Elmira posted two big wins, 11-0 over Cortland and 8-2 over Connecticut College to remain undefeated in Division III play and stay atop the USCHO.com Division III Women’s Poll. The two losses in Elmira’s 13-2-2 record both came at the hands of a Division I school.
Even though Elmira is first in the poll, the Soaring Eagles are second in the USCHO.com East Region PairWise Rankings (PWR), a system that mimics NCAA tournament selection methods. No. 1 in the East PWR is 13-1-0 Manhattanville, which is currently No. 3 in the poll. This sets the table for a classic confrontation, as these two juggernauts meet on Friday in an important game, the results of which will reverberate throughout Division III women’s hockey.
No. 2 Bowdoin and No. 4 Middlebury split the week, as each won a game from No. 5 Williams before a 1-1 tie against each other. Bowdoin goalie Emily McKissock allowed only one goal and made 39 saves to preserve the deadlock with the Panthers.
The USCHO.com West Region PairWise Rankings is also available, with Wis.-Stevens Point in the lead. The Pointers are No. 7 in the poll, having won a pair of one-goal games against Lake Forest.
No. 9 St. Thomas is second in the PWR, but recently lost a game against No. 3 PWR team Wis.-River Falls. The Tommies will try to get back on track, but may find a challenge this weekend in Concordia, which is 10-1-1 on the season.
The USCHO.com Poll is compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, and consists of 12 voters, all coaches of Division III programs.
The East and West Region PairWise Rankings attempt to mimic the process used by the NCAA Division III Selection Committee to determine participants for the men’s hockey tournament. A team is only compared against Division III teams within that team’s region.
The PWR can be reformatted and redistributed by any media outlet or person, provided USCHO’s URL (http://www.uscho.com/) accompanies the results.
