, Providence, and No. 14 St. Cloud all lost a game, while No. 5 Michigan earned a tie.
This week showcases several intriguing match-ups, including a Tuesday night battle between Boston College and Providence. The Eagles barely have a chance to catch their breath before traveling to Walter Brown Arena to take on archrival No. 7 Boston University on Friday. Saturday the Terriers then host the No. 10 Black Bears from Maine. Over in the WCHA, No. 8 Colorado College puts an eight game unbeaten streak on the line with a trip to No. 6 Minnesota for two games.
The USCHO.com Poll is compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, and consists of 40 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 12 beat writers from across the country. The poll is published weekly by the Associated Press.
