Here is this week’s, the WCHA Power Rankings. This season, I will be doing the WCHA Power Rankings for Inside Hockey with Taylor Seibel who is a contributor of College Hockey Weekly.
1. Minnesota Gophers – (3-1-0, WCHA 1-1-0) – This past weekend, the Minnesota Gophers split their weekend series with Michigan Tech (2-5 L – 3-2 W) in Houghton, Michigan. This weekend, the Gophers have an exhibition game with the US National Development Under 18 team on Friday night.
2. Denver University – (2-0-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Pioneers beat nonconference foes University of Mass-Lowell and Air Force Academy (5-1 W – 5-2) at Magness Arena. This weekend, the Pioneers entertain Michigan Tech in WCHA action.
3. University of North Dakota – (1-1-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, UND traveled to Fairbanks Alaska to play in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tourney, where they won their first game against of the tourney against the UAA Seawolves 5-0 W, then lost in the championship game against the UA Nanooks 1-2 L. This weekend, the Green and White entertain UAA Seawolves in WCHA action.
4. Colorado College – (3-1-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Tigers spit their weekend nonconference games. In their first game, the Tigers beat Atlantic Hockey foe Air Force Academy 6-2, the following night the Tigers lost to Hockey East Foe University of Mass-Lowell 1-3. This weekend, the Tigers travel to Ithaca, New York to play nonconference foe Cornell University of the ECAC.
5. Minnesota Duluth – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, UMD Bulldogs split their weekend series with CCHA foe Notre Dame at the new Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend Indiana (3-1 W – 1-4 L). This weekend, the Bull Dogs entertain the Wisconsin Badgers in WCHA action.
6. Michigan Tech – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Huskies split their weekend series against the high flying Minnesota Gophers (5-2 W – 2-3 L) at the John J. MacInnes Student Ice Arena. This weekend, the Huskies travel to Denver to play the Pioneers in WCHA action.
7. Nebraska Omaha – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Red Mavericks split their weekend series with the Northern Michigan Wildcats (5-2 – 1-2 L) in Omaha, Nebraska. This weekend, the Mavericks stay home to host the Bemidji State Beavers in WCHA action.
8. Saint Cloud State – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Huskies swept the Alabama Huntsville Chargers (8-3 W – 4-0W) at the National Hockey Center. This weekend, the Huskies entertain the Minnesota State Mavericks in WCHA action.
9. Wisconsin – (0-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Badgers were idle. This weekend, the Badgers travel to Duluth to play the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a crucial WCHA series at Amsoil Arena.
10. Minnesota State Mankato – (2-0-2, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Purple Mavericks beat and tied the Rensselaer Engineers (3-3 T – 4-3 W O.T.) at the Verizon Wireless Center, in Mankato, Minnesota. This weekend, the Mavericks travel to Saint Cloud to play the Huskies
11. Bemidji State – (1-1-0, WCHA) – This past weekend, the Beavers split their weekend series with the Lakers of Lake Superior State University (0-2 L – 5-0 W). This weekend, the Beavers travel to Nebraska, Omaha to play the UNO Mavericks.
12. Alaska Anchorage – (2-1-1, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Seawolves Traveled to the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tourney, where the Seawolves lost to UND 0-5 L and beat Merrimack College 6-3. This weekend, the Seawolves travel to Grand Forks to play UND in WCHA action.
Here is Taylor Seibel’s power rankings for the WCHA.
1. Minnesota – (3-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) – Despite nearly getting swept in Houghton, Minnesota stays at #1 on my list. Michigan Tech is a very strong team that should get plenty of victories over top teams this season. However, Minnesota will have to fix some of their defensive miscues if they want to keep the top spot. Up next for the Gophers is Canisius on Sunday.
2. North Dakota – (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – North Dakota played very well in a 5-0 victory on Friday. Then on Saturday, UND laid an egg. Now, certainly there are plenty of excuses that could be used to explain the loss, but at the end of the day a top team should win that game. UND will have a chance to get back on track next weekend as they open up WCHA play against Anchorage.
3. Denver – (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Denver looked shaky coming into the season, but put everything together this weekend, as they beat Lowell 5-1 on Friday and followed that up with a 5-2 victory over Air Force. Denver begins WCHA play next weekend as they host Michigan Tech in what should be a great early season contest.
4. Michigan Tech – (2-2-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) – The Huskies move up to #4 for me after a very impressive weekend. Tech split a series with the consensus #1 team in the country, and they dominated stretches of the weekend. Tech could have very well swept the series if not for some impressive goaltending by Minnesota’s Adam Wilcox. Michigan Tech travels to Denver this weekend.
