It’s been said for a while that Gophers hockey is back, but now the polls agree. After sweeping the University of North Dakota at home in the regular season for the first time since 1996, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are now the #1 ranked team in college hockey in all three national polls.
↵The Gophers jumped from fifth last week to first. The Maroon and Gold are 9-1 and 6-0 in the WCHA.
↵It’s the first time Minnesota has been ranked #1 in the USCHO poll since November 24th, 2008. That year’s team started off 7-1-4 before tailing off and missing the NCAA Tournament.
↵In addition, USA Today and Inside College Hockey each have the Gophers ranked as the top team in the country.
↵Boston College, Colorado College, Michigan and Western Michigan round out the top five while the last remaining undefeated team, Merrimack, is sixth. Minnesota-Duluth is the only other ranked team from the State of Hockey, coming at tenth, while North Dakota dropped five places from 15th to 20th after being swept by the Gophers.