College Hockey Update:  In our first top ten matchup last week, Minnesota-Duluth moved up two spots to #2 after they easily handled and swept North Dakota, dropping North Dakota four notches out of the top ten to #12.   In another top-ten matchup last week, Penn State dropped three slots to #4 as it suffered a loss and a tie against Ohio State; Ohio State jumped up three pegs to #8.

Boston University may have received a delayed-reaction to its win last Monday night over Boston College (the poll had come out earlier that day), in combination with its recent weekend sweep over Maine, lifting BU a couple of spots to #1.  Denver edged down to #3 after splitting with St. Cloud State, and Union College jumped up five slots to #5 after beating RPI. Minnesota edged up to #6 after splitting with Wisconsin, and Mass-Lowell dropped two rungs to #7 after getting swept by Providence College.  Harvard dropped three notches after losses to both Brown and Yale, and Western Michigan jumped up three pegs to enter the top ten at #10 after sweeping Colorado College.

Last weekend Union College had huge help from its sophomore forward Cole Maier, of Peaquannock, NJ, who scored the overtime winning goal in Thursday night’s Mayor’s Cup Game in Albany, NY.  Maier also notched an assist in the game.  Near as I can tell, Union is in Schenectady, RPI is in Troy, and they’re right next to Albany, making a trip-city area.  So the teams play the  Mayor’s Cup game in Albany, and the winning team and town mayor are handed the Mayor’s cup by the Mayor of Albany.  This was the fifth year of the tradition.  The 6’2″ Maier is fourth on his team in goals scored, with nine, and is tied for sixth in assists, with seven.  As a freshman, he was tied for eleventh in goals scored, with three, and tied for eighteenth in assists, with one.  Union College is 17-5-2, and will play Friday night at Clarkson, and Saturday night at #16 St. Lawrence University.

In Thursday night’s game, RPI scored first on a power play with only four minutes left in the first for the 1-0 lead.  The two battled for another full period before Union got on the board with four minutes left in the second on a Luc Brown goal (assist to Maier and Supinksi).  But with only two minutes left in the third, RPI scored again to take a 2-1 lead into the break.  In the third, Union’s Anthony Rinaldi scored two minutes into the period to tie it at two apiece, and it stayed that way for the next eighteen minutes, ending regulation a 2-2 tie.  In OT it was Cole Maier who struck like lightning only thirty-three seconds into the frame (assist to Brown and Supinksi), giving Union the 3-2 win and this year’s Mayor’s Cup.

This weekend features a couple of top ten matchups.  #1 Boston University will host #7 Mass-Lowell for one game Saturday night.  And in opening round action of the North Star Cup Challenge on Friday night, #2 Minnesota-Duluth will face #6 Minnesota, in this year’s Four of Five Minnesota DI Schools Get To Play, One Team Is Rotated Out Each Year And Doesn’t Play, Except Minnesota Gets To Play In It Every Year No Matter What Or Else They Couldn’t Sell Any Tickets To It, Championship.  Whew.  Think that covers the explanation there.  The other teams facing off are St. Cloud State and #20 Bemidji State, with Mankato sitting out this year.

This provides the top ten teams, rankings, records, and last week’s results:

[table id=144 /]

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom