Men's Hockey Climbs to No. 4 in National Polls

The Harvard men’s ice hockey team received a promotion today without even stepping on the ice this past week.

The team (9-1-2, 5-1-2 ECAC) hasn’t played since its 5-2 win at Quinnipiac on Dec. 6 yet jumped from fifth to fourth in both of the national weekly polls on Monday. Beanpot rival Boston University (11-3-2) also moved up in the top five, overtaking the University of North Dakota (13-4-2) for the top spot in both polls.

No. 4/4 Harvard picked up five more first-place votes in each poll to leapfrog No. 5/5 Michigan Tech (13-3-0). The Crimson took 11 out of 50 first-place votes in the USCHO poll and nine out of 33 first-place votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.  Among first-place vote getters, Harvard trailed BU and UND in the former poll yet only BU in the latter.

The Crimson also boasts the highest winning percentage (.8333) of all 59 Division I teams, a sliver ahead of Michigan Tech (.8125), and ranks fourth in PairWise and RPI.

After beginning the season unranked, the Harvard icemen are off to their quickest start since the 1992-1993 season. The team will return to the ice on Dec. 28 for an exhibition game against the Russian Red Stars—a team comprised of all-stars from a European junior league—before hosting conference rival Rensselaer on Dec. 30.

USHCO.com Poll (First Place Votes)

1. Boston University (18)
2. University of North Dakota (12)
3. Minnesota State (6)
4. Harvard (11)
5. Michigan Tech
6. Miami
7. Minnesota-Duluth
8. Minnesota
9. Massachusetts-Lowell
10. Vermont
11. Denver
12. Nebraska-Omaha
13. Bowling Green
14. Quinnipiac
15. Boston College
16. Providence
17. Colgate
18. Merrimack
19. Robert Morris
20. Penn State

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll (First Place Votes)

1. Boston University (19)
2. University of North Dakota (5)
3. Minnesota State
4. Harvard (9)
5. Michigan Tech
6. Miami
7. University of Massachusetts-Lowell
8. Minnesota
9. Vermont
10. Minnesota Duluth
11. Denver
12. Nebraska Omaha
13. Bowling Green
14. Colgate
15. Quinnipiac