TROY, MICH. (November 17, 2023)- The Men's Division 2 Regional Rankings for all games through November 12th have been released. This is the second of nine (9) Regional Rankings that will culminate with the Final Ranking on Tuesday, February 13th.
Central Rankings
Lindenwood University takes over in the top spot this week's rankings. The Lions split this past weekend with #5(SE) Liberty University at home, while last week's #1, University of Saint Thomas split with #5(C) University of Minnesota-Crookston. Iowa made the biggest jump this week, moving up four spots from #7 to #3 after sweeping Illinois State University, 7-4 and 5-1. Saint John's University and the University of Minnesota made their first appearance in the Top 20 at #19 and #20, respectively.
Dropped out of Top 20:
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Bradley University
Rankings Breakdown by League
Independent: 8 Teams
WCCHA: 7 Teams
NCHL: 3
MACHA: 2
Northeast Rankings
The University of New Hampshire finds itself at the top of the mountain in this week's rankings. The Wildcats went 2-0 on last weekend, beating the University of Vermont and Norwich University. Replacing UNH in the #2 spot is Keene State College. The Owls rose from #4 last week to the strength of wins vs. #11 Sacred Heart and #8 RPI. Roger Williams has the largest upward movement, rising three places from #17 to #14. The College of the Holy Cross makes its first appearance in the NE Rankings, entering at #19.
Dropped out of Top 20:
Bridgewater State University
Rankings Breakdown by League
NECHA- 15
SECHL- 4
Independent-1
Southeast Rankings
Indiana University was the lone #1 in the Regional Rankings to retain the spot in this week's rankings. The Hoosiers were idle this past week and take on #9(C) DePaul University this weekend. Kentucky and FGCU swapped spots with the Wildcats reaching their highest regional ranking in over a decade. University of Pennsylvania jumped two spots, from #17 to #15, making the largest move up in a largely static week. Maryland joins the Top 20 for the first time this season, coming in at #18.
Dropped out of Top 20:
Millersville University
Rankings Breakdown by League
TSCHL- 9
ACCHL- 8
Independent-2
CSCHC- 1
West Rankings
The West saw the top two teams from Ranking #1, Dakota College and Montana State, square off in a weekend series, with the Bobcats sweeping the Jacks, 3-1 and 5-2. Those scores have resulted in MSU taking over the top spot in Ranking #2. Probably the biggest story in all of Men's Division 2 is SMU's rise in the rankings. The Mustangs catapulted 10 places from #15 to #5 this week. NAU, after announcing the team will be moving to Men's Division 1 next season, also made a big move this week, rising four spots to #7. Colorado State joins the Top 20 for the first time this season, grabbing the #20 spot.
Dropped out of Top 20:
University of California
Rankings Breakdown by League
MWCHL-6
WCHC- 5
TCHC-3
BMHC-3
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.
