Nov. 2, 2009

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Bemidji State men’s ice hockey team continues to be ranked among the nation’s top teams in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Top 15 Poll and U.S. College Hockey Online/CBS College Sports Top 20. The Beavers have been tabbed 12th nationally by USA Hockey and are ranked No. 11 by USCHO.com. Both stand as BSU’s top billings ever.

BSU came out of Huntsville, Ala. with series sweep over University of Alabama-Huntsville and four points in the College Hockey America standings Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Matt Read posted a pair of goals, one 3:44 into the overtime period, to claim a 2-1 victory Saturday and the Ben Kinne netted the game-winning goal 1:01 into the extra frame Sunday to earn a second 2-1 win over the Chargers. The sweep helps Bemidji State improve its record to 5-0-1 to open the season, the program’s best start since it went 11-0-0 to begin the 1984-85 campaign.

The performance at UAH garnered the Beavers 110 points to rank 12th in the nation in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll matching the team’s highest appearance in the publication. BSU fell seven points short of No. 11 Colorado College, which garnered 117 points, and narrowly edged Princeton University (106 points) in 13th. Miami University (Ohio), BSU Frozen Four opponent last spring, holds down the top spot, for the fifth consecutive week, with 504 points pulling down 29 of the 34 first-place votes.

BSU’s 110 point total in this week’s poll is second only to the 194 points garnered March 30, 2009 prior to the 2009 Frozen Four appearance.

The Nov. 2 poll marks the second consecutive week the team has cracked the top 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll in 2009-10 but the fifth time this season it has received votes. BSU picked up 53 points to rank 15th in last week’s poll.

The Beavers find themselves among the top 15 in a USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll for just the seventh time in their Division I era, while it marks the 29th time the team has received attention in the poll.

For the second consecutive week, Bemidji State received a school record 385 points in this week’s USCHO.com poll, moving up three spots to No. 11 in that publication’s rankings. BSU has a 13-point cushion over No. 12 Colorado College, while it trails No. 10 University of Nebraska-Omaha by 45 points. Miami-Ohio also holds down No. 1 according to USCHO.com.

The No. 11 ranking this week marks the Beavers’ top billing in the publication, surpassing it previous high of 14 achieved last week and Oct. 17, 2005.

This fifth consecutive week BSU has been nationally-ranked by U.S. College Hockey Online. The Beavers picked up 327 points to sit 14th a week ago, 243 points Oct. 21 to rank 16th and sat 15th with 183 points Oct. 13.

BSU has appeared in the USCHO.com Poll more than any other in its Division I era, appearing 87 times prior to this week. However, the Oct. 26 ranking is only the 16th time BSU has been nationally ranked.

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.

Bemidji State (5-0-1:2-0-0 CHA) continues CHA play this weekend as it welcomes Robert Morris University (2-4-0: 0-0-0 CHA) to the John S. Glas Fieldhouse. The series is set to begin at 7:35 p.m. Friday with the series finale schedule for Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

--bsu--