Colorado College Replaces DU Atop College Hockey Power Rankings

Well, I guess I was wrong about Denver.  The Pioneers made the trip to Houghton, Michigan to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies.  The Huskies earned three points against a tough Pioneer squad.  

Tech may be one of the surprise teams this year.  They have already swept a good Wisconsin team.

The Huskies hold a 5-2-1 mark.

Meanwhile, Pioneer rival Colorado College swept RPI to move to 4-0-0.

Perhaps the biggest story in college hockey is the upcoming series between North Dakota and Minnesota.  North Dakota has been struggling of late, while the Gophers are white hot.  However, as always, rankings and records don't matter in this series.  Don't be surprised to see UND pull a sweep of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  

Here are this week's power rankings:

Dropped out: Wisconsin (15), North Dakota (11), Northern Michigan (13)

First 5 out: Michigan Tech, Wisconsin, Northern Michigan, North Dakota, UNO, and Miami

15. Quinnipiac (6-2-0): The Bobcats have scored 19 goals in their last four games (3-1-0), but haven't been tested yet.  

14. Union (3-1-3):  Union ranks in the top 10 in both team offense and team defense.  Furthermore, the Dutchmen have the third-best power play in the country.

13. Ferris State (6-2-0): Michigan proved to be better than Ferris State (5-2, 4-0).  However, Ferris State can rebound this weekend against Bowling Green.  The Bulldogs have the third-best penalty kill in the country.

12. Boston University (3-2-1): BU took care of business, earning three points from UMass.  The Terriers boast the 10th-best team offense in the country.

11. Yale (1-0-1): Yale took three points in their first series of the season.  They've got a relatively easy month of November where the Bulldogs could get hot.

10. Minnesota-Duluth (4-3-1): The Bulldogs are coming off of a sweep of Bemidji State (6-2, 1-0).  It appears the NCAA Title hangover may be wearing off.  However, they've got to travel to Denver this weekend for a tough series.

9. Lake Superior State (7-1-0): The Lakers are coming off a sweep of Miami.  Their lone loss this season was a 1-0 shutout at the hands of Bowling Green.  

8. Denver (3-2-1): The Pioneers managed only a point in Houghton last weekend and it's not going to get any easier with Minnesota-Duluth traveling to Denver.  However, the Pioneers have outscored their opponents 14-4 at home. 

7. Western Michigan (5-0-3): The Mustangs took care of business against Northern Michigan, but they've got another tough test against Michigan this weekend.  Western Michigan boasts the fourth-best team defense in the country and will need it to maintain their unbeaten record.

6. Merrimack (6-0-0): Merrimack has outscored their opponents 22-7 so far.

5. Notre Dame (5-2-0): Forward Anders Lee leads the nation in goals.  The Irish have a tough test on the road against Northern Michigan this weekend.

4. Minnesota (7-1-0): The Gophers have five players who have recorded over 10 points.  Goaltender Kent Patterson leads the nation in shutouts (four) and is eighth in save percentage (.939).  This weekend will be a major test for the Gopher netminder as North Dakota comes to Minneapolis.

3. Michigan (6-1-1): The Wolverines looked good in their sweep of Ferris State, outscoring the Bulldogs 9-2 in the series. Goaltender Shawn Hunwick ranks third in the nation with a 1.3746 goals against average.  If Hunwick plays well, the Wolverines could hand Western Michigan their first loss of the season.

2. Boston College (7-1-0): The Eagles are on a hot streak, they've won five games in a row.  BC's schedule is starting to ramp up, with upcoming series against Maine and UMass.

1. Colorado College (4-0-0): The Tigers have outscored their opponents 17-7 through 4 games and Jaden Schwartz has notched six points (three goals, three assists).  Furthermore, netminder Joe Howe leads the nation in save percentage and goals against average (0.902).  CC has a tough test this weekend against UNO in Omaha.  Dean Blais always has the Mavericks ready to play.