UMass will be taking on the top ranked team in the country Friday night as Boston College takes over the #1 spot in the USCHO poll after Yale’s sweep at the hands of the capital region teams this past weekend.  Merrimack, Saturday’s opponent, checks in at #12.  UNH moves up to #6, BU checks in at #14, and Maine fell to three spots to #15.  BC tops the USA Hockey/USA Today poll as well.

Both of this weekend’s opponents are in the top 10 of the INCH Power Rankings.

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No UMass players were award winners or top performers this week, but Chris Rawlings understandably was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performances against the Minutemen.

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Dick Baker has an interesting look at Northeastern’s style of play and how it led to their 3 point weekend.  Personally I really enjoy watching the Huskies and the toughness they show.  Coach Greg Cronin certainly has that program heading in the right direction, but in the second half of the season and the future.

The Collegian has a recap of Saturday’s hard fought tie as well as a feature on their bipolar special teams play.

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I meant to relay this look by Hockey’s Future on the Sharks minor league system last week.  They have some good things to say about Justin Braun, James Marcou, and Matt Irwin.

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The Road Trip page is updated with my Wisconsin recommendations.