5. SCSU – (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – St. Cloud was able to handle Alabama Huntsville this past weekend getting the sweep. The Huskies’ defense shut down the Chargers in getting the shutout, and they will have to keep that up if they wish to compete for the MacNaughton Cup this season. SCSU hosts Minnesota State Mankato this weekend in WCHA play.
6. Wisconsin – (0-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Badgers did not play this weekend, but they received some decent news that star Freshman Nic Kerdiles’ suspension would be reduced to 10 games (as opposed to the whole season). We’ll see if Kerdiles still decides to stay at Wisconsin, but hopefully he can provide a boost for the Badgers. Wisconsin travels to Duluth to take on the Bulldogs this weekend in WCHA play.
7. Minnesota Duluth – (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Duluth traveled to South Bend and split a Thursday-Friday series with the Irish. Duluth has shown flashes of brilliance that could very well land them in the top half of my rankings sooner than later. Duluth hosts Wisconsin in WCHA play next weekend.
8. Colorado College – (3-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Tigers beat local rival Air Force on Friday before falling to Doug Carr and the Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks on Saturday. Lowell is a very strong team, so nothing to get too worked up about down in the Springs. CC continues their non-conference schedule next weekend, as they travel to Cornell.
9. Nebraska Omaha – (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Another weekend, another split for the Mavericks. This time, UNO split a series against Northern Michigan. Early on, UNO has been very inconsistent, scoring 10 goals in their 2 wins, but only 3 in their 2 losses. Next weekend, UNO will look to cure those inconsistencies as they host Bemidji State.
10. Minnesota State – (2-0-2, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Mavericks proved that they continue to be the cardiac kids, as they came back to tie and beat ECAC foe RPI this past weekend. Mankato has the talent and coaching to make a significant rise up these rankings, and that could very well start next weekend as the Mavericks travel to St. Cloud to take on the Huskies.
11. Bemidji State – (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Beavers met up with future WCHA foe Lake Superior State in Bemidji this weekend and managed to split, losing 2-0 on Friday before turning the tables and shutting out the Lakers 5-0 on Saturday. The Beavers will need strong defensive performances like they had on Saturday if they wish to challenge for home ice this season. Bemidji travels to Omaha next weekend to take on UNO.
12. Alaska Anchorage – (2-1-1, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Anchorage was soundly defeated by North Dakota on Friday at the Alaska Goal Rush 5-0, but the Seawolves responded nicely with a 6-3 victory over Merrimack on Friday. The Seawolves look to get some revenge next weekend as they travel to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota, this time in WCHA play.
2. Denver University – (2-0-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Pioneers beat nonconference foes University of Mass-Lowell and Air Force Academy (5-1 W – 5-2) at Magness Arena. This weekend, the Pioneers entertain Michigan Tech in WCHA action.
3. University of North Dakota – (1-1-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, UND traveled to Fairbanks Alaska to play in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tourney, where they won their first game against of the tourney against the UAA Seawolves 5-0 W, then lost in the championship game against the UA Nanooks 1-2 L. This weekend, the Green and White entertain UAA Seawolves in WCHA action.
4. Colorado College – (3-1-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Tigers spit their weekend nonconference games. In their first game, the Tigers beat Atlantic Hockey foe Air Force Academy 6-2, the following night the Tigers lost to Hockey East Foe University of Mass-Lowell 1-3. This weekend, the Tigers travel to Ithaca, New York to play nonconference foe Cornell University of the ECAC.
5. Minnesota Duluth – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, UMD Bulldogs split their weekend series with CCHA foe Notre Dame at the new Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend Indiana (3-1 W – 1-4 L). This weekend, the Bull Dogs entertain the Wisconsin Badgers in WCHA action.
6. Michigan Tech – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Huskies split their weekend series against the high flying Minnesota Gophers (5-2 W – 2-3 L) at the John J. MacInnes Student Ice Arena. This weekend, the Huskies travel to Denver to play the Pioneers in WCHA action.
7. Nebraska Omaha – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Red Mavericks split their weekend series with the Northern Michigan Wildcats (5-2 – 1-2 L) in Omaha, Nebraska. This weekend, the Mavericks stay home to host the Bemidji State Beavers in WCHA action.
8. Saint Cloud State – (2-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Huskies swept the Alabama Huntsville Chargers (8-3 W – 4-0W) at the National Hockey Center. This weekend, the Huskies entertain the Minnesota State Mavericks in WCHA action.
9. Wisconsin – (0-2-0, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Badgers were idle. This weekend, the Badgers travel to Duluth to play the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a crucial WCHA series at Amsoil Arena.
10. Minnesota State Mankato – (2-0-2, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Purple Mavericks beat and tied the Rensselaer Engineers (3-3 T – 4-3 W O.T.) at the Verizon Wireless Center, in Mankato, Minnesota. This weekend, the Mavericks travel to Saint Cloud to play the Huskies
11. Bemidji State – (1-1-0, WCHA) – This past weekend, the Beavers split their weekend series with the Lakers of Lake Superior State University (0-2 L – 5-0 W). This weekend, the Beavers travel to Nebraska, Omaha to play the UNO Mavericks.
12. Alaska Anchorage – (2-1-1, WCHA 0-0-0) – This past weekend, the Seawolves Traveled to the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tourney, where the Seawolves lost to UND 0-5 L and beat Merrimack College 6-3. This weekend, the Seawolves travel to Grand Forks to play UND in WCHA action.
Here is Taylor Seibel’s power rankings for the WCHA.
1. Minnesota – (3-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) – Despite nearly getting swept in Houghton, Minnesota stays at #1 on my list. Michigan Tech is a very strong team that should get plenty of victories over top teams this season. However, Minnesota will have to fix some of their defensive miscues if they want to keep the top spot. Up next for the Gophers is Canisius on Sunday.
2. North Dakota – (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – North Dakota played very well in a 5-0 victory on Friday. Then on Saturday, UND laid an egg. Now, certainly there are plenty of excuses that could be used to explain the loss, but at the end of the day a top team should win that game. UND will have a chance to get back on track next weekend as they open up WCHA play against Anchorage.
3. Denver – (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Denver looked shaky coming into the season, but put everything together this weekend, as they beat Lowell 5-1 on Friday and followed that up with a 5-2 victory over Air Force. Denver begins WCHA play next weekend as they host Michigan Tech in what should be a great early season contest.
4. Michigan Tech – (2-2-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) – The Huskies move up to #4 for me after a very impressive weekend. Tech split a series with the consensus #1 team in the country, and they dominated stretches of the weekend. Tech could have very well swept the series if not for some impressive goaltending by Minnesota’s Adam Wilcox. Michigan Tech travels to Denver this weekend.
5. SCSU – (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – St. Cloud was able to handle Alabama Huntsville this past weekend getting the sweep. The Huskies’ defense shut down the Chargers in getting the shutout, and they will have to keep that up if they wish to compete for the MacNaughton Cup this season. SCSU hosts Minnesota State Mankato this weekend in WCHA play.
6. Wisconsin – (0-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Badgers did not play this weekend, but they received some decent news that star Freshman Nic Kerdiles’ suspension would be reduced to 10 games (as opposed to the whole season). We’ll see if Kerdiles still decides to stay at Wisconsin, but hopefully he can provide a boost for the Badgers. Wisconsin travels to Duluth to take on the Bulldogs this weekend in WCHA play.
7. Minnesota Duluth – (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Duluth traveled to South Bend and split a Thursday-Friday series with the Irish. Duluth has shown flashes of brilliance that could very well land them in the top half of my rankings sooner than later. Duluth hosts Wisconsin in WCHA play next weekend.
8. Colorado College – (3-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Tigers beat local rival Air Force on Friday before falling to Doug Carr and the Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks on Saturday. Lowell is a very strong team, so nothing to get too worked up about down in the Springs. CC continues their non-conference schedule next weekend, as they travel to Cornell.
9. Nebraska Omaha – (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Another weekend, another split for the Mavericks. This time, UNO split a series against Northern Michigan. Early on, UNO has been very inconsistent, scoring 10 goals in their 2 wins, but only 3 in their 2 losses. Next weekend, UNO will look to cure those inconsistencies as they host Bemidji State.
10. Minnesota State – (2-0-2, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Mavericks proved that they continue to be the cardiac kids, as they came back to tie and beat ECAC foe RPI this past weekend. Mankato has the talent and coaching to make a significant rise up these rankings, and that could very well start next weekend as the Mavericks travel to St. Cloud to take on the Huskies.
11. Bemidji State – (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) – The Beavers met up with future WCHA foe Lake Superior State in Bemidji this weekend and managed to split, losing 2-0 on Friday before turning the tables and shutting out the Lakers 5-0 on Saturday. The Beavers will need strong defensive performances like they had on Saturday if they wish to challenge for home ice this season. Bemidji travels to Omaha next weekend to take on UNO.
12. Alaska Anchorage – (2-1-1, 0-0-0 WCHA) – Anchorage was soundly defeated by North Dakota on Friday at the Alaska Goal Rush 5-0, but the Seawolves responded nicely with a 6-3 victory over Merrimack on Friday. The Seawolves look to get some revenge next weekend as they travel to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota, this time in WCHA play.
