Troy, Mich. (January 26, 2023): The American Collegiate Hockey Association released its latest Men’s Division 2 Rankings today. These rankings are released on a weekly basis until Mid-December and then resume in early January, concluding with the Final Ranking the week of February 12th. The Top 20 for each region are listed below and full rankings can be found at M2 Ranking Page.
Northeast Region: The Owls make push to get directly to Nationals
While UMass continues to lead the Northeast, the fight for the second Nationals auto bid is just starting. Northeastern finds itself in the #2 seed in the first ranking of the semester, but Keene State is just .13 behind them. Both team have difficult matchups this weekend, with the Huskies taking on #4 Boston College and hosting #1 UMass. The Owls travel to Virginia to take on #2 in the Southeast Region, Liberty University.
The battle for a guaranteed ticket to Regionals continues to see a ton of movement, as Sacred Heart jumps from #12 to #9, Vermont moves into the #10 spot, and the last potential spot between Clarkson and RPI can’t get any closer as the Golden Knights have a .001 lead on the Engineers.
For information purposes, here are the Northeast Region leagues that have a regional auto bid:
Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA)
Super East Collegiate Hockey League (SECHL)
Central Region: Trine and CUW battling for Top Regional Spot
The teams took the semester break it appeared that the #2 spot in the Central was a between two teams, University of Saint Thomas and Trine University. It now appears to be a three way race as Concordia University of Wisconsin moves up to #3, passing Trine. The three teams are separated by .42 in the rating, with just under a month left in the regular season.
Michigan State moved up into the important #10 seed thanks to their split with #1 Southeast FGCU in Ft. Myers. The Spartans just edged out Lake Superior State, which fell five spots from #6 to #11. The Lakers will look to rebound against Central Michigan this weekend. The race for the final spot to possibly get into the regionals has Sault College replacing University of Jamestown at #14.
For information purposes, here are the Central Region leagues that have a regional auto bid:
Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA)
Northern Collegiate Hockey League (NCHL)
Western Collegiate Club Hockey Association (WCCHA)
West Region: UCLA makes move to secure spot in Salt Lake City
While University of Mary and Montana State continue to distance themselves from the rest of the region, that rest of the Top 20 remains very fluid. Weber State, which has moved up and down from #4 to #10 in the fall, finds themselves at #3 and currently the top seed in the Regionals. University of Washington continues to rise, coming in at #6 and only .12 from #4. Utah, this year’s Regionals host, moved up to #7, looking to be solidifying a chance to make a Nationals run on home ice.
UCLA had the biggest change of scenery, moving from outside regional consideration at #15, to being in a position for an invitation at #9. Two teams that are chasing the Bruins for the regional spot, Northern Colorado and Loyola Marymount will square off this weekend.
For information purposes, here are the West Region leagues that have a regional auto bid:
Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League (MWCHL)
Pac Hockey (PAC)
Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference (TCHC)
Western Collegiate Hockey Conference (WCHC)
Southeast Region: Showcase weekend tightens up races
Last Weekend’s Miami Showcase results seem to have set up the final couple weeks for the Southeast Region. Liberty’s three game sweep, including wins over two #1 teams (FGCU and Lindenwood) have allowed them to cut into the Eagles lead for the top spot in the Region. The RedHawks struggled over the weekend, and it allowed Kentucky to jump them for the #3 seed.
The TSCHL continues to have the most teams in Regional positions, with 7 of the 12 potential spots filled with members of the league. University of Michigan made the biggest move, rising six places from #16 to #10, .004 ahead of North Carolina. UM, UNC, and Louisville appear to be in a sprint to get the last assured spot to Regionals.
For information purposes, here are the Southeast Region leagues that have a regional auto bid:
Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL)
Colonial States Collegiate Hockey Conference (CSCHC)
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey (MACH)
Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League (TSCHL)
Men’s Division 2 postseason is broken into the two levels. The top two teams in each region receive an automatic bid to the National Tournament, making up half of the field. The other half of the field is determined in Regional Tournaments with 12 teams competing for the two remaining spots from each region. Those eight winners will then join the eight autobids in the ACHA National Championship Tournament presented by FloHockey, in Marlborough, MA on March 17-21, 2023.
