D3hockey.com Poll

[Josh Carey]

The first one just came out!

#	School (1st votes)	Rec	Pts	Prev.
1	Rochester Tech (13)	8-0	148
2	Norwich	7-1	132
3	Plattsburgh State	5-0-1	104
4	UW-River Falls (2)	6-0	103
5	Middlebury	2-0	89
6	Gustavus Adolphus	6-0	77
7	Amherst	2-0	67
8	Elmira	5-1	56
9	Adrian	4-3-1	10
10	Lake Forest	6-2-1	9

 
Others receiving votes: St. Catherine 7, UW-Superior 6, Augsburg 5, Trinity3 , Conn. College 2, Bowdoin 2, UW-Stevens Point 2, Concordia-Wis. 2, St. Scholastica 1

[Steve Wiitala]

I think that UWRF is underrated.  My computer data suggests that they aren't getting the respect they are due.

[Matt R]

I think that UWRF is underrated.  My computer data suggests that they aren't getting the respect they are due.

On the flip side, historically speaking, any respect given to the west in women's hockey is too much.

[Steve Wiitala]

I think that UWRF is underrated.  My computer data suggests that they aren't getting the respect they are due.

On the flip side, historically speaking, any respect given to the west in women's hockey is too much.

Granted - there is the historical issue, which may weigh strongly against UWRF, but their metrics are very, very good.  If I were publishing my computer rankings this week, UWRF would most likely be at the top of the heap.

[Matthew Webb]

I think that UWRF is underrated.  My computer data suggests that they aren't getting the respect they are due.

On the flip side, historically speaking, any respect given to the west in women's hockey is too much.

Granted - there is the historical issue, which may weigh strongly against UWRF, but their metrics are very, very good.  If I were publishing my computer rankings this week, UWRF would most likely be at the top of the heap.

I think it's solely the history factor, which is tough to argue against, really.  When was the last time a women's West Region team won a game in the Frozen Four, 2004?

And I say this sitting camped right in the middle of the West Region.  While every year is different of course, it's tough to not hold it against the West until someone from out here steps up and gets in done later in the year.

[Derek Dunning]

I think that UWRF is underrated.  My computer data suggests that they aren't getting the respect they are due.

On the flip side, historically speaking, any respect given to the west in women's hockey is too much.

Granted - there is the historical issue, which may weigh strongly against UWRF, but their metrics are very, very good.  If I were publishing my computer rankings this week, UWRF would most likely be at the top of the heap.

I think it's solely the history factor, which is tough to argue against, really.  When was the last time a women's West Region team won a game in the Frozen Four, 2004?

And I say this sitting camped right in the middle of the West Region.  While every year is different of course, it's tough to not hold it against the West until someone from out here steps up and gets in done later in the year.

Exactly.

[Josh Carey]

And another one!

Through games as of Sunday, November 27
 

#	School (1st votes)	Rec	Pts	Prev.
1	Rochester Tech (13)	8-0	128	1
2	Norwich	7-1	115	2
3	Middlebury	3-0-1	93	5
4	UW-River Falls (2)	7-0	90	4
5	Elmira	6-1-1	82	8
6	Gustavus Adolphus	6-0	64	6
7	Amherst	3-1	57	7
8	Plattsburgh State	5-2-1	43	3
9	Adrian	4-3-1	17	9
10	St. Catherine	4-1-1	7	NR

 
Others receiving votes: Concordia (Minn.) 5, UW-Superior 5, Bowdoin 4, St. Scholastica 2, Concordia (Wis.) 1, Augsburg 1, Conn. College 1

[Josh Carey]

Through games as of Sunday, December 5
 

#	School (1st votes)	Rec	Pts	Prev.
1	Rochester Tech (15)	10-0	150	1
2	Norwich	8-1-1	123	2
3	Middlebury	5-0-1	121	3
4	Elmira	8-1-1	103	5
5	Gustavus Adolphus	8-0	85	6
6	UW-River Falls	8-1	74	4
7	Amherst	5-1	72	7
8	Plattsburgh State	7-2-1	50	8
9	Concordia-Moorhead	6-1-1	16	NR
10	UW-Superior	4-3-2	15	NR

 
Dropped out: Adrian, St. Catherine
Others receiving votes: St. Catherine 9, Adrian 4, St. Scholastica 3

[Josh Carey]

And here's this week's installment:

Through games as of Sunday, December 11
 

#	School (1st votes)	Rec	Pts	Prev.
1	Rochester Tech (15)	12-0	150	1
2	Norwich	10-1-1	134	2
3	Elmira	9-1-1	112	4
4	Middlebury	5-0-2	95	3
5	Gustavus Adolphus	8-0-1	89	5
6	Amherst	6-2	75	7
7	UW-River Falls	10-1-1	73	6
8	Plattsburgh State	8-3-1	46	8
9	Concordia-Moorhead	7-1-1	27	9
10	UW-Superior	6-3-2	21	10

 
Others receiving votes: St. Scholastica 2, Manhattanville 1


Very interesting how locked-in the top 10 are right now.

