The Gophers are the nation's No. 1 team again in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national ratings.
For the second week in a row, they received more points than anyone else, although No. 2 Merrimack actually had more first-place votes in both polls, 25 to 20 in USCHO.com and 20-14.
The Gophers had a 14-point lead in the USCHO.com poll, 963 to 949, and a 15-point lead in the USA Today poll, 489 to 474. What that means is the voters picking Merrimack No. 1 were rating the Gophers higher than the voters picking Gophers No. 1 were ranking the Warriors.
The Gophers (10-2-0) stayed No. 1 after a split at Wisconsin last weekend. Minnesota lost the first game 3-1, won the second 4-1. Merrimack (8-0-1) of Hockey East remains the only unbeaten team after edging Boston University 3-2 in overtime last Friday.
Rounding out the top five teams in both polls are No. 3 Boston College, No. 4. Notre Dame and No. 5 Colorado College.
Besides the Gophers and CC, there are four other WCHA teams in the USCHO.com top 20: No. 8 UMD, No. 11 Denver, No. 15. Michigan Tech and No. 19 Nebraska Omaha.
The USA Today goes only 15 teams deep and also has UMD and Denver in the same spots, No. 8 and 11, respectively, while Tech is tied for No. 14.
Last week the Gophers, who moved up from No. 5 to No. 1 for the first time this season, had 32 first-place votes and 956 points in the United States College Hockey Online .com poll. Second was Boston College with 15 first-place nods and 940 points. BC had been No. 1 the previous several weeks.
