SB Nation’s Women’s College Hockey Division I Poll: New year, same mayhem

Welcome from the Great White North and the Land of the Rising Sun! This poll is being published abroad this week, so thank you for sticking with us.

A few teams maintained composure and stayed the course. The highlight of the chaos this week was the sweep of the Minnesota Gophers by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. The bottom of the poll remains in major flux, as no one team seems to want to hop in and stay in.

1. Wisconsin (20-2-1), (11) 110 — Last Week: 1

• Last Week: W 9-0 v St. Cloud State (1/13), W 2-0 v St. Cloud State (1/14)

• Coming Week: v North Dakota (1/21, 1/22)

Badgers fans, rejoice! Ann-Renée Desbiens is back to save you and all your opponents’ shots. Two shutouts and four conference points in her return means good things are coming for Wisconsin. With the Gophers falling flat, the Badgers now have a large lead in the WCHA as they host North Dakota.

2. Clarkson (17-3-4), 80 — Last Week: 3

• Last Week: W 4-2 v Yale (1/13), W 8-1 v Brown (1/14)

• Coming Week: v Cornell (1/20), v Colgate (1/21)

The Golden Knights are rolling. A pair of big wins in the conference kept them at the top of the ECAC. These next two games will likely determine whether Clarkson can hold onto the conference title.

T3. Minnesota (16-5-2), 78 — Last Week: 2

• Last Week: L 2-3 @ Minnesota-Duluth (1/13), L 3-5 @ Minnesota-Duluth (1/14)

• Coming Week: v Ohio State (1/21, 1/22)

Panic is gripping Ridder Arena, as the Gophers were swept by rival Minnesota-Duluth over the weekend. The losses dropped Minnesota to merely one point up on the Bulldogs in the WCHA and they have plummeted in the PWR. The Gophers now need to rebound against Ohio State.

T3. Minnesota-Duluth (15-4-3), 78— Last Week: 4

• Last Week: W 3-2 v Minnesota (1/13), W 5-3 v Minnesota (1/14)

• Coming Week: @ Bemidji St (1/20, 1/21)

The Bulldogs are riding high after sweeping the Gophers at home, earning them the title “Belles of the Ball.” They now stand one point back of second and eight off of first  heading into a pair of games against the first place Badgers. Minnesota-Duluth also jumped onto home ice for the NCAA tournament. They now travel to Bemidji in a series that is very important if they want to hold on to the momentum they are carrying.

5. St. Lawrence (18-2-2), 73 — Last week: 5

• Last Week: W 7-2 v Brown (1/13), W 4-1 v Yale (1/14)

• Coming Week: v Colgate (1/20), v Cornell (1/21)

The Saints returned to their winning ways, sweeping their conference weekend to stay within shouting distance of Clarkson in the ECAC race. They host two tough ECAC opponents this weekend.

6. Boston College (16-3-4), 53 — Last Week: 6

• Last Week: W 3-1 v Harvard (1/10), W 1-0 v Merrimack (1/13), W 3-1 @ Merrimack (1/14)

• Coming Week: @ Vermont (1/20, 1/21)

The Eagles are clearly missing Toni Ann Miano. While they were able to come away with wins in all three games, they have not been firing on all cylinders since her suspension. BC will be traveling to Vermont to take on the Catamounts, who have been on firing. Vermont beat Northeastern twice and tied BU twice, all on road games, to launch them into a tie for third place.

7. Quinnipiac (16-6-4), 42 — Last Week: 7

• Last Week: W 2-0 @ Colgate (1/13), L 2-3 OT @ Cornell (1/14)

• Coming Week: @ Merrimack (1/20)

The Bobcats were primed to make a jump in many pollsters’ ballots after sweeping the season series with Colgate until they stumbled at Cornell. They now travel to Merrimack before a long break, allowing the rest of the ECAC time to catch up on conference games played.

8. Robert Morris (15-2-5), 19 — Last Week: 9

• Last Week: L 1-2 v Lindenwood (1/13), W 5-2 v Lindenwood (1/14)

• Coming Week: @ Mercyhurst (1/20, 1/21)

This was a bad week for the Colonials. They dropped a game to lowly Lindenwood and their closest CHA rival, Syracuse, swept their weekend conference slate. Robert Morris now travel to a Lakers team that they swept earlier this season.

9. Princeton (13-6-3), 16 — Last Week: ARV

• Last Week: T 1-1 OT @ Cornell (1/13), W 5-1 @ Colgate (1/14)

• Coming Week: No games

The Tigers have gotten hot since they dropped a pair to BU early in the season, but they stumbled slightly in Ivy League play, tying Cornell. Princeton was able to blow out Colgate on the road, launching them back into the poll. They will now have two weeks off, while the rest of the ECAC catches up in games played.

10. Colgate (15-5-3), 15 — Last Week: 8

• Last Week: L 0-2 v Quinnipiac (1/13), L 1-5 v Princeton (1/14)

• Coming Week: @ Cornell (1/17), @ St. Lawrence (1/20), @ Clarkson (1/21)

The Raiders continue their woes against teams with a pulse. Unfortunately for them, the road does not get any easier, as they must now travel to the top two teams in the conference next week.

***

Also receiving votes: North Dakota 14, Boston University 4, Ohio State 2, Cornell 2, Vermont 1.

Dropped out: Northeastern, Harvard.