The big picture barely budged in this week’s USCHO.com D-I men’s poll.
At the top, Michigan tightened its grip, converting a close-ish race into near-consensus No. 1 status, while Michigan State and Wisconsin swapped places beneath them. North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth remain entrenched, reinforcing how settled the top five feels right now.
The real churn starts in the middle. Western Michigan inched up, garnering one first-place vote after a three-win week. Denver slipped a spot after a loss and tie vs. Maine, and Quinnipiac continued its rise, jumping from 10th to 8th.
Dartmouth is the clearest cautionary tale — down from No. 9 to No. 11 after going 1-4-1 in its last six games. UConn benefitted from that shuffle, cracking the top 10.
The bottom third shows the most motion — Maine climbed, Northeastern slid, Providence faded, and Augustana and Princeton arrived as fresh faces. ECAC Hockey lost two teams from the poll as Harvard and Union were shown the door, at least for one week.