A new USCHO poll is out with UMass’ next opponent, Maine, coming in at #8.  There is a new #1 in that poll and the USA Hockey/USA Today poll with Yale laying claim to the top spot.  Now at 10-1-0 it’s tough to to make a case against the Bulldogs being the top ranked team.  However I am a little bothered that according to the RPI Index they’ve played the 26th toughest schedule to date.  The other two teams receiving first place votes, Minnesota-Duluth and Boston College, have played the 5th and 6th toughest schedules respectively.  Yale’s non-conference schedule so far doesn’t exactly blow me away.  Brown, Dartmouth (yes, they’re playing their conference foes as non-conference opponents), Air Force (their one loss), and a down Colorado College team.  Their big wins are against #13 Union and #15 RPI.  A great start for their team, but I’m not sure they’ve adequately made the case to be the #1 team in the country.  Luckily the coaches and media polls don’t not have a role in the selection of tournament teams or seedings.  One of the great things about college hockey. 

Here are the INCH Power Rankings.

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UMass is well represented in this week’s Top Performers from Hockey East.  Paul Dainton, Eric Filiou, Danny Hobbs, Doug Kublin, and Mike Pereira all make the cut.

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The Collegian has a recap of the Lowell game and a look at the improved penalty kill.

Congrats to Paul Dainton who trails only the legendary, but underappreciated Brian Regan for career saves at UMass.

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Farewell to Billy Guerin, probably the great hockey player to come out of Western Mass.  I’d be interested in seeing something from Dick Baker about local hockey legends as part of Guerin’s retirement since he’s been covering the sport in this area for quite a while.  Is Guerin the best?  None others come to my mind.

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Go Patriots!