[Derek Dunning]

And here's this week's installment:

Through games as of Sunday, December 11
 

#	School (1st votes)	Rec	Pts	Prev.
1	Rochester Tech (15)	12-0	150	1
2	Norwich	10-1-1	134	2
3	Elmira	9-1-1	112	4
4	Middlebury	5-0-2	95	3
5	Gustavus Adolphus	8-0-1	89	5
6	Amherst	6-2	75	7
7	UW-River Falls	10-1-1	73	6
8	Plattsburgh State	8-3-1	46	8
9	Concordia-Moorhead	7-1-1	27	9
10	UW-Superior	6-3-2	21	10

 
Others receiving votes: St. Scholastica 2, Manhattanville 1


Very interesting how locked-in the top 10 are right now.

I agree Josh. I guess Superior's win over UWRF has really pushed them over the top on whether or not they should be ranked.

The quiet team in all of this is St. Scholastica. Their only two losses are to River Falls and they just took three points from the defending NCHA Tournament champions in Adrian.

The Saints will have a tough road to hoe in the second half with 11 of 15 remaining games on the road including heading East to play Salve Regina and Saint Anselm.

I'm very intrigued for the Superior/St. Scholastica series. Could decide #2 in the NCHA Tournament.

[Steve Wiitala]

I agree Josh. I guess Superior's win over UWRF has really pushed them over the top on whether or not they should be ranked.

The quiet team in all of this is St. Scholastica. Their only two losses are to River Falls and they just took three points from the defending NCHA Tournament champions in Adrian.

The Saints will have a tough road to hoe in the second half with 11 of 15 remaining games on the road including heading East to play Salve Regina and Saint Anselm.

I'm very intrigued for the Superior/St. Scholastica series. Could decide #2 in the NCHA Tournament.

Problem with evaluating Scholastica is their schedule.  The only team of note they have beaten is Adrian.  Otherwise their victims are Finlandia, Marian, and UWEC.  They are a classic example of a team winning the games they are expected to win and losing the ones they are expected to lose.  The "quality of win" index that I compute for the computer rankings is down it the bottom half (before they played Adrian, it was dead last among teams that have won games this season).  It will be interesting to see how they do the rest of the way.

[Derek Dunning]

I agree Josh. I guess Superior's win over UWRF has really pushed them over the top on whether or not they should be ranked.

The quiet team in all of this is St. Scholastica. Their only two losses are to River Falls and they just took three points from the defending NCHA Tournament champions in Adrian.

The Saints will have a tough road to hoe in the second half with 11 of 15 remaining games on the road including heading East to play Salve Regina and Saint Anselm.

I'm very intrigued for the Superior/St. Scholastica series. Could decide #2 in the NCHA Tournament.

Problem with evaluating Scholastica is their schedule.  The only team of note they have beaten is Adrian.  Otherwise their victims are Finlandia, Marian, and UWEC.  They are a classic example of a team winning the games they are expected to win and losing the ones they are expected to lose.  The "quality of win" index that I compute for the computer rankings is down it the bottom half (before they played Adrian, it was dead last among teams that have won games this season).  It will be interesting to see how they do the rest of the way.

I agree. But if we are going to take that into consideration, that's also a reason why RF and GAC, despite great records are ranked behind the perennial East powers because the West has time after time proven that the best teams in their region don't quite match up with the top Eastern teams.

The records in the NCAA's speak for themselves over the past 10 years.

[Steve Wiitala]

But Derek, the Saints haven't even played a strong schedule relative to the region that they are in.  It's always a challenge to figure out where teams from different region fit in with respect to each other.  It gets a little better when there are more games between teams from the two regions.  I wish the NCAA had implemented the rule they passed and then pulled back, which was to allow out-of-region games contested during school vacations to count as in-region.  It seemed like a perfect compromise - which is probably why it wasn't implemented. 

To me playing more games with the Eastern teams would help the level of competition in the West.