SB Nation’s Women’s College Hockey Division 1 Poll: Calm Seas Ahead?

Teams are certainly starting to emerge at this point in the season.  There was only one top ten team that lost a game to a team outside of the ranking in week 7, while two teams dropped a pair against fellow top ten members.  The coming week is light on marquee games, but with the chaos that has been around so far this season there is plenty of room for surprise.

1. Wisconsin (11-0-1), (16) 160 — Last Week: 1

• Last Week: W 5-0 v Bemidji State (11/5), W 6-0 v Bemidji State (11/5)

• Coming week: No Games

Ann-Renée Desbiens did not disappoint, stopping all 36 shots that came her way as the Badgers whacked the Beavers by a cumulative score of 11-0.  The Badgers remain unanimous in the top spot and should remain so as both they and the Gophers are idle this coming week.

2. Minnesota (11-1-0), 144 — Last Week: 2

• Last Week: W 5-0 v Minnesota State (11/4), W 8-1 v Minnesota State (11/4)

• Coming week: No Games

The Gophers took the Mavericks out to the woodshed and beat them soundly.  The second game had them tied midway through the second frame before Minnesota exploded for six goals in the period routing Minnesota State.  Their second place spot should be secure for another week as they will be idle.

3. Minnesota-Duluth (6-2-2), 119 — Last Week: 3

• Last Week: No Games

• Coming week: @ North Dakota (11/12,11/13)

After a useful week off, the Bulldogs will have to travel to North Dakota to take on a team that also had the week off but had been playing very well before their break.  With the other mid ranked teams surging around them these are a pair of must wins.

4. St. Lawrence (9-0-1), 99 — Last week: 7

• Last Week: W 3-1 @ Princeton (11/4), W 1-0 @ Quinnipiac (11/5)

• Coming Week: v RPI (11/11), v Union (11/12)

The Cinderella story continues.  Becoming the first team to repeat as Belles of the Ball, the Saints went on the road against two top ten teams and took a pair of conference W’s.  They have a pair of games against teams they should beat to maintain their undefeated record, matched only by Wisconsin and Colgate.

5. Colgate (10-0-1), 90 — Last Week: 6

• Last Week: W 2-1 v Cornell (11/1), W 6-2 @ RIT (11/4), W 4-1 v RIT (11/5)

• Coming week: v Yale (11/11), v Brown (11/12)

The Raiders took an important game from Cornell mid week and then handled their business against a reeling RIT team.  This weekend sees a return to ECAC play with two should win games.

6. Clarkson (8-3-1), 74 — Last Week: 8

• Last Week: W 4-1 @ Quinnipiac (11/4), W 4-2 @ Princeton (11/5)

• Coming week: v Union (11/11), v RPI (11/12)

The Golden Knights did what they needed to do to steady themselves with a great road trip.  Two wins against two top ten teams solidifies their spot in these rankings and buoys them in the ECAC standings.  This weekend should be a bit easier for them as they take on two cellar dwellers.

7. Boston College (7-3-2), 71 — Last Week: 4

• Last Week: W 5-3 v Boston University (11/4), L 3-5 @ Boston University (11/5)

• Coming week: @ New Hampshire (11/11), v New Hampshire (11/12)

Another weekend, another weekend the Eagles would like to forget.  They were pushed hard at home by a very uneven BU team before falling apart late in their trip down Comm Ave., which cost them control of their destiny in Hockey East.  This weekend they head back to their house of horrors at New Hampshire and follow that up with a home game against those same Wildcats.

8. Quinnipiac (5-4-1), 52 — Last Week: 5

• Last Week: L 1-4 v Clarkson (11/4), L 0-1 v St. Lawrence (11/5)

• Coming week: @ Dartmouth (11/11), @ Harvard (11/12)

The Bobcats’ weekend could not have gone much worse.  They have scored either one or zero goals in five of their last seven games; the other two were against some of the bottom ECAC teams.  They need to get their offense on track if they hope to defend their titles from last season.  This past weekend, however, they lost at home to two of the teams most likely to challenge them.  This coming weekend gives them a chance to right the ship and gain some much needed ECAC points.

9. North Dakota (6-3-1), 32 — Last Week: 9

• Last Week: No Games

• Coming week: v Minnesota Duluth (11/12, 11/13)

Sweeping their last series before this week’s bye, North Dakota next plays host to a tough Duluth team that is looking to solidify itself as the best team outside of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

10. Princeton (3-2-1), 16 — Last Week: 10

• Last Week: L 1-3 v St. Lawrence (11/4), L 2-4 v Clarkson (11/5)

• Coming week: @ Harvard (11/11), @ Dartmouth (11/12)

Back to back losses were not the results Princeton wanted, but the bright side is both losses were to solid teams unlike other teams in this ranking.  This weekend would seem to be a pair of must wins for the Tigers if they are to stay in the national conversation.

***

Also Receiving Votes: Northeastern 11, Boston University 7, Bemidji State 2 , Robert Morris 2, Yale 1

Dropped out: Cornell