Wildcats enter national hockey rankings
MARQUETTE — No. 20 Northern Michigan University Men’s Ice Hockey (5-3, 3-1 WCHA) entered the national rankings for the first time this season after their second-consecutive split with a top-10 opponent.
The Wildcats rose from receiving votes to number-20 in the USCHO.com Poll after a 1-1 weekend falling to #9 Minnesota State University Mankato Friday before bouncing back to take their second top-10 victory of the season Saturday. The 61 votes received is 49 more than last week’s total for NMU.
NMU enters the ranking for the first time since the December 1, 2014 edition of the poll, which saw the Wildcats ranked 19th. Earlier that year, the team had been ranked as high as 17.
In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, the Wildcats are receiving votes, earning nine.
The Wildcats return to action this weekend with a home-and-home series with rival Michigan Technological University (4-5-2, 2-4-2 WCHA) Friday’s game will begin at 7:07 p.m. in Houghton, Michigan, with both teams making the trip down to Marquette, Michigan for Saturday’s 7 p.m. contest.
USCHO.com Poll
Place Team (First-place Votes) Record Points Last Week
1 St. CLoud St. (50) 7-0-0 1000 2
2 North Dakota 6-2-2 913 4
3 Denver 4-2-2 870 1
4 Minnesota 7-3-0 847 5
5 Harvard 2-1-0 806 3
6 Notre Dame 6-3-1 660 10
7 Wisconsin 6-4-1 605 7
8 Providence 5-3-0 602 6
9 New Hampshire 6-1-1 552 13
10 Minnesota St. 6-3-0 547 9
11 Carkson 6-3-1 541 13
12 Minnesota Duluth 4-4-2 442 8
13 Northeaster 5-2-1 433 15
14 Cornell 4-0-0 419 18
15 Boston University 4-5-1 306 12
16 Quinnipiac 3-3-1 214 11
17 Ohio St. 5-3-2 155 16
18 Western Michigan 5-3-1 113 NR
19 Penn St. 5-5-0 79 17
20 Northern Michigan 5-3-0 61 NR