Oct. 13, 2009

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- A convincing sweep over the United States Air Force Academy last weekend has the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team back on the radar.

The Beavers are slotted No. 15 in this week’s USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I men’s ice hockey poll and 16th in the latest InsideCollegeHockey.com (INCH) Power Rankings, while they are just nine points from making the USAToday/USA Hockey Magazine’s top 15.

After debuting at No. 20 in the INCH Preseason Great 58, the Beavers, the CHA’s only representative in the INCH Oct. 12 publication, broke through to earn the No. 16 position in this week’s top 20 poll.

A sweep over Air Force, then-ranked 19 in the USCHO.com poll, propelled the Beavers from the fringes to raking in 183 points to sit comfortably at No. 15--BSU highest ranking, according to USCHO.com, since holding down the same No. 15 spot with 225 points Oct. 24, 2005.

The USAToday/USA Hockey Magazine poll placed the Beavers in its “others receiving votes” category with a total of 27 points--the team’s highest point total since it gained 194 points to rank 12th in the March 30, 2009 version of the poll. If the current poll was extended beyond its standard top 15, Bemidji State would find itself in 16th.

The Beavers make their first appearance in the USAToday poll this season and just their 23rd time garnering any votes since the team made the move to the NCAA Division I ranks prior to the 1999-2000 campaign.

The INCH poll is a ranking of the nation’s top men’s ice hockey teams as seen by the Web site’s editors and staff.

The USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll consists of 50 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 22 beat writers and sports professionals from across the country. The poll, published weekly by the Associated Press, is a joint production of USCHO.com, which provides in-depth coverage of college sports, including hockey, lacrosse, soccer and others, and CBS College Sports Networks, Inc., the only digital media company dedicated solely to college sports. CBS College Sports operates a 24-hour college sports cable network, also available via DISH and DirecTV satellite.

The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll, now in its 15th year, is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA). The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

The 2-0-0 Beavers’ next action comes Oct. 23-24 when they travel to Michigan’s upper peninsula for their inaugural clash with Northern Michigan University. Both games in the series are scheduled for 6:35 p.m. starts from the Wildcats’ Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich.

--bsu--