UND remains among top five in national polls

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Despite suffering its first road sweep since Nov. 2011, the University of North Dakota remained inside the top five at No. 4 in both national men’s hockey polls released on Monday.

North Dakota slid two spots in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls after dropping a pair of games at Denver last weekend. It marked UND’s first sweep since Nov. 1-2, 2013 against St. Cloud State and the first time it had been swept on the road since Nov. 4-5, 2011 at Minnesota.

Top-ranked Quinnipiac remained atop the polls while Boston College and St. Cloud State grabbed the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. Defending NCAA champion Providence rounded out the top five in both sets of rankings.

UND (22-5-3, 13-4-1-1 NCHC) returns home this weekend to host unranked Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday. The Fighting Hawks enter the final three weeks of the regular season tied with St. Cloud State atop the National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings.

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

Rk.      School (1st-place votes)         Record           Pts.         PR

1.         Quinnipiac (32)                                22-2-6            973            1

2.         Boston College (14)                       21-4-5            943            3

3.         St. Cloud State (4)                           23-6-1            901            4

4.         North Dakota                              22-5-3           837            2

5.         Providence                                       21-5-4            818            5

6.         Michigan                                          18-4-5            734            6

7.         Notre Dame                                     18-5-7            679            8

8.         Yale                                                  16-5-4            614          10

9.         Boston University                           17-9-4            599            7

10.       Denver                                             15-8-5            561          13

11.       Massachusetts-Lowell                    18-7-5            505          11

12.       Omaha                                              18-9-1            482          12

13.       Harvard                                            14-8-3            423            9

14.       Michigan Tech                                  16-7-5            333          14

15.       Penn State                                        18-8-4            278          16

16.       Cornell                                             12-8-5            169          15

17.       Rensselaer                                     15-11-6            141          18

18.       St. Lawrence                                  16-11-3            130         NR

19.       Minnesota State                            15-10-7            114          17

20.       Clarkson                                        16-11-3            106          20

Others receiving votes: Minnesota 56, Bowling Green 39, Robert Morris 25, Dartmouth 24, Miami 10, Northeastern 6.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

Rk.      School (1^st-place votes)           Record           Pts.         PR

1.         Quinnipiac (25)                                22-2-6            498            1

2.         Boston College (9)                         21-4-5            474            3

3.         St. Cloud State                                23-6-1            440            4

4.         North Dakota                              22-5-3           400            2

5.         Providence                                       21-5-4            383            5

6.         Michigan                                          18-4-5            346            6

7.         Notre Dame                                     18-5-7            300            8

8.         Yale                                                  16-5-4            249          10

9.         Boston University                           17-9-4            232            7

10.       Denver                                             15-8-5            223          13

11.       Omaha                                              18-9-1            162          12

12.       Massachusetts-Lowell                    18-7-5            144          11

13.       Harvard                                            14-8-3            114            9

14.       Michigan Tech                                  16-7-5              54          14

15.       Penn State                                        18-8-4              34         NR               

Others receiving votes: St. Lawrence 17, Cornell 4, Minnesota State 4, Northeastern 1, Rensselaer 1.