If losing on Friday and tying on Saturday to Michigan State was not bad enough for the University of Minnesota Gophers hockey team, today's news certainly is.
↵They're no longer the top-ranked college hockey team in Minnesota.
↵Minnesota (11-4-1, 8-2-0 WCHA) dropped from third to fifth in this week's USCHO.com Poll while the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (9-3-2, 7-2-1 WCHA) rose from sixth to fourth after being idle. Although they swept UMD in Duluth earlier in the season, the Bulldogs have recovered and gone unbeaten since then going 8-0-2 and winning their last five games.
↵The Gophers have gone 2-3-1 over their last six games; in which five were on the road. Their road gets easier as the Maroon and Gold play their next seven games at Mariucci Arena and do not play a road game until January 14th.
↵Merrimack (9-0-1, 6-0-1 Hockey East) remains in first place after beating the winless Alabama-Hunstville Chargers and received 48 of 50 votes. Boston College and Notre Dame are tied at second while Colorado College fell from fourth to eighth after being swept by North Dakota. Michigan State, who beat and tied the Gophers this weekend, jumps from 20th to 16th.
↵In other polls, Minnesota is fourth in both the INCH power rankings and USA Today/USA Hockey Poll and are ahead of Minnesota Duluth, who is fifth, in both polls.