St. Norbert regained the top spot in this week’s USCHO.com D-III men’s poll for the first time since the preseason, getting all but two first-place votes. The Green Knights blanked Wisconsin-River Falls and Wisconsin-Stout, both by 5-0 scores, over the weekend.
Moving into second place, after wins over ECAC West rivals Hobart and Elmira, was Manhattanville. The Valiants had one first-place vote, as did St. John’s, which dropped to third, after claiming No. 1 last week. The Johnnies split the weekend with Bethel.
Norwich moved up one spot to No. 4 after convincing wins over Bowdoin and Colby. Wisconsin-Superior dropped from No. 3 to No. 5 after a win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Moving up three spots to No. 6 was Trinity. The Bantams had league wins over NESCAC foe Wesleyan, and ECAC East opponents Skidmore and Castleton State. Middlebury dropped one place to No. 7 after a win at Amherst and a loss at Hamilton.
At No. 8 was Oswego; the Lakers trounced Brockport but lost at Geneseo. No. 9 Bowdoin moved up one spot after losing to Norwich but beating St. Michael’s.
No. 10 St. Thomas moved up two places after a pair of wins over Augsburg, while River Falls dropped three places to No. 11 after two league losses.
Fredonia dropped to No. 12 from the tenth spot after a 3-0 win against Plattsburgh and a tie with Potsdam.
No. 13 Geneseo entered the poll after wins over Oswego and Cortland, while No. 14 Hobart dropped one spot with a win over Lebanon Valley and a loss to Manhattanville.
Rounding out the poll was Babson; the Beavers had wins over Conn. College and Tufts.
Ousted for the first time since USCHO.com began its poll in 1998 was RIT, despite a pair of wins over the weekend. Other teams besides the Tigers receiving votes were Utica, Curry, Colby, Bethel, and Milwaukee School of Engineering.
The USCHO.com Poll is compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, and consists of 15 voters, including coaches and beat writers from across the country.
