ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's hockey team inched up in both national polls after sweeping their opening round matchup of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Harris Cup Playoffs. The team is now tenth according to DIII Hockey News and 11th by way of USCHO.com.
The Thunder gained 20 points in the DIII Hockey News voting, coming in this week with 110 and the tenth spot. They are just ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Stout and just behind Bowdoin College.
Trine gained 14 points in the USCHO.com poll, coming in with 105 points and the 11th spot. They are just one point behind SUNY Geneseo and safely ahead of UW-Stout.
Also representing the NCHA in the rankings are three other members. USCHO.com believes Aurora University to be the best of the conference, placing them in second with Adrian College in third. DIII Hockey News flips the two teams, with the Bulldogs in second. St. Norbert College is fifth in the USCHO.com rankings and sixth in the other.
In the fourth edition of the NCAA National Power Index (NPI) rankings, Trine sits 15th, gaining three spots from last week. The NPI are used to determine seeding and at-large selections to the upcoming NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championship tournament. The last at-large selection will be awarded to a team within the top ten. Adrian paces the NCHA in fifth, Aurora comes in at ninth and St. Norbert holds the 11th spot.
The Thunder swept visiting Marian University this past weekend. They took the Friday game with a comfortable 4-1 score but needed extra time to win a 3-2 affair on Saturday. They now advance to their fifth-straight Harris Cup semifinals and third-straight against the Green Knights.
St. Norbert will host the single game on Saturday, February 28. The contest is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET.
