This past weekend was the last semi-full one of 2021 with most schools shut down for the holiday break. You’ll still see some games scattered around over the next few weeks, with things ramping back up after the new year.
Atlantic Hockey:
Canisius ended the first half of its season with a split against Niagara, dropping Friday’s game in overtime after Niagara tied the game with six seconds left in the third. The Golden Griffins trail first place Bentley by three points in the conference standings.
Big Ten:
The Big Ten was a weekend full of splits. Series between Michigan and Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin and Michigan State and Notre Dame all resulted in splits.
CCHA:
The weekend’s big series was between first place Minnesota State and second place Bemidji State. The Mavericks got the best of the Beavers, coming out on top in both games.
ECAC:
Yale taking down Brown was the loan conference matchup of the week, with all the other conference schools skating in non-conference games.
Hockey East:
Boston College finally got back in action after COVID issues forced several postponements. The Eagles took down rival Boston University in the shootout on Friday in what was a very entertaining game. UMass-Lowell continued its hot streak with a sweep over Vermont.
NCHC:
North Dakota completed the sweep over Colorado College while Omaha and Western Michigan split their series, as well as a series split between Denver and Minnesota Duluth.
Here are this week’s HockeyBuzz NCAA Top-10 Power Rankings:
1) Minnesota State 16-4-0 (12-2-0 CCHA) | Last week: 2
The Mavericks are back atop the HockeyBuzz rankings after their weekend sweep of Bemidji State. It was another typical Minnesota State weekend with timely goals, minimal shots allowed and a pair of 60-minute efforts. Junior Brendan Furry had a goal in each contest.
Up next: vs. Minnesota Duluth 12/30 & 1/1
2) Quinnipiac 14-1-3 (5-0-1 ECAC) | Last week: 3
The Bobcats coasted to a pair of wins over Long Island University this past weekend, 4-1 on Friday and 5-0 on Saturday. Quinnipiac has not lost since Oct. 23 and has won 11 in a row. They also have four shutouts in their last five games, allowing just one goal in that span.
Up next: vs. Princeton 1/2 & @ Princeton 1/3
3) Western Michigan 13-5-0 (6-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 1
After a 4-2 victory over Omaha on Friday, the Broncos were shutout by Omaha 1-0. After his two-goal performance on Friday, Ethan Frank continues to lead the nation in goals with 17. The Broncos have nothing but conference games left on their schedule including two big games with North Dakota on the final weekend of February.
Up next: at Michigan State 12/29 & Michigan 12/30
4) Michigan 14-6-0 (7-5-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 4
It was another conference weekend split for Michigan, this time with Ohio State who continues to exceed everyone’s expectations. Saturday’s contest was the more lopsided of the two with Ohio State skating to the 6-1 victory, outshooting the Wolverines 42-26 in the process.
Up next: vs. Michigan Tech 12/29 & vs. Western Michigan 12/30
5) Minnesota Duluth 11-6-1 (4-3-1 NCHC) | Last week: 5
After being shutout 5-0 to Denver on Friday, Duluth’s third straight loss, I started to wonder if maybe the Bulldogs are not as good as we think they are. But then they bounced back on Saturday, putting a hurting on Denver 6-2. If anything is to come from this weekend, it’s that the NCHC is going to be a battle until the very end.
Up next: @ Minnesota State 12/30 & vs. Minnesota State 1/1
6) North Dakota 13-6-0 (8-2-0 NCHC) | Last week: 7
Thanks to eight regulation conference wins, the Fighting Hawks have a nice little six-point lead entering the break. They’re coming off a relatively easy sweep of Colorado College and have won four of five.
Up next: vs. Cornell 1/7 & 1/8
7) St. Cloud State 10-6-0 (4-4-0 NCHC) | Last week: 6
There won’t be much movement from spots five through 10 in the coming weeks with teams being off for the holiday break, St. Cloud being an example of that. The Huskies enter the break with just one win in their last five, but that one win an impressive one, 8-1 over North Dakota.
Up next: @ Bemidji State 12/31 & vs. Bemidji 1/1
8) Denver 11-5-0 (5-3-0 NCHC) | Last week: 10
Denver makes the jump from 10 simply because Notre Dame and Minnesota did not play this past weekend. The Pioneers split with Minnesota Duluth, winning Friday with a 5-0 shutout. In Saturday’s loss, they saw their seven-game win streak snapped.
Up next: vs. Alaska 12/31 & 1/1
9) Notre Dame 12-5-0 (6-4-0 Big Ten) | Last week: 8
After having their six-game win streak snapped, the Irish have split their previous two weekend sets, one with Ohio State and one with Michigan State. Junior Max Ellis leads the team with 11 goals and 20 assists.
Up next: vs. Niagara 1/1 & 1/2
10) UMass-Lowell 10-3-3 (8-2-1 Hockey East) | Last week: NR
Welcome to the rankings, River Hawks. UMass-Lowell continues to roll, entering the break with a sweep of Vermont. The River Hawks have lost just twice (one tie) in their last 10, and lead Hockey East entering the break. Senior Owen Savory has been outstanding in net. He’s second in the nation with a 1.23 goals-against average and second with a .950 save percentage.
Previously ranked teams missing the cut: Minnesota
Other teams considered: Cornell, U-Mass, Northeastern
Top-10 Power Rankings:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Prospect Reports:
Nathan Smith - Minnesota State/Jets Prospect
Josh Doan – Arizona State/Coyotes Prospect
Scott Morrow – UMass/Hurricanes Prospect
Mason Lohrei Ohio State/Bruins Prospect 
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