Eagles Defend No. 1 Position In Poll

Apparently, the Eagles like it fine right where they are.

Boston College repeated at the summit of the USCHO.com/CSTV Division I men’s poll Monday, taking 38 of 40 first-place votes and all but two of 600 possible points to stay at No. 1 for the second consecutive week.

The Eagles are the first No. 1 team to remain atop the poll this season. They earned that right with a 3-1 road win over Maine Friday, in BC’s only game of the weekend.

Last week’s No. 2 team, Michigan, also held onto its position — and one first-place vote — via a sweep of Miami, while Minnesota rose to No. 3 by winning two at home against now sixth-ranked Wisconsin.

Three fellow WCHA teams followed the Gophers. Colorado College lost its first game of the season but not the voters’ respect, climbing three spots to No. 4 after a road split with new No. 5 North Dakota. The Tigers leapfrogged the Sioux in the rankings, although both teams gained ground overall.

No. 6 Wisconsin was followed by New Hampshire, and then by eighth-ranked Cornell, the nation’s only remaining unbeaten team and the holder of the poll’s remaining first-place vote. Minnesota-Duluth, meanwhile, lost twice in Anchorage and fell six spots to No. 9. Maine, which beat UNH Sunday after falling to BC, rounded out the top 10.

Denver dropped to No. 11, with CCHA schools Northern Michigan and Ohio State taking the next two slots. Colgate returned to the poll at No. 14, and Alaska-Anchorage debuted at No. 15 after its sweep of UMD.

Dropping out of the rankings were St. Lawrence and Nebraska-Omaha.