College Hockey Rankings: Boston College Soaring Higher

The Boston College Eagles are soaring as of lately, giving pressure to our unanimous #1 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers once again.  NCAA WEEKEND ROUNDUP

Minnesota remained in first this week, while Boston College moved up two spots from last week right under Minnesota.  Union made a 3-spot jump to 3rd, Quinnipiac fell one place to 4th, Ferris State tumbled down to 5th, and St. Cloud state falls again, this time just one spot to 5th.

Providence rejoins the the rankings this week, and is accompanied by a red-hot Western Michigan team and are both tied for the last spot, kicking Yale out.

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Ranking	Chris Dilks	Jeff Cox	Nate Wells	Matt Christians	Evan Sporer	SBN FINAL RANK
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1. Minnesota  17-2-3 (50)

Playing both outdoors Friday as part of the Hockey City Classic and indoors the next afternoon did not deter the Golden Gophers this weekend. Minnesota extended its unbeaten streak to 10 with a pair of wins over Ohio State in Big Ten play. Taylor Cammarata scored the lone goal at TCF Bank Stadium and Adam Wilcox made 21 saves in a 1-0 win. The next night saw both offenses, which entered the weekend second and third in goals per game, in a 4-2 Gophers win. After falling behind 2-0, Sam Warning scored the team's first natural hat trick since October 2010. Minnesota next plays St. Cloud State Friday in the first round of the inaugural North Star College Cup. (Hockey City Classic Photo Gallery)

- Nate Wells

2. Boston College 16-4-3 (43)

Much has been made of Boston College’s new top line. After defeating Boston University on Saturday, York said the group might be the best "in decades" for the Eagles. Since this line was established on Dec. 6, BC has scored 5.11 goals per game, nearly more than 0.5 than any other team in the country, and nearly 0.8 more goals per game for the Eagles. Johnny Gaudreau is riding an 18-game point streak during which he’s poured in 39 points, and his new line has exploded for 58 collective points in its nine games together. It’s time to start talking about this trio as one of the best lines in the history of college hockey.

- Evan Sporer

3. Union 15-4-3 (42)

While other teams in the top five struggled last weekend, Union continued to chug along with a pair of 3-1 wins on the road at New Hampshire last weekend. The Dutchmen still trail Quinnipiac by a point in the ECAC standings, but have an extra two games in hand on the Bobcats and look to be favorites to win the league.

- Chris Dilks

4. Quinnipiac  18-4-5 (33)

The Bobcats destroyed Merrimack on Friday, but Merrimack College upset No. 5 Quinnipiac, 6-3, on Saturday night at Lawler Arena, but it was Quinnipiac freshman Sam Anas who scored a highlight reel goal for the ages.  The Bobcats will venture to Dartmouth on January 31st.

- Jeff Cox

5. Ferris State  17-5-3  (28)

The Bulldogs had a chance to all but wrap up the WCHA title race this past weekend, but were swept on the road at Minnesota State for their first two losses in WCHA play, bringing Minnesota State back into the title picture. The Bulldogs were overwhelmed on Friday night in a 6-2 loss to the Mavericks. Saturday's game was a wild affair, featuring a big fight in the third period, but at the end, Ferris State dropped the second game by a 4-3 score.

- Chris Dilks

6. St. Cloud State  12-4-4 (25)

It was an all-around disappointing weekend for the Huskies, who managed just a single league point in a home series against Western Michigan. On Friday night, the Huskies held a 4-1 second period lead before the Broncos stormed back and forced a 5-5 tie, with St. Cloud dropping the shootout. On Saturday, the Huskies lost a hard-fought 2-1 game, and fell victim to a blown call that would have tied the game at 2-2 with 2:09 remaining in the third period.

- Chris Dilks

7. Wisconsin  13-6-1 (20)

A week after sweeping Michigan to take over second place in the Big Ten standings, the Badgers were idle last weekend. Wisconsin concludes its 12 game homestand this weekend against Ohio State, in game that Nic Kerdiles will not play in. Home has certainly treated the Badgers well. The team is 9-1 since beginning the Kohl Center residency on December 6.

- Nate Wells

8. UMass-Lowell  15-6-2 (12)

The Riverhawks had another impressive outing, tying a very talented Maine team, before defeating the Boston University Terriers the following night in a 3-1 outing.  UMass-Lowell will travel to Providence to play the Friars in what should be a very intense and exciting series this upcoming weekend.

- Matt Christians

9. Northeastern 14-7-3 (7)

On Friday, Clay Witt stole the show once again, making 46 saves to lead Northeastern to a 3-2 victory over Vermont in front of 2,453 at Matthews Arena. The junior has made 131 saves the past three games over a span of just 10 days, all Huskies wins.  Saturday differed, though, as NU fell 4-1 to Vermont.  Next up, NU will head west to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

- Jeff Cox

t10. Providence  14-5-5 (5)

The Friars drew even against the NCHC's Colorado College Tigers on Friday, but came back the following night to discombobulate the Tigers in a 7-2 rout in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Providence will host the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks this upcoming weekend in what should be a very interesting series.

- Matt Christians

t10. Western Michigan  12-8-4 (5)

Western Michigan has been slowly climbing the rankings (in our minds, anyway) for quite some time.  The Broncos haven'y lost since before the won the Great Lakes Invitational back in December - falling to Minnesota Duluth in a close 4-3 battle in Duluth, Minnesota. This past weekend, coach Andy Murray's Bronco's traveled to St. Cloud State where they tied the Huskies on Friday in a 5-5 edge-of-your-seat game, followed by a 2-1 win on Saturday.  The Broncos host the UMD Bulldogs at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, MI in two weeks.

- Matt Christians

Friendship Awards

Clarkson (3 points), North Dakota (2 points)

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