College Hockey Update:  Last weekend presented ten teams in five top-twenty matches, and North Dakota met up with a very determined Nebraska-Omaha, splitting the weekend, and edging the Fighting Hawks down to #2, and lifting UNO up a couple of spots to #7.  Boston College kept a lid on Boston University as the Eagles came out with a win and a tie with the Terriers, as BC held on at #4, and BU edged down to #11.  St. Cloud State did the same with Minnesota-Duluth and the Huskies held on at #5, and UMD dropped a couple of slots to #19.  Cornell lost at the hands of Rensselaer, dropping Cornell a couple of pegs to #10 (Cornell also tied Union the next night), and lifting RPI up four spots to #16 (RPI tied Colgate the next night).  And Michigan Tech earned a tie and a win with Mankato State, so Tech entered the top twenty at #17, and Mankato edged down to #20.

Elsewhere Providence swept Vermont and held on at #3, Michigan managed a tie and a win over Ohio State, and the Wolverines held at #6, and Mass-Lowell swept UMass-Amherst, lifting the River Hawks up three rungs to #8.  Harvard beat St. Lawrence, but lost to Clarkson, dropping Harvard a couple of spots to #9, Yale swept Brown and held at #12, and Notre Dame swept Merrimack, and held at #13.  Penn State swept Wisconsin and edged up to #14, Denver earned a win and a tie with Western Michigan and Denver edged down to #15, and Bowling Green lost to Miami of Ohio, dropping Bowling Green down a couple of notches to #18.  An idle Quinnipiac edged up to the #1 spot on North Dakota’s split weekend.

Quinnipiac has had huge help this season from its junior forward Sam Anas, of Potomac, MD., who scored a goal and made an assist in Quinnipiac’s last outing on January 9th, a 5-4 win over Harvard.  Anas leads his team in goals scored with 13, and is tied for third in assists with 13.  He has been a huge three-year contributor to his team, scoring 23 goals and making 16 assists his sophomore year, and scoring 22 goals and making 21 assists his freshman year. His hometown of Potomac is home to 45,000 residents spread out among its 25 square miles.  It was first founded as Offutt’s Crossings in 1712, and was renamed Potomac in 1881.  It is the birthplace of former NHL’er Jeff Halpern.

And what about Quinnipiac?  They are a steamroller indeed.  Last November I posted a headline, “Will Anyone Beat Quinnipiac?”  Quinnipiac was 11-0-0 at that time.  Since then they have had only one loss, and have three ties, to bring them currently to an amazing 19-1-3.  And they don’t just win.  They have only five one-goal wins.  And they have a couple of two-goal wins.  And then they have six wins by three goals and six wins by four or more goals.  These guys win and win and win and they pile it on!  Quinnipiac is ranked #1, and plays next against Maine tonight, and against #16 RPI on Thursday.

In addition to that top twenty matchup, this weekend presents three more involving six top-twenty teams, as #3 Providence has a home-and-home weekend with #8 Mass-Lowell, #9 Harvard travels to play one game at #10 Cornell Saturday night, and #15 Denver hosts #19 Minnesota-Duluth for a pair.

This provides the top twenty teams, rankings, records, and last weekend’s results.

[table id=122 /]

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

— Tom