Another weekend sweep kept Notre Dame atop the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I men’s poll for the third straight week.
The Fighting Irish, who sport a nation-best 14-game unbeaten streak, won twice against Bowling Green to take 41 of 50 first-place votes and defend their position at No. 1. Moving up to second was Miami, which swept Rensselaer and was the top choice of six voters, with Boston University also up one spot to third after winning its lone game of the weekend against Massachusetts-Lowell.
Minnesota dropped two places to No. 4 after a split with Colorado College, while Denver finished up one place in fifth with a sweep of Minnesota State. The Gophers retained one first-place vote.
Sixth-ranked this week was Northeastern, which was idle and swapped places with the Pioneers. Boston College likewise did not play, and stayed No. 7.
Princeton, like most of ECAC Hockey and Hockey East, was off last weekend, and stayed No. 8 with two first-place votes to its credit. Colorado College was again ninth, and idle Cornell stayed at No. 10.
Air Force, another squad with an off week, edged up to No. 11, trailed by Michigan, also on its holiday break. Those two squads leapfrogged Vermont, which lost its lone game of the weekend to St. Lawrence to finish in 13th.
Wisconsin moved up two places to No. 14 despite not playing either, jumping over New Hampshire despite the Wildcats beating Holy Cross Thursday. Nebraska-Omaha climbed three places to No. 16 with a sweep of Lake Superior State.
At No. 17 this week was Minnesota State, down three, and idle Alaska nosed upwards to 18th, North Dakota re-entered the poll in 19th with a sweep of St. Cloud State — knocking the Huskies out of the rankings in the process — and Dartmouth, off since the end of November, completed the poll.
