For RIT and Union, it was as good of a week as they could have off the ice. On Saturday, The NCAA's Division III membership voted to allow D-III schools playing D-I sports, to apply all D-I rules to their programs, giving them the ability to give athletic scholarships.
This past weekend felt much more normal with a ton of games across the board and very few cancelations. Hopefully, that’s the norm moving forward as we inch closer to conference tournaments and crowning a national champion in Boston in April.
Atlantic Hockey:
2022 has been very, very kind to American International College. Nine straight wins including eight conference victories has allowed the Yellow Jackets to storm to the top of Atlantic Hockey, leading the conference over Bentley and Canisius by eight points.
Big Ten:
Picked to finish last in the preseason coaches’ poll, Ohio State is out to prove everybody wrong and is now tied with Michigan atop the conference standings with 33 points.
CCHA:
It was a disappointing weekend for Bemidji State who was swept by Ferris State. It was a weekend where the Beavers could have solidified their second-place spot in the conference standings and put a little bit of pressure on Minnesota State.
ECAC:
After Quinnipiac took care of business on Friday against Colgate and Cornell had a slip up against Princeton, we finally got the Quinnipiac/Cornell matchup we’ve been waiting for and it surely did not disappoint. Cornell walked away with the 2-1 victory.
Hockey East
Don’t look now, but here comes Merrimack. The Warriors have won six of their last seven including this past weekend’s sweep of UMass Lowell. The Warriors are proving to be another tough team to play against in Hockey East.
NCHC:
NCHC TV is a must purchase for the final month of the season. Every single game is going to matter as six points separate first place Denver from fourth place Minnesota Duluth.
Here are this week’s HockeyBuzz NCAA Top-10 Power Rankings:
1) Minnesota State 23-5-0 (17-3-0 CCHA) | Last week: 1
The views of Minnesota State and St. Thomas playing outdoors in the snow this past weekend was awesome. Hockey at its purest. As expected, it was another weekend of dominating Minnesota State hockey with the Mavericks sweeping the Tommies.
2) Denver 16-5-1 (9-3-0 NCHC) | Last week: 4
It’s another jump up the rankings for the Pioneers who have won four straight and lost just once in their last 14 contests. Denver swept both games against Colorado College this past weekend, shutting the Tigers out in both. That marks three straight shutouts for Denver.
3) Western Michigan 16-5-0 (8-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 5
The Broncos too make a jump in the rankings following their weekend sweep of North Dakota. As impressive as Friday’s 4-1 victory was, Saturday’s 2-0 shutout was equally as impressive. Brandon Bussi had 58 saves over the weekend.
4) Quinnipiac 18-2-3 (9-1-1 ECAC) | Last week: 2
It’s hard to drop the Bobcats two spots after one loss, and one against a solid team like Cornell is, but it’s more about the other two teams ahead of them. The Bobcats hold a three-point lead over Clarkson and have yet to lose a conference game in regulation.
5) Michigan 19-7-1 (10-6-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 3
Michigan was solid in a difficult series with Minnesota, dropping Friday’s contest in overtime before walking away victorious Saturday with a 4-1 win. After trailing early on Saturday, Michigan riffled off four straight goals to lead the way to victory.
6) St. Cloud State 14-6-0 (6-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 6
The Huskies had a completely dominating weekend, outscoring Miami 19-1 in their weekend sweep. The contests were the Huskies first in just under three weeks and they did not show a single ounce of rust in the process.
7) Notre Dame 17-7-0 (9-5-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 8
Notre Dame played once this past week, a rescheduled contest with Boston College. The win was an easy one for the Irish who took BC down 8-0. Ryder Rolston notched a hat trick in the win and Grant Silianoff had a four-point day with a goal and three assists.
8) Cornell 13-4-1 (8-2-1 ECAC) | Last week: 7
It certainly felt like Cornell was looking past Friday’s contest with Princeton ahead of their much-anticipated matchup with Quinnipiac on Friday. The Big Red bounced back nicely after Friday’s loss, securing the overtime win on Saturday 2-1.
9) Massachusetts 12-6-2 (9-2-2 Hockey East) | Last week: NR
Just when I think UMass is going to go on a slide, they pull me right back in with an impressive weekend. That happened this past weekend in their sweep of Northeastern. More impressive than the pair of wins was the fact the Minutemen were able to get seven goals past Devon Levi who was pulled in Saturday’s loss.
10) Ohio State 18-7-1 (10-5-1 Big Ten) |Last week: NR
Welcome to the rankings, Ohio State. The Buckeyes have been rolling and continued doing so this weekend by sweeping Michigan State. Ohio State has lost just once in regulation since Dec. 10 and continue to surprise many in the Big Ten.
Previously ranked teams missing the cut: Minnesota Duluth, UMass Lowell
Other teams considered: Michigan Tech & Minnesota
Top-10 Power Rankings:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Prospect Reports:
Nathan Smith - Minnesota State/Jets Prospect
Josh Doan – Arizona State/Coyotes Prospect
Scott Morrow – UMass/Hurricanes Prospect
Mason Lohrei Ohio State/Bruins Prospect
Carter Savoie Denver/Oilers Prospect 
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