As I mentioned last week, it’s going to be a bumpy road en route to Boston and crowning a national champion. COVID robbed us of several games this week, including what would have been a fun weekend between Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.
Between COVID, and now college players being sent to the Olympics to represent their native countries, it’s going to be an interesting few months of college hockey.
Atlantic Hockey:
If you thought this would be the year AIC would fall off the cliff, allowing someone to come in and win Atlantic Hockey, you may want to think again. Winners of the last three Atlantic Hockey regular season championships and last two postseason titles, the Yellow Jackets have won all four conference games since the break and now lead the conference by three points.
Big Ten:
Once again Michigan came through with an impressive sweep, winning both games with UMass 4-1 and 4-2. Michigan is about to take a big hit, likely to lose some of their top players to the Olympics. Seeing how they respond will be fun to watch.
CCHA:
Northern Michigan kicked off the second half with two nice non-conference wins over Colgate. Minnesota State, Bowling Green and Bemidji State also all had weekend sweeps. With Minnesota State running away with the conference, the battle for home ice in the opening round of the playoffs is the race to watch here.
ECAC:
Given how quickly the Ivy League pulled the plug on winter spots last year, every time I see a tweet about cancelations inside the ECAC, I hold my breath. Cornell was the big winners of the weekend in the conference, sweeping North Dakota.
Hockey East:
After a slow start, Boston University has been rolling with three regulation losses in their last 10 games. They began 2022 with a sweep of Arizona State this past weekend. Northeastern picked up right where it left off, shutting out Long Island in both weekend games. Goalie Devon Levi is tied with Dryden McKay for the lead in shutouts with eight.
NCHC:
Miami, Colorado College and North Dakota were the only three NCHC schools to play this past weekend. Colorado College swept Miami while North Dakota lost both to Cornell.
Here are this week’s HockeyBuzz NCAA Top-10 Power Rankings:
1) Minnesota State 20-4-0 (14-2-0 CCHA) | Last week: 1
Unless the Mavericks fall completely on their face, it’s hard to see anyone knocking Minnesota State off the top of our rankings. The Mavericks took care of business this weekend against Ferris State, scoring seven goals in each game, allowing just one over the weekend. Nathan Smith continued his dominance, leading the nation with 33 points.
2) Quinnipiac 14-1-3 (5-0-1 ECAC) | Last week: 2
The Bobcats still have yet to play in 2022, having their game with Yale postponed Saturday due to COVID issues. Quinnipiac is set to return to action on Friday against Harvard and Sunday against Dartmouth. When the puck drops, it will be over a month since their last game.
3) Michigan 16-6-1 (7-5-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 5
Michigan makes a jump in the rankings after a solid sweep of Massachusetts. It was dominating hockey from start to finish in both games and a wakeup call for people (like me) who aren’t completely sold on Michigan. Talent can only get you so far, but Michigan is showing it’s made up of more than talent.
4) Western Michigan 14-5-0 (6-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 3
Western Michigan will return to action this weekend, hosting Colorado College for a pair. After that they have a weekend date with North Dakota, then Minnesota Duluth followed by St. Cloud State. We’re about to find out if the Broncos are really as good as we think they are. My bet? Yes, yes they are.
5) St. Cloud State 12-6-0 (4-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 4
As mentioned above, St. Cloud had its series with Minnesota Duluth postponed due to COVID issues. The Huskies are back in action this weekend against Denver.
6) Denver 12-5-1 (5-3-0 NCHC) | Last week: 6
Like St. Cloud, Denver also had a series postponed due to COVID, theirs with Omaha.
7) Minnesota Duluth 11-8-1 (4-3-1 NCHC) | Last week: 7
Did I jinx the teams in the middle of the rankings here? Following a COVID related cancelation, the Bulldogs return to action this weekend hosting Miami.
8) Notre Dame 15-6-0 (8-4-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 10
Notre Dame took care of business as expected this weekend, sweeping Penn State with a 4-2 victory on Friday and a 5-4 overtime win on Saturday. Trailing Minnesota by three points in the Big Ten, the Irish are in a log jam atop the conference standings. Next up is a huge weekend with Ohio State.
9) Cornell 11-3-1 (6-1-1 ECAC) | Last week: NR
The Big Red jump back into the rankings after an impressive showing at North Dakota. A sweep over North Dakota was the response they needed after a disappointing weekend sweep against Arizona State. Two more road games this coming weekend finish off eight straight road games for Cornell.
10) Northeastern 15-4-1 (7-3-1 Hockey East) | Last week: NR
There were several teams I was considering here for the final spot, but it’s time to give the Huskies the respect they deserve. They haven’t lost in regulation since Nov. 12 and have now won six straight games. Devon Levi is arguably the nation’s top goalie and junior Aidan McDonough has been outstanding with a team-high 15 goals.
Previously ranked teams missing the cut: North Dakota, Lowell
Other teams considered: Minnesota
Top-10 Power Rankings:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
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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