Despite yet having played a game, Middlebury claimed the top spot in the first regular-season USCHO.com Division III men’s poll with nine first-place votes, taking over the No. 1 position after No. 2 St. Norbert’s weekend split with RIT. St. Norbert (1-1) still garnered four first-place votes.
Norwich, which also has yet to start its season, retained the third spot in the poll, with one first-place vote.
Plattsburgh (1-0) retained fourth place, but this week tied with Wisconsin-River Falls. The Falcons, after starting the season with two lopsided wins, moved up from sixth place in the preseason poll and received the final first-place vote. No. 6 RIT (1-1) also moved up one spot from last week with a 4-3 win at St. Norbert on Saturday, after a 4-1 loss against the Green Knights on Friday.
St. John’s, which doesn’t begin play until Nov. 19, was displaced from fifth to seventh by River Falls and RIT. Curry, which begins its season next Monday against Franklin Pierce, remains at No. 8, and Oswego, which has beaten Utica twice, and last weekend tied Elmira twice in a home-and-home series, stays at No. 9.
Tenth-place St. Thomas, and No. 11 Wisconsin-Superior swap positions from the preseason poll. Each begins its season Friday.
Hobart, with a tie against Fredonia and a shutout over Buffalo State stays at No. 12, while Lake Forest, with a win over MSOE, remains at No. 13.
Manhattanville, with no NCAA games under its belt but two impressive wins against the U.S. Under-18 NDT, debuts in the poll at No. 14. Rounding out the poll is another team yet to take the ice, New England College, down one position from the preseason poll.
The preseason No. 15, Trinity, did not rank this week. In addition to the Bantams, eight other teams received votes.
The USCHO.com Division III men’s poll is compiled from a panel of 15 coaches and beat writers representing all leagues in D-III.
