In the latest USCHO.com poll released yesterday, the men’s hockey team (28-4-1, 19-2-1 ECAC) claimed the No. 1 spot in the country. The top billing was the first for Cornell since the poll has been in existence. The Red claimed 28 of a possible 40 first-place votes, with the remaining 12 going to the previous No. 1 team, Colorado College.
Cornell moved up to the No. 1 slot after winning two games over the weekend en route to the ECAC Tournament championship. The Red, in classic fashion, stymied Brown in the semifinals by a 2-0 score before winning a memorable final by a 3-2 overtime score over Harvard.
Meanwhile, Colorado College, which had had a stranglehold on the top spot, dropped one spot after losing in the WCHA finals to Minnesota. The WCHA-champion Gophers, moved up to No. 4 by virtue of its big win. Sandwiched between the two WCHA teams is No. 3 UNH, which won the Hockey East Tournament last weekend.
Although it lost to Michigan in the finals of the CCHA tournament, Ferris St. dropped just one spot to No. 5.
Boston University checked in at No. 6, while the aforementioned Wolverines checked in at seventh. Boston College, Maine, and Harvard rounded out the top 10. The Crimson, despite losing the ECAC final to Cornell, rose two spots.
Cornell’s first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, MSU-Mankato is No. 11 this week, while North Dakota, Ohio State, Minnesota-Duluth, and St. Cloud State comprised the remainder of the top 15.
The Red was selected as a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. However, Cornell has arguably the toughest bracket, as it must go through MSU-Mankato and either Boston College or Ohio State en route to the Frozen Four. Cornell will begin its quest for the national championship when it plays MSU-Mankato at noon on Saturday in Providence, R.I.
Archived article by Sun Staff