The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team gained one spot in the latest USCHO.com Division I poll, which was released Monday. The Lakers (2-0-0), which swept a season-opening series with College Hockey America newcomer Rochester Institute of Technology this past weekend, passed Northeastern (0-0-0) for the ninth spot with 34 voting points.
Defending national champion Minnesota (2-0-0) retained the No. 1 spot after sweeping Colgate by a combined 18-0 score this past weekend. Cornell (0-0-0) and Boston College (0-0-0) moved up one spot to second and third, respectively, despite not playing any games. Wisconsin fell to fourth from second after a win and tie against unranked Minnesota State-Mankato. North Dakota (0-0-0), Boston University (0-0-0), St. Lawrence (0-0-0) and Minnesota Duluth (0-0-0) rounded out the top 10.
Quinnipiac (0-0-0), which hosts Mercyhurst Friday and Saturday, made the honorable mention list with two points.

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team will begin the 2012-13 season ranked 10th in the USCHO.com Division I poll, which was released Monday. The Lakers begin the season Saturday with an 3 p.m. exhibition game against Stoney Creek (Ontario) at Mercyhurst Ice Center. The regular season begins Sept. 28 at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Defending national champion Minnesota tops the list after receiving all 15 first-place votes, followed by Wisconsin, Cornell, Boston College and North Dakota. Boston University stands sixth, ahead of St. Lawrence, Minnesota Duluth, Northeastern and the Lakers. Robert Morris, which snapped Mercyhurst’s nine-year run as College Hockey America Tournament champion a season ago, received one vote in the poll.

No. 8 Mercyhurst (23-7-3) at No. 1 Wisconsin (31-4-2)

When: Saturday, 8 p.m.

Where: Kohl Center – Madison, Wis.

On the air: www.wpt.org/wisconsinchannel, insideBadgerSports.com (live stream), www.iheart.com (Internet radio – The Mic 92.1) and www.wsum.org, www.uwbadgers.com (live statistics)

Fast facts: Mercyhurst plays in the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight season, the longest streak in Division I history. The Lakers broke a tie with Minnesota Duluth, whose seven-year streak ends this season. … The Lakers have a 0-7 all-time record against Wisconsin, including two losses in the NCAA playoffs – 2-1 in double overtime in the 2006 quarterfinals and 5-0 in the 2009 championship game. … The Lakers have a 3-6 record in NCAA playoff games, including a 2-5 mark in the quarterfinals. … Wisconsin and Mercyhurst rank second and third nationally in scoring offense at 4.59 and 4.55 goals per game, respectively. … Mercyhurst leads the nation on the power play (28.3 percent), three spots ahead of the Badgers (23.7). … The teams have combined for seven of the nation’s top 20 scorers – Mercyhurst’s Bailey Bram, pictured at right, (27 goals, 41 assists, 68 points), Christine Bestland (24-34-58) and Kelley Steadman (32-20-52) and Wisconsin’s Brianna Decker (36-42-78), Brooke Ammerman (32-42-74), Carolyne Prévost (25-29-54) and Hilary Knight (28-2-56). … Wisconsin ranks second in scoring defense (1.43 goals per game), more than half a goal better than the Lakers (2.09). … Wisconsin tops the penalty-kill list (89.6 percent), well ahead of Mercyhurst (83.1 percent). … Wisconsin G Alex Rigsby leads the nation in save percentage (.952) and ranks second in winning percentage (.865) and shutouts (9) and third in goals-against average (1.36). … Decker is a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which honors the nation’s top D-I player. … Wisconsin earned the No. 1 seed despite losing to UMD in the semifinals of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs. … Badgers coach Mark Johnson played on the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 1980 at Lake Placid, N.Y., and coached the U.S Olympic Women’s team in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

- Victor Fernandes

NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament schedule

Quarterfinals – Saturday

No. 5 St. Lawrence (24-9-4) at No. 4 Boston College (23-9-3), 1 p.m.

No. 6 Boston University (23-13-1) at No. 3 Cornell (29-4-0), 2 p.m.

