TROY, Mich. (November 10tg, 2023)- The first Men's Division 2 Regional Rankings for the 2023/2024 Season have been released. This is the first of nine (9) Regional Rankings that will culminate with the Final Ranking on Tuesday, February 13th.
Central Rankings
The University of Saint Thomas, one of the Final Four teams at least year's Nationals, find themselves at the top spot of the Central for the first time in their program's history. Both the Tommies and Lindenwood University have posted impressive records and have a sizable lead on the rest of the region. Last year's National Runner-up, the University of Iowa starts off their 23/24 campaign at the #7 spot. Both Drury University (#17) and Michigan Tech (#19) are ranked for the first time in program history in the Central Region Top 20.
Rankings Breakdown by League
Independent: 8 Teams
WCCHA: 6 Teams
NCHL: 3
MACHA: 3
Northeast Rankings
Northeastern University comes in as #1 in the first Northeast Regional Ranking with a 5-3 record, including wins over #4 Keene State and #5 Boston College. Last year's National Champion, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, comes in at #6 as they continue their title defense. Siena College (#14) returns to the Top 20 for the first time in several years.
Rankings Breakdown by League
NECHA- 15
SECHL- 4
Independent-1
Southeast Rankings
For the first time since the early 2000's, Indiana University sits top the Southeast Regional Rankings. The Hoosiers hold the smallest advantage (.07) over #2 Florida Gulf Coast University of all four regions. University of North Carolina Wilmington was able to achieve their highest ever ranking in the SE, coming in #12, while Bowling Green State University sits at the #14 spot, thanks to several wins over Top 20 competition, including wins over #6 Ohio and #1 Indiana. The University of Dayton returns to the Top 20 after several years thanks to early schedule that is ranked 6th in the M2 for difficulty.
Rankings Breakdown by League
TSCHL- 9
ACCHL- 7
CSCHC- 2
Independent-2
West Rankings
Dakota College has staked the first claim as the replacement to the University of Mary (now at Men's Division 1) for the top seed in the West Region. Both University of Providence (#5) and Williston State (#6) return to the top half of the rankings, after difficult 22/23 seasons. Southern Methodist University's #15 rank is the first time in program history that the Mustangs have made the Top 20 in the West Region. With ETBU and the University of Texas also in the Top 20, the TCHC has matched the most teams the league has had in Top 20.
Rankings Breakdown by League
MWCHL-6
WCHC- 5
TCHC-3
PAC-2
BMHC-2
Independent-2
The rankings will be released weekly on Thursdays at 6pm EST through December 12th. They will resume on a weekly basis on January 25th and will continue until the final ranking are released on February 13th. The top two teams in each region will receive an automatic invitation to the 2024 ACHA Men's Division 2 National Championships. Teams ranked #3-#10 will receive an automatic invitation to the 2024 Men's Division 2 Regional Tournaments. Finally, four (4) teams will earn a spot in the Regional Tournaments either through a League Auto bid or as a wild card if the league does not use their respective auto bid. The 2024 Regional Tournaments will be on February 23-25th. The 2024 National Championships for Men's Division 2 will be March 11th-15th, in Saint Louis, Missouri.
