NCAA Men’s Power Rankings: Michigan State prevails in marquee showdown
We saw another thrilling weekend of college hockey, with big names going down and other teams rising to the occasion.
The biggest series occurred in East Lansing, where Michigan State hosted Penn State. In a hostile environment, the Nittany Lions crumbled in the second game of the weekend, allowing the Spartans to further prove why they are the best team in the country.
That wasn’t the only notable matchup in the Mitten last week, as Western Michigan hosted Denver, while Michigan took on Wisconsin, with a couple of surprising results along the way.
Check out this week’s Top 15 teams in the NCAA:
1. Michigan State
Record: 7-1-0
Last Week: 1st
If the Spartans walking into Boston University and sweeping the Terriers wasn’t enough, they made Gavin McKenna and the Nittany Lions look like Penn State from a few years ago. After Tiernan Shoudy played the overtime hero on Friday night, Minnesota Wild draft pick Charlie Stramel put on a show on Saturday. The senior put up four points in a 5-0 whipping, while Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers) had a goal and an assist as well. While the season is still young, Michigan State made a statement against PSU.
MSU is on the road this weekend, visiting Notre Dame for a two-game set.
2. Michigan
Record: 10-2-0
Last Week: 2nd
Honestly, if the other teams I had in the top five had not played so badly last weekend, I might’ve knocked the Wolverines down a peg. Sure, their offense came flying off the board late in Friday’s 7-4 win over Wisconsin, but how the team acted near the end of a 6-1 beating at the hands of the Badgers just made the team look childish. I get it, tensions run high in conference games, but running guys from your own bench…c’mon.
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff was on both sides of the tale. Along with scoring a goal and an assist on Friday, he was handed a misconduct for his actions on Saturday. Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage scored twice in game one, while TJ Hughes posted four points on Friday as well.
The Wolverines face another challenge this weekend, as they pay a visit to a presumably ticked-off Penn State team.
3. North Dakota
Record: 7-3-0
Last Week: 7th
Credit where credit is due, the Fighting Hawks bounced back from a rather disappointing split on home ice by taking advantage of their opportunities on the road against Omaha. North Dakota’s power play was critical, accounting for three of the team’s seven goals last Friday. The Fighting Hawks ended up completing the sweep on Saturday, outscoring the Mavericks 11-3. Detroit Red Wings prospect Dylan James led the charge with three goals, while Will Zellers (Boston Bruins) also posted three points in the two victories.
NoDak is back home this coming weekend, taking on Arizona State at the Ralph.
4. Minnesota Duluth
Record: 10-2-0
Last Week: 8th
I was really impressed with how the Bulldogs performed in Grand Forks two weeks ago, and they only continued their winning ways last weekend on home ice against St. Cloud State. Duluth controlled play for most of Friday’s 4-0 win, while they managed to hold off the hungry Huskies on Saturday to complete the sweep. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Adam Gajan turned away 48 of the 50 shots he faced over the two games, with the Plante brothers, Max (Red Wings) and Zam (Penguins), continuing their impressive starts to the young season. Max leads all NCAA skaters with 22 points thus far, with Zam right behind him with 19.
The Bulldogs complete their four-game homestand this weekend against Omaha.
5. Penn State
Record: 9-3-0
Last Week: 3rd
Boy, Gavin McKenna looks rattled, eh?
Outside of being credited with the Nittany Lions’ lone goal in the OTL on Friday, the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s draft looked mediocre, discouraged, and a relative non-factor in a weekend where he could’ve bolstered his stock as one of the best prospects in the game. The team, in general, struggled to solve Spartan netminder Trey Augustine (Red Wings), which led to Penn State getting shut out on Saturday.
I think the Nittany Lions will still be a good team, but their struggles last weekend prove they need to do more to be a great team. Things aren’t getting any easier for them, as they have the task of hosting Michigan this weekend.
6. Western Michigan
Record: 5-5-0
Last Week: 4th
The Broncos were banged up heading into their weekend set against the Pioneers, with Joona Väisänen (Penguins) out of the lineup for the big weekend set. A couple of errors also didn’t help the defending national champions’ cause, as the team surrendered three goals in the third period on Friday, before being unable to recover from an early 4-0 deficit on Saturday. While he was hung out to dry a few times in the two losses, the woes continue for Hampton Slukynsky. The Los Angeles Kings prospect gave up eight goals on 62 shots against DU.
WMU has a chance to get back in the win column when it hosts Miami in a two-game series at Lawson.
7. Maine
Record: 6-3-1
Last Week: 5th
Maine found itself in a rather tough environment last week in Amherst. Yet, the team managed to come away with a split against UMass. Powered by Josh Nadeau’s hat trick on Thursday night, the Black Bears came away with a 6-2 win. However, the offense went silent in game two, falling 4-0. Yet, compared to some other teams in its conference, Maine is showing they have the depth and camaraderie that championship teams need.
Carolina Hurricanes prospect Justin Poirier also found the back of the net last Thursday. The Black Bears are back in Orono this weekend for a two-game set against Vermont.
