ACHA Rankings 1/17/19: Upward Movement for WCCHA Teams
In the seventh ACHA Division II Rankings of the 2018-2019, UW-Eau Claire rejoined the top 20 while 4 of 5 other WCCHA teams in the top 20 made moves up the Rankings.
Volatility remains the hallmark of the Central Region Rankings again this period, with movement up and down the top 20. Leading the WCCHA pack is #9 University of Minnesota, up 2 spots from Rankings #6 despite being idle. Also back into the top ten is #10 University of St. Thomas, improving 3 spots also without having opened their second semester schedule. Minnesota returns to action this coming Tuesday night, while St. Thomas will start up in just over a week with a final divisional matchup against UW-Eau Claire with the title on the line.
Following a big road sweep over then #10 Iowa State, #14 Minnesota State University improved 6 spots to make a big statement about their Regional aspirations. Next is #15 St. Cloud State University, idle but up one spot due to results elsewhere. Holding firm is #17 North Dakota State University, who emphatically swept Winona State on the weekend. Re-entering the top 20 is #19 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who opens their second semester of play this weekend on the road against NDSU.
One of only three teams to make no move is #1 Aquinas College, whose strong play continues to anchor them to the top spot in the region. Moving up to #2 for the first time this season is Trine University, followed by #3 Marian - out of the National Autobid spots for the first time all season. Lindenwood is down one spot to #4.
Making an inexplicable jump up the rankings is #5 Grand Valley State, up four spots despite failing to score a goal in two loses to Aquinas last weekend. Adrian College also moved up one to #6, while Davenport was the biggest mover of all to #7 (from #15) after a superb 3-0 showing at the Miami Showcase last weekend. McKendree dropped one spot to #8 after a single loss to unranked Maryville.
The University of Michigan dropped to #11 after a road split with Ohio State, while Aurora held firm at #12 after a big sweep of Concordia-Wisconsin. Gustavus Adolphus dropped 8 spots to #13 after a loss to Bethel and win over St. Norbert, while Iowa State similarly dropped 6 spots to #16 after losing twice at home to new #14 Minnesota State. Indiana stayed in the top 20 at #18, with Finlandia moving down 5 spots to #20.
NOTE: this season the ACHA is using the same ranking system accross all divisions. The formula, developed and computed by USHSO.com, combines two separate calculations into a composite score that serves as each team's ranking quotient. One system employs a goal differential up to +/- 7 goals, while the other uses only +/- 1 goal (in effect, only valuing wins and loses). The remainder of the underlying algorithm for both is the same.
CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 20 IN EACH REGION, RANKED BY THE COMBINED SCORES
