HockeyBuzz NCAA Top-10 Power Rankings
Despite a handful of COVID related cancelations across the college hockey landscape, several teams returned to action after Christmas and through the end of 2021.
As COVID continues to cause issues across the country, college hockey is no different with games being canceled left and right. It’s clear that there’s going to be many bumps in the road before we get to Boston and crown a national champion.
Atlantic Hockey:
AIC entered the holiday break with the fewest conference games among its Atlantic Hockey peers and because of that, sat in the middle of the group. But with a weekend sweep of Air Force, just like that the Yellow Jackets are tied for second in the conference.
Big Ten:
Six of the seven Big Ten schools have dropped the puck post-holiday break, Minnesota the lone school not to. But it’s Michigan the most talked about stemming from their cancelation.
Scheduled to participate in the Great Lakes Invitational, a two-day tournament, the Wolverines canceled their second of two games citing COVID issues. They did, however, play in their opening game, a scoreless tie against Michigan Tech.
CCHA:
Minnesota State kicked off the second half with a tough back-to-back set with Minnesota Duluth. But as has been the case for most of the year for the Mavericks, they came through with two more complete efforts, sweeping the Bulldogs with victories of 2-1 and 3-0.
ECAC:
With non-conference games across the slate, Cornell got off to a rough start in 2022, dropping a pair of games to Arizona State.
Hockey East:
Hockey East has been hit hard by COVID cancelations since the break, but Boston College has had a nice start to the second half after non-conference wins over Mercyhurst and Dartmouth.
NCHC:
Teams inside the NCHC will pick up the volume next week to kick off the second half, with just a handful of games being played since the break. St. Cloud state was the only NCHC team to earn a pair of second half wins, skating past Bemidji State in the two games they met in.
Here are this week’s HockeyBuzz NCAA Top-10 Power Rankings:
1) Minnesota State 18-4-0 (12-2-0 CCHA) | Last week: 1
There is no denying that the Mavericks are the top team in the country and are destined for another Frozen Four appearance. It was another sweep of a good team for Minnesota State and another shutout added to the resume of Dryden McKay.
2) Quinnipiac 14-1-3 (5-0-1 ECAC) | Last week: 2
Quinnipiac has yet to return to action following the break, they’ll do so this coming weekend when they host Brown on Friday and Yale on Saturday. The Bobcats are deep with talent as they feature 13 skaters with two or more goals.
3) Western Michigan 14-5-0 (6-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 3
Thanks to Michigan robbing us of a highly anticipated contest with the Broncos, Western Michigan played just once in the GLI, a 3-1 victory over Michigan State. Hopefully the hockey gods repay us with a Michigan vs. Western Michigan matchup in the NCAA Tournament.
4) St. Cloud State 12-6-0 (4-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 7
The Huskies jump up in the rankings in large part to them playing a pair of games during the week, sweeping a good Bemidji State team. It was a much-needed successful weekend after a rough end to the first half of the season.
5) Michigan 14-6-1 (7-5-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 4
Should Michigan still be ahead of St. Cloud? Yeah, probably, but the stuff they pulled in the GLI leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Had they provided a more logical explanation behind their decision, many, myself included would feel differently.
6) Denver 12-5-1 (5-3-0 NCHC) | Last week: 8
Denver also makes a jump in the rankings after their weekend set with Alaska. The Pioneers skated to a 7-2 victory in the first of two, tying the Nanooks in the second game, 4-4. After a bit of a slow start to the season, Denver is cruising again, 8-1-1 in their last 10. Don’t be surprised if you see Denver continuing to climb these rankings in the coming weeks.
7) Minnesota Duluth 11-8-1 (4-3-1 NCHC) | Last week: 5
It’s hard to fault Duluth for being swept by Minnesota State, seeing as how dominant they’ve been this season. But now Duluth has just one win in their last six and head to St. Cloud State this upcoming weekend for a very important set.
8) North Dakota 13-6-0 (8-2-0 NCHC) | Last week: 6
The Fighting Hawks have yet to play in the second half except for an exhibition game against the U.S. National Under-18 Team. North Dakota’s excellent conference record has them atop the NCHC standings. They kick off their second half this coming weekend with a set against Cornell.
9) UMass-Lowell 11-3-3 (8-2-1 Hockey East) | Last week: 10
Lowell has played just once since the break, a 3-2 non-conference win over Sacred Heart. Their home-and-home set with Bentley that was supposed to begin on Wednesday was postponed due to COVID related issues.
10) Notre Dame 13-6-0 (6-4-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 9
The Fighting Irish has played twice in the second half, splitting their series with Niagara. Their stay in my rankings is due to how they responded to Friday’s loss, bouncing back Saturday with 5-0 shutout. Next up is a weekend set with Penn State, followed by a key series with Ohio State.
Previously ranked teams missing the cut: None
Other teams considered: Cornell, U-Mass, Northeastern, Minnesota
Top-10 Power Rankings:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
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 
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