8. Denver
Record: 6-3-1
Last Week: 12th
Remember how down I was on Denver? Based on their numerous bad performances thus far, it seemed like Western Michigan should’ve at least grabbed a win last weekend. However, like David Carle’s teams have done in recent years, they rose to the occasion, especially against the team that beat them in the Frozen Four last year. San Jose Sharks draft pick Eric Pohlkamp led the team with two goals and three points, with goaltender Quentin Miller playing out of his mind. The Habs prospect made 76 saves over the weekend in Kalamazoo.
The Pioneers continue their NCHC schedule with a home-and-home against Colorado College this weekend.
9. Wisconsin
Record: 7-1-2
Last Week: 9th
The Badgers met their first true test of the season head-on. Though they struggled to keep the puck out of the net on Friday against the Wolverines, they responded by running away with a 6-1 win in game two, giving Wisconsin 10 tallies in the split in Ann Arbor. Defenseman Ben Dexheimer scored a goal and two assists on Saturday, finishing the weekend with four points. Ottawa Senators draft pick Blake Montgomery potted two points in the team’s victory as well.
Wisconsin aims to build on its strong start when the team returns home to face Ohio State this weekend.
10. Quinnipiac
Record: 6-3-2
Last Week: 6th
I wasn’t all that impressed with the Bobcats last weekend. Sure, traveling to two road games can be tough, but that’s life in the ECAC. They squandered an early 2-0 lead to Yale on Friday, where QU allowed four unanswered goals, before barely beating Brown on Saturday. Even though they controlled the play against the Bears, it didn’t seem like Quinnipiac had the confidence it had shown in recent weeks. Bruins draft pick Chris Pelosi potted a goal and an assist against Brown, while Charlie Leddy (New Jersey Devils) found the back of the net on Friday.
The Bobcats are on home ice on Saturday night for an intriguing matchup with Boston University.
11. Massachusetts
Record: 7-4-0
Last Week: 11th
Had UMass not been beaten up as badly last Thursday, I would’ve considered moving them a little higher on the list. Yet, how the team rebounded to salvage a split with a solid 4-0 win on Friday is commendable as well. Despite a tough go in game one of the weekend, goaltender Jackson Irving, standing in for Utah Mammoth prospect Michael Hrabal, was outstanding on Friday, stopping all 37 shots he faced. Daniel Jenčko led the Minutemen with two goals in the victory, while Francesco Dell’Elce (Colorado Avalanche) registered two points as well.
12. Northeastern
Record: 7-1-0
Last Week: 13th
Somehow, I found myself watching both of the Huskies’ games against Stonehill last weekend, mainly because I had a gut feeling there could’ve been an upset. By golly, I was almost right. Northeastern was heavily outshot by the Skyhawks on Friday night, requiring Lawton Zacher to stand tall, posting a 36-save shutout in a 2-0 victory. The Huskies need two third-period goals on Saturday to come away with the split as well. Sure, there was going to be some sort of letdown after sweeping Boston College, but that was a little bit of a scare at Matthews.
Northeastern gets set for a Battle of the Huskies weekend set against…
13. Connecticut
Record: 4-4-2
Last Week: 10th
These Huskies were involved in a run-and-gun weekend set against Providence, with teams trading chances like boxers in the 10th round of a fight. Somehow, only nine goals were scored over the weekend. For UConn, they dropped the matchup at home last Friday, giving up a couple of goals in the third in a 4-1 loss. The Huskies managed to grab two points in a shootout win on Saturday, but the split showed some glaring issues the team needs to rectify in the future.
Florida Panthers prospect Tyler Muszelik was busy all weekend, making 75 saves on 81 shots.
14. Boston University
Record: 5-5-1
Last Week: 14th
Not going to lie, I was one Merrimack goal away from throwing the Terriers out of the rankings. BU had to claw back and tie their series opener against the Warriors on Friday night, on home ice, before Washington Capitals prospect Cole Hutson played the hero in overtime. Then, the Terriers had to survive a vigorous late charge from Merrimack on Saturday to hang on for a 5-4 win. Say what you want, but for a team loaded with future NHLers, they don’t certainly don’t look like a top-tier team.
The Terriers gear up for an important matchup with Quinnipiac this coming Saturday in Hamden.
15. Providence
Record: 4-3-2
Last Week: NR
Slowly, but surely, the Friars are climbing back into my good graces. Since that rough sweep at the hands of Michigan, Providence has grabbed some solid wins, including going on the road to beat and tie St. Thomas a couple of weeks ago. Against UConn, one could argue that it was the Friars’ best weekend of hockey this season. Grabbing four of a possible six points in Hockey East play is a step in the right direction for a team that has had a bumpy start to the young season. Canadiens draft pick Logan Sawyer scored two of the team’s four goals on Friday, with Philip Svedebäck (Bruins) allowing just three goals on 68 shots.
The Friars have a home-and-home with Merrimack this Friday and Saturday.
Honorable Mention: Boston College (4-4-1), Dartmouh (4-0-0), Cornell (2-2-0)
SPONSORED BY bet365