MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.- Following a weekend split at home against then No. 10-ranked Minnesota State last weekend, Lake Superior State cracked the USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll on Monday, coming in at the No. 20 spot.
The Lakers (6-2-0) cruised in a 5-1 romp over the defending MacNaughton Cup co-champion Mavericks on Friday evening, scoring five goals from five different players as junior goaltender Gordon Defiel made 24 saves for the victory. On Saturday the Mavericks proved their mettle with a tight 2-1 victory in the series finale.
With a 4.50 goals per game average through eight games this season, the Lakers are tied with No. 10 ranked Harvard (3-0-1) for the highest average in the nation. The Lakers are also tied for 10th nationally with a 2.25 goals-against average.
LSSU was last ranked in the national top-20 poll on Jan. 6, 2014, coming in at No. 19. The following week's poll (January 13, 2014) was the last time the Lakers received votes in the national polls.
The team will continue a tough November schedule, staying in state, as they face the other MacNaughton Cup co-champions from last season, Michigan Tech, this weekend. The Lakers will travel west through the Upper Peninsula to face the Huskies, in Houghton, for a two game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series on Friday and Saturday before traveling south on consecutive weekends to close the month at Ferris State Nov. 18-19 and at Michigan on Nov. 25-26.
USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
Minneapolis, Minn./
November 07, 2016
Team (First Place) Record Pts Last Week
1 Minnesota-Duluth (50) 7- 1-2 1000 1
2 Denver 6- 2-0 934 2
3 Boston College 8- 2-1 870 5
4 Boston University 4- 2-1 857 4
5 Massachusetts-Lowell 6- 2-2 763 7
6 North Dakota 5- 3-1 743 3
7 Quinnipiac 5- 3-1 665 6
8 Minnesota 4- 2-2 578 13
9 Notre Dame 4- 3-1 535 9
10 Harvard 3- 0-1 512 12
11 Minnesota State 7- 3-0 477 10
12 Penn State 7- 1-1 454 14
13 St. Cloud State 4- 4-0 445 8
14 Ohio State 5- 1-3 345 11
15 Bemidji State 8- 2-0 284 18
16 Union 8- 2-1 208 20
17 Providence 3- 3-2 193 15
18 Michigan 4- 3-1 180 17
19 Yale 2- 1-0 167 16
20 Lake Superior 6- 2-0 72 NR
Others receiving votes: Western Michigan 52, St. Lawrence
51, Vermont 35, Northeastern 31, Dartmouth 25, Holy Cross 8,
Omaha 8, Wisconsin 6, Air Force 1, Robert Morris 1.
The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including coaches and
beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.
The poll, published weekly by the Associated Press, is a
production of USCHO.com, which provides in-depth coverage of
college hockey.
The USCHO.com Poll can be viewed online, at http://www.uscho.com/rankings/