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Eastern Promises

Netminder Ben Scrivens has been a key to Cornell's success this season.
Cornell University
Netminder Ben Scrivens has been a key to Cornell's success this season.

Notre Dame is still No. 1 in the nation according to the voters in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports poll, but the PairWise Rankings — making their 2008-09 debut here on USCHO.com — disagree. Five Eastern teams top the newly-unveiled PWR, led by one-loss Cornell. Five Hockey East squads stand among the PWR's top 14 (the cutoff for NCAA tournament inclusion assuming no upset champions in the conference postseasons), while the WCHA — which has dominated the NCAA bids most recent seasons — has just two, though several teams lurk beneath the bubble. The PWR, which mimics the selection process used by the NCAA tournament committee, has correctly predicted the field of 16 every year of its existence.

The PairWise

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New Year's Classics

Matt Gilroy was named Tournament MVP of the Wells Fargo Denver Cup.
Candace Horgan
Matt Gilroy was named Tournament MVP of the Wells Fargo Denver Cup.

In a busy night of tournament play for college hockey, form held for the most part. In other non-conference action, there were some stunners. Start in Denver in the one of two marquee match-ups of the night between the premier conferences in college hockey, where No. 3 Boston University cruised past No. 5 Denver 4-1. Despite being out-shot, BU never looked like they were in trouble. In the other marquee match-up between the WCHA and Hockey East, No. 4 Minnesota edged No. 6 Northeastern in overtime 3-2 with a power-play goal after Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen got called for delay-of-game when his clear went over the glass. The biggest shocker of the night came in Ohio, where Army stunned No. 2 Miami 3-2, making Miami winless in the Ohio Classic. In the title game of that tournament, red-hot Ohio State topped Clarkson in a classic goaltender's duel 2-0. In Madison, No. 14 Wisconsin looked to have things well in hand against Northern Michigan, up 5-2 in the third, but the Wildcats rallied to stun the Badgers 6-5 in overtime. In a rematch of the 2008 ECAC title game, No. 8 Princeton crushed Harvard 5-1. No. 1 Notre Dame avoided any upsets in the Shillelagh Tournament, beating Minnesota Duluth 3-1.

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Feature Stories

  • The CloserLong built around defense and goaltending, Cornell is following a familiar script this season thanks in large part to Ben Scrivens. Mike Scandura reports.
  • Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Jan. 6, 2009With 2009 under way, Jim Connelly and Scott Brown wrap up the holiday tournaments and discuss the newly-minted PairWise Rankings.
  • World Juniors: Win Or Go HomeThe preliminaries are over, and now every game matters for the U.S. team at the World Juniors. Hurdle one in the elimination process: Slovakia. Dave Starman reports from Ottawa, Ont.
  • World Juniors: Trials And TribulationsThe United States rolls forward at the World Juniors, but not without some difficulties, Dave Starman says.
  • World Juniors: Shaking Off The RustAfter a tough stretch with Michigan, Matt Rust got off to a good start at the World Juniors Friday. Dave Starman — covering the U.S. team with NHL Network in Ottawa — reports on that and more, including Team USA's top line and notable dates in history.
  • Tuesday Morning Quarterback: First-Half WrapupWith the holiday tournament season upon us, Jim Connelly and Scott Brown pause with gradebooks in hand to evaluate the first half of the season.
  • Brotherly LoveToday, Harvard teammates and brothers Alex and Michael Biega work together for the Crimson, but growing up on their backyard rink — well, let's just say they got plenty of chances to hone their competitive edge. Mike Scandura reports.
  • Denver's Go-To ScorerDenver's Tyler Bozak has continued to be one the top threats on the Pioneers' offensively talented squad, Candace Horgan reports.
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USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Polls: Current No. 1s — 1/5

Men's D-I: Notre Dame • Women's D-I: Wisconsin
Men's D-III: Plattsburgh • Women's D-III: Plattsburgh
Complete Polls/ National Polls

Question of the Week

What is the most surprising aspect of USCHO's initial PairWise Rankings?
Cornell at No. 1.
Princeton tied for No. 2.
Vermont is No. 4 in the PWR despite being No. 12 in the USCHO Poll.
Notre Dame is only No. 5 in the PWR while also being a near consensus No. 1 in the USCHO Poll.
No WCHA teams are in the top seven.
UNH and Maine are No. 12 and 15 respectively, despite having the 22nd and 23rd best winning percentage.
Air Force is No. 17 despite having the fourth-best winning percentage.
I don't know / No opinion.

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World Junior Championships

All Over But The Shouting

The United States' run at the World Junior Championship came to an abrupt end Friday afternoon as Slovakia shocked the favored Americans 5-3 in the tournament quarterfinals, sending the U.S. team into the relegation round with no better than a fifth-place finish. The loss comes after a 7-4 defeat to Canada denied Team USA a bye into the semis; the U.S. finished round-robin play 3-1 after beating Germany, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan earlier in the tournament. USCHO.com and CBS College Sports' Dave Starman, who is covering the U.S. team's exploits with NHL Network — which has every U.S. game broadcast live — continues to report from Ottawa, Ont., throughout the tournament, while Melissa Wade is on-site as well with photo coverage.

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Four Nations Cup

Visual Evidence

It was double gold for the U.S. team at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., where the Americans won both the women's title and the Under-18 championship. Melissa Wade was there to provide the pictures of the dramatic international event.

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