With the end of the regular season of college hockey fast approaching, five teams have pulled away from the pack, regularly showing up at the top of media polls and the pairwise rankings. Up to this point, here are the top five college hockey teams.
Boston College is 19-5-1 this season and has a four-game winning streak. On Jan. 26 and 27, they swept the previously number two-ranked Boston University, their biggest divisional opponent. The Eagles have one of the top-scoring offenses in the NCAA, with multiple players in the top twenty for points and goals per game. They also have the best penalty kill in the league and the first-year goaltender, Jacob Fowler, is highly ranked in the NCAA for wins, save percentage, and goals against average.
The most significant point of doubt for BC is their young roster. With 65% of their roster comprised of underclassmen, the lack of veteran talent raises questions about whether BC can manage the lengthy run needed to win the National Championship. What the Eagles lack in age, they make up for in talent, with 14 drafted players on their roster, including two top-five picks in Will Smith and Cutter Gauthier.
The University of North Dakota has not lost in regulation for 22 games. They are 20-6-2 and swept the Denver Pioneers on Jan. 26 and 27 to take hold of first place in the NCHC and second in the pairwise before moving to third after BU’s win over BC. UND held the Pioneers, the top-scoring offense in the NCAA, to two goals on both nights, which no other team had accomplished yet this season.
UND’s special teams rank highly in the NCAA, and Jackson Blake is tenth in points per game in the NCAA. Despite not filling the league’s top in individual offensive statistics, the Fighting Hawks have found scoring throughout their lineup, which contains ten drafted players. UND started the season with an entirely new d-core, and it has paid off with impressive defensive performances like the ones put up against Denver and offensive performances like that by Logan Britt, who was named NCHC defenseman of the week after putting up three goals in two games against University of Miami Ohio.
BU is 17-7-1 this season and recently beat the top-ranked BC in the Beanpot tournament 4-3. One key factor in the Terrier’s favor is the amount of talent contained in the roster, including 13 drafted players and the projected first-overall pick of the 2024 draft, Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini leads the NCAA in goals per game and is fourth in points per game. On defense, BU has Lane Hutson, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, and a top-ten Hobey Baker finalist in 2022-23. They also have a top-ten power play in the NCAA.
The Terriers made it to the Frozen Four last year and lost to the University of Minnesota in the semi-finals. They have demonstrated what it takes to create a post-season run; their biggest issue will be finding the gear to beat teams like BC and UND in single-game elimination when they have lost to those teams this season.
After finishing dead last in the Big Ten last season, Wisconsin changed their head coach, bringing in Mike Hastings, who led the Minnesota State Mankato’s hockey team to the NCAA Finals in 2022. Hasting brought three former Mavericks via the transfer portal, including the Badgers’ leading goal scorer, Simon Tassy.
The new Badgers are 20-6-2. They have one of the best scoring margins in the NCAA, and while they do not have players in the top of the NCAA offense categories, their roster contains 12 drafted players and their starting goaltender, Kyle McClellan, is in the top five in the league in all goaltender statistics. The Badgers also boast a top-three penalty kill in the country.
The reigning National Champions get the top five nod. While they lost some players at the end of last season, Quinnipiac still retained a good percentage of their National Championship-winning roster and have a roster that still contains three drafted players. The Bobcats are 19-6-2 this season and have the second-best scoring defense in the NCAA. Their offense is also ranked fourth in the NCAA for scoring, and Collin Graf is ranked sixth in goals per game. Their penalty kill is in the top five in the NCAA.
While the Bobcats are still the reigning National Champions and are highly ranked in the NCAA in multiple statistical categories, their power play leaves much to be desired, and their schedule minus losses to BU and BC is weak. It is difficult to tell the quality of their team when they have not played or beaten a top-five-ranked team.
