For the third consecutive poll, the Plattsburgh Cardinals are the top team in nation. They again received 17 first place votes after edging then-No. 7 Oswego in overtime and skating past Cortland, 5-3.
Likewise, the University of Wisconsin-Superior again garnered the other three first place tallies after registering wins over previously ninth ranked UW-Stevens Point and then-No. 10 UW-Eau Claire.
Rankings three through five — held by undefeated Middlebury, suddenly struggling St. Norbert, and Elmira — also remained unchanged despite the latter two teams each dropping a contest.
The lack of movement at the top of the poll can be attributed to many teams losing at least one game last weekend. Though Oswego’s rise from sixth to seventh can be credited to their hard-fought defeat at the hands of Plattsburgh, their shutout victory over Potsdam, and also to previously No. 6 Norwich’s loss to Hamilton and tie to Amherst, though both contests took place on the road. The Cadets fell six spots to No. 12.
While Norwich was the team to fall the furthest, the University of Wisconsin-Stout ascended quickly, jumping five spots to seventh. The Blue Devils rise came after a convincing win over St. Norbert, 5-2, and eking by Lake Forest the next evening, 4-3. They are now 9-4 on the season.
For Adrian, it was just business as usual. Another two wins — the Bulldogs swept the Milwaukee School of Engineering — maintained their normal eighth spot in the poll.
Similar to fellow NCHA conference member UW-Stout’s impressive ascension, St. Scholastica — winners of five in a row since being shutout at home by then-top ranked St. Norbert — rose a startling six spots in the poll to ninth, also following huge wins over Eau Claire and Stevens Point.
A sweep of St. Mary’s (4-2 and 7-6 in overtime) propelled Hamline up three spots to No. 10.
While a victory over Utica and loss to new-No. 14 Manhattanville kept Hobart at No. 11, those that followed in the poll (Norwich and UW-Stevens Point) both fell from precipitous heights to land at Nos. 12 and 13, respectively.
At 5-2-1 on the season, Manhattanville used upsets of fifth ranked Elmira and No. 11 Hobart to re-enter the poll at 14, displacing Bowdoin who dropped a notch despite victories over Colby (3-1) and Castleton (5-3).
After defeats at the hands of St. Scholastica and the University of Wisconsin-Superior, UW-Eau Claire dropped out of this week’s poll.
