PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh State and Elmira College no doubt circled the weekend of Jan. 20-21 when the 2012-13 women’s hockey schedule was released last year.
The two combatants figured to be headed for another fierce fight for ECAC West supremacy and so far there has been no indication of a January thaw in the hotly contested rivalry. Indeed, the stakes have never been higher with Plattsburgh (13-0-1) ranked No. 1 in the U.S. College Hockey Online Div. III poll for the sixth week in a row and Elmira (15-1-1) a close third.
The two will face off Saturday and Sunday at Stafford Arena, at 7 p.m. and 3 p.m.
You only have to look at the series records to get an idea of the intensity in the matchups. Plattsburgh holds a 17-16-3 series lead with no other Cardinal opponent even close to that record.
The last time the two met in Plattsburgh, in 2011, Elmira won the first game, 3-2, with Plattsburgh rebounding for a 2-1 victory the next day. Last winter, in Elmira, the Cardinals skated to a 4-1 victory, but missed an opportunity at a sweep when the Soaring Eagles bounced back to win 2-1.
It’s also getting late in the season with only eight games left in the campaign after this weekend.
Elmira, which swept Chatham over the weekend, will have a week to get ready for Plattsburgh while the Cardinals have to be concerned with Williams College, which will visit Stafford Arena on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. face-off. The Ephs are 6-6 on the season.
There was very little change in this week’s D-3 women’s poll with Norwich University and Wisconsin-River Falls swapping places. The Cadets moved to fifth.
Cardinal men up to 9th
The Plattsburgh State men, in danger of dropping out of the top 15 last week after a stunning loss to Castleton (Vt.) State, steadied themselves, gaining one spot this week from 10th to ninth.
The Cardinals went 2-0 over the weekend, riddling Middlebury 7-1 and then rallying to defeat Williams College 5-4 in overtime. Plattsburgh (11-5-1) is at Morrisville State Friday night.
The Cardinals have eight games left, including five at home beginning with Potsdam on Jan. 25.
The big news in men’s Div. III hockey Monday was the shakeup at the top with St. Norbert sliding past Norwich University. The Cadets fell to Bowdoin College over the weekend, their second loss at home this month.
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USCHO.com Division III Women’s Poll Jan. 14
Team (votes) w-l-t pts last
1 Plattsburgh (12 13-0-1 47 1
2 Gustavus Adolphus (3) 12-0-0 132 2
3 Elmira 15-1-1 110 3
4 Middlebury 9-1-2 107 4
5 Norwich 9-2-3 82 6
6 Wis-River Falls 9-4-2 73 5
7 Bowdoin 11-1-1 60 7
8 Adrian 14-3-0 48 9
9 Manhattanville 9-5-1 18 10
10 Wis-Superior 8-6-0 17 8
Others receiving votes: Amherst 13, Cortland 8, Hamilton 6, St. Olaf 2, St. Scholastica 1, St. Thomas 1.
USCHO.com Division III Men’s Poll Jan. 14
Team (votes) w-l-t pts last
1 St. Norbert (10) 14-2-1 287 2
2 Norwich (8) 13-2-0 279 1
3 Hobart (2) 13-1-2 264 3
4 Bowdoin 13-1-1 236 4
5 Oswego 13-3-0 222 5
6 Wis-Eau Claire 12-3-2 194 6
7 Adrian 12-1-2 175 7
8 Utica 12-3-0 143 8
9 Plattsburgh 11-5-1 139 10
10 Amherst 9-4-2 124 9
11 Manhattanville 10-4-1 90 12
12 Williams 8-3-1 65 13
13 Wis-Superior 10-6-1 48 11
14 Babson 9-3-2 38 NR
15 Mass-Boston 10-3-1 23 NR
Others receiving votes: Milwaukee School of Engineering 17, Neumann 14, Wisconsin-Stevens Point 14, Wisconsin-River Falls 11, Geneseo 9, Middlebury 3, Plymouth State 3, Trinity 2.
USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll Jan. 14
Team (votes) w-l-t pts last
1 Minnesota (47) 16-3-3 992 1
2 Boston College 13-4-2 924 3
3 New Hampshire (1) 14-4-2 875 4
4 Quinnipiac (2) 17-3-3 847 5
5 Notre Dame 15-6-0 829 2
6 North Dakota 13-6-3 714 7
7 Denver 13-6-4 667 9
8 Miami 12-5-5 623 6
9 Boston University 12-7-0 617 8
10 Western Michigan 13-5-4 598 10
11 Dartmouth 9-5-2 477 12
12 Yale 9-4-3 432 14
13 Nebraska-Omaha 13-9-2 359 13
14 Minnesota State 14-8-2 348 11
15 Niagara 13-3-4 242 17
16 Cornell 7-6-2 220 15
17 Union 10-7-4 219 16
18 Mass-Lowell 11-7-1 175 20
19 St. Cloud State 12-10-0 135 18
20 Colgate 11-7-2 118 19
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 19, Providence 15, Robert Morris 15, Ferris State 12, Lake Superior 12, Holy Cross 5, Northern Michigan 5, Princeton 4, Colorado College 1, Michigan Tech 1.
USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll Jan. 14
Team (votes) w-l-t pts last
1 Minnesota (15) 22-0-0 150 1
2 Boston College 16-3-2 128 3
3 Harvard 13-1-1 122 2
4 Cornell 11-4-0 97 4
5 Boston University 14-3-3 91 6
6 Clarkson 17-5-0 77 5
7 Wisconsin 14-6-2 56 8
8 Mercyhurst 16-3-1 54 7
9 Ohio State 14-7-1 20 10
10 Northeastern 11-8-2 17 9
Others receiving votes: North Dakota 6, St. Lawrence 5, Dartmouth 2.
