SB Nation’s Women’s College Hockey Division I Poll: Trophy Time

In the penultimate week of the regular season for most of the country, we look to have a bit of drama. The top teams in several conferences are playing each other with hardware on the line.

1. Wisconsin (26-2-1), (14) 140 — Last Week: 1

• Last Week: W 6-1 @ Bemidji St (Feb. 3), W 4-2 @ Bemidji State (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: v Minnesota Duluth (Feb. 11, Feb. 12)

After a couple weeks of playing some lighter competition, the Badgers are about to step into a meat grinder. This weekend they will host Duluth before traveling to the Land of 1,000 Lakes to play the Gophers. They have an opportunity to claim the WCHA regular season title this weekend against Duluth, though.

2. Minnesota-Duluth (20-4-4), 123 — Last Week: 2

• Last Week: W 2-0 v North Dakota (Feb. 3), W 2-1 v North Dakota (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: @ Wisconsin (Feb. 11, Feb. 12)

The Bulldogs have continued their return to prominence and look to keep it going as they travel to Madison in an attempt to stay alive in the hunt for the WCHA regular season crown.

3. Minnesota (21-5-3), 99— Last Week:  T-4

• Last Week: W 5-0 @ Minnesota St (Feb. 3), W 5-3 @ Minnesota St (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: v North Dakota (Feb. 10), v North Dakota (Feb. 11)

The Gophers have a chance to earn a home ice spot in the NCAAs but they have to go through a North Dakota team that took them to shootouts in both meetings earlier this year before hosting the favorites to try and win it all next weekend.

4. St. Lawrence (23-3-2), 96 — Last week: 3

• Last Week: W 2-1 @ Harvard (Feb. 3), W 2-1 @ Dartmouth (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: v Quinnipiac (Feb. 10), v Princeton (Feb. 11)

St. Lawrence squeaked by this weekend to gain a point on conference-leading Clarkson. As the travel partners of Clarkson, the Saints have the same schedule, they also sit only one point back — though they do not have the tiebreaker.

5. Clarkson (21-4-5), 93 — Last Week: T-4

• Last Week: W 3-0 @ Dartmouth (Feb. 3), T 2-2 @ Harvard (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: v Princeton (Feb. 10), v Quinnipiac (Feb. 11)

Disaster struck when Clarkson tied in a game they likely should’ve won against a very weak Harvard team. Like Wisconsin, they have had a couple of weeks playing the bottom of their conference but now also face some tough competition in an attempt to hold on to a conference crown that is hanging on by a thread.

6. Boston College (20-3-5), 72 — Last Week: 6

• Last Week: W 3-2 v Boston University (Jan. 31), T 4-4 OT v Connecticut (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: @ Northeastern (Feb. 7), v Northeastern (Feb. 10), v Vermont (Feb. 12)

They are the first team to clinch a trophy, which BC did when they tied UConn and claimed the regular season title in Hockey East. They now have a chance to add another as they head down to Huntington Ave. and play Northeastern for the Beanpot. While they have not lost a game in two months, the Eagles have not played consistently and look to fix that against the rival Huskies.

T-7. Cornell (16-6-3), 41— Last Week: 8

• Last Week: W 5-1 v Union (Feb. 3), W 3-2 v RPI (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: @ Yale (Feb. 10), @ Brown (Feb. 11)

The Big Red are staying alive in the ECAC race and are now a win over Yale from claiming the Ivy League title; a tie would let them still control their destiny. The pair of wins in a week where most teams stumbled earns them the title Belles of the Ball.

T-7. Quinnipiac (18-7-5), 41 — Last Week: 7

• Last Week: L 0-3 v Princeton (Jan. 31), W 9-0 v Brown (Feb. 3), W 4-1 v Yale (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: @ St. Lawrence (Feb. 10), @ Clarkson (Feb. 11)

The Bobcats will be in the ECAC playoffs. Whether they travel for the quarterfinals or not is still up in the air, as numbers 3-6 are separated by only four points.

9. Colgate (20-7-3), 21 — Last Week: 9

• Last Week: W 3-0 v RPI (Feb. 3), W 4-1 v Union (Feb. 4)

• Coming Week: @ Brown (Feb. 10), @ Yale (Feb. 11)

Colgate has been a bit of an enigma of late. They have taken care of business against most of the teams they should but have struggled against the top teams. They will be in the playoffs and have an outside chance of hosting.

10. Robert Morris (17-3-6), 20 — Last Week: 10

• Last Week: No Games

• Coming Week: v RIT (Feb. 10, Feb. 11)

Hopefully the week off will be what the Colonials needed, as they have six games left and only a two-point lead over second-place Syracuse.

Also Receiving Votes: Princeton 12, North Dakota 7, Northeastern 5

Dropped Out: Syracuse