Following a weekend sweep of Minnesota on home ice, Penn State men’s hockey jumped to No. 8 in the latest USCHO poll, released on Monday. The Nittany Lions’ latest positioning is one spot higher than their previous ranking.

Elsewhere in the poll, Michigan continues its stronghold on college hockey, earning nearly all of the first-place votes for the seventh consecutive week. There was some movement within the top-5, as Michigan State fell from No. 2 to No. 4 following a loss to unranked Ohio State. Big Ten rival Wisconsin slots into the No. 2 spot this week.

Western Michigan experienced one of the largest jumps in the rankings, moving up three places to No. 3 after an impressive sweep of now-ninth-ranked Denver. No. 5 North Dakota rounds out the top teams in the land.

The rest of the top-10 saw minor adjustments, with Minnesota Duluth moving back to No. 6 and Quinnipiac ahead to No. 7. Dartmouth enters the prestigious group, inching ahead to No. 10, one spot higher than last week.

St. Thomas represents the only new team in the USCHO poll this week. It currently sits at No. 19 after defeating Minnesota State, which has since moved back two spots to No. 17.

Penn State will look to continue its climb in the rankings when it takes on Notre Dame this weekend at home. The first game will be on Friday, January 16, at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.

About the Author

Jamie Lynch

Jamie is a fourth-year economics student from Chappaqua, NY. He loves to swim and is a member of the club team here at Penn State. Jamie is also in the Schreyer Honors College, and wishes there was an advanced course in college football fandom (scored 118/133 on the mascot quiz). He’s an avid ping-pong player, dairy lover, and has met two U.S. Presidents. If you have anything to share, or want to debate the AP Poll with someone, follow him on Twitter/X @jamielynchpsu or email jml8342@psu.edu.

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