PLATTSBURGH — With the 2012-13 hockey season bearing down on the month of February can March Madness be far behind?
Plattsburgh State enters the stretch run this weekend with an eye toward improving its lot for the postseason. The Cardinal men (12-5-1) have seven games left in the regular season while the women (16-0-1) are down to eight contests.
The men, 7-1-1 in conference play, remain one point behind Oswego (8-1) and two in back of Geneseo (8-1-1) in the State University of New York Athletic Conference, but with plenty of time left to make a move toward the top. The Cardinals will host Geneseo (Feb. 8) and Oswego (Feb. 16). All seven of Plattsburgh’s remaining games are conference tests.
The women, 9-0-0 in ECAC West, are two points in back of Elmira (10-2-0); however, the Cardinals are in the drivers’ seat with three games in hand and a big weekend sweep of the Soaring Eagles. Seven of the Cardinals’ eight games will be against West foes, and and five against teams with a combined record of 9-19-1. Utica College, which will visit Stafford Arena Feb. 2-3, is the only West rival left with a winning record (6-3-1).
Kevin Houle’s Cardinals, who are ranked No. 1 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll for the seventh week in a row, will face their only non-conference battle on Jan. 30 when Middlebury comes to town. The Panthers, ranked fifth at 10-2-2, perhaps pose the biggest challenge to the Cardinals from now to the finish.
Bob Emery’s Cardinals, who defeated Morrisville State, 4-1, on Friday, stayed No.9 in the latest men’s Div. III rankings. They will host North Country neighbor Potsdam on Friday before venturing to Buffalo and Fredonia for their final road tests of the season.
The sky’s the limit for the enigmatic Cardinals who can look like world-beaters one night and also-rans the next. If anything, they know how keep up the interest.
USCHO.com Division III
Men’s Poll Jan. 21, 2013
Team (Votes) W-L-T Pts Last
1 Norwich (11) 14-2-0 289 2
2 St. Norbert (5) 15-3-1 275 1
3 Bowdoin ( 3) 15-1-1 260 4
4 Oswego 15-3-0 219 5
5 Hobart 14-2-2 212 3
6 Wis-Eau Claire (1) 14-3-2 206 6
7 Adrian 14-1-2 185 7
8 Utica 14-3-0 182 8
9 Plattsburgh 12-5-1 132 9
10 Amherst 10-4-2 116 10
11 Manhatt. 11-5-1 69 11
12 Williams 9-4-2 51 12
13 Mass-Boston 13-3-1 42 15
14 Babson 10-4-3 41 14
15 Milw. Eng. 11-5-1 32 NR
15 Neumann 11-4-2 32 NR
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin-Superior 17, Wisconsin-Stevens Point 13, Geneseo 12, Wisconsin-Stout 8, Castleton 4, Plymouth State 2, Trinity 1.
USCHO.com Division III Women’s Poll
Jan. 21, 2013
Team (Votes) W-L-T Pts Last
1 Plattsburgh (12) 16-0-1 147 1
2 Gus Adolphus (3) 14-0-0 133 2
3 Elmira 15-3-1 100 3
3 Norwich 12-2-3 100 5
5 Middlebury 10-2-2 99 4
6 Bowdoin 13-2-1 78 7
7 Wis-River Falls 10-4-2 62 6
8 Manhattanville 10- 6-1 33 9
9 Wis-Superior 9-6-1 18 10
10 Adrian 14-5-0 17 8
Others receiving votes: Amherst 10, Lake Forest 9, St. Thomas 5, Hamilton 3, Trinity 3, St. Olaf 1.
USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll
Jan. 21, 2013
Team (Votes) W-L-T Pts Last
1 Minnesota (48) 17-3-4 998 1
2 Quinnipiac (2) 17-3-3 920 4
3 Boston College 14-5-2 913 2
4 New Hamp 14-5-2 857 3
5 North Dakota 13-7-4 746 6
6 Miami 13-6-5 700 8
7 Notre Dame 15-9-0 640 5
8 Yale 11-4-3 619 12
9 Western Mich 14- 6-4 577 10
10 Denver 13-8-4 545 7
11 Boston U 12-9-0 479 9
12 Dartmouth 10-6-2 456 11
13 Neb-Omaha 13-9-2 358 13
14 Minn State 15-8-3 356 14
15 Mass-Lowell 13-7-1 346 18
16 St. Cloud State 14-10-0 336 19
17 Niagara 14-4-4 183 15
18 Cornell 8-7-2 154 16
19 Union 11-8-4 120 17
20 Wisconsin 9-8-5 66 NR
Others receiving votes: Ferris State 39, Alaska 27, Providence 24, Northern Michigan 22, Holy Cross 10, Colgate 6, Robert Morris 3.
USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll
Jan. 21, 2013
Team (Votes) W-L-T Pts Last
1 Minnesota (15 24-0-0 150 1
2 Harvard 16-1-1 128 3
3 Boston Coll 17-4-2 120 2
4 Cornell 14-4-0 103 4
5 Boston U 15-3-3 95 5
6 Mercyhurst 17-4-1 68 8
7 Clarkson 18-6-0 58 6
8 Wisconsin 15-7-2 52 7
9 Ohio State 15-7-2 23 9
10 N Dakota 14-10-0 20 NR
Others receiving votes: Northeastern 6, Minnesota-Duluth 2.
