Their season debut still four days away, Middlebury nonetheless increased its hold on the nation’s top spot, adding three first place votes to last week’s total of 10 in this week’s edition of the USCHO.com Division III men’s hockey poll. Manhattanville, now 4-0-1, is just nine points back but lost a first place vote to Wisconsin-River Falls, now third, who has an identical record.
Plattsburgh — who along with Wisconsin-Stout has the nation’s best mark at 7-0 — rose one spot as did Stout; both received the final first place votes. Norwich, previously fourth, fell to No. 6 despite not yet playing a game.
Seven and eight, St. Norbert and Elmira, remained in their current positions while Hobart, now an impressive 6-0, ascended three spots to ninth. Continuing to struggle, Oswego dropped again, this time just one spot to tenth.
Babson, St. Thomas, undefeated (4-0) Bethel, Bowdoin and Mass.-Dartmouth round out the poll. Interestingly, all five of those teams just swapped positions amongst themselves, leaving no more new entrants in this week’s rankings.
