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Apr. 14—With the season complete, here's my final ballot in the USCHO.com poll for 2024-25:
1. Western Michigan
2. Boston University
3. Denver
4. Penn State
5. Boston College
6. Michigan State
7. Maine
8. UConn
9. Cornell
10. Minnesota
11. UMass
12. Providence
13. Ohio State
14. Minnesota State
15. Quinnipiac
16. Arizona State
17. Bentley
18. Michigan
19. North Dakota
20. Clarkson
WESTERN MICHIGAN TAKES THE CROWN: Western Michigan was ranked No. 17 on Sept. 23, the first poll of the season. The Broncos didn't crack the Top 10 until Nov. 18, when they climbed to ninth. Western Michigan was rarely flashy, just the strongest, most consistent team from start to finish. The Broncos made it through the entire season without a losing streak. Each of the seven losses stands out like an island in a sea of Ws on their schedule. Western Michigan closed the season with a 10-game winning streak, dominating BU in the national championship game.
For the rest of my top four, I went with the other participants in the Frozen Four. The Terriers looked lost in their Hockey East semifinal loss to UConn, but the talented team pulled it together to make a run in the NCAA tournament. The same can be said for Denver, which got hot to win the Manchester, New Hampshire regional, and Penn State, which came out of Allentown as the No. 4 seed.
WHERE TO PUT THE BLACK BEARS? After winning the Hockey East title for the first time in 21 years, Maine's trip to the NCAA tournament ended quickly with a 5-1 first round loss to Penn State in Allentown. I ranked Maine No. 3 in my last poll before the start of the tournament. A first-round loss meant the Black Bears would drop, but how far? I settled on No. 7. A strong season and a championship in what was the toughest conference throughout the season counts for something.
Maine will look much different next season. Top scorers Harrison Scott and Taylor Makar moved on to the pro game, as did Nolan Renwick, Lynden Breen, Ross Mitton, and defenseman David Breazeale. All-American goalie Albin Boija is set to return, and that gives the Black Bears a defensive presence on which to build around.
CORNELL MAKES A RUN: Unlike Western Michigan, which climbed into the Top 10 early in the season, Cornell entered the season with high expectations. The Big Red even picked up a couple first-place votes early in the season. Cornell sputtered throughout the regular season, though, before getting hot. Maybe knowing the next loss would be the end of longtime coach Mike Schafer's career was all the motivation the team needed. Cornell had to win the ECAC tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA field. Then, the Big Red upset top seed Michigan State, 4-3, in the first round of the Toledo regional. Down a goal late against Boston University in the regional final, Cornell scored to send it to overtime, where the Terriers snapped Cornell's seven-game winning streak and closed the book on Schafer's career. For that late season run, I put the Big Red at No. 9 in my final poll, up from No. 17 prior to the tournament.
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1. Western Michigan
2. Boston University
3. Denver
4. Penn State
5. Boston College
6. Michigan State
7. Maine
8. UConn
9. Cornell
10. Minnesota
11. UMass
12. Providence
13. Ohio State
14. Minnesota State
15. Quinnipiac
16. Arizona State
17. Bentley
18. Michigan
19. North Dakota
20. Clarkson
WESTERN MICHIGAN TAKES THE CROWN: Western Michigan was ranked No. 17 on Sept. 23, the first poll of the season. The Broncos didn't crack the Top 10 until Nov. 18, when they climbed to ninth. Western Michigan was rarely flashy, just the strongest, most consistent team from start to finish. The Broncos made it through the entire season without a losing streak. Each of the seven losses stands out like an island in a sea of Ws on their schedule. Western Michigan closed the season with a 10-game winning streak, dominating BU in the national championship game.
For the rest of my top four, I went with the other participants in the Frozen Four. The Terriers looked lost in their Hockey East semifinal loss to UConn, but the talented team pulled it together to make a run in the NCAA tournament. The same can be said for Denver, which got hot to win the Manchester, New Hampshire regional, and Penn State, which came out of Allentown as the No. 4 seed.
WHERE TO PUT THE BLACK BEARS? After winning the Hockey East title for the first time in 21 years, Maine's trip to the NCAA tournament ended quickly with a 5-1 first round loss to Penn State in Allentown. I ranked Maine No. 3 in my last poll before the start of the tournament. A first-round loss meant the Black Bears would drop, but how far? I settled on No. 7. A strong season and a championship in what was the toughest conference throughout the season counts for something.
Maine will look much different next season. Top scorers Harrison Scott and Taylor Makar moved on to the pro game, as did Nolan Renwick, Lynden Breen, Ross Mitton, and defenseman David Breazeale. All-American goalie Albin Boija is set to return, and that gives the Black Bears a defensive presence on which to build around.
CORNELL MAKES A RUN: Unlike Western Michigan, which climbed into the Top 10 early in the season, Cornell entered the season with high expectations. The Big Red even picked up a couple first-place votes early in the season. Cornell sputtered throughout the regular season, though, before getting hot. Maybe knowing the next loss would be the end of longtime coach Mike Schafer's career was all the motivation the team needed. Cornell had to win the ECAC tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA field. Then, the Big Red upset top seed Michigan State, 4-3, in the first round of the Toledo regional. Down a goal late against Boston University in the regional final, Cornell scored to send it to overtime, where the Terriers snapped Cornell's seven-game winning streak and closed the book on Schafer's career. For that late season run, I put the Big Red at No. 9 in my final poll, up from No. 17 prior to the tournament.
Copy the Story Link
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less
Continue reading...
