1. Lowell
Go ahead, make a case for another team being here when the RiverHawks haven't lost in 11 games and the reigning top team just lost two in a row at home to the reigning worst team.
2. Boston College
That said, a healthy Eagles squad is still the best in the league. We just can't put them back up top until they're healthy (or until Lowell loses).
3. UNH
The Wildcats were outshot for the first time in 2013 in both games against Merrimack this weekend. Not a good way to be for a team whose goaltending hasn't been much better than suspect over the past 2 months
4. Boston University
Funny that a team that doesn't even have control of its own home-ice spot in the conference playoffs is first, while the team that had arguably the most impressive weekend of the season sits in fourth, isn't it?
5. Providence
Jon Gillies was exposed this weekend, but the Friars aren't about to go away. Unless their upcoming schedule (only three games against teams below them in the standings) has anything to say about it.
6. Merrimack
A push with UNH is impressive enough for a team that's in a rebuilding year, but Merrimack's going to need to ramp things up over the next six weeks to have any look at playing games in late March.
7. Vermont
It's tough to tell just who these Cats are, but it's hard not to like what Brody Hoffman's doing up in Burlington.
8. Massachusetts
John Micheletto's team may be a year away from a Hockey East playoff berth, but they're starting to play more consistently, which is as important as anything at this time of year.
9. Maine
Normally, a sweep of the best team in the conference on their ice for the first time in 20 years would be a bigger deal, but BC was playing shorthanded all weekend, and Maine just did what they should have done, despite the obvious talent disparity.
10. Northeastern
As loud as the cries once were for Tim Whitehead's job (see: last week), those calls for Jim Madigan's head should start to reach that volume after a debacle of a weekend against a very good Lowell team.