No. 7 North Dakota (22-11-3) at No. 2 Minnesota (31-5-2), 5 p.m.

No. 8 Mercyhurst (23-7-3) at No. 1 Wisconsin (31-4-2), 8 p.m.

Semifinals

March 16 at Amsoil Arena – Duluth, Minn.

Wisconsin-Mercyhurst winner vs. BC-SLU winner, 6 or 9 p.m.

Minnesota-North Dakota winner vs. Cornell-BU winner, 6 or 9 p.m.

Championship game

March 18 at Amsoil Arena – Duluth, Minn.

Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team earned 172 points and seven first-place votes to take the top spot in the USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Poll released Tuesday. The Lakers are now ranked No. 1 in both national polls after moving up in the USCHO.com poll on Monday.
Cornell remained at No. 2 with 155 points and six first-place votes, while Minnesota moved up to the No. 3 spot with 144 points and two first-place votes. Wisconsin climbed to No. 4 with 141 points and two first-place votes after twice defeating Bemidji State. Minnesota Duluth rounded out the top five with 138 points and two first-place votes following a weekend split with No. 7 North Dakota.
Boston University was tabbed sixth with 81 points, while Boston College (58), Harvard (40) and Ohio State (18) occupied spots 8 –10.
Mercyhurst continues non-conference play this weekend with a two-game series at Bemidji State, beginning on Friday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.

- From Mercyhurst College news release

MINNEAPOLIS – The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team climbed two spots to take over the No. 1 ranking in this week’s USCHO.com Women’s Division I Poll. The Lakers claimed 129 points and three first-place votes after disposing of non-conference foe Maine, 5-2 and 6-1, last weekend on the road to move to 4-0-0 on the season.
It marks the first time this season the Lakers are ranked No. 1 after occupying the top spot for most of last season.
Cornell remained second with 120 points and seven first-place votes, followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin in a tie for third with 117 points apiece. Both teams captured first-place votes with the Gophers taking three and the Badgers with one.
Previous No. 1 Minnesota Duluth dropped four spots to fifth with 111 points and the final first-place nod.
Boston University (66), Boston College (52), North Dakota (45), Harvard (36) and Ohio State (12) and Providence (12) in a tie rounded out spots 6 – 10.
Mercyhurst continues non-conference play this weekend with a two-game series at Bemidji State, beginning on Friday, Oct. 15 at 2:07 p.m.

- From Mercyhurst news release

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team has been ranked third in the first edition of the USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll, released Monday by USCHO.com officials.

The Lakers earned 115 points after finishing the 2009-10 season with a 30-3-3 record.

Defending national champion Minnesota Duluth was ranked first with 148 points and 14 of the possible 15 first-place votes, followed by Cornell in second with 121 points. Minnesota and Wisconsin occupied the fourth and fifth spots with 98 and 87 points, respectively, with the Golden Gophers claiming the final first-place vote. Boston University (86), Clarkson (51), Harvard (35), Boston College (32) and New Hampshire (18) and Providence (18) in a tie rounded out rankings 6 – 10.

The USCHO.com Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 15 voters, including 14 coaches of Division I programs and three women’s hockey writers. Mercyhurst opens its 2010-11 campaign on Friday against St. Cloud State at 7 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

- From Mercyhurst news release

The Toronto Maple Leafs have selected Erie Otters forward Greg McKegg with the second pick of the third round (No. 62 overall) in the NHL Entry Draft today. Otters forward Andrew Yogan, who was rated five spots ahead of McKegg on NHL Central Scouting’s final North American skater ranking, remains undrafted. So does Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov, who was rated 12th among North American goaltenders.

Other Otters’ connections include 2008 second-r0und pick Joe Basaraba, a center who was picked by the Florida Panthers in the third round (No. 69). He will enroll at NCAA Division I Minnesota Duluth in the fall. Center Riley Sheahan, a 2007 fourth-round pick who plays at D-I Notre Dame, was chosen in the first round (No. 21 overall) by the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

- Victor Fernandes