SBN Power Rankings

For the second week in a row, the Minnesota Golden Gophers took every first-place vote available from our staff here at SBN College Hockey.  St. Cloud State now joins the Gophers as the last two teams in the country without a loss, as they pulled off a sweep of North Dakota on the road, thus finding a large jump in our rankings this week.

Providence, Miami, Quinnipiac, and Boston College are all separated by only 6 points this week.

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Ranking	Chris Dilks	Jeff Cox	Nate Wells	Matt Christians	Evan Sporer	SBN FINAL RANK
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1. Minnesota  5-0-1 (50)

The Gophers were off last weekend after a 5-0-1 start to the season that included wins against New Hampshire, Bemidji State and Boston College. It allowed Minnesota to heal up as several top teams, including next weekend's opponent Notre Dame, lost at least once.

- Nate Wells

2. St. Cloud State  5-0-1 (42)

If there were any doubts of St. Cloud State's abilities before the weekend, they've been erased, as the Huskies swept North Dakota in Grand Forks for the first time since 2006.  The Huskies squeezed by North Dakota in a 3-2 Friday night battle and finished the sweep on Saturday, as they beat North Dakota 3-1.  Next weekend, St. Cloud State hosts Miami in what's bound to be an excited weekend series.

- Matt Christians

3. Michigan  6-1-1 (39)

The Wolverines swept Michigan Tech at home in non-conference play. Michigan won in overtime Friday 2-1 before defeating the Huskies 3-2 Saturday. Defense has been key.Freshman goaltender Zach Nagelvoort has started Michigan's last 5 games and currently leads the NCAA with a .948 save percentage (goalies who have played more than 2 games).

- Nate Wells

4. Providence  5-1-1  (31)

The Friars split the weekend series with Boston University, but came close to sweeping if not for a blown 3-0 lead at Agganis Arena on Fridaynight. Ross Mauermann continues to light up opposing goalies. The Janesville, Wis. native had three goals and two assists on the weekend.

- Jeff Cox

5. Miami  5-2-1 (29)

After having a few stressful outings, Miami cleared things up this weekend with a convincing sweep of the Canisius Golden Griffins.  The Redhawks have the tools they need find wins night after night, but consistency must be found in order to keep the Hawks on track to Philadelphia.  Austin Czarnik positioned himself as the NCHC's point leader this weekend with 14 points, followed by teammates Riley Barber with 12 and Blake Coleman with 11.  As stated above, Miami heads to St. Cloud State next weekend.

- Matt Christians

6. Quinnipiac  8-1-0 (27)

The Bobcats extended its winning streak to eight games this weekend by defeating Colgate and Cornell by a combined 10-2 score. Senior forward Connor Jones tallied four points (3G-1A), including both game-winners, en route to being named SB Nation's ECAC First Star. It's safe to say Quinnipiac's season-opening loss to Alaska-Anchorage is looking less like the norm.

- Nate Wells

7. Boston College  4-2-1 (26)

The Eagles swept Northeastern in a hard fought series. "I'll sleep well tonight," said Jerry York after Saturday's game. The Eagles continue to get production from their tremendous freshmen class, but Johnny Gaudreau had three more scores on the weekend. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Kevin Hayes was an absolute beast on the ice this weekend.

- Jeff Cox

8. Notre Dame  6-2-0 (11)

The Fighting Irish got a rude awakening to Hockey East in Burlington this weekend. Notre Dame lost the first game to Vermont, 2-1, and trailed 2-0 in the second before scoring three consecutive goals for the victory. A home series with top-ranked Minnesota looms before the conference home opener against Merrimack the following week.

- Jeff Cox

9. UMass-Lowell  5-3-0 (9)

Any talk of a Frozen Four hangover is now over, or at least cured, for the time being. The River Hawks swept New Hampshire over the weekend to move the team's win streak to four games. What really stands out when watching UML is the team's cohesiveness and commitment to the game plan.

- Jeff Cox

10. North Dakota  2-3-1 (5)

North Dakota took a huge hit this weekend, being swept by the St. Cloud State Huskies this past weekend on their own soil.  It was the first time in four years that North Dakota was swept by an opponent in Ralph Engelstad Arena, and the first time since 2006 since St. Cloud State had made this accomplishment.  Although North Dakota looks to be having a down year, it's wise never to underestimate Dave Hakstol's teams, as North Dakota always fines a way to make things click.

- Matt Christians

Friendship Awards

Cornell (4 points), Clarkson (1 point), RPI (1 point)

Agree? Disagree? We want to hear what you think!

Enjoy,

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Matt Christians covers Minnesota Duluth and the NCHC for SB Nation and College Hockey News. You can also give him a follow here -> Follow @matt_christians