There was little movement in this week’s USCHO.com Division III men’s poll; in fact the top eight teams stayed in the same positions as last week.
No. 1 Middlebury, however, lost one first-place vote, garnering 13 this week. With one first-place tally, and in second place, is Manhattanville. Both teams blanked opponents last weekend, the Panthers in a 5-0 win over Amherst, and the Valiants in a 9-0 rout of Salve Regina.
In the No. 3 spot is Norwich, and St. Norbert remains in fourth, both after a weekend off.
Despite one first-place vote, Wisconsin-Superior remains at No. 5, after a pair of NCHA wins over St. Scholastica. St. John’s, at 9-0, is at No. 6, after two big MIAC conference victories at Concordia.
Staying at No. 7 is RIT. The Tigers won a close game, 4-3, at Geneseo, while Fredonia, still at the eighth position, won two low-scoring games against visiting Neumann.
Curry moved into a tie at No. 9 with Wisconsin-River Falls. The Colonels were off, while the Falcons won both ends of a home-and-home with Wisconsin-Stout.
Oswego, with a win at Hobart, stayed at No. 11, while Trinity, idle on the weekend, remained in the twelfth spot.
Hobart, despite a slim win at home against Wesleyan and a 5-3 loss to Oswego, also at home, moved up a spot to No. 13, switching places with St. Thomas, which split a weekend series with St. Mary’s.
Entering the poll at No. 15 is Colby; the Mules beat arch-rival Bowdoin, 5-4, in overtime on the road last Friday.
Dropping out of the poll this week is Bethel; the Royals had a split on the weekend, losing Friday to St. Olaf, 6-5, in overtime, before downing the Oles 3-2 in OT the next night.
Also receiving votes besides Bethel were Geneseo, Utica, Bowdoin, and St. Olaf.
A panel of coaches from all eight D-III conferences, plus regional beat writers votes each week on the poll.
