How Far Should UMD Fall in College Hockey Power Rankings for Augustana Series? Puck Drop
This is not an easy week to do power rankings. There’s little information to go on, and then there are circumstances like with Minnesota Duluth.
The Bulldogs were No. 6 last week, barely behind Quinnipiac in our estimation, enjoying two solid home wins against Long Island to opener the season, and apparently off to a great start. But Hobey Baker winner Max Plante was sidelined by an injury and out for the two-game series at Augustana.
Normally we’d be thinking a win and a tie for the Bulldogs, but the Vikings were hungry to get a traditional power on its home ice. That’s what they earned, a win and a tie, with both games going to overtime.
It left the power rankings with essentially a four-way tie for No. 10 between Augustana, Boston University and Bowling Green and UMD. The Bulldogs at full strength are probably the best of the four, and one can't help but believe that they'll bounce back in a big way. But we can’t ignore the weekend results. So Augustana needs to be above UMD for now.
Like with Providence at No. 8, we’re kind of giving BU the benefit of doubt until more games are played. Over the next month the Terriers will play at Vermont, at UConn, Maine and at Michigan State, and then face Harvard and Quinnipiac. They're also hosting reigning champion Denver on Thanksgiving Weekend. There's no hiding from that schedule.
The Falcons may be 2-2, but both losses were to Michigan, and then they turned around and won the Icebreaker, including a 5-2 victory over Connecticut on its home ice.
One can make the case for each team. We’re going Bowling Green in honor of the tournament win.
The other tricky team is Maine, which has split weekend series against Holy Cross and Quinnipiac. Alfond Arena is one of the toughest places to play, so we’re a little forgiving to the Bobcats, but we want to see some more from the Black Bears before considering them for top-10 status.
Interestingly enough, the Eastern schools appear to have gone with different approaches when it comes to early-season scheduling. For example, Providence could be undefeated when it faces Quinnipiac on Halloween (at noon), and will subsequently do a home-and-home with UConn. Boston College will host St. Cloud State this weekend before heading to Denver for two games, and then opening Hockey East play against Northeastern.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side there’s no decision to be made about Ohio State being No. 1 after sweeping reigning champion Wisconsin. We already had the Buckeyes there. The tough choice was at No. 10, between Syracuse and Vermont. We’ll get a good read the Catamounts this week when they visit Cornell.
Note: Ivy League teams will be considered when they start their season. The first women't teams open play over the upcoming weekend.
College Hockey On SI Power Rankings
Men
1. Michigan
2. Denver
3. North Dakota
4. Michigan State
5. Western Michigan
6. Quinnipiac
7. Wisconsin
8. Providence
9. Colorado College
10. Bowling Green
On Deck: Augustana, Minnesota Duluth, Boston University, Michigan Tech, Maine
Women
1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Minnesota
4. Quinnipiac
5. Penn State
6. St. Cloud State
7. Northeastern
8. Colgate
9. Connecticut
10. Syracuse
NCAA Percentage Index Top 10
The NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) is begging to take shape, like an inflatable Halloween decoration just after being plugged in, especially on the women’s side. All the teams start from the same place, so the rankings take a little more form with each result added.
Men
1. Colorado College
2. Northeastern
3. Michigan
4. North Dakota
5. Michigan State
6. Quinnipiac
7. Union
8. Notre Dame
9. Minnesota Duluth
10. Western Michigan
The Next 5: Maine, Boston University, Augustana, Denver and Wisconsin (tied)
Women
1. Ohio State
2. Colgate
3. Vermont
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. St. Cloud State
6. Penn State
7. Minnesota
8. St. Thomas
9. Union
10. Quinnipiac
The Next 5: Wisconsin, Syracuse, Connecticut, Mercyhurst and Boston College
Puck Drop: Monday, October 12, 2026
- Freshman forward Jack Hextall had a goal and two assists, and sophomore forward Anthony Romani scored a short-handed goal as No. 3 Michigan State completed the sweep of Northern Michigan 5-1. Romani’s goal was his third of the weekend. Junior goaltender Quentin Sigurdson had 29 saves in his first start.
Jimmy Clark scores his first as a Spartan!
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) October 11, 2026
We lead 1-0 in the first period! pic.twitter.com/nw5tzpWU2u
- Danika Botterill had a hat trick for UNH in a 6-3 loss to Northeastern. The Huskies had a 47-17 edge in shots on goal.
- Tuesday is Frozen Frenzy in the NHL, the fourth straight year all 32 teams are playing with 16 staggered across the day. The first game begins at 6 p.m. ET, with the Devils at the Red wings, and the final game begins at 11 p.m. ET, with the Bruins at the Sharks.
College Hockey Scores
MEN
Non-Conference
No. 3 Michigan State 5, Northern Michigan 1
Exhibition
Army 6, Royal Military 1
Women’s College Hockey Scores
Hockey East
Northeastern 6, New Hampshire 3
Non-Conference
No. 3 Minnesota 4, Bemidji State 2
Milani with the backhand!🚨
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey) October 11, 2026
📺: B1G+ pic.twitter.com/hcgQCHUqU2
College Hockey Schedule
No Games Scheduled until Wednesday
This Date in Hockey History
October 12, 1938: Wisconsin announcer Bob Miller was born in Chicago.
October 12, 1959: Denver left wing Eddy Beers was born in Merritt, British Columbia.
October 12, 1963: Yale forward Rany Wood was born in Princeton, N.J.
October 12, 1965: UConn left wing Todd Krygier was born in Chicago Heights, Ill.
October 12, 1969: Lowell goaltender Dwayne Roloson was born in Simcoe, Ontario.
October 12, 1972: Tommy Williams, a member on the 1960 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal, scored the first goal in New England Whalers history. It was during a 4-3 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Blazers in the World Hockey Association, at Boston Garden.
October 12, 1975: Miami center Randy Robitaille was born in Ottawa, Ontario.
October 12, 1975: Former Michigan Tech goaltender Tony Esposito notched his 53rd career shutout, leading a 3-0 Chicago Blackhawks win over visiting Vancouver.
October 12, 1977: Former Clarkson right wing Dave Taylor made his Los Angeles Kings Debut. He played all 1,111 NHL games over 17 seasons with the franchise.
October 12, 1980: Former Denver forward Glenn Anderson scored his first NHL goal, but the Edmonton Oilers took a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
October 12, 1988: Former Northern Arizona left wing Greg Adams notched his second career hattrick as the visiting Vancouver Canucks snapped a 27-game winless streak against the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-2 victory.
October 12, 1991: Minnesota North Stars rookie defenseman Derian Hatcher, who played numerous times on Team USA, scored his first career NHL goal in a 3-2 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
October 12, 1993: Wisconsin defenseman Jake McCabe was born in Eau Claire, Wisc.
October 12, 1999: David Legwand, who played for Team USA numerous times, scored his first NHL goal. It was the game-winner as the Nashville Predators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2.
October 12, 2000: Former Miami center Kevyn Adams scored two goals at Calgary to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to their first franchise win.
October 12, 2003: Former Boston University left winger Keith Tkachuk scored two goals to reach 400 for his career as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1.
October 12, 2004: Michigan center Adam Fantillii was born in Nobleton, Ontario.
October 12, 2005: Former Merrimack right wing Matt Foy scored the first two goals of his NHL career to help the Minnesota Wild shut out the Vancouver Canucks, 6-0. Former Lowell goaltender Dwayne Roloson notched his 17th shutout.
October 12, 2013: Former UMD defenseman Matt Niskanen scored a power-play goal with :18.6 remaining in regulation to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 5-4 win at Tampa Bay.
October 12, 2016: Austin Mathews became the first player in the modern era to score four goals in his NHL debut. However, the Toronto Maple Leads still took a 5-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators in overtime,
October 12, 2021: Former Harvard forward Ryan Donato scored the first goal in Seattle Krakens history. The expansion club lost at Las Vegas, 4-3.
Hockey Quote of the Day
“I was 19 years old, pumping gas and going nowhere. I was kind of a high school dropout at that point because I had left school to play hockey, but no one drafted me.”Adam Oates (RPI)
We'll Leave You With This ...
Between-the-legs assist 😲
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) October 11, 2026
You're gonna want to check out this Michael Hage @umichhockey highlight. pic.twitter.com/EfWvaZvb4a
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Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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