Miami will enter the NCAA tournament in a familiar spot — atop the national rankings.
The RedHawks played one last game of leapfrog with Denver in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, getting 28 of the 50 first-place votes to finish in the No. 1 spot.
Miami also is the top overall seed in the national tournament, which begins Friday.
Related link: USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll: March 22
Either the RedHawks or the Pioneers have been in the top spot in each poll this season. Miami was No. 1 in 16 polls; Denver led the other seven.
The Pioneers dropped one spot Monday after losing to North Dakota and St. Cloud State in the WCHA Final Five last weekend.
The Fighting Sioux moved up a spot to fourth, while the Huskies dropped a spot to seventh after losing the WCHA final to North Dakota.
Five teams picked up first-place votes. Miami had the majority, but Denver (6), Boston College (8), North Dakota (4) and Wisconsin (2) also finished atop voters’ ballots.
Wisconsin fell two spots to No. 5 despite picking up a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament after a split at the Final Five.
Boston College (up one to third), North Dakota (up one to fourth), Cornell (up one to sixth), Yale (up one to eighth), Northern Michigan (up three to ninth), Michigan (up six to 11th), New Hampshire (up one to 12rth), Alaska (up one to 17th) and Maine (up one to 18th) also gained in this week’s poll.
St. Cloud State (down one to seventh), Minnesota-Duluth (down three to 14th), Vermont (down one to 15th), Union (down one to 16th) and Michigan State (down three to 19th) were among those falling.
Bemidji State remained in 10th.
RIT joined the poll at No. 20 after winning the Atlantic Hockey championship, marking the first time the Tigers have been ranked. They replaced Boston University.
