Hockey East Week 17 Power Rankings

1. UNH (15-2-2, 32 points)

2. BC (15-5-0, 30 points)

3. Merrimack (11-5-3, 25 points)

BU (10-5-5, 25 points)

5. Maine (8-7-4, 20 points)

6. Northeastern (7-8-5, 19 points)

7. UMass (5-10-4, 14 points)

8. Vermont (4-11-4, 12 points)

9. Providence (3-11-5, 11 points)

10. Lowell (3-17-0, 6 points)

1. UNH - After a weekend sweep of Maine - in dramatic fashion on Saturday night - the Wildcats are finally alone in first place in Hockey East, and they still have a game in hand on Boston College. And they proved that they can do it even when their defense isn’t great and their goaltending is questionable - two big questions heading into the weekend. Next week’s home-and-home with a hot Merrimack team will tell us just how good Dick Umile’s squad really is.

2. Boston College - The Eagles even win big in trap games. They win big in non-trap games. They win with offense. They win with defense. They win with goaltending. But they still lost to UNH at home, and that’s rearing its ugly head again.

3. Merrimack - You don’t have to like Kevin Dennehy’s team. In fact, he’d probably rather you didn’t. He knows that he has a room full of winners, and he’s ready to ride them as far as they’ll take him. Which - after a come-from-behind win at Northeastern and a merciless 11-2 slaughter of UMass on home ice - is starting to look like it could be quite a ways.

4. BU - The Terriers have finished the hard part of their season. If they can take struggling Vermont, reeling Providence, wheezing UMass and a still-to-be-determined Northeastern team seriously on the way out, it could be bad news for the teams above them. If not, it could be November and December all over again for Jack Parker and company.

5. Northeastern - Giving Merrimack two points on home ice was no way to go into the Beanpot, but if Greg Cronin’s true to his word, his team’s going to be more focused on next weekend’s meeting with Lowell and then closing the season out with home-and-homes against BC, UNH, and BU. They’re too good to play spoiler, but are they good enough to play heartbreaker?

6. Maine - Tim Whitehead had nothing to say in his postgame press conference after getting swept by UNH other than that he is “looking forward to Paul Thompson’s graduation from the University of New Hampshire.” Conveniently, he’ll have lots of time to plan Thompson’s graduation party when his team’s season ends in just five weeks.

7. UMass - What do you say about a team that gives up 11 goals yet is still better than three teams in its conference? I’m honestly asking. I haven’t a clue.

8. Vermont - When Rob Madore plays well, the Cats play well. When the Cats score seven against Providence, they win. When the Cats play anyone not named Providence, they don’t usually win. The end.

9. Lowell - Because they’ve earned as many points in their last four conference games as Providence has in its last ten. Simple.

10. Providence - Because they’ve earned as many points in their last ten conference games as Lowell has in its last four. Simple.