Notre Dame’s unbeaten streak came to an end last weekend, and with it the Fighting Irish’s run at the top of the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I men’s poll. Notre Dame, which had been No. 1 for the last seven polls, was supplanted at the top of the rankings by Boston University as the teams switched places.
The Terriers, who beat Merrimack in their lone game of the weekend, earned 33 of 50 first-place votes to place first overall. The Irish received the remaining 17 first-place nods to slip to No. 2 after a split with Michigan. Once again, all 50 voters ranked BU and ND first and second in one order or the other.
Northeastern lost to Massachusetts Friday but remained third in the poll as Michigan zoomed from eighth to fourth. Cornell slipped to No. 5 this week after a loss to St. Lawrence and a tie with Clarkson.
Coming in at No. 6 was Denver, which split with Alaska-Anchorage. The Pioneers traded places with Vermont, which lost its only game of the weekend against New Hampshire.
Up two places to eighth was Miami after a sweep of Bowling Green, while Minnesota dropped four spots to No. 9 with two losses against Minnesota State. Princeton rounded out the top half of the poll at No. 10 with a loss to Yale and a win over Brown.
New Hampshire was up two places to No. 11, followed by 12th-ranked Boston College, which tied Providence Friday; the Eagles were the fifth of five Hockey East teams in the poll’s top 12.
No. 13 this week was North Dakota, which split with St. Cloud State, and Yale moved up four positions to 14th with wins over Yale and Quinnipiac. Ohio State, which split with Alaska, was No. 15.
The next two teams in the poll, Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth, split last weekend’s series, while another WCHA team, Colorado College, was 18th after a bye week. Dartmouth was No. 19, having beaten Rensselaer and tied Union, while St. Lawerence entered the poll at No. 20 after wins over Cornell and Colgate.
Dropping out since last week was Air Force.
