TROY, MICH. (January 25, 2024)- The Men's Division 2 Regional Rankings for all games through January 28th have been released. This is the 7th of nine (9) Regional Rankings that will culminate with the Final Ranking on Tuesday, February 13th. For the final two weeks of the regular season, there will be a list of Leagues that have a Regional Autobid.
Central Rankings
The race for the #2 spot is now razor thin. University of Iowa and University of Saint Thomas are so close, this week's rankings required the third (Strength of Schedule) to separate them. Also, Concordia of Wisconsin is on .24 behind them. The Regional Tournament looks to be one of the best ever, so the Central is the deepest region in Men's Division 2, with the Top 11 teams all having a rating of 11.01 or higher. The battle for final Regional Bids continues to tighten as Depaul, Lake Superior State, Drury and University of Minnesota all are jockeying for position. Aurora University joins the Top 20 for the first time this season, coming in at the #19 spot.
Leagues with Regional Autobid
MACHA (Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association)
NCHL (Northern Collegiate Hockey League)
WCCHA (Western Collegiate Club Hockey Association)
Dropped out of Top 20:
Davenport University
Rankings Breakdown by League:
Independent: 8 Teams
WCCHA: 6 Teams
MACHA: 3
NCHL: 3
Northeast Rankings
For the first in program history, Army finds itself in a position to grab a ticket to the National Tournament, with 10 days left in the regular Season. The Cadets jumped from #5 to #2 with wins over #7 Bentley and #13 Boston College, while the teams in front all faltered at least once last weekend. With huge games since weekend, including Keene State vs. UNH, Army vs. Keene State, and UMass vs. UNH, the National Autobid is still very much up for grabs. Siena College took another step closer to returning to the Regional Tournament after missing the last several season, as the Saints moved up a spot to #12. University of Connecticut is currently holding on the final potential Wild Card spot for Regionals at #14, staying just ahead of Marist and Connecticut College this week. University of Vermont returns to the Top 20 this week, checking in at #20
Leagues with Regional Autobid
SECHL: (SuperEast Collegiate Hockey League)
Dropped out of Top 20:
Westfield State University
Rankings Breakdown by League
NECHA- 15
SECHL- 4
Independent-1
Southeast Rankings
Indiana University ceded the #2 spot to Liberty this week, as the Flames had been closing the distance for the last several weeks. After being a virtual tie last week, LU now as a slim .02 lead over the Hoosiers. The TSCHL is looking to lock down the Day 1 Regional Byes (Seeds #3-#6), as Indiana, Miami, Kentucky, and Ohio University currently are in those spots. Another TSCHL team, Louisville moved into the Top 10, this week, looking to secure the last guaranteed regional spot. UNC-Wilmington, looking its first trip to the Regionals ever, helped strengthened their position, rising one spot to #13 staying ahead of Rowan University by .16 of a point. For the second week in a row, the Top 20 has remained the same in terms of teams.
Leagues with Regional Autobid
ACCHL: (Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League)-Premier only
CSCHC: (Colonial State Collegiate Hockey Conference)
TSCHL: (Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League)
Dropped out of Top 20:
None
Rankings Breakdown by League
TSCHL- 9
ACCHL- 8
Independent-2
CSCHC- 1
West Rankings
The only constant in the West Region is that no spot is seemingly safe, except Montana State at #1. This week, Weber State takes it's turn in the #2 spot, jumping Providence and last week #2, MSU-Denver. After tumbling down to #12, SMU, rebounded this week, moving back up into the top 10, at #9. The Mustangs along with Denver and Montana are all trying to get to the top Day 1 seed at #7 and are only separated by .08 of a point. The potential Wild Card teams are just as tight #11 through #14 are only .04 of a point in separation. This week as well, no new teams joined the Top 20 in the West
Leagues with Regional Autobid
MWCHL: (Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League)
PAC: (Pacific Athletic Conference)
TCHC: (Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference)
WCHC: (Western Collegiate Hockey Conference)
Dropped out of Top 20:
None
Rankings Breakdown by League
MWCHL-6
WCHC- 5
TCHC-4
BMHC-2
Independent-2
PAC-1
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.
