Wisconsin Men's Hockey Now No. 1
November 28, 2005 | Men's Hockey
Wisconsin men's hockey has staked its claim to the nation's No. 1 ranking in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Polls released on Monday after a weekend sweep at then-No. 18 Michigan State and then-No. 1 Michigan.
The recognition caps off Wisconsin's 7-0-1 month of November, the third unbeaten month in the Mike Eaves' Era and the most wins in a month under the current head coach.
Wisconsin, which began the month No. 9 in the USCHO.com Poll and No. 10 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, jumped to fifth in both polls on Nov. 7 following a road sweep at then-No. 5 North Dakota, climbed to No. 2 on Nov. 14 after tying and defeating then-No. 1 Colorado College and stayed at No. 2 following a home sweep over Minnesota State before this week's rise.
The top ranking is the first for the Badgers since Oct. 23, 2000, when the squad filled the top spot in both polls. The top ranking is also a first for the team under Eaves.
Wisconsin took all 34 first-place votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll and 39 of 40 in the USCHO.com Poll. Colorado College, which took the only other first-place vote, holds the No. 2 spots, moving up one after falling at Massachusetts and winning in overtime at Boston University. Michigan falls to No. 3 after losing both games at last weekend's College Hockey Showcase, while the Badgers ' opponent this week, Minnesota, climbs to No. 4 from No. 7 after beating Michigan and tying Michigan State. Vermont rounds out the top five teams.
First-place Wisconsin (11-1-2, 8-0-2 WCHA), unbeaten in its last 12 games with a 10-0-2 record, visits second-place and fourth-ranked Minnesota (7-3-4, 6-2-2 WCHA) for a key league series Friday and Saturday. Both games at Mariucci Arena will be carried live on FSN North and WIBA-AM radio at 7 p